Dr Olesya Kharina
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2026 (23/02/2026 - 20/06/2026)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Languages & Cultures School
This course is the first in the series of two cornerstone courses in the Russian discipline. The course will continue paring thorough emphasis on every-day communication with rigorous study of the structure of Russian. In-class activities will be mostly devoted to active language use and comprehension in paired, small group or class discussion while the necessary mechanical practice will be completed through regular independent work outside of class. Students will continue working towards A2 level on the CEFR scale.
Course requirements
Assumed background
To enroll in this course, students must either:
a) have successfully completed RSSN1120 (minimum mark obtained: 4); or
b) have an equivalent level of Russian proficiency (e.g., equivalent prerequisites gained through prior formal study, interstate or overseas, from residence in a Russian-speaking community or from independent study).
For students whose final grade in RSSN1120 was a 4 or a 5, we highly recommend that they engage with all the feedback received for your assessment tasks in RSSN1120 and that they increase the number of self-directed hours of study dedicated to Russian in order to keep up with the level of demand required in this course and thus progress towards A2 CEFR Russian language proficiency level.
Any students who have studied Russian formally or informally, lived in a Russian-speaking community, have Russian-speaking background or are native speakers of Russian must follow our school's formal procedure to establish their level of linguistic proficiency. This level is determined by means of an online questionnaire and/or an online placement interview conducted by Russian Teaching Staff (please direct any queries in this regard to the Russian Convenor, Dr Anna Mikhaylova a.mikhaylova@uq.edu.au ). Please also note that on the basis of such knowledge or abilities, enrolment in a different course may be recommended. If a student enrols in a course for which they hold incompatible qualifications, they may be advised to cancel their enrolment. Any misrepresentation in the placement process may be raised as a misconduct matter.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
RSSN1120 or Queensland Year 12 Russian (or equivalent)
Jointly taught details
This course is jointly-taught with:
- Another instance of the same course
The class is taught in dual delivery mode, which means that students enrolled externally and internally are taught at the same time in the same class.
Course staff
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Public holidays:
Alternative arrangements for affected students will be announced through the Blackboard site.
Class allocation:
In order to optimise the student experience, it may be necessary to reallocate students to a different class from their first choice.
Before this happens, every effort will be made to enable students to voluntarily change into an alternative class that is suitable.
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email hass.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
- Full name,
- Student ID, and
- the Course Code
Additional information and support can be found here.
Aims and outcomes
This course aims to consolidate and build on the knowledge and skills acquired in RSSN1120 in order to continue expanding students' worldview and developing the linguistic and intercultural communication skills required to interact with speakers of Russian around the globe.
The learning experiences in this course specifically aim to:
- harness your growing linguistic competence to build successful communication with peers and Russian-speaking community members in Queensland and beyond.
- fuel your curiosity and invite you reflect on your own and others’ ideas and perspectives in order to stretch your social lens in general, as well as in relation to the study of the languages and cultures of the Russian-speaking communities;
- enhance your awareness of language learning strategies that promote active, independent, self-directed learning to advance your language proficiency level towards A2 (CEFR) descriptors.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Clearly express and negotiate diverse personal perspectives regarding cultural and social issues that affect our world, express opinion clearly, recount personal events and stories.
LO2.
Understand simple literary and non-fiction texts which describe events and feelings, travel and leisure on familiar topics.
LO3.
Understand and produce structured, connected text/speech on topics covered in the course across a number of familiar (digital) genres (such as personal information and forms, letters of advice, emails, radio and TV commercials, blogs, etc.), using a variety of tenses, aspects and cases.
LO4.
Actively engage in conversation in Russian by initiating and responding to statements in areas of immediate need or familiar topics, demonstrating ability to express and negotiate perspective while being aware of relevant cultural practices (values, rituals, formal and informal registers, etc.).
LO5.
