Course Catalogue

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This course is a component of the Post Graduate Diploma in Russian.

Students complete a writing project in English on a topic agreed with the course tutor, based predominantly on original Russian-language sources.

Five one-hour preparatory sessions in Glasgow (during weeks 6-11 of semester 2) plus self-study during the seven-week overseas study component of the Postgraduate Certificate in Russian Language course which is also a part of the Post Graduate Diploma in Russian programme; project to be submitted following return from overseas study and assessed at the autumn diet. In the exceptional event that a student is unable to undertake the stipulated period of study at partner institution, arrangements will be made for alternative location for self-study on the writing project.

Mandatory Entry Requirements

The course is taken in conjunction with other elements of the Post Graduate Diploma in Russian programme. Entry to the programme  is on an ab initio basis - no previous knowledge of Russian is required.

Recommended Entry Requirements

Some elementary knowledge of Russian society, Russian history and culture is a recommended entry requirement.

None

Postgraduate Certificate course in Russian Language

Russian for Social Scientists (beginners)

Assessment

An essay in English (4000-5000 words) based predominantly on original Russian-language sources.

The writing project will be assessed at the autumn diet.

Reassessment

In accordance with the University's Code of Assessment reassessments are normally set for all courses which do not contribute to the honours classifications. For non honours courses, students are offered reassessment in all or any of the components of assessment if the satisfactory (threshold) grade for the overall course is not achieved at the first attempt. This is normally grade D3 for undergraduate students, and grade C3 for postgraduate students. Exceptionally it may not be possible to offer reassessment of some coursework items, in which case the mark achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade. Any such exceptions are listed below in this box.

The written project aims to deepen students':

language skills in terms of: general and subject-related vocabulary; grammatical constructions and style; comprehension and information retrieval skills; stylistic variety of Russian texts;

knowledge of their chosen project topic;

ability to work with original sources of various kinds (e.g. archival sources, academic publications, fiction,  printed media, internet)

By the end of this course students will be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding:

demonstrate their understanding of a particular topic related to an aspect of Russian studies;

demonstrate a thorough knowledge of vocabulary relevant to the chosen topic, drawn from a variety of sources;

Skills and Other Attributes:

Intellectual skills

understand linguistics variations of different sources: printed, Internet, TV;

recognise factors affecting the process of understanding texts in the target language.

Show an ability to critically analyse the textual material;

Transferable/key skills

equip themselves with skills of independent study and research;

demonstrate advanced personal organisational skills in their approach to the project;

articulate their views and engage in critical argument on the sources studied;

work independently and responsibly towards goals and deadlines.

Attendance at course sessions and successful completion of assessment tasks.