russian language

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By Term

• Fall 2013
• Spring 2013
• Spring 2014
• Academic year 2013-2014

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Program Overview

Advance your Russian language skills through an intensive and immersive study abroad program in beautiful St. Petersburg.

Whether you’re a intermediate or advanced level language student you’ll enjoy rigorous coursework, and an enriching cultural program of lectures and local excursions in and around one of the world’s most culturally and historically rich cities. And with homestays, peer language partners, volunteering opportunities, and a variety of cultural activities and excursions, studying abroad in Russia offers you a uniquely immersive international experience.

Study abroad in Russia and you will:

• Take part in the longest running study abroad program in Russia in magnificent St. Petersburg where the entire downtown is a protected UNESCO heritage site
• Live with a local Russian host family for maximum linguistic and cultural immersion
• Participate in optional volunteering projects organized through a well developed network of contacts that facilitate integration into Russian society
• Participate in a cultural program which includes local excursions, field trips, and exclusive tours and performances

The CIEE Difference

Coursework

Improve your grammar, phonetics, and conversational skills through language study, and choose from a variety of electives in subjects such as Russian literature, comparative cultural studies, visual and performing arts, politics, and representations of Russia.

Excursions

Explore the city through a series of museum visits, boat tours, a group cooking class in Russian and Georgian cuisine, visits to the Russian bathhouse, and tickets to concerts, ballets, and sporting events. You’ll also enjoy three overnight field trips to destinations like Moscow, Novgorod, the Pskov region, and Kiev, Ukraine.

There is also an independent Russian Travel Week each semester, where you are encouraged to visit areas outside of St. Petersburg on your own.

Immersion

Take part in the Sobesedniki program and you’ll be paired with local students for a variety of language and cultural exchange activities. These students provide you with additional language support and a firsthand look at the lifestyle of your Russian peers.

Dates, Deadlines & Fees

We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.

• Tuition and housing
• Pre-departure advising and optional on-site airport meet and greet
• Full-time program leadership and support
• Field trips and cultural activities
• CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits

Please note, program dates are subject to change. Please contact your CIEE Study Abroad Advisor before purchasing airfare. Click the button to view more detailed information about dates and fees.

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Costs

Fall 2013 (15 wks)

04/01/2013

09/07/2013

12/21/2013

$14,850

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Participation Confirmation *

$300

Educational Costs **

$10,705

Housing ***

$3,500

Insurance

$102

Visa Fees

$243

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

* non-refundable

** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

*** Includes two meals per day during the week and all meals on weekends.

Estimated Additional Costs

Meals not included in program fee

$750

International Airfare *

$1,350

Local Transportation

$250

Books & Supplies

$100

Personal expenses

$2,200

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

* round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

Spring 2013 (16 wks)

11/01/2012

01/31/2013

05/24/2013

$14,850

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Participation Confirmation *

$300

Educational Costs **

$10,705

Housing ***

$3,500

Insurance

$102

Visa Fees

$243

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

* non-refundable

** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

*** Includes two meals per day during the week and all meals on weekends.

Estimated Additional Costs

Meals not included in program fee

$750

International Airfare *

$1,350

Local Transportation

$250

Books & Supplies

$100

Personal expenses

$2,200

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

* round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

Spring 2014

11/01/2013

to be announced

to be announced

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

Estimated Additional Costs

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

Academic year 2013-2014

04/01/2013

09/07/2013

to be announced

$28,300

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Participation Confirmation *

$300

Educational Costs **

$20,655

Housing ***

$7,000

Insurance

$102

Visa Fees

$243

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

* non-refundable

** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

*** Includes two meals per day during the week and all meals on weekends.

Estimated Additional Costs

Meals not included in program fee

$1,500

International Airfare *

$1,350

Local Transportation

$500

Books & Supplies

$200

Personal expenses

$4,400

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

* round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

Eligibility

• Overall GPA 2.75
• 4 semesters of college-level Russian or equivalent
• Oral Proficiency Interview score of Intermediate Low or better recommended
• Due to the length of the Russian visa process, CIEE requires students to have a valid passport in order to be accepted. Russian immigration requires that this passport is valid for 18 months beyond the end date of the program.

