BA RUSSIAN At University OF Ghana
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
RUSS 101 Introduction to Russian Studies
This course is designed to introduce students to the basic fundamentals of the Russian language.
Thus, it will focus on teaching students how to accurately pronounce all the Russian sound as they
appear in different constructions, on the word stress and the intonations of Russian sentences as
well as sharpening the skills of students in basic reading and comprehensions. There will be
practical exercises on spoken Russian in class that aim at building the student’s vocabulary and
ability to make simple conversation on selected topics. In this course, students will also be given
some basic insights into the dynamics of the Russian society in historical, political and economic
transition.
RUSS 102 Oral Communication Skills
This course in oral expression and comprehension will build upon the basic communicative skills
acquired in the first semester and will extend it to other domains of interaction. Students will
make use of the study of elementary Russian grammar reading simple texts. Some lectures will
involve the use of interactive programmes to aid in pronunciation, listening and comprehension of
the language in its original lingo-cultural settings.
RUSS 103 Elementary Russian Grammar I
This course is meant to introduce students to basic Russian for beginners who have no knowledge
in Russian language. As such the course will focus on teaching students how to read and write the
Russian alphabets as well as introducing them to some basic Russian grammar, such as gender of
Russian nouns and adjectives, plural forms of nouns, present and past tense of Russian verbs. The
material taught in this course will support the course in basic oral communication.
RUSS 104 Elementary Russian Grammar II
This course is a continuation of RUSS 103 Elementary Russian Grammar I, therefore it gives
additional information about the Russian grammar. At the end of the course students will be
introduced to the most basic Russian grammar, such as cases of Russian nouns, conjugation of
verbs, some peculiarities of Russian adverbs and adjectives, numerals etc.
RUSS 201 Russian Grammar and Translation I
This course covers areas of morphology and syntax intended to give students a deeper
understanding of Russian grammar. The course will deal with the more complicated cases of
Russian nouns and adjectives as well as other already introduced Russian grammar. This course
will also focus on building students’ skills in basic translation.
RUSS 202 Russian Grammar and Translation II
This course is the continuation of RUSS 201, therefore it will involve the further study of the
structure of Russian grammar. Emphasis will again be placed on building students’ skills in
translation using the sources of Russian vocabulary and grammatical material. Student will
translate selected texts from and into Russian.
RUSS 203 Orals and Composition I
This course aims at consolidating oral and written expressions in Russian: in addition to oral
expression, students will learn how to write, understand and summarize different kinds of simple
written documents. It is designed to enable students to use a variety of vocabulary to enhance their
creative abilities. This course will be supported by the grammar taught in RUSS 201.
RUSS 204 Orals and Composition II
This course is a continuation of RUSS 203. The course aims at cultivating intermediate oral skills
of the student and will involve expanded conversation on a variety of topics of every day life. It is
also designed to help students to improve their writing skills and build their confidence, by
engaging them in more complex writing exercises.
RUSS 205 Russian History and Civilization
This course traces the major landmarks of Russian history from the Kievan Russ period to the
Great October Socialist Revolution. It introduces the main achievements and problems of the
Soviet era, as well as the Post-Perestroyka Russia. It also deals with the major political
developments that defined the character of Russia at the end of the 20th and beginning of 21st
century.
RUSS 206 Introduction to Russian Literature
The course offers a brief treatment of Russian literature and deals with the origins of the Russian
literary heritage. The focus of this course will be on the development of literary Russian from its
beginning to the end of the 18th Century, capturing the major debates and activism. Students will
also be introduced to folk tales, the Byliny, Dukhovniye stikhi and other religious literature in
English translations.
RUSS 301 Intermediate Russian Usage I
The course will discuss on more advanced aspects of different topics in Russian grammar.
Students will be exposed to the right usage of tenses, aspects and their applications, different kind
of pronouns etc. in grammatical and textual analysis. Errors commonly made by Ghanaian
students, will be identified and solutions will be discussed.
RUSS 302 Intermediate Russian Usage II
This course is a continuation of RUSS 301, and therefore it focuses on some more topics in
Russian grammar, such as verbs of motion with and without prepositions, the imperative of
Russian verbs, declension of nouns, names, adjectives and ordinal and cardinal numerals; relation
between prepositions and prefixes, and others.
