Russian I and Mediation
A.Y. 2024/2025
Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to acquire basic theoretical and applied knowledge of the Russian language. After a historical-linguistic introduction to the origins of the Russian language and its major stages of development, the focus will shift towards reflection on morphosyntactic structures and the acquisition of basic vocabulary (as specified in the detailed program). The student will be encouraged to develop linguistic competence from an intercultural perspective, in line with the objectives of the course, acquiring basic mediation skills. The course aims to achieve communicative competences as defined by the A1/A1+ level of the Common European Framework of Reference, which identifies linguistic competence at this level as related to practical communicative tasks, both productive and receptive, such as talking about oneself and people close to them and engaging in simple communication with a cooperative interlocutor.
Expected learning outcomes
At the end of the first year of the course, the student will be able to recognize the main stages of the development of the Russian language and place them diachronically. They will be familiar with the basic forms of nouns, adjectives, pronoun declension, and verb conjugation. In terms of active and passive linguistic skills, they will be capable of understanding and interacting in everyday communicative situations, reading short texts (announcements, notices, billboards), composing short written texts (forms, postcards), understanding simple questions and brief conversations, and describing aspects of their own life in a simple manner (A1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference). They will also be able to translate simple texts from Russian to Italian and vice versa, both in written and oral form. Additionally, they will be able to perform simple mediation tasks orally and in writing from L1 to L2 and vice versa.
Lesson period: year
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
The course "Russian Language I and Mediation," worth 12 CFU (Crediti Formativi Universitari), is offered during the first and second semesters and covers the following topics:
1. Introduction to the Russian language: brief historical background and an in-depth examination of the Russian language from the 20th century to the present.
2. Introduction to contemporary Russian's alphabet and phonetic system (articulatory description) and phonological system (the phonological system: palatalization, voiced-voiceless).
3. Basic morphology: gender and number of nouns. Cases: the meaning of cases. Adjectives and pronouns, some numerals. Verb morphology, conjugations, tenses, motion verbs, and an introduction to verb aspect.
4. Syntax: minimal sentences, coordinated and subordinate clauses, corresponding to the expected level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
5. Vocabulary: learning and consolidation of basic vocabulary required for A1 level.
The course also includes a section dedicated to mediation. This activity takes place in the second semester and aims to develop written and oral comprehension and consolidate active writing and speaking skills, focusing on both the contrastive aspect and culturally significant components of the mediation process.
All theoretical content is presented based on usage, then deepened, integrated into the reference vocabulary, and interconnected, with references to contrastive aspects with Italian and other European languages.
The theoretical course is closely integrated with practice classes, which are mandatory and necessary for consolidating grammatical structures and lexical competence and activating oral and written communication skills in line with the CEFR. The topics covered correspond to the reference level (talking about oneself, one's family, study experience, and interests).
1. Introduction to the Russian language: brief historical background and an in-depth examination of the Russian language from the 20th century to the present.
2. Introduction to contemporary Russian's alphabet and phonetic system (articulatory description) and phonological system (the phonological system: palatalization, voiced-voiceless).
3. Basic morphology: gender and number of nouns. Cases: the meaning of cases. Adjectives and pronouns, some numerals. Verb morphology, conjugations, tenses, motion verbs, and an introduction to verb aspect.
4. Syntax: minimal sentences, coordinated and subordinate clauses, corresponding to the expected level of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages).
5. Vocabulary: learning and consolidation of basic vocabulary required for A1 level.
The course also includes a section dedicated to mediation. This activity takes place in the second semester and aims to develop written and oral comprehension and consolidate active writing and speaking skills, focusing on both the contrastive aspect and culturally significant components of the mediation process.
All theoretical content is presented based on usage, then deepened, integrated into the reference vocabulary, and interconnected, with references to contrastive aspects with Italian and other European languages.
The theoretical course is closely integrated with practice classes, which are mandatory and necessary for consolidating grammatical structures and lexical competence and activating oral and written communication skills in line with the CEFR. The topics covered correspond to the reference level (talking about oneself, one's family, study experience, and interests).
Prerequisites for admission
None
Teaching methods
The course is structured with classroom lectures that involve a high degree of interaction and mandatory practice classes.
Teaching Resources
Materials and bibliography: The course materials and presentations will be available on the Moodle platform (https://myariel.unimi.it/course/view.php?id=1211). In addition, all students must prepare the specified sections of the following texts:
Comrie B., The Slavonic World, in Lingua e Stile, a XXXVI, n. 3, 2001, pp. 431-442.
Maturi P., I suoni delle lingue, i suoni dell'italiano. Introduzione alla fonetica, Il Mulino: Bologna 2006. Cap. 1
Magnati D., Legittimo F., Davajte! Comunicare in russo, Milano: Hoepli. Vol. 1.
Reference grammar:
Cevese, Dobrovol'skaja, Magnanini, Nistratova, Grammatica russa. Manuale di teoria, Livello A1-A2, Hoepli 2018.
Eserciziari:
Chavronina S., Širočenskaja A., Il russo. Esercizi , M. Russkij jazyk, 1991 (ed edizioni seguenti)
Non-attending students will need to prepare, in addition to the materials already mentioned, the following chapters:
B.Comrie, G. Stone, M. Polinsky, The Russian Language in the 20th Century, Clarendon Press 1996: introduction, cap. 3 (Morphology)// In alternativa: L. Ryazanova-Clarke, T. Wade, The Russian Language today, London, 1999, cap. 2, 5.