Recommended Credit

Recommended credit for the semester is 17 semester/25.5 quarter hours and 31 semester/46.5 quarter hours for the academic year.

Course contact hours for CIEE area studies courses are 45 hours and recommended credit is 3 semester/4.5 quarter hours per course. Course contact hours for CIEE language courses are 84 hours and recommended credit is 4 semester/6 quarter hours per course, unless otherwise indicated.

Recommendations for credit hours take into consideration not only actual class time, but also five mandatory excursions. Organized excursions are conducted in Russian.

Program Requirements

All study abroad students take Russian Grammar, Phonetics, and Conversation, and two elective courses. Participants are placed at the appropriate language level based on language testing conducted at the beginning of the program. Academic year students take Russian Grammar, Conversation, Advanced Translation, and one elective in their second semester.

About The City

Envisioned by Peter the Great as the “Window to the West” and created by French and Italian architects, St. Petersburg became a testimony to opulence with golden palaces, pastel-colored mansions, and landscaped parks, gardens, and canals. Having endured the horrors of World War II and Stalinist repression, the people now cope with a new political and economic reality. Known as Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, the city of nearly five million is easily navigated by foot, bus, trolley, and an efficient metro system.

Meet The Staff

Irina Makoveeva

A native of Moscow, Irina Makoveeva received her Master’s in Russian Philology and Comparative Linguistics from the Moscow Lomonosov State University and her Doctoral Degree in Slavic and Film Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Her dissertation Visualizing Lev Tolstoi’s Anna Karenina reveals her interest in popular-culture adaptations of canonical literary texts. While her first publications focus on problems of translation and methodology of teaching Russian as a foreign language, her recent articles explore various aspects of Soviet and post-Soviet culture. Throughout her long academic career, she has taught various courses on Russian literature, culture, cinema, and all levels of Russian language at such schools as Moscow State Mining University, the Moscow Lomonosov State University, Virginia Tech, the University of Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt University.

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It seems that St. Petersburg is a perfect locale to comprehend Russia. Unlike Moscow, famous for its overwhelming pace of an urban conglomerate, the Northern capital of Russia allows its guests more time and freedom for an individually-paced investigation. The three hundred year old city and its startling architecture is saturated with Russia’s turbulent past and the lives of its historical (Peter the Great and Catherine the Great) and literary (Alexander Pushkin and Fedor Dostoevskii) giants. Your frequent interaction with the young people at St. Petersburg State University and outside it, group visits to the intense games of St. Petersburg’s favorite hockey (SKA) and soccer (Zenit) teams, and the concerts of today’s talented musicians at the city’s numerous venues will allow you to experience St. Petersburg and Russia as a whole, surmounting a potential gap between the old and the new, as well as between the high and the popular culture. Finally, your stay with a Russian family will add the last, but not the least, stroke to a colorful canvas you will want to name your Russian Adventure.

— Irina Makoveeva, Resident Director

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Jarlath McGuckin

Student Services Manager Jarlath McGuckin graduated from the University of Rochester in 2002 with a degree in Russian and Political Science. In 2009 he received his M.A. in Russian Studies from the European University at St. Petersburg. In the spring of 2003, he began working for CIEE in the External Relations department and moved to Russia in the summer of 2006 to take on the role of Resident Coordinator. He is fluent in Russian and was a former participant in both the CIEE St. Petersburg and Prague programs. In his free time, Jarlath can be found performing with his band in St. Petersburg.

