Do you speak Russian at home or with your family, but only read and write a little (or not at all)?

If so, you are what is called a “heritage speaker” of Russian, meaning that you learned the language as a child, but may or may not have had any formal training in reading and writing. We offer two special courses just for students like you: Elementary and Intermediate Russian for Russian Speakers (01:860:207 and 01:860:208).

Elementary Russian for Russian Speakers is intended for students who learned to speak Russian in the home or from family members, with little or no formal study or experience with reading or writing Russian. Students will master reading and writing in the Russian alphabet, solidify their knowledge of Russian grammar, including case endings and verbal forms, and increase their vocabulary. This course also introduces students to Russian culture, literature and history through authentic target-language texts, websites and media (including films and music) and other supplementary materials. This course is offered in Fall semesters only.

Intermediate Russian for Russians is designed for students who learned Russian at home or from family members, and have had some formal study, including Russian 207. This course focuses on improving grammatical control, and expanding active vocabulary for discussing abstract topics. Students will improve their reading skills, through literary and non-literary texts of increasing length and difficulty, and their writing skills, working towards the goal of creating cohesive and organized paragraph-length texts. Students will also increase their knowledge of Russian history, culture, geography and traditions through authentic materials, such as texts, films, music and other supplementary materials. This course is offered in Spring semesters only.

You can take our placement test to determine if Elementary or Intermediate Russian for Russian Speakers is the appropriate course for you.

Do you speak Russian at home or with your family, and know how to read and write?

If so, we have Russian literature and culture courses, taught entirely in Russian, that will help you maintain or improve your language skills. You can take our placement test to determine which of our many Russian language courses is appropriate for your current level.

Questions?

For any questions, please contact the Russian language coordinator, Dr. Cori Anderson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.