Russian 3305: Syllabus

Early in the semester, you should learn basic Russian grammatical terms.

Throughout the semester use these Quick Links for review.

This summary of deverbal forms may be useful towards the end of the semester.

Each table row shows the work you should do in preparation for that class.

Week 1: Sunday 08/30/20 - Saturday 09/05/20 [show/hide]
Friday
Come to the organizational meeting (click Welcome in the navigation bar and look under Current Announcement).
Week 2: Sunday 09/06/20 - Saturday 09/12/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Print this six-page handout in Acrobat (PDF) format: Page 4; Page 5; Page 6; Page 7; Page 8; Page 9. These pages describe the Russian alphabet and shows samples of cursive writing. Learn the alphabet and copy the writing on these pages. This video is a good way to learn how to connect the letters. This link may help you learn the alphabet.

In class: letters and sounds.

Thursday
Read Course Description (the link at the top of the Syllabus page) to find out how to get access to the Advanced Russian website and how to do each type of homework. On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 1. Stories. Story 1-1 (A or B). Pages 1-24. (Михаил Мишин «Счастливый»)
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

How to name your homework file: YourNetID_WeekXDayY_YourName, e.g. sp27_Week2Day2_Slava.pdf

Print this five-page handout in Acrobat (PDF) format: Page 12; Page 13; Page 14; Page 17; Page 18. Copy these pages in cursive to practice your handwriting.
Week 3: Sunday 09/13/20 - Saturday 09/19/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Consult Letters and Sounds. Part 1. Write 30 Russian words that illustrate various points of this section. Indicate what your words/letters are examples of. You may pick those words from a book, newspaper, or Web site, or just look around and write what you see.
Thursday
Read Course Description (the link at the top of the Syllabus page) to find out how to get access to the Advanced Russian website and how to do each type of homework. On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-1 (A or B). Pages 1-20. (Михаил Мишин «История»).
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Read Один за трех; Три за одного from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Find and copy (in longhand) 30 words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 2.
Week 4: Sunday 09/20/20 - Saturday 09/26/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Read Самая удивительная буква русской азбуки from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Find and copy (in longhand) 30 words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 2.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 3. Stories. Story 3-2 (A, or B), Story 3-3 (A or B). («Предисловие» Сергея Довлатова (aka «Холодильник») и «Остров»)
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Read Еще одна «редкостная» буква from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Find and copy (in longhand) 30 words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 3.
Week 5: Sunday 09/27/20 - Saturday 10/03/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Read Било и крыло; За что бьют рынду? from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words from this story that illustrate some of the points made in Letters and Sounds. Part 4.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 3. Stories. Story 3-1 (A or B). Pages 1-31. («Сергей Довлатов о времени и о себе»)
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due. Read about this in Zoom under Online course materials in the navigation bar on the left.

Consult again Letters and Sounds. Part 4. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words that illustrate various points of this section.
Week 6: Sunday 10/04/20 - Saturday 10/10/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Consult Letters and Sounds. Part 5. Write 10 short Russian sentences with words that illustrate various points of this section.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-2 (A or B). Pages 1-25. (Михаил Веллер «Тест»).
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Read section Suffixes in Letters and Sounds. Part 5, then take as much of this online Self-Test 1 as you have time for. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyse your errors, if any (click the links in the answer page). Take the test again if you feel you can do better the second time. Bring your first version to class. We will use this dictation to review everything that has been covered this semester so far. Nothing to submit for today.
Week 7: Sunday 10/11/20 - Saturday 10/17/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Take the rest of the online Self-Test 1. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any. Use the answer page and Quick Links to review everything that has been covered this semester so far. In class, you will write a dictation that is similar to Self-Test 1. Nothing to submit for today.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 2. Stories. Story 2-2 (A or B). Pages 26-51. (Михаил Веллер «Тест»).
Friday
We will review all issues that seem to have been a problem in the dictation.
Week 8: Sunday 10/18/20 - Saturday 10/24/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Read Анатомия слова from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. Bring 5000 Russian Words to class.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 1-30. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Read Глокая куздра from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. As you read, note the case forms of nouns. Bring 5000 Russian Words to class.
Week 9: Sunday 10/25/20 - Saturday 10/31/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Read Два слова о суффиксах from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In each sentence, mark the case, number, and declension class of every noun. Use the terms in grammatical terms and on pp. 310, 311, 312, and 317 of 5000 Russian Words. You should read the above pages carefully and also consult these Web pages: The four declension classes of nouns, Gender classes, Case of nouns: form and function. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 31-53. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Read Слова и словари from «Слово о словах» Льва Успенского. Summarize it in 10 short Russian sentences. In all sentences, mark the case, number, and gender of all pronouns and adjectives. For reference, use pp. 313, 314, and 315 in the dictionary. If you want an introduction to these classes of words, read these Web pages: Adjective-noun agreement, Ordinary and Special adjectives. If you need a reminder of the effect of spelling rules (p. 309 in the dictionary) on endings, read The effect of spelling rules and The effect of stress in Nom. Sg.: adjectives in -ой, -ий, and -ый. Read also about comparisons so you know that a comparative form never ends in -и even though many sound as if they do. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.
Week 10: Sunday 11/01/20 - Saturday 11/07/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Write 10 Russian sentences to show the use of various case, gender, and number forms of nouns. In each sentence, mark the case, number, and declension class of every noun. Use the terms in grammatical terms and on pp. 310, 311, 312, and 317 of 5000 Russian Words. You should read the above pages carefully and also consult these Web pages (some of them are a review from the previous class): The four declension classes of nouns, Gender classes, Case of nouns: form and function. The chart from p. 317 of the dictionary is also shown at this Web page, where you may find the format easier to use. Don't miss the variants for the Genitive plural endings, the special spelling of -ия and -ие nouns in the Dative and Prepositional cases, and the animacy rule. Bring 5000 Russian Words to every class.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 6. Stories. Story 6-1 (A or B), Pages 54-77. (Людмила Улицкая "Явление природы")
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Start writing your story that you should finish by the end of the semester. It can be about your family (real or imaginary), your friends, a book or film that you like, your whole life as you plan or imagine it, or anything else. In today's portion of your story, mark the tense and conjugation type of all verbs. For reference, use pp. 318 in the dictionary. You'll also find these Web pages useful: The two verb stems (including the links to irregular verbs and consonant alternation), Past tense endings, Non-past tense endings and The two conjugations. If you need a reminder of the effect of spelling rules (p. 309 in the dictionary) on verb endings, read Spelling rules for verbs. Do not forget to submit this first installment using the link above.
Week 11: Sunday 11/08/20 - Saturday 11/14/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