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Katya Rubtsova

Student Services Assistant Katya Rubtsova joined the CIEE Study Center in 2009. A graduate of Tula Lev Tolstoy State Pedagogical University with a degree in teaching foreign languages, she assists CIEE students in their everyday endeavors. In addition, Katya has coordinated such projects as the Smolny Spring Ball, Stilyagi and Leningradsky Rock. In 2007-2008, as an administrator of a Russian-German NGO in Tula, Katya participated in many youth leadership conferences which included social and theatrical projects in Izhevsk, Nizhny Novgorod and other cities in Russia and Ukraine. She participated twice in the CIEE Work and Travel USA program.

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Where You'll Study

Founded in the 18th century, St. Petersburg State University is one of Russia’s leading institutions of higher education. The campus has expanded from its original site on the Neva River, and now includes over 400 buildings around the city center. CIEE students study at the University’s stunning Smolny campus—on the territory of the renowned school for noble ladies founded in 1764—in a quiet neighborhood on the east side of downtown St. Petersburg.

Housing & Meals

All study abroad students live in Russian homestays. Participants have their own room with a Russian family in a private apartment. Housing and most meals (two meals daily and three on weekends) are included in the program fee. Students are responsible for weekday lunches. The University cafeteria offers reasonably priced meals.

Orientations

You'll begin your study abroad experience in St. Petersburg even before leaving home by participating in a CIEE online pre-departure orientation. Meeting with students online, the resident director shares information about the program and site, highlighting issues that alumni have said are important, and giving you time to ask questions. The online orientation allows you to connect with others in the group, reflect on what you want to get out of the program, and learn what others in the group would like to accomplish. CIEE’s aim for the pre-departure orientation is simple—to help you understand more about the program, and identify your objectives so that you arrive well-informed and return home having made significant progress towards your goals.

The on-site orientation last three days. At the beginning of the program, you will participate in an intensive introduction to Russia, the culture, health and safety issues, and the academic program. The orientation is supported by Russian student assistants in order to facilitate your entry into your new culture. Additional orientation activities take place throughout the first two weeks of the program. Ongoing support is provided by CIEE staff on an individual and group basis throughout the program.

Internet

You are encouraged to bring a wireless-enabled laptop. Internet access in homestays is not guaranteed; however, limited, but free, wireless is available at the CIEE Study Center. Wireless Internet is also available through local cell phone providers, 4G Internet providers, and many Internet cafés throughout St. Petersburg. Additionally, there is a fee-for-service Internet classroom maintained by the University.

Culture

Cultural Activities and Field Trips

The academic study abroad program is supplemented with excursions, study tours, and field trips.

Required program excursions in previous semesters have included a city bus tour, the Hermitage, Russian Museum, and Peter and Paul Fortress, Pavlovsk, and Peterhof. Optional excursions organized by CIEE staff include Tsarskoe Selo, Yusupov Palace, a walking tour of Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment, Pushkin’s Apartment Museum, Nabokov Museum, and Baltika Brewery. In previous semesters, CIEE arranged a night at the ballet, group cooking classes in Russian and Georgian cuisine, visits to the Russian bathhouse (banya), and group tickets to hockey and soccer games. Most of our optional excursions are scheduled for weekends.

The program offers three overnight field trips that take place each semester. Although excursion destinations vary, previous semesters have included overnight trips to Moscow, Novgorod, the Pskov region, and Kiev, Ukraine. These trips include excursions to places of educational, cultural, and historic significance, while still allowing some time for you to explore the sites on your own.

There is also an independent Russian Travel Week each semester. You are encouraged to visit areas outside of St. Petersburg on your own. You'll travel independently and the cost of this travel is not included in the program fee. In past semesters students have visited the lovely towns of old Russia in the Golden Ring surrounding Moscow, camped on Lake Baikal, explored Vladivostok, taken in the sites of the Tatar Republic, and relaxed on the shores of the Black Sea.

Volunteering

You may take advantage of a range of volunteer projects in St. Petersburg. You'll have the opportunity to work as a teaching assistant in English language classes at St. Petersburg State University and private language schools. Although volunteer opportunities change somewhat from semester to semester, it is generally possible for you to spend your free time assisting at the Hermitage, International Red Cross, Salvation Army, non-governmental organizations, and orphanages.

