Russian 2203: Course Description

Textbook:
Intermediate Russian: 12 Chairs by Slava Paperno, Alexander Nakhimovsky, Alice Nakhimovsky, and Richard L. Leed, Slavica Publishers. (Bookstores under Russian 2203.)

The subtitle of the textbook refers to a tremendously popular book written in the early Soviet years and best defined as a picaresque novel. The readings and the accompanying film present an abbreviated version of this classic tale, full of satire and adventure.

Audio recordings:
RIT-1, RIT-2 (texts in each Lesson in the book); these recordings are linked to the Syllabus so you can listen online.

Multimedia

Computer exercises
"Intermediate Russian Exercises" online at the COLLT site (click COLLT under On-line course materials). These exercises will help you prepare for the Verb classes (explained below). See also the COLLT FAQ.

Russian Web sites
Web pages in Russian, linked to the Syllabus.

Dictionary:
Any good Russian-English and English-Russian dictionary, e.g. by Kenneth Katzner, published by John Wiley and Sons (Bookstores under Russian 2203). Also, The Russian Dictionary Tree on our Web site under On-line course materials.

Zoom:
In 2020-2021, this course is taught online in synchronous, real-time meetings on Zoom. We do not pre-record any lectures or classes. See the links for the Zoom meetings in our "Rooms and times" page. See Zoom under On-line course materials for the basic things you need to know about it.

Tests:
One midterm and a final examination.

Grading and attendance:
About three quarters of your grade will be based on your performance in class. One quarter of your grade depends on the final exam. Missing more than four classes without a good reason will affect your grade. If you do have to miss a class, send an email to your teacher, preferably before the class that you have to miss. When you recover, be sure to ask your teachers for help catching up. We'll always be happy to help.

Course structure:
The textbook has eighteen Lessons. Nine Lessons are covered in Russian 2203 and nine in Russian 2204, in the spring. Each Lesson is typically covered in one week, or four classes:

The course includes a few review weeks, when the most recent Lessons are reviewed, and additional reading classes are taught (mostly using contemporary materials from Russian Web sites).

See Rooms and times for meeting times and places. See Syllabus for specific assignments for each class. The rest of this Course Description tells you how to do your homework and what to expect in class.

Assignment for the Text class:

  1. Read the Text once without consulting the dictionary at the end of the book, i.e. consult only the Text Comments and the little Text Glossary printed immediately after the Text. At this first reading, you will only scan the Text and try to understand its general contents. As you read, the stress marks on the key words in the Text indicate that these words are included in the little Text Glossary.
  2. Listen to the recording of the Text online. Note and mark stress on all unfamiliar words in the Text. In class you will be asked to read aloud parts of the Text. You will see links to the recordings in the Syllabus.
  3. Read the Text again, carefully, using the dictionary at the back of the book. You will not be expected to use the entire Text vocabulary in your speech, but you should know what every word means.
  4. Prepare Text Exercises 1 and 2. You are not required to write anything for the Text class.
  5. Be ready to act out short scenes from the text. Text Exercise 3 may be helpful when preparing for this.

Assignment for the Mini-Video class

  1. Watch the «6 кадров» mini-videos assigned for the day (see the links in the Syllabus or use the link under On-line course materials). Make sure you understand every word; consult the transcript and glossary for the words that are hard to hear. Look up other unfamiliar words in a dictionary. Have the transcript in class in front of you. Type an English translation of the complete transcript and submit it using the homework submission box below the transcript.
  2. Make sure you can read aloud the dialog imitating the actors' intonation.
  3. Meet with a classmate on Zoom. Rehearse and when ready, record the scene from one of the assigned mini-videos. See Zoom under Online course materials for recording directions. In class, you will be asked to discuss these scenes and act out improvisations based on them.

Assignment for the Film class:

The 12 Chairs multimedia is a Cornell-only resource available from http://lexiconbridge.com/cloud. Create an account and ask your teacher to subscribe that account to the film. Do this early in the semester, before you see assignments for the film in the syllabus.If you do not own a computer, use the ones in the Language Resource Center in Noyes Lodge. You will watch the movie on the computer screen. On the same screen, you will see a window with various notes on the episode (summaries, transcripts, and descriptions). Every word in the notes has an English gloss: just click the word. Some words and phrases are linked to still images or short video clips. If you need help in using the site, read its on-screen Help (click the question mark button) or ask your teachers for a demonstration.

For the film work, the class is divided into two groups. Each student in the class should watch the entire assignment. In addition, each group is assigned a few scenes for more detailed study. See Syllabus for details.

When the Syllabus says "watch and understand..." you should watch the assignment a few times and try to understand as much dialog as you can. Consult the notes on the screen. If some of the dialog is difficult to understand, consult the on-screen transcript. Be prepared to answer questions about the entire assignment.

