RUSSIAN 201-204 (BASIC INTERMEDIATE RUSSIAN)
THE RUSSIAN SCHOOL, MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE
Summer 2001
Andrei Zaitsev and Staff

Course Description | Syllabus

OVERVIEW OF COURSE SYLLABUS

Monday, June 11 (Unit One)
Communicative themes and functions: meeting people; introducing yourself; talking about oneself and one’s family;
Listening: talking about a city (text «Москва – столица России»)
Grammar: overview and review of the case system and review of verbs

Tuesday, June 12 – Friday, June 15
Communicative themes and functions: talking about school and work; expressing opinions; stating preferences; expressing emotional reactions; making plans
Grammar: using the second person imperative; verbs that require the dative case; expressing dates; using the prepositional and genitive cases to express location; using the nominative and genitive cases to express possession and lack thereof; simple comparative adjectives and adverbs; the absence of the verb "to be" in the present tense; verbs of studying and learning; using the instrumental case to talk about professions; basic reported speech; reported questions with the interrogative words что, когда, какой, почему, с кем, etc.
Intonation: Overview of the intonational system in Russian; using ИК-1 and ИК-2 in direct and reported speech, ИК-3 – for questions without interrogative words, ИК-4 – for comparative questions, and ИК-5 – in evaluative sentences
Video materials: Episodes 1 and 2
Reading: А.И. Приставкин «Первые цветы»

Quiz: Wednesday, June 13
Unit One Test: Friday, June 15

Monday, June 18 – Thursday, June 21 (Unit Two)
Communicative themes and functions: talking about health and illness; seeking medical assistance; using telephone etiquette; providing information about oneself formally and filling out forms; giving advice; extending invitations; reacting to ideas, proposals, news, and problems; answering the question "why?"
Grammar: using the first person imperative «Давай(те)...!»; expressing a plural subject; comparatives with the prefix по-; expressing age; time expressions with the preposition через followed by the accusative case; expressing time in years, months, weeks, and days; review of «который» clauses; forming the second-person imperative; expressing commands, requests, advice, and wishes in reported speech
Intonation: using ИК-2 for questions with interrogative words and to express emphasis; using ИК-3 for polite requests vs. ИК-2 for regular imperatives; using ИК-6 in the situation of asking again
Video materials: Episodes 3 and 4
Reading: К.И. Чуковский «Доктор Айболит»

Unit Two Test: Friday, June 22

Friday, June 22 – Wednesday, June 27 (Unit Three)
Communicative themes and functions: talking about travel; making travel arrangements (making reservations, purchasing tickets, etc.); common interactions with strangers (standing in line, asking for the time, traveling in a train coupe); talking about leisure time; arranging to meet at a certain time and place; catching a taxi or a private car; ordering in a club, caf_ or restaurant
Grammar: overview of verbs of motion; unprefixed verbs of motion; verbs of motion for carrying and transporting; expressing clock time; review of aspects (emphasis on imperfective for habitual/ repeated action); reported speech: using the particle «ли» to report questions without interrogative words
Intonation: Using ИК-2 and ИК-3 in sentences with choice (или); using ИК-3 for suggestions, proposals, etc.
Video materials: Episodes 5 and 6
Reading: Л.Н.Толстой «Три медведя»

Unit Three Test: Thursday, June 28

Thursday, June 28 – Tuesday, July 3 (Unit Four)
Communicative themes and functions: Talking about places; describing where something is located; getting around in an unfamiliar city; asking for and giving directions; using public transportation; checking into a hotel; describing a person (character and personality)
Grammar: prefixed verbs of motion; spatial prepositions and their complements; the subjunctive mood (using the particle «бы»); review of aspects (expressing duration; sequential vs. simultaneous actions); reported thought or knowledge
Intonation: using ИК-2 in sentences with apprehension (Как быЙ!); using ИКs when asking for directions; using ИКs in subjunctive constructions (если бы...)
Video materials: Episodes 7 and 8
Reading: Д.Н. Мамин-Сибиряк «Храбрый заяц»

Unit Four Test: Wednesday, July 4
First Oral Exam: To be scheduled during the third week of the program

Wednesday, July 4 – Monday, July 9 (Unit Five)
Communicative themes and functions: talking about society; talking about personal interests; expressing intentions and resolutions; problem solving and making suggestions; giving and taking advice; visiting someone’s home
Grammar: aspect and annulated action; expressing duration after verbs of motion (на + accusative) and after other verbs (accusative without a preposition); expressing time for completing an action (за + accusative); expressing necessity using надо; the reflexive possessive pronoun свой; aspect with нельзя; aspect following phasal verb; aspect with пора; using the third-person plural with the passive meaning; using the constructions о том, что / после того как / до того как; new short form adjectives; more review of который
Intonation: using ИК-2 and ИК-3 in questions about duration; using ИКs in complex clauses with который and если; using ИК-2 for greetings
Video materials: Episodes 9 and 10
Reading: Русская народная сказка «Морозко»