Immersion

Sobesedniki—Peer Language Partners

If you choose to take part in the Sobesedniki program you'll be paired with local students for a variety of language and cultural exchange activities. These students will provide you with additional language support and give you a firsthand look at their lifestyle.

CIEE St. Petersburg Signature Cultural Events

Each semester, study abroad students organize a special event held at the end of the semester. This event is a chance for you to delve into a specific topic of Russian history and experience that epoch in a fun and entertaining way with other students from the School of Political Science or their Sobesedniki. In past semesters, students have organized a Spring Ball (the period of Catherine the Great) a Stilyagi (Retro Hipsters style of the 1950s) project, and a Russian Rock project that culminated in a live performance of CIEE students accompanied by professional musicians.

Film and Music

You can enjoy Russian cinema individually by checking out films from the Study Center DVD library, or collectively in group screenings through the CIEE Film Club. In addition, you can participate in the CIEE choir or the CIEE Folk Dancing Troupe once a week. The CIEE choir has become a tradition in recent years, and the group has been invited to perform on national radio in past semesters. Some students choose to audition for the St. Petersburg State University choir or orchestra, which perform world class musical concerts for the public, while other students prefer to privately study a musical instrument, such as the balalaika or accordion.

Academics

In 2013, the CIEE Study Center marks its 46th year in St. Petersburg. CIEE began its close relationship with St. Petersburg State University when the Summer Russian Language Program began there in 1967. The CIEE semester Russian Language program (RLP) was established in 1970. The Russian Language study abroad program is offered in both the fall and spring semesters and includes in-class language study at St. Petersburg State University and excursions and field trips conducted in Russian to other Russian cities. The curriculum for this program includes required courses in grammar, phonetics, and conversation, as well as elective courses in Russian literature, culture, and politics. Academi-year students in the spring semester take advanced sections of grammar and conversation, advanced translation, and one elective course.

Academic Culture

Students attend classes five days a week with one afternoon reserved for cultural activities. Grammar and conversation courses meet three times a week; phonetics and the elective courses meet twice each week. Classes are 90 minutes in length.

All courses are taught in Russian. Students are grouped by language level based on the results of a placement test. Class size ranges from seven to 10 students for core language courses. Language instructors use language textbooks published in Russia. In-class participation often accounts for a large percentage of students’ grades as Russian teaching methodology emphasizes in-class learning. The Russian classroom is more formal than the American classroom with students expected to answer questions in turn and respect for the teacher is expected of all students. Each class is 90-minutes in length broken into two 45-minute parts to form one “para” or “pair.”

Nature of Classes

Participants take classes with other CIEE study abroad students only and not with Russian students. Upon approval from CIEE resident staff and local faculty members, students may audit additional classes (taught in Russian) at the School of Political Science, St. Petersburg State University.

Tutoring and Oral Proficiency Interview

CIEE offers extra help with language classes in the form of tutoring. Students’ personal needs in language learning are met in sessions conducted either with experienced instructors or students of the St. Petersburg State University Philological department. In these sessions, students can go over difficult topics of Russian grammar or classwork. The CIEE program includes ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) testing which is conducted at the beginning and the end of each semester allowing students to receive a quantifiable score of their oral proficiency progress.

CIEE Community Language Commitment

Study abroad students take part in the CIEE Community Language Commitment by speaking Russian at all times (except in emergencies). This fosters a learning community that contributes to both Russian language proficiency and understanding of Russian society.

Grading System

Grades are assigned using the Russian grading scale of one to five, and converted to U.S. letter grade equivalents. Plus and minus grades are also assigned. Grades are determined by a combination of short quizzes, written assignments, presentations, and exams. Additionally, participation often accounts for a large percentage of students’ grades as Russian teaching methodology emphasizes in-class learning. Attendance is mandatory for all CIEE courses.

Language of Instruction

Russian

Faculty

All courses are taught by faculty from St. Petersburg State University.

Course Description

Program Blog

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