Russian: Kazan, Russia


Location: Kazan, Russia
Dates of program: June 3 - August 2, 2012
Hosting institution: Kazan Institute of the Social Sciences and Humanities
Language offered: Russian
Levels offered: Intermediate and advanced

Program Structure

The CLS Russia institute covers approximately one academic year of university-level Russian study during the 8-week program, and is designed to meet the needs of students from a range of language levels and backgrounds. Students range in proficiency and experience from those who have completed the minimum required two years of college-level study or the equivalent, to heritage speakers already at an advanced level of proficiency.

Students take classes at the Kazan Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities in Kazan. Formal classroom instruction consists of approximately four hours per day of language classes, five days per week, in addition to cultural classes and lectures led by local artists and professors. Extracurricular activities are designed to supplement the formal curriculum, including regular one-on-one meetings with peer tutors for conversational practice, as well as cultural activities and excursions designed to expand students’ understanding of Russian life and culture. Students also live with host families, which gives them an opportunity to experience life with a Russian family and practice their language skills outside of class.

CLS Kazan participants mark the close of the program
with songs, speeches, and poetry readings in Russian.

Outcomes

In 2010, the CLS Program adopted the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) developed by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) as an additional measure of the effectiveness and quality of the institutes overseas. Before the program, students take a diagnostic OPI test; at the end of their 8-week course of study, they take an ACTFL-certified post-program OPI assessment. The scores on these tests give students a concrete, widely-recognized measure of their speaking skills in Russian.

Student Activities

Students in Kazan develop independent projects based on their interests and their level of Russian knowledge. In 2010, projects included researching the Jewish community in Kazan; interviewing local police; and learning traditional musical instruments for a performance of a fusion of Tuvan throat singing and Tatar flute music. In 2011, several students based their projects on volunteer experiences with local organizations such as orphanages and centers for immigrants and displaced persons.

CLS Kazan participants try on traditional Mari clothing during an excursion to the Republic of Mari-El.

Alumni Highlights

After developing relationships with Kazan historians while a CLS participant, 2010 CLS alumnus Tom Cinq-Mars created a research proposal for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. He was awarded a Fulbright grant for the 2011-2012 academic year and is back in Kazan conducting archival research to investigate the structure, organization, and principal activities of the Tsarist secret police in the city during the years just prior to the October Revolution in 1917.

Program Highlights

View videos, read highlights, and more on the CLS Blog!

Alumni Ambassadors



James Stevens, '11	Alyssa Yorgan, '10 (Ufa)	Phillip Bradshaw, '11 (Ufa)