Unit Five Test: Tuesday, July 10

Tuesday, July 10 – Monday, July 16 (July 13 – no class) (Unit Six)
Communicative themes and functions: talking about cultural events, books, movies, etc.; understanding and making announcements, ads, and schedules; visiting in someone’s home; expressing certainty or doubt; expressing gratitude
Grammar: review of the instrumental case; uses for the preposition по-; places named in honor of someone (имени кого?); the difference between the expressions "ходить в гости" and "быть в гостях"; expressing an emotional reaction (какой/ как vs. такой\так); the indefinitive particles -то vs. –нибудь; using the imperfective imperative to express urgency of action; more practice with the conjunction о том, что; reflexive verbs with the particle -ся
Intonation: using ИК-4 for listing; review of ИК-3 in yes/no questions; review of ИК-5 in evaluative sentences; using ИКs in complex sentences with certainty, hope, doubt, and apprehension
Video materials: Episodes 11 and 12
Reading: В.М. Шукшин «Чудик»

Unit Six Test: Tuesday, July 17
Second Oral Exam: To be scheduled during the sixth week of the program

Tuesday, July 17 – Friday, July 20 (Unit Seven)
Communicative themes and functions: talking about cultural differences; expressing opinions and reacting to others’ opinions; talking about opportunities; giving advice; suggesting solutions; expressing emotional reactions; talking about people’s personality and character
Grammar: the genitive plural; negation in past and future; using perfective for sequential actions; using должен to express obligation; asking for definitions; using уже and ещё; aspect and negative constructions; using reported speech for imperatives: commands, requests, and wishes
Intonation: using ИК-2 to express emotions; review of ИК-2; using ИК-3 and ИК-7 in sentences expressing doubt (Разве...? and Вряд ли...!); using ИКs in reported commands, requests, and other imperatives
Video materials: Episodes 13 and 14
Reading:А.П. Чехов «Толстый и тонкий»

Unit Seven Test: Monday, July 23

Monday, July 23 – Thursday, July 26 (Unit Eight)
Communicative themes and functions: making preparations for a celebration (wedding, birthday, party, etc.); talking about food and cooking recipes; shopping for food; extending invitations; accepting and declining invitations; describing people’s appearance and personality; expressing emotions: joy, surprise, and doubt
Grammar: using the instrumental case in definitions and descriptions; review of the first-person imperative; sentences with "и..., и..." (both) and "ни..., ни..." (neither); expressing needs with нужно; verbs of motion with the prefix за-
Intonation: using ИК-2 in evaluative sentences with разве; review of ИК-1 in statements vs. ИК-3 in interrogative sentences
Video materials: Episodes 15 and 16
Reading: А.Т. Аверченко «Сентиментальный роман»

Unit Eight Test: Friday, July 27

Friday, July 27 – Wednesday, August 1 (Unit Nine)
Communicative themes and functions: describing physical surroundings (room, apartment, house, city); shopping; giving and responding to complements; making requests; describing emotions
Grammar: stative verbs; superlatives; expressing "also" (тоже vs. также); reciprocal action; prefixed verbs of carrying and transporting
Intonation: using ИК-5 for emphasis; review of ИК-4 in comparative questions; using ИК-1 and ИК-2 in sentences with "тоже"
Video materials: Episodes 17 and 18
Reading: text «Юнона и Авось» on the love story told by poet Андрей Вознесенский.

Unit Nine Test: Thursday, August 2

Thursday, August 2 – Wednesday, August 8 (Unit Ten)
Communicative themes and functions: celebrations and table etiquette; making toasts; expressing wishes and preferences; describing clothing and appearance
Grammar: dative impersonal constructions; demonstrative words сам, сама, сами; use of «чтобы» to express wishes; impersonal construction "Как тебе не...!"; complex concessive and compensative constructions; introduction to participles and verbal adverbs; review
Intonation: using ИК-3 in complex sentences with "не успел(а) я..., как..."; review of ИК-5; using ИК-3 for identification vs. ИК-5 for evaluation in sentences with "Вот это + noun"; using ИК-2 for objections; using ИКs in sentences with concessive (хотя) and compensative (зато) meanings
Video materials: Episodes 19 and 20
Reading: А.С. Пушкин «Метель»

Final Exam: Thursday, August 9
Third Oral Exam: To be scheduled during the ninth week of the program

Note!
- For each Unit, you will also have one Audio Test and one or two Vocabulary Quizzes. You will be notified about times and contents in advance.
- Your routine schedule may be slightly adjusted because of a number of ‘All-School’ curricular and extracurricular activities that will be announced later, once the Program starts.

Course Description | Syllabus