Reflect on and apply a wide range of intercultural and language learning skills and strategies that may help you throughout your language learning journey in the classroom and beyond.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Online Written Assessment series
|
40% |
WEEK 4 - 20/03/2026 5:00 pm WEEK 7 - 17/04/2026 5:00 pm WEEK 10 - 8/05/2026 5:00 pm WEEK 13 - 29/05/2026 5:00 pm
Each assessment is available for 48 hrs Wed-Fri of the scheduled week. |
| Portfolio |
Course Engagement Padlet
|
10% |
29/05/2026 5:00 pm
5pm Friday, WEEK 13 |
| Presentation, Project |
The Interview Project
|
20% |
12/06/2026 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1 |
| Practical/ Demonstration |
Final Oral Interviews
|
30% |
15/06/2026
Exam Week 2. Check the time of the assessment in the Assessment folder on Blackboard. Students sign up for a timeslot. The student's assigned timeslot will be considered the due date and time for this assessment. |
A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.
Assessment details
Online Written Assessment series
- Online
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Quiz
- Weight
- 40%
- Due date
WEEK 4 - 20/03/2026 5:00 pm
WEEK 7 - 17/04/2026 5:00 pm
WEEK 10 - 8/05/2026 5:00 pm
WEEK 13 - 29/05/2026 5:00 pm
Each assessment is available for 48 hrs Wed-Fri of the scheduled week.
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
Task description
Over the course of the semester, students will be required to complete 4 x 10% online, non-invigilated, timed Online Written Assessments (OWA) on the course Blackboard site. Each assessment will be available for 48 hours Wed-Friday of the week it is scheduled and the duration will vary between 75-90 minutes.
These are open-book assessments, which means that students are allowed to use the textbook, their notes, ppt slides and any print or online reference materials and print and online dictionaries (but see the Artificial Intelligence and Machine Translation statement below*). This series of assessments will test the retention of the material and skills covered this semester and, as such, they are designed to provide students with an opportunity to reflect on their learning journey, aspects that they have mastered and aspects that may require further revision or consolidation.
The marking criteria for assessing these tasks will be informed by students' ability to demonstrate mastery and accurate usage of material covered in class and their:
- ability to understand a video/audio conversation/monologue related to the content of the course.
- ability to read and understand short texts on topics related to the content of the course.
- ability to write or reconstruct complete grammatical sentences.
- ability to reuse vocabulary and grammatical items studied in the course (points attributed for vocabulary and grammatical structures correctly used).
- ability to write short, coherent sentences/texts (points attributed for structures and phrases correctly used).
- awareness of Russian-speaking practices (e.g., when to use formal and informal terms of address) and other social and cultural practices.
Please note that OWAs are non-invigilated digital assessment tasks which students will complete using their own device and headset. Students should make sure that they have access to a reliable internet connection when completing the tasks. Only one attempt will be allowed for each OWA.
Further information, including submission links, will be provided on the Blackboard site for this course.
Gen AI & MT Statement: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies for preparation, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students may be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
Follow detailed instructions and marking criteria posted on Blackboard in the relevant Assessments folder.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 14 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Only 14 calendar days extensions are allowed for this assessment tasks as demonstrating consolidation of knowledge required for this task is necessary for progression with the further course material. Individual results and general feedback is provided within two weeks.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course Engagement Padlet
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Portfolio
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
29/05/2026 5:00 pm
5pm Friday, WEEK 13
Task description
Students will be required to contribute weekly to an individual portfolio on PadletUQ, for which the template will be made available on the course Blackboard site. To build this Portfolio, the students will make brief weekly posts in Weeks 2 - 12 concluded by a reflection in Week 13.
All weekly posts should demonstrate the student's engagement with the Russian language and culture beyond required course content. Students will have the option to either respond to the weekly prompt provided in the PadletUQ template or to make their own post on a topic of their choice. Students will also submit a final critical reflection about their engagement with the course (written in English, 200-250 words). This final reflection is due on the last day of the teaching semester, FRIDAY of Week 13 at 5pm, and signifies the submission of the portfolio for marking.
