Heritage Language Programs - Russian
Temple University
College of Liberal Arts , Department of French, German, Italian, Slavic
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Address: 5th Floor Anderson Hall, 1114 W. Berks Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
Contact: Benjamin Rifkin
Professor of Russian
Email: brifkin@temple.edu
Telephone: 215-204-1816
Fax: 215-204-3731
Web address: www.temple.edu/fgis
Type of institution: Research university
Languages taught: Russian
Undergraduate level courses: two-semester sequence
Program Description
Purposes and goals of the program: To provide heritage learners of Russian a foundation for literacy
Type of program:
- Part of a foreign language program
- A heritage track within a foreign language program: students completing this two-semester sequence can choose to continue for a certificate, minor or major in Russian.
Program Description: The program was founded in 2006 by a proposal from the Russian program, as approved by the College's Collegial Assembly, the university administration, and ultimately by the Board of Trustees.
Students
- First-generation immigrants
- Second-generation immigrants
Countries of origin: The Russophone world: primarily Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, but also all the republics of the former Soviet Union
Total student enrollment: Unknown, the program is just beginning.
Age of students: Unknown, the program is just beginning.
Identification of a heritage speaker:
- Self-reported by students
- Oral proficiency interview with each student
Faculty
Total number of faculty teaching in the program: 1
Number of part-time instructors: 1
Languages in which faculty members are proficient: I am an educated native speaker of Russian and Ukrainian.
Credentials
PhD: Russian philology
Professional development opportunities faculty have: Very few, mostly attendance at professional conferences
Professional development opportunities faculty need: Support to attend workshops focusing on heritage e-learning
Instruction
Student grouping: Students are grouped according to level.
Face-to-face course title: Russian 227: Heritage Russian I, first heritage level
Number of hours: 3 hours per week, over 14 weeks
Online course title: Russian 228: Heritage Russian II
Number of hours: 3 hours per week, over 14 weeks
Language Skills
Heritage Skills:
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
- Writing
- Cultural competency
Culture
- History
- Traditions/beliefs
- Social and cultural norms
- Cultural appropriateness
- Literature
Special content courses offered: Not yet, but we incorporate some of these into our two-semester sequence
Methodologies
Methodologies and instructional strategies used in the program: Focus on literacy and formality of register
Materials
Textbook: Russian for Russians (Slavica, 2006)
Other materials: Various short stories and newspaper articles
Technology used in the program: BlackBoard
Assessment
- Chapter tests
- Final exams
Articulation
Local connections: Local high schools: The program receives students from George Washington High School, Philadelphia, PA.
Opportunities heritage students have outside the college to use their heritage language or develop their cultural knowledge: Northeast Philadelphia has a Russian neighborhood. The program promotes involvement with the community.
What the program has in place
Kinds of assistance or collaboration you would like to receive for your program from other entities: Money to support cultural programming would be extremely helpful.
Special Challenges and Comments
Challenges that your program has experienced: It is hard to say, because we are just getting started. Some questions in this survey were not answered because this is a new program.
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