Dr Olesya Kharina
Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
- 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 of the two 3rd-year courses in Russian. The course aims to consolidate spoken and written fluency in Russian in a defined range of situations. Building on the listening, speaking, reading, writing and inter-cultural skills developed in RSSN2120 (or the equivalent), students will continue working towards B1 level on the CEFR scale. Students are introduced to further aspects of Russian grammar and vocabulary (aiming to reach two thousand words), expand their pragmatic skills and further their understanding of Russian culture and Russian-speaking communities in Australia and around the world.
Course requirements
Assumed background
To enroll in this course, students must either:
a) have successfully completed RSSN2120 (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 RSSN2120 was a 4 or a 5, we highly recommend that they engage with all the feedback received for your assessment tasks in RSSN2120 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 through the B1 CEFR Russian language proficiency level.
Any students who have not studied Russian at UQ but 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:
RSSN2120
Restrictions
RSSN2130
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
This course is delivered in 1 in-person session (150 minutes each) per week throughout the teaching semester. Students are expected to attend all sessions of the tutorial group in which they are enrolled.
Learning expectations:
Lesson content and self-access learning materials are shared weekly via Blackboard site. Regular engagement with the course content, active participation during class activities and conscientious completion of weekly homework tasks are essential to attaining the expected outcomes of this courseﾠand to the overall progression towards higher levels of Russian language proficiency.
As a 2 unit course, RSSN3130 comprises approximately 130 hours of work in total. In addition to the weekly tutorial sessions, students are expected to devote at least 7 hours per week to independent study, engaging, for instance with available pre-lesson activities, post-lesson consolidation and revision tasks, etc.ﾠOnce enrolled, students are expected to check information available on Blackboardﾠregularly in order to keep informed regarding weekly content, online learningﾠactivities and dates for assessment tasks.ﾠ
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 build on the knowledge and skills acquired in RSSN2120 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 through the B1 (CEFR) descriptors
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Demonstrate understanding of key information and sociocultural aspects in short authentic Russian texts across a wide range of written and spoken media (including radio, TV, magazines, announcements, news, and social media) as well as in short and extended dialogues, by extracting factual information and articulating your own reasoned judgments about the speakers' statements and actions.
LO2.
Engage in spoken communication in Russian to: discuss education, employment experience, credentials, and goals, including comparisons between Russian and Australian educational systems and employment cultures; describe family relations, personal events, life milestones, and aspects of your upbringing; recount personal experiences, stories, and events related to health issues, accidents, and medical visits; and to outline future plans in detail, including certain and uncertain types of future possibilities.
LO3.
Produce intermediate level structured, connected text on topics covered in the course across a number of familiar genres (such as personal information, travel, discussion of health and well-being, descriptive texts about items listed above using a wide variety of tenses and aspects).
LO4.
Engage in intermediate conversation in Russian by initiating and responding to statements in areas of immediate need or familiar topics, demonstrating awareness of relevant cultural practices (values, rituals, formal and informal registers, etc.).
LO5.
Demonstrate enhanced, critical awareness of the linguistic and cultural diversity within the Russian-speaking world.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quiz |
Online Written Assessment series
|
40% |
WEEK 4 - 21/03/2025 5:00 pm WEEK 7 - 11/04/2025 5:00 pm WEEK 10 - 9/05/2025 5:00 pm WEEK 13 - 30/05/2025 5:00 pm
Each assessment is available for 48 hrs Wed-Fri of the scheduled week. |
| Portfolio |
Course Engagement Portfolio
|
10% |
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
Friday, WEEK 13. |
| Presentation, Project |
Interview Project
|
20% |
13/06/2025 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1 |
| Presentation |
Final Oral interview
|
30% |
18/06/2025
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 - 21/03/2025 5:00 pm
WEEK 7 - 11/04/2025 5:00 pm
WEEK 10 - 9/05/2025 5:00 pm
WEEK 13 - 30/05/2025 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. Students should make sure that they have access to a reliable internet connection when completing each task. 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 Portfolio
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Portfolio
- Weight
- 10%
- Due date
30/05/2025 5:00 pm
Friday, WEEK 13.
Task description
In order to demonstrate your participation and engagement in this course, students will be required to contribute weekly to an individual PadletUQ, for which the link to the template will be made available on our Blackboard site. This Portfolio will require that students make weekly posts evidencing their engagement with the Russian language and/or culture beyond required material assigned for weekly work outside of class. The posts should be varied in format (short texts, audio recordings, videos, exercises, images, etc.) and can follow suggested prompts or reflect individual interests of the students. At the end of the semester students' final post will consist of the final 200-250 critical reflection written in English regarding their engagement with the course. This final reflection is due on the last day of the teaching semester, FRIDAY of Week 13 at 5pm.
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.
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.
Do not apply for extensions of individual weekly posts. The portfolio assessment is marked as whole after the submission due date.
Interview Project
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Online
- Mode
- Oral, Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia, Written
- Category
- Presentation, Project
- Weight
- 20%
- Due date
13/06/2025 5:00 pm
Exam Week 1
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 7-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 important 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 synthesize important differences and similarities between the partner and the students that transpired from these meetings but also highlight the inter-cultural learning that happened during the interviews.
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 300 words 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 essays 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 interview
- Hurdle
- Identity Verified
- In-person
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
18/06/2025
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.
Task description
Final Oral Interview (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.
For this individual assessment, students will interact with the assessors by responding to a prompt provided on the day of the assessment and answering follow-up questions. The prompt will contain one of the several topics covered in class over the course of the semester. The exact prompts will not be provided until the day of the interview but similar tasks will be part of the in-class interactive activities.
The interview will last approximately 10 minutes. Emphasis will be placed on oral production, comprehension and fluency as well as accuracy in grammatical structures and lexical knowledge acquired throughout the semester. Students will be able to sign up for the interviews in week 13.
Preparation guidelines and detailed marking criteria will be available 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. 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 PASSﾠthe course, students must achieve a total mark of 50 overall, AND a minimum of 40% in the Final Oral Assessment.ﾠStudents who do not achieve 40% in the final oralﾠassessment 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.
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.
Late submission will be calculated from the due date to the time any extension request was lodged.
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 basic 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 basic 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 basic 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 basic 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 basic 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 basic 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 basic 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.
Additional assessment information
Regular attendance at classes, active participation in classes and conscientious completion of homework on time are essential to successful language learning.
Students are also reminded that their teacher/course coordinator is available for help during consultation hours (or by appointment) throughout the 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
Find the required and recommended resources for this course 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 In-class work (General Contact): 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. Check "Learning Resources" on Blackboard for weekly activity and material schedule and updates. |
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 (by weekly deadline either before or after class)in order to ensure that class time is used mostly for communication.
Check "Learning Resources" on Blackboard for weekly activity and material schedule and updates.
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 - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.
Course guidelines
Students who did not take RSSN2120 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.