The weekly posts can take a range of forms:
- short written responses to the prompt or topic of choice (60 - 100 words in English, Russian or a combination of both)
- images of self or others accompanied by a written commentary (60 - 100 words in English, Russian or a combination of both)
- links to audio or video of others or self accompanied by a written commentary (60 -100 words in English, Russian or a combination of both)
- images, audio- or video recordings of self (recording up to 3 minutes in Russian) accompanied by a short written commentary (at least 30 words in English, Russian or a combination of both)
- copies of Russian exercises accompanied by a short written commentary (at least 30 words in English, Russian or a combination of both).
See detailed instructions and marking criteria in the relevant Assessment folder on Blackboard.
Gen AI & MT Statement: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance.
A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The link to the student's Padlet should be submitted on Blackboard following the instructions in the relevant Assessment folder in the first two weeks of the semester.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
The Interview Project
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Presentation, Project
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
12/06/2026 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1
- Other conditions
- Secure.
Task description
THE INTERVIEW PROJECT: Real World interaction with Native Speakers
In the first weeks of the semester, each student will partner with a native speaker of Russian for the Interview Project, which will create an opportunity to consolidate and practice the course material studied this semester in a real-world context over the course of 3 interviews and to reflect on their learning. The assessment will consist of a 5-minute multimedia video-presentation in Russian to be submitted via Blackboard during the Examination Period as an mp4 file along with the transcript.
To prepare for the presentation, students are to schedule 3 meetings, 40-50 minutes long (preferably in person, but also possible by Zoom or other video-communication platform) during which they will ask their interview partner and answer about themselves a series of questions related to the topics discussed in class. The goal is to have a real conversation in which students and members of the Russian-speaking community learn about each other and form shared inter-cultural knowledge. The presentation should aim at consolidating the most interesting information about the interview partner from all three meetings. While showcasing the students’ knowledge of vocabulary and grammar learned this semester, the presentation should not only summarize but also synthesize important differences and similarities between the partner and the students that transpired from these meetings.
Also as part of preparation for the presentation, after each interview meeting, students are asked to write a short summary in Russian of what they learned about/from their partner and submit it via Blackboard for formative feedback (3 summaries total, at least 250 words in Russian each). Although the summaries are not assessed, their goal is to help students to consolidate what they have learned and use the feedback to prepare for the presentation.
The due date for the assessment (upload of the presentation and script on Blackboard) is 5pm on the Friday of Week 1 in the Examination Period.
*The suggested timing of the interviews is around Weeks 4, 8 and 12 is to help the students pace themselves. The interview summaries are to be submitted for feedback shortly after the interview and no later than the end of the final week of classes to allow time for feedback.
**Gen AI & MT Statement: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies for preparation, successful completion of this assessment will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. A failure to reference generative AI or MT use may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct. To pass this assessment, students may be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension of their written submission independent of AI and MT tools.
Submission guidelines
You will be prompted to submit the summaries for feedback and the presentation files for marking on Blackboard under the Assessment tab.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Final Oral Interviews
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- Online
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Practical/ Demonstration
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
15/06/2026
Exam Week 2. Check the time of the assessment in the Assessment folder on Blackboard. Students sign up for a timeslot. The student's assigned timeslot will be considered the due date and time for this assessment.
- Other conditions
- Secure.
Task description
The Final Oral Assessment (30%) held in WEEK 2 of the Examination Period will assess students' oral and aural skills as well as their ability to initiate and engage in conversation with classmates or with teachers.
Students will work in pairs in front of two examiners. The assessment will last approximately 8-10 minutes.
In each interview, the students will take turns to
1) talk to each other and/examiner(s) about one of the several topics covered in class based on one of the prompts provided in the assessment guide; and
2) respond to the examiners' follow up questions about topics learned this semester.
NB: Students are required to prepare for all the prompts provided in the assessment guide on Blackboard, but, at the start of the assessment, they will be randomly assigned one of them for marking.
Students will be able to sign up for the interview in Week 13.
Students are responsible for organising a device and headset and stable internet connection for the assessment.
Preparation guidelines and detailed marking criteria will be available on Blackboard.
