| Unit name | Russian Language (ab initio) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | RUSS10001 |
| Credit points | 40 |
| Level of study | C/4 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
| Unit director | Ms. McNeilly |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Russian |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The unit concentrates equally on all elements of language learning –reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as translation. The main focus will be development of active and passive language skill. Students will develop an extensive vocabulary and understanding of the main grammatical structures. Students will also develop a basic knowledge of culture and society.
Upon successful completion of the unit, the student will have acquired a basic knowledge of the language studied and be able to communicate in a variety of circumstances, in both written and spoken forms, with a degree of accuracy and fluency.
Core language classes, multimedia class, small-group oral classes. Mostly seminar based with some lectures for the delivery of grammar lessons.
The four key skills are; ‘Composition’, ‘Translation’, ‘Guided Writing’ and ‘Oral/Aural’.
1. Composition - assesses the students’ ability to communicate in the longer written form in the target language, which can include essay writing.
2. Translation - may assess the students’ ability to translate accurately and fluently into and out of the target language.
3. Guided Writing - sometimes also known as ‘Mediation into the Target Language’, assesses the students’ skills in reading comprehension and in expressing material in the target language in prose form (including condensing, translation into the target language, rephrasing, asking them to respond to structured or guided questions related to a given text, etc). It may also assess students’ metalinguistic and lexical competence (i.e. grammar and vocabulary).
4. Oral/Aural - assesses the students’ verbal and listening skills, communicating verbally and in comprehension of the spoken language. Split: Oral=70%; Aural=30%
In order to progress into Year 2, students would need to achieve a pass mark (40) in their overall language mark. Marks of below 40 in any of the four language skills would not prevent a student from progressing, as long as the overall average remained above 40. Students, who received an overall mark of below 40 for their language assessment, would be permitted to take a re-sit written 3 hour exam in the September.
Selection of dedicated material prepared in-house (SML).
Grammar texts and dictionaries as appropriate to language area.