RUSS 303 Comprehension and Oral Expression I
The course is designed to focus on enhancing students’ comprehension as well as their general
written production, vocabulary and structural drills through texts analysis. The texts will be given
first as assignment and later be discussed together in class. These texts are geared towards helping
students to acquire an understanding of a wide range of styles and topics.
RUSS 304 Comprehension to Oral Expression II
The focus of this course is on effective reading and understanding of texts, as well as
fluency of speech. Selected Russian literary texts covering various topics will be
provided for students to discuss and comment on. As in the first semester, students should
familiarize themselves with the text before class.
RUSS 305 Language and Translation Skills I
This course involves an in-depth review of grammar topics that learnt in RUSS 201 and RUSS
202 – Russian Grammar and Translation I-II. It will include the translation of journalistic and
literary texts covering aspects of social, political and cultural events from and into Russian. The
aim is to develop in students translation skills and consolidate the command of basic grammatical
structures.
RUSS 306 Translation Exercises
This course is a continuation of RUSS 305, and therefore it is intended to further improve
students’ language proficiency and translation skills. This will be done through the translation of
selected Russian and English texts mainly from journalism and literature. Journalistic texts
selected for translation will reflect relevant contemporary issues.
RUSS 307 Selected Topics I
This course is to provide the opportunity for the study of some topical issues not provided for in
this syllabus. Such topics could be of academic and practical interests not only of the local staff
but the visiting scholars of the University and benefit to students of Russian studies. Emphasis will
be placed on contemporary issues of international significance.
RUSS 308 Selected Topics II
This course may be a continuation of RUSS 307, and therefore it may focus on the topic which
was treated in the first semester. However, in some cases it may be a new topic, which gives
another great opportunity to academics and students of Russian studies to benefit from its
introduction.
RUSS 309 Introduction to Contemporary Russian Women Writers
This will begin with a general appreciation of the contribution of Russian women writers to the
Russian literary culture. Special emphasis will subsequently be placed on current trends in female
writing beginning from the period of Perestroika to present-day Russia. Selected texts of the
leading female writers will be analysed.
RUSS 310 Language Immersion I
This three-credit language immersion course at the University of Ghana during the long vacation
between Levels 200 and 300 is a specially packaged 6-7 weeks long intensive study of Russian
language. Students who want to improve their proficiency in the language are advised to take this
course. It is important to note that, the admission to this course is not free. RUSS 310 will be
credited to students during the level 300 courses.
RUSS 311 Aspects of Russian Romantic Literature
In this course students will be introduced to some outstanding texts of the Romantic period in
Russian literature. The course aims both to develop students’ ability to read and appreciate literary
texts and to equip them for further exploration of early nineteenth century literature in later related
courses. Works of the following authors will be covered: Pushkin, Gogol and Lermontov.
RUSS 312 Introduction to 19th Century Russian Realism
This course is designed as an introduction to key authors and representatives of the literary
techniques of the great Realist period in Russian literature of the mid-nineteenth century. The
study of some selected stories by Gogol, Pushkin and Chekhov, should provide students with
insights into the possibilities for variety within the context of Realist prose.
RUSS 313 Russian Drama
This course involves the literary appreciation and analysis of Russian drama. This will be
preceded by a survey of the history and development of this aspect of Russian literature through
the work of some selected authors. Special focus will be placed on such playwrights as Alexander
Griboedov, Alexander Ostrovsky, Nikolai Gogol and Anton Chekhov.
RUSS 314 Aspects of Modern Russian Literature
This course deals with the study of modern trends in the Russian literary development through the
study of some selected writers. This will take into special consideration the emerging trends in the
Russian literary culture following the demise of the Soviet Union. Special attention may be made
on some contemporary Russian writers.
RUSS 315 Introduction to Modern Russian Lexicology (Prerequisite for RUSS 316)
This course, a prerequisite for RUSS 316, involves the study of the lexicological structure of
Modern Russian. Special emphasis will be placed on such devices as derivation, polysemy and its
types (metaphor, metonymy and synecdoche), synonymy, antonymy and homonymy. The course
is designed to sharpen students’ general comprehension, translation and communication skills.
