Undergraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025
Module RUSS2012: Russian Language 2B
Department: Modern Languages and Cultures (Russian)
RUSS2012: Russian Language 2B
| Type | Open | Level | 2 | Credits | 40 | Availability | Available in 2024/2025 | Module Cap | None. | Location | Durham |
|---|
Prerequisites
- Russian Language 1B (RUSS1042) or equivalent.
Corequisites
- At least one additional level 2 module in Russian Studies
Excluded Combination of Modules
- Russian Language 2A (RUSS2191)
Aims
- To further develop linguistic skills acquired at Level 1 across the full range of reading, writing, listening and speaking.
- To prepare students for living abroad in terms of language, practical knowledge, and cultural competence.
Content
- Weekly sessions devoted to the following:
- Grammar
- Translation from Russian into English and comprehension (reading)
- Translation from English into Russian
- Audio-Visual Comprehension (listening)
- Oral (speaking)
- Essay (writing)
- The teaching and resources in this module reflect a commitment to linguistic and cultural diversity. It positions the richness of the Russian-speaking world at the core of its syllabus.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- Students will extend their basic vocabulary to a level commensurate with Level 2 study and complete the process of familiarisation with more complex grammatical structures, while at the same time being exposed to a greater diversity of register in the texts with which they are working.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Students will develop skills in translation (from Russian into English and English into Russian), in producing more sophisticated spoken and written Russian, and in processing aural and visual material in the target language.
Key Skills:
- Students will begin to develop the ability to work independently within a prescribed framework and across a range of differentiated tasks. On completion of the course, students will be able to present a clear argument in the target language in both oral and written form.
- Students will gain the ability to present information and/or construct an argument effectively in the target language
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- The course involves highly differentiated modes of teaching, appropriate to the specific skills being developed.
- Plenary informal grammar lectures will set the context for a series of skills-based smaller-group grammar activities, followed by sessions focused on one of the five particular skills of reading, translation, writing, speaking and listening.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammar | 21 | 1 Weekly | 1 hour | 21 | ■ |
| Excercises | 21 | 1 Weekly | 1 hour | 21 | ■ |
| Translation Eng to Russ | 21 | 1 Weekly | 1 hour | 21 | ■ |
| Translation Russ to Eng | 10 | 1 Fortnightly | 1 hour | 10 | ■ |
| Audio-visual | 11 | 1 Fortnightly | 1 hour | 11 | ■ |
| Oral | 21 | 1 Weekly | 1 hour | 21 | ■ |
| Essay | 21 | 1 Weekly | 1 hour | 21 | ■ |
| Preparation and Reading | 274 | ||||
| Total | 400 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Continuous Assessment | Component Weighting: 20% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Continuous Assessment of written skills | 300 words | 80% | |
| Continuous Assessment of oral skills | 10 minutes | 20% | |
| Component: Written Examination | Component Weighting: 60% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Written Examination 1:Translation into English, Grammar (on campus) | 2 hours | 50% | Yes |
| Written examination 2: Translation English into Russian, Essay (on campus) | 2 hours | 50% | Yes |
| Component: Oral Assessment | Component Weighting: 20% | ||
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Oral examination (on campus) | 10 minutes | 80% | Yes |
Formative Assessment:
Regular translations/essays / grammar exercises and oral preparation work.
■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University