This is an individually marked assessment item, but it requires students to work in pairs during the interview. Each student will be evaluated using the oral assessment rubric based on comprehensibility, comprehension and fluency as well as accuracy and active reuse of grammatical structures and lexical knowledge acquired throughout the semester.
The interviews will be recorded for marking and self-evaluation. If a member of the pair is absent on the day of the assessment, the course coordinator will negotiate a solution with the remaining partner. One of the markers or other willing classmates can step in as the partner for the student without a pair. If a student who has already been marked steps in to help the student without a pair, they will not be marked, only the student without a pair will.
Gen AI & MT Statement: This task has been designed to be challenging, authentic and complex. Whilst students may use AI and/or MT technologies, successful completion of assessment in this course will require students to critically engage in specific contexts and tasks for which artificial intelligence will provide only limited support and guidance. To pass this assessment, students will be required to demonstrate detailed comprehension and ability to use Russian independent of AI and MT tools.
Hurdle requirements
In order to PASS the course, students must achieve a total mark of 50 overall, AND a minimum of 40% in the Final Oral Assessment. Students who do not achieve 40% in the final oral assessment can only receive an overall grade of 3 or less for the course, even if their total mark is greater than 50/100.Submission guidelines
Sign-up page, detailed guidelines and marking criteria are available on Blackboard.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 24 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: None of the course requirements (assessment tasks and participation) are met. The student fails to communicate in Russian. |
| 2 (Fail) | 25 - 44 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student fails to demonstrate basic understanding of the grammar and vocabulary covered in the course. The student has failed to developﾠthe requiredﾠproficiency level in the four skill areas (listening, reading, writing and speaking)ﾠto meetﾠthe course objectives. The studentﾠstruggles to communicateﾠin Russian. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 45 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes Course grade description: The student demonstrates little to noﾠunderstanding of the grammar and vocabulary covered in the course and fails to produceﾠcomprehensible sentences in Russian,ﾠwith no progress beyond minimal vocabulary and aural/oral skills. |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student is able to communicate in Russian despite limited use of communication strategies. The student's use of vocabulary is limited and errors in grammatical structures and pronunciationﾠwill occasionally affect meaning. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student attempts to use a range of vocabulary and grammaticalﾠstructures in Russian.ﾠﾠThe student's use of vocabulary is adequate. Fluency and accuracy areﾠsubject to fluctuation; while errors occur, they do not, on the whole, affect meaning.ﾠThe student occasionally uses communication strategies effectively.ﾠ |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The studentﾠproducesﾠcomprehensible sentences with fluctuatingﾠconsistencyﾠand generally responds fluently, appropriately and confidently. In speech and writing the student uses a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structuresﾠwith consistent accuracy.ﾠﾠUnderstanding of spoken and written Russian is very good.ﾠThe student uses communication strategies effectively.ﾠ |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. Course grade description: The student uses a wide range ofﾠcommunication strategies effectively.ﾠUnderstanding of spoken and written Russian is excellent. The studentﾠproduces comprehensible sentencesﾠconsistentlyﾠand responds fluently, appropriately and confidently. In speech and writing, the student uses a wide range of vocabulary and grammatical structures with consistent levels of accuracy and attempts to use language creatively. |
Additional course grading information
Marking criteria and/or marking rubrics are available in the ‘Assessment’ folder in Blackboard for this course.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Library resources are available on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Multiple weeks From Week 1 To Week 13 |
Tutorial |
In-class work Every class hour builds on the material from the previous one. Regular preparation, attendance and active participation are key to successful learning and progress in the course. |
Additional learning activity information
Homework and preparation for in-class activities (Independent Study): Some weekly tasks will be done by you independently online at your own pace, either before or after class, in order to ensure that class time is used mostly for communication.
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure
- AI for Assessment Guide
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
Course guidelines
Students who did not take RSSN1120 at UQ in the past 5 years should Complete the Course Advisor Questionnaire (https://courseplacements.languages-cultures.uq.edu.au/) and contact course coordinator via email to ensure correct placement in the course.