RUSS 316 Aspects of Modern Russian Lexicology
This course follows from RUSS 315 and is designed to give students a deeper understanding of
Russian lexicology. The objective of the course is to facilitate students’ understanding of Russian
language in different areas, such as general comprehension, translation and communication skills.
This involves an in-depth study of Russian phraseology, borrowing, neologisms and terminology.
RUSS 317 Introduction to Modern Russian Morphology
This involves the study of current trends in modern Russian morphology. The course will
concentrate on the structure of Russian words, with particular reference to the Noun, the
Adjective, the Verb and the Adverb. The curse is designed to enhance students’ understanding of
the language especially in the area of comprehension and translation.
RUSS 318 Aspects of Modern Russian Morphology
This course follows from RUSS 317 and is designed to give students a deeper understanding of
Russian morphology. Areas to be covered include current trends in modern Russian morphology
with particular reference to the Noun, the Adjective, the Verb and the Adverb the Pronoun, the
Numeral, and impersonal predicative words.
RUSS 321 Introduction to Modern Russian Syntax
In this course special attention will be given to those problems of Russian syntax which generally
prove to be particularly difficult for non-native students of Russian. It will involve the study of
basic concept such as word combination, types of word combinations, syntactic agreement in word
combinations, parataxis, the components of sentence and their mood of expression
RUSS 322 Aspects of Modern Russian Syntax
This course follows from RUSS 321 and is designed to give students a deeper understanding of
Russian syntax. The course will involve the study of the structure of compound and complex
sentences and moods of their expression. Considering the inflective nature of the Russian
language, the course will appreciably enhance the students’ oral and comprehension skills.
RUSS 323 Contemporary Russia: Politics and Society and the new World Order
This course looks at the internal and external dynamics that are propelling Russia’s socio-political
development in the twenty-first century and the new Russian society which has emerged in the
post-Soviet era. It will also delve into aspects of Russia’s strivings to reassert itself in the
emerging new global geo-political order and the impact this has on developing countries,
especially in Africa.
RUSS 324 Russian Cinema
In this course, students will be introduced to the major trends and themes of Russian cinema from
the close of the 20th century to the beginning of the 21st century. Emphasis will be placed on the
role of cinema in the creation and consolidation of the Russian experience throughout the periods
under consideration. Students will be required to do independent viewing and appreciation of
Russian films outside the classroom setting.
RUSS 325 Linguistic Study of Russian Songs
This course will focus on the study of Russian songs. It is designed for those who would like to
learn Russian language and culture in an easier way. The Russian society will be presented
through different kind of songs such as traditional songs, bard songs, gypsy songs, children’s
songs, and modern Russian or popular songs.
RUSS 326 Russian Press
This course deals with the emergence of the pluralistic press in Russia. A brief history of the
Soviet press will be covered to enhance students’ understanding of the interface of knowledge and
language for example. Special attention will be given to the linguistic, political and socio-cultural
features of both the serious and tabloid press of modern-day Russia.
DMLA 401 Research Methods
This course takes students through the practical steps necessary for carrying out and independent
research work on Foreign Languages and Literatures. It will cover types of research methods,
research processes, including the selection of a topic, data collection, abstracts, introductions,
conclusions, review of literature, bibliography compilation etc. Students are required to submit
independent research projects at the end of the course.
This is a required course for students in the Department of Modern Languages who have not
taken a Research Methods course in another Department.
RUSS 400 Long Essay
Students will be required to write a dissertation in Russian of not less than 15,000 words to be
supervised by a faculty member. The dissertation should be an approved topic from literature,
language or current trends in Russian thought. Students, willing to do graduate course in Russian
are advised to take this course.
RUSS 401 Advanced Russian Proficiency I
This course involves a comprehensive study of Russian grammar on an advanced level,
emphasizing reading and writing skills. It will focus on the grammatical structures which foreign
students find difficult, for example the participle, the gerund and other passive construction, so
that they can attain a high level of language proficiency.
