ACADEMICS
RUSSIAN
The main goal of the
Division of Russian and Slavic Languages is to offer every year a
significant program in the Russian language, literature, and culture. We
offer Russian language courses ranging from beginning Russian (RUSS 101),
to advanced Russian Grammar and Syntax (RUSS 315), equivalent to the fourth
year of language instruction. The Russian Division also has courses in
Russian literature conducted entirely in Russian. Through Spring 1992, the
Division offered selected courses at the 300 level, in which Russian
literary texts were read in the original, and lectures and class
discussions in English. Due to increased enrollments of native speakers of
Russian, these courses have been replaced by courses conducted entirely in
Russian. The Division also offers courses in literature and culture in
English translation, which, having no language prerequisite, are open to
all students. Such courses at the 200 level do, however, have an ENG 120
(Expository Writing) prerequisite. When possible, Russian language courses
up to the fourth year are offered every semester either day or evening.
Literature courses are offered on a two year cycle, day and evening.
The many
courses in language, literature, and culture offered each semester allow
students of Russian to choose one of several concentrations leading to a
Russian major. A student may select most of the required twenty-four
credits either from language- oriented Russian courses or from courses
dealing with the literature of that country. Whichever the path, the
student's proficiency in the Russian language (as defined by Hunter College) remains a prerequisite. The
Division is proud that, over the years, it has been able to offer courses
fulfilling the requirements for a major in the evening as well as in the
daytime. We offer a minor concentration to Polish
The Division of
Russian and Slavic Languages therefore serves as the nucleus for Hunter's
exceptionally rich offerings in the Slavic and East European Areas. Russian
majors at Hunter also benefit from courses offered in other departments
dealing with Russian East European subject matter. A curricular study
conducted in the mid-seventies by the then Deputy Chancellor Egon Brenner found that such opportunities at CUNY are
the richest at Hunter, and this is still the case. The pre-eminence of
Hunter in this field within CUNY was enhanced until 1995 by the presence of
the Graduate Russian Area Studies Program in which the Russian Division
teaches the literature component. The Russian Area Studies Program, which
presently is admitting no new students, was the only degree granting
Russian Area Studies Program in New
York City (The Harriman Institute grants a
certificate). Because of the unusual quality of Hunter's undergraduate
offerings in the Russian and East European areas, the Russian Division is
currently formulating a proposal for an interdisciplinary undergraduate
collateral major (18 credits) in Russian Area Studies. All the courses and
faculty necessary for such a Collateral major are already present at
Hunter.
THE
RUSSIAN CURRICULUM IN COLLEGE CONTEXT
Course Access
Codes
Students
must fulfill developmental course requirements before taking many
introductory and most advanced courses at Hunter College.
Codes DR, DX, DL, DY apply to RUSS 157; Codes DL,
DY apply to RUSS 255; Codes DR,
DX, DL, DY and DW apply to RUSS 250-254 and RUSS 256-293. (See Course
Access Codes section of the catalog.)
Distribution
Requirements
No more than
6 credits of the major or the minor may also be offered toward the
Distribution Requirement.
Foreign Language
Requirement
The foreign
language requirement (Category III of the Distribution Requirement) may be
fulfilled by the following sequence of courses:
o
RUSS 101-102 or 103,
201, 202 or
o
POL 101-102, 201, 202
Students who
have studied a foreign language abroad, or have had training in the
language outside the public school system and who desire advanced
placement, must contact the Division head.
Literature
Requirement
The
literature requirement (Category IV, Part 2 of the Distribution Requirement)
may be fulfilled by literature courses in Russian as well as in English
translation. The requirement for Humanities and the Arts (Category V, Group
3) may be fulfilled by RUSS 155, 156, 157, 158, 255, or 293.
Major
The Russian
major consists of no fewer than 24 credits chosen among courses in the
language, except RUSS 101 and 102.
o
Russian language
sequence: for students who want to acquire fluency in spoken and written
Russian and a thorough knowledge of Russian literature.
o
Russian language and
culture sequence: for students whose interests lie in the arts rather than
in language. With the permission of the Division head, a limited number of
the courses in translation may be applied to the major sequence
Minor
No fewer
than 12 credits from other disciplines. Consultation with the Division Head
is recommended.
Preparation for
Secondary School Teaching
Students
interested in teaching Russian in New
York schools may count 12 credits of courses from
the secondary education sequence as a minor. This minor may count towards
the course requirements for New York
State certification or New York City
licensing, but will not by itself be sufficient for either of these.
Students interested in a teaching career consult with the Division of
Programs in Education (Office of Educational Services, Room 1000 W).
Electives
All courses
offered by the Russian division are open to qualified students for elective
credit.
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