In today's portion of your story (see the assignment for the preceding class if you don't know about "your story"), mark the aspect, tense and conjugation type of all verbs. For reference on aspect, use these Web pages: Aspect: Perfective and Imperfective verbs (including the links to взять/брать and пойти/ходить), How to express past, present, and future, Prefixed and unprexifed verbs, and Aspect partners with different roots. Do not forget to submit this second installment using the link above.
Thursday
On the Advanced Russian website, read Chapter 1. Stories. Story 1-2 (A or B). (Михаил Веллер «Мимоходом»).
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.

Read One-Way and Non-One-Way verbs of motion on the Web. In today's portion of your story, use various verbs of motion in various situations that illustrate the difference in their meaning: Round trip vs. one direction and other similar distinctions. You will find these Web pages useful for reference: Six sample verbs of motion, Expressing "go", Пойти vs. ходить, Prefixes, More prefixes, and More examples. Use the dictionary to verify spelling and conjugation. In class, we'll also talk about deverbal and imperative forms. In preparation, take a look at this summary of deverbal forms.
Week 12: Sunday 11/15/20 - Saturday 11/21/20 [show/hide]
Monday
No classes Nov. 14 - Nov. 24
Thursday
No classes Nov. 14 - Nov. 24
Friday
No classes Nov. 14 - Nov. 24
Week 13: Sunday 11/22/20 - Saturday 11/28/20 [show/hide]
Monday
No classes Nov. 14 - Nov. 24
Thursday
Каникулы - День Благодарения
Friday
Каникулы - День Благодарения
Week 14: Sunday 11/29/20 - Saturday 12/05/20 [show/hide]
Monday
By now, you should be able to spell all forms for pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and verbs without consulting any tables. (This does not include deverbal forms--participles and deverbal adverbs in the last two columns of the dictionary entries.) Take as much of this online Self-Test 2 as you have time for. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any. Take the test again if you feel you can do better the second time. Bring your first version to class. We will use this dictation to review everything you have learned about pronouns, nouns, adjectives, and verbs in the recent weeks as well as the earlier material. Nothing to submit for today.
Thursday
Сергей Довлатов. «Чемодан.». Прочитайте четвертую часть, Приличный двубортный костюм. Страницы 8 и 9 до слов «Я слышал об одном умельце.»
Friday
Use your corrected homework and answers to Self-Test 2 again to review. In class, you'll write a dictation similar to the one in Self-Test 2.
Week 15: Sunday 12/06/20 - Saturday 12/12/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Use this Review Guide in Acrobat (PDF) format to review the material of the entire semester and identify the points that you may have missed or forgotten. Continue writing your story and use examples of some of those points in today's portion. In class, you will write a practice exam that is similar to the final exam. [answers]
Thursday
Сергей Довлатов. «Чемодан.». Прочитайте четвертую часть, Приличный двубортный костюм. Страницы 9, 10, 11
Friday
Use this link to upload homework in PDF format if any is due.>

Write the final episode of your story. In class, we will look at these sentences and talk about rewriting them in a better style using deverbal forms.
Week 16: Sunday 12/13/20 - Saturday 12/19/20 [show/hide]
Monday
Review everything, come to class with questions. If you like, use this online Self-Test 3 to identify your weak spots. Compare your results to the provided answers and analyze your errors, if any.
Thursday
FINAL EXAM

Date and time of the exam is shown on the Registrar's page, https://registrar.cornell.edu/exams/fall-final-exam-schedule

  1. Display, download, or print this PDF form for the exam (opens in a separate tab or window).
  2. Use any of these methods to record your answers:
    • If you have a tool for typing into the PDF file (e.g. Acrobat Pro), you can do that.
    • Or you can copy the contents of the PDF, paste them into a Word file (or some other wordprocessor), and then type your answers there.
    • If you don't like typing Cyrillic, print the PDF and write on the printout.
    • If none of that works for you, write your answers on a blank sheet of paper, as you wrote your homework this semester, and number your answers, so we know what goes where.
  3. Convert your answers to a PDF file; from Word, you can save it as a PDF; or you can photograph your writing and run that through a PDF converter, as you did for all your homework this semester.
  4. Be sure to start the filename of your PDF with your net ID and include your Russian nickname (in Latin letters); the rest of the filename is up to you.
  5. Use THIS LINK to submit your PDF file and send a private message through the Zoom Chat box to Slava to ask him to check out the file and confirm that it is readable.

Do not leave this Zoom room until you get confirmation from Slava.

Week 17: Sunday 12/20/20 - Saturday 12/26/20 [show/hide]