RUSS 402 Advanced Russian Proficiency II
This course follows from RUSS 401. It involves a more comprehensive study of Russian grammar
on an advanced level, emphasizing reading and writing skills on more complex topics. A
communicative approach involving discussions of essay topics, translation of official and business
letters etc. will be adopted to enhance proficiency of the expected level.
RUSS 403 Oral for Academic and Professional Purposes I
This course in designed to develop advanced conversational skills in a variety of
situations and subjects. It prepares students to attain oral proficiency in which students
should exhibit real competence in reading, comprehension and self-expression. Students
would be expected to do out of class reading of selected texts and/or viewing of selected
films.
RUSS 404 Advanced Oral Expressions
This course follows from RUSS 403. It is designed to improve students’ communicative
skills that are required to understand details and main ideas of advanced spoken and
written texts in contemporary standard Russian. Students would be expected to do out of
class reading of selected texts and/or viewing of selected films.
RUSS 405 Advanced Translation Skills I
This course is designed to further consolidate translation skills, acquired earlier. At this stage, for
translation all kind of Russian and English texts from varied thematic areas will be selected. These
will include, but not limited to texts that reflect typical Russian and Ghanaian settings of the past
and present days.
RUSS 406 Advanced Translation Skills II
This course follows RUSS 405 and as such it is designed to improve students’ translation
skills to a higher level. At this stage more complex texts from a variety of sources will be
used. Students will be expected to handle cultural nuances, non-translatable linguistic
units and also attempt the translation of simple technical, scientific and legal documents.
RUSS 407 Selected Topics I
This course is to provide the opportunity for the study of some topical issues not provided for in
this syllabus in an advanced level. Such topics could be of academic and practical interests not
only of the local staff but the visiting scholars of the University and benefit to students of Russian
studies. Emphasis will be placed on contemporary issues of international significance.
RUSS 408 Selected Topics II
This course may be a continuation of RUSS 407, and therefore it may focus on the topic which
was treated in the first semester. However, in some cases it may be a new topic, which gives
another great opportunity to academics and students of Russian studies to benefit from its
introduction.
RUSS 409 The Russian Realist Novel
The Russian realist novel is the most widely appreciated contributors to the Russian literature to
the common culture of Europe and the Western world. Yet it developed relatively late and
flourished for only a short period. The course is devoted to in-depth studies of selected works by
the three best-known Russian realist novelists of the mid-nineteenth century- Lev Tolstoy,
Turgenev and Dostoyevsky.
RUSS 410 Language Immersion II
This three-credit language immersion course at the University of Ghana during the long vacation
between Levels 300 and 400 is a specially packaged 6-7 week long intensive study of Russian
language. Students who want to improve their proficiency in the language are advised to take this
course. It is important to note that admission into this course is not free. RUSS 410 will be
credited to students together with the other level 400 courses.
RUSS 411 Russian/Soviet Literature of the 20th Century (Special Author)
This course involves a detailed study of the life and work of a major Russian literary figure of the
Soviet period. Such author will not have previously featured in the syllabus. Two of the selected
author’s works which reflex his or her unique experiences as well as his or her literary
imaginations against the broader picture of Soviet reality shall be studied in detail.
RUSS 412 Aspects of 20th Century Russian Literature
This course involves a detailed study of some literary works to be selected from among the key
authors of the period: Mayakovsky, Blok, Gorky, Sholokhov, Nabokov, Solzhenitsyn, Beberova.
It will involve among other things the background study of the historical circumstances of each
selected work as well as its literary, stylistic and political significance.
RUSS 413 Russian Prose since the Thaw
This course will survey developments in Russian Literature since the death of Stalin, including the
Thaw of the 1950s and 1960s, as well as the effects of perestroika and glasnost under Gorbachev
in the 1980s. The emphasis will be on the rethinking of the role of literature in society in the
context of the relaxation of political control and censorship. Novels by Solzhenitsyn, Voinovich,
Rasputin and Grekova will be studied.
RUSS 414 Russian Literature in Emigration
This course involves the study of Russian émigré writing with a focus on selected works of
twentieth century authors. Special attention will be given to those authors who have received
worldwide recognition in this particular area of Russian literature. These will include such authors
as Nabokov, Bunin, Brodsky and Solzhenitsyn.