Then watch again the individual episodes that are shown in the syllabus as your group's assignment for "detailed study." Re-read the notes. Memorize as much of the dialog and the notes as you can. Be prepared to report on the episodes in class. Each scene's Summary will help you to report on the events. Each scene's Descriptions will help you to report on the characters and objects. The stage remarks in the summaries and transcripts will help you to report on specific actions. Be prepared to answer other students' questions about the episode(s). You may also be asked to act out your scenes.

Meet with a classmate on Zoom. Compose and act out (rehearse and when ready, record) a scene (a skit or a story) improvised on the basis of the episode you watched. See Zoom under Online course materials for recording directions. The syllabus includes one or two questions for each scene assigned for detailed study; you can use these questions to guide your own creativity. Make sure you do not use any language that might be unfamiliar to your classmates.

For each film class, prepare 2-3 questions on the assigned episodes. In class, your questions will be answered by your classmates as part of the discussion.

Some days are indicated in the Syllabus as review classes. For these days, you should work in pairs. With your partner, watch the entire episode(s) again. Make up your own skits (one or two short ones) along the lines of any scene(s) in the film. Memorize your dialog and be prepared to perform it in class.

Assignment for the Verb class:

The purpose of this class is to learn how to conjugate all verbs listed in Exercise 7 (and practiced in all other Лексико-граммaтические упражнения) and to use them correctly in your own speech and writing.

  1. Work with all verb exercises in the book as well as the Intermediate Exercises on the COLLT site. COLLT will give you practice and help evaluate your progress. The green "skip" button allows you to go directly to the assigned Lesson. As you type to fill the blanks, use any source for reference: the glossary at the end of the Intermediate Russian book, the table on pp. 286, 287, the online Russian Dictionary Tree (under On-line course materials), or any other publication. The online exercises, just like the same ones in the book, show the use of the verbs in their most common meanings. Work until you get all the endings right and do not forget to click Finish. The expected 100% score you should achieve after doing each Lesson is shown in the syllabus. Ignore COLLT's message about leaving too many questions unanswered--that's because there are 18 Lessons in the book, and you're only doing one Lesson at a time.
  2. Ignore the last page for the Lesson in COLLT that asks you to to record four sentences of your own. Instead, meet on Zoom with a classmate and together compose and record a conversation using several of the assigned verbs. See Zoom under Online course materials for recording directions. Use the verbs in the same basic meanings that are illustrated in the exercises. When you record, try to speak as naturally as possible. In class, the two of you will perform your conversation and improvise similar scenes with your classmates.

A note about Grammar sections at the back of the book (also online under "Russian Verbs" in the On-line course materials section of the navigation bar):
These are entirely optional. If you can master the verbs simply by memorizing the conjugation patterns for various groups of verbs, you do not need to consult any other materials. If, however, you would like to try and find some sense in the seemingly chaotic Russian conjugation system, read the indicated sections in the "Overview of Russian Conjugation" in the textbook. You will not be responsible for knowing the rules or the principles described there; they are there only to help you learn the verbs analytically rather than by brute force. Still, brute force is also OK.

Assignment for the Translation class:

  1. Write the Translation exercise, called Перевод in each Lesson. It is always the last exercise in the Lesson. Start by reading--carefully!--the grammatical explanation that precede the actual English sentences for translation. Then write the Russian translation of each sentence. As you do this, review the necessary parts of Text (and Dialogs, if assigned; if the syllabus never assigns the Dialogs portion of the Lesson, then you are not responsible for this part of the translation exercise). In the fall 2020, you will see links in the syllabus for submitting this homework online in PDF format. Otherwise, hand it in at the end of the class. If you would like to type your translations, you may want to download a zipped MS Word file with the English text of all Translation exercises, including the explanations.
  2. Make up four English sentences with the type of translation problems that are covered in this Lesson's Translation exercise. In class, you will ask your classmates to translate your sentences into Russian.

Assignment for the Verb review class:

  1. Review all verbs and grammar exercises from the Lessons included in the review (usually those covered since the previous review class).
  2. Choose one of these options:
    • Meet on Zoom with a classmate and together compose and record a conversation using several of the assigned verbs. See Zoom under Online course materials for recording directions. Use the verbs in the same basic meanings that are illustrated in the exercises so the class stays "on the same page." When you record, do not read from your notes: try to speak as naturally as possible. The teacher may comment on your recording. You will be asked to perform this dialog in class.
    • Alternatively, write and and submit (using the link in the syllabus) 5 to 6 questions using the assigned verbs. The teacher will correct and return them. In class, you will ask your classmates these questions (and may continue with an improvised conversation).

Assignment for the WWW class:

Read the assigned Web page and try to figure out what it says. Use a good dictionary (a paperback edition of a R-E and E-R dictionary by Kenneth Katzner should serve you very well), but do not try to translate every sentence. The art of reading in a foreign language requires a fair proportion of guessing. When reading Russian, an understanding of the grammatical structure of the sentence will often provide very good clues.

You will not be asked to discuss these stories or to use their Russian vocabulary. The purpose of this assignment is to practice reading and understanding. Do not spend more than an hour and a half on this assignment.