Native-speaking students will take both parts of the exam, and for the oral exam, they will need to prepare, in addition to the texts indicated in the previous sections, the following chapters from the book: Валгина Н.С.,
Современный русский язык, http://www.hi-edu.ru/abc_courses.html:
Leksika i frazeologija - razdely 2-7
Fonetika i fonologija - razdely 50-51, 63.
Znamenatel'nye časti reči - razdely 112-119, 120-123, 126-128
Comrie B., The Slavonic World, in Lingua e Stile, a XXXVI, n. 3, 2001, pp. 431-442.
Maturi P., I suoni delle lingue, i suoni dell'italiano. Introduzione alla fonetica, Il Mulino: Bologna 2006. Cap. 1
Magnati D., Legittimo F., Davajte! Comunicare in russo, Milano: Hoepli. Vol. 1.
Reference grammar:
Cevese, Dobrovol'skaja, Magnanini, Nistratova, Grammatica russa. Manuale di teoria, Livello A1-A2, Hoepli 2018.
Eserciziari:
Chavronina S., Širočenskaja A., Il russo. Esercizi , M. Russkij jazyk, 1991 (ed edizioni seguenti)
Non-attending students will need to prepare, in addition to the materials already mentioned, the following chapters:
B.Comrie, G. Stone, M. Polinsky, The Russian Language in the 20th Century, Clarendon Press 1996: introduction, cap. 3 (Morphology)// In alternativa: L. Ryazanova-Clarke, T. Wade, The Russian Language today, London, 1999, cap. 2, 5.
Native-speaking students will take both parts of the exam, and for the oral exam, they will need to prepare, in addition to the texts indicated in the previous sections, the following chapters from the book: Валгина Н.С.,
Современный русский язык, http://www.hi-edu.ru/abc_courses.html:
Leksika i frazeologija - razdely 2-7
Fonetika i fonologija - razdely 50-51, 63.
Znamenatel'nye časti reči - razdely 112-119, 120-123, 126-128
Assessment methods and Criteria
The examination consists of a written part and an oral part.
The written exam includes a vocabulary-grammar test, which is partly conducted electronically and partly in a traditional format, and a mediation test in both written and oral forms.
The written exam can be taken by students in two stages: an intermediate test at the end of the first semester and a second test at the end of the second semester. Both tests are administered during class hours and are intended for attending students. The final grade is the average of the scores obtained in both tests, provided that both parts are passed (18/30). Attending students who pass both parts can proceed directly to the oral exam. Those who do not achieve a passing grade (18/30) in either of the partial tests must take the written exam during the official exam sessions (in May, September, and January).
Passing the written exam is a prerequisite for the oral exam. The oral exam can also be taken in a different session but must be completed within the academic year. Students who do not pass all parts of the exam within this timeframe (the last session is in January) will have to retake all individual parts.
The oral exam will consist of an interview covering the topics covered in the official course and assessing the acquisition of theoretical content in the areas of phonetics, phonology, and morphology. For this part, students must be familiar with all materials presented during the course, including assigned reading texts, and demonstrate knowledge of the texts specified in the program. This part is also evaluated on a scale of thirty.
General linguistic competencies in listening and oral production, which are the subject of linguistic practice classes and continuously assessed during the year (for attending students), will also be globally evaluated during an oral interview with native-speaking experts. The judgment formulated will be communicated to the teacher, who will take it into account in the final evaluation.
In the final evaluation, graded on a scale of thirty, the following weightage will be applied:
· 60% for the written part
· 30% for the oral part
· 10% for activities carried out on the Moodle platform throughout the year.
The written exam includes a vocabulary-grammar test, which is partly conducted electronically and partly in a traditional format, and a mediation test in both written and oral forms.
The written exam can be taken by students in two stages: an intermediate test at the end of the first semester and a second test at the end of the second semester. Both tests are administered during class hours and are intended for attending students. The final grade is the average of the scores obtained in both tests, provided that both parts are passed (18/30). Attending students who pass both parts can proceed directly to the oral exam. Those who do not achieve a passing grade (18/30) in either of the partial tests must take the written exam during the official exam sessions (in May, September, and January).
Passing the written exam is a prerequisite for the oral exam. The oral exam can also be taken in a different session but must be completed within the academic year. Students who do not pass all parts of the exam within this timeframe (the last session is in January) will have to retake all individual parts.
The oral exam will consist of an interview covering the topics covered in the official course and assessing the acquisition of theoretical content in the areas of phonetics, phonology, and morphology. For this part, students must be familiar with all materials presented during the course, including assigned reading texts, and demonstrate knowledge of the texts specified in the program. This part is also evaluated on a scale of thirty.
General linguistic competencies in listening and oral production, which are the subject of linguistic practice classes and continuously assessed during the year (for attending students), will also be globally evaluated during an oral interview with native-speaking experts. The judgment formulated will be communicated to the teacher, who will take it into account in the final evaluation.
In the final evaluation, graded on a scale of thirty, the following weightage will be applied:
· 60% for the written part
· 30% for the oral part
· 10% for activities carried out on the Moodle platform throughout the year.
L-LIN/21 - SLAVIC STUDIES - University credits: 12
Lessons: 80 hours
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