RUSS 415 Introduction to Russian Semantics
This course involves an introductory study of semantics as a branch of linguistics science with
particular reference to meaning, types of meaning, basic concepts in semantics such as sentence,
utterance, proportion and differences, the semantics of the word, and changes of meaning of the
word; meaning and its relationship with inner-speech form, as well as meaning and context
dependence, the relationship between semantics and Pragmatics. Special emphasis will be placed
on text analysis and study.
RUSS 416 Aspects of Modern Russian Semantic
This course involves the study of hyponymy, semantic shifts with particular reference to semantic
extension, semantic narrowing, semantic amelioration, semantic degeneration, semantic
intensification, semantic weakening, as well as basic semantic theories, such as semantic fields,
and lexical and semantic micro-systems in the language. The course is designed to provide
students with the opportunity to enhance their skills in comprehension and general language
application.
RUSS 417 Introduction to Russian Stylistics
This course is designed to deepen the student’s understanding of the differentiation of the Russian
language in the spheres of its application (formal, bookish, neutral, slang, terminology). It will
also involve an introduction to the basic concepts of functional styles of the Russian language in
their varied thematic areas. The focus will be on the practical aspect of improving students’ writing
skills.
RUSS 418 Aspects of Modern Russian Stylistics
The course is designed to further develop students’ understanding of the grammatical and
lexical norms and peculiarities of the functional styles of modern Russian language.
Students will be taught to stylistically evaluate language variants and to classify language
mistakes as well as distinguish stylistic features of various texts through analysis.
Emphasis will be placed on further deepening the students’ writing skills.
RUSS 420 Study Abroad
This is a two-semester six-credit course in Russian language, literature and culture to be
undertaken in an institution in Russia. This will ordinarily be undertaken after Level 300. Only
students combining or majoring can take this course. RUSS 420 will be credited to students
together with the other level 400 courses.
RUSS 421 Foreign Policy in the Soviet Era
The course involves the study of Russian foreign policy as it evolved from the period immediately
after the Great October Socialist Revolution in 1917 up to the era of Perestroika and Glastnosty in
the 1980s. Special emphasis will be placed on the foreign policy of the then Soviet Union towards
Africa.
RUSS 422 Contemporary Russian Foreign Policy
This course will analyze the new paradigms that inform present-day Russian foreign policy
following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. It will focus specifically on the
legacy of the Cold War and the geopolitical underpinnings of Russian foreign policy. Special
emphasis will be placed on the new relationships between Russia and the countries of the African
continent.
RUSS 423 Russian Women as Peace Maker
This course will be a contrastive study of literature written by men and women, revealing their
differing experiences. Emphasis will be placed on those experiences derived from both the pre-
Perestroika and post-Perestroika periods. The course will examine the constructions of women as
“peacemakers” and also the relevance of the “peace” concept in Soviet literature in the first place.
RUSS 424 Linguistic Study of Contemporary Russian Culture
This course is designed to enable students to have a deeper understanding of the Russian language
from some specific cultural perspectives. This will be done by giving students the opportunity to
appreciate current trends in Russian national culture through the linguistic study of relevant
original Russian texts, films and folklore.
RUSS 425 Business Russian
This course aims to provide students with a basic understanding of the lexical and syntactic
properties of Business Russian. Students will also be taken through business letter-writing skills
and etiquette as well as the use of the Russian computer interface. Special attention will be made
on the differences of business languages used in Russia and Ghana.
RUSS 426 Advanced Business Russian
This course proceeds from RUSS 425, and it involves the further development of communicative
competence with a focus on the practical application of Russian business-specific literature. This
will be done mainly through the use of business documents and articles. It also involves the deeper
study of advanced business communication relating to the writing of business contracts and
agreements in Russian.
RUSS 428 Teaching of Russian as a Foreign Language
This course is designed for students who have an interest in the teaching of foreign languages,
particularly Russian. It aims at giving students some knowledge in the various notions of teaching
methodology and practices. A historical review of all teaching methods and a detailed study of the
communicative approach will be part of the course.