Syllabus
Russian 2A - Fall 2009
Course website: http://web.mac.com/jflgray
Instructor's contact information
Dr. Jonathan F. L. Gray
2050 Mariposa Hall (MRP)
Office hours: MW 10:00-11:30, and by appointment
916-278-6839 (office)
530-297-6912 (home)
jgray@csus.edu (best method to contact Dr. Gray)
Course description
Welcome! Russian 2A continues your study of Russian. The class meets Monday through Thursday, 12:00-12:50. There is no class on Fridays. 4 units.
As in the first-year course, classes will be very lively and your participation will be expected. Attendance is mandatory.
There will be assignments to complete at home to prepare you for the next class. They usually involve your textbook, workbook, and audio/video materials.
At the end of each unit you'll take a written and oral test on what you've learned. At the end of the course there will be a comprehensive final exam.
Required materials
Golosa, Book 2, 4th edition (Textbook and Workbook), available in the Bookstore or online.
Course goals and outcomes
A student who successfully completes Book 2 (Russian 2A and 2B) will be able to interact with Russians in Russia at an intermediate level. Specific descriptions of the level of proficiency you should expect to attain in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, writing, and culture are found in your textbook on pp. xii-xiii.
Course prerequisites
Successful completion of Russian 1B or the consent of the instructor.
Grade distribution
Homework - 10%
Class participation - 10%
Quizzes (announced, unannounced, and vocabulary) - 10%
Unit tests* - 40%
Final Exam - 30%
* Units 1-4 will each have a test worth 10% of final grade.
Grading scale
A93-100
A-90-92
B+87-89
B83-86
B-80-82
C+77-79
C73-76
C-70-72
D+67-69
D63-66
D-60-62
FBelow 60
Attendance (special grade)
Attendance is mandatory.
Please arrive on time. Everyone learns better when the class is not interrupted by late arrivals.
If you miss class, you need to know that your instructor will be taking attendance, and after seven absences, your course grade will be reduced half a grade for each absence. For example, an “A” will be reduced to “A-” if you have had eight absences during the semester, and to “B+” if you have had nine absences.
Homework (10%)
This course has two parts to it - class work and home work. It is obvious that the work you do each evening is required to prepare you to perform well in class the next day. Just as it is impossible to learn Russian by not attending class, it is impossible to learn the language without doing the homework assignments.
Homework will be graded as “pass” (a check mark), “not pass” (a minus), or “plus” (a plus mark). Pass means your work is acceptable. Minus means it is unacceptable. And a plus, a rare grade, means you have written a perfect assignment.
Corrections will be written on your assignments. It is recommended you review your returned homework assignments when you prepare for unit tests and the final exam. Keep your written assignments organized and in a safe place.
You may turn in written homework any day before it is due. To receive full credit, you must turn in written homework by the day it is due. If you turn your assignment in a day late, you will receive half credit. If you turn it in any time later until the unit exam, you will receive one-quarter credit.
Your semester goal is to turn in all written homework assignments on time and receive a “check” on each returned assignment.
Class participation (10%)
You will be graded weekly for your class participation. Here is the grading scale:
Full points (10) - Always prepared and raises hand when volunteers are asked for. Understands the previous nights’ assignments and can do any activities based on these assignments.
7 points - Usually prepared. Often but not always volunteers.
4 points - Somewhat prepared. Sometimes volunteers.
0 points - Not prepared. Silent in class.
Quizzes (10%)
Each unit will have announced and, possibly, unannounced written quizzes. Each will receive a percentage grade and at the end of the semester all these grades will be averaged.
One to two days before each unit test, there will be a vocabulary quiz based on the word list at the end of the unit. (See the assignment sheet for each unit.) You will be given an English word and you will write its Russian equivalent. Usually the test will include twenty words and phrases from the end-of-unit list. These vocabulary quizzes are worth two normal quizzes.
Unit tests (40%)
Russian 2A covers units 1-5 in Golosa, Book 2, 4th edition. You will take an oral and a written test for units 1-4. Unit 5 will not have a separate test, but it will be represented heavily in the final exam.
Final exam (30%)
The final exam for Russian 2A will be comprehensive, covering material from units 1-5. On the scheduled day of the final, students will take the written final (20%). During the week leading up the final exam, students will individually schedule a time to take the oral final exam (10%)
Extra credit
You can earn extra credit by doing Home Reading. For this project, you choose a book or set of short stories that total at least 50 pages in length, present it to me for approval, then do the reading, using a dictionary or even English translations to help you. Finally you turn in a пересказ or retelling of the work or works in your own words in Russian, highlighting the main points. With your пересказ you will submit a signed statement verifying that you read every word of the readings in Russian. Extra credit = 1% to 5% added to course grade, depending on the quality of the пересказ.
Tutors
Tutors are available free of charge to help you with your homework, practice oral work, and prepare for tests. You can meet with them in the Foreign Languages Tutoring Center (MRP 2032). A schedule of their hours will be distributed at the end of Week 1.
Disabilities
If you have a physical or learning disability that may interfere with your preparation or performance in this course, see your instructor.
Office hours
My office hours are printed at the top of this syllabus, and I invite you to make use of them. Some students stop by to ask questions about the course. Others like to talk about life in Russia. I encourage you to use my office hours!