Welcome
to Planet Russkij!
A Resource
for Students
of Russian and Russia.
CLASSROOM,
CURIOSITY,
AND COMMUNICATION.
SPECIAL ASSIGNMENT
for Students of Russian 1310,
Spring 2003.
Students are asked to write a paragraph or two about their Russian language experience. This assignment is worth FIVE POINTS. Failure to complete the assignment will result in the loss of five class points. Please e-mail your assignment to: Toddm@mail.uca.edu
My Journey to Russia
and the
New Independent States.
By Karen Taylor
In the early Nineties, shortly after the fall of Communism and the break-up of the Soviet Union, I spent approximately six weeks in the New Independent States (NIS) of the Former Soviet Union. At the time I worked for an agricultural institution that was sending American farmers and agri-businessmen to the NIS for short intervals to work one-on-one with the former-Soviet agriculturalists. Their goal was to assist the new independent farmers and agri-businessmen in increasing production and income. My goal as recruiter for the program was to experience the lifestyle of the former Soviet Union and, in turn, prepare the Americans for their journey.
I spent two weeks in the beautiful mountains of Kyrgyzstan, and a week in Almaty, the capital of Kazakhstan. I quickly fell in love with the people of these countries, who were kind and generous, yet extremely poor in many cases. Most homes outside of the larger cities had no running water and, hence, no bathrooms. The people grew most of their food. Meals were often prepared outdoors. Sanitation appeared to be an unfamiliar concept, yet nutrition was top-of-the-line with every meal consisting of breads, jams, fruit, vegetables, meat, fermented milk, and tea.
When I arrived in Moscow, the scene was very different. It appeared to be a typical large city with modern conveniences.
A 30-hour train ride east of Moscow took me to the beautiful area of Ekaterinburg in the Ural Mountains where I experienced rural life once again. These farmers, however, had more modern conveniences than the farmers I met in Central Asia. Their warm generosity was comparable, as was their work ethic and skill for preparing a lovely, well-balanced diet on a meager income.
I spent only two days in Kiev, Ukraine, but it was time enough to recognize the same beauty in the people that I had seen in Russia and Central Asia.
The thing I liked most about these countries was the simplicity of the people and their refusal to give in to hardships. I also enjoyed the public transportation systems. It was very easy and economical to travel from country to country, city to city, and within cities.
The things that disappointed me the most were the need for many elderly women to beg on the sidewalks, and the animosity that had arisen between the peoples of Russia and bordering countries as a result of the break-up of the Soviet Union.
A Very Important Language.
By Sandra Blagojevic
First of all, I would like to say that Dr. Marshall is great professor. He definitely encourages students to learn about the subject. His support in learning Russian language was great, and it helped me to study and understand Russian more.
I took Russian once before; however, I never learned the basics of the language. It would be said that, Ja govorila ploho, no ja citala ocenj horoso. This was not enough for me. I wanted to start all over with learning Russian because I think that it is very important language, which I intend to use one day in my profession. I enjoyed class with Dr. Marshall a lot. Do svidanija.
Not Just Memorizing.
By Kevin Carmical
Many of the people I know have taken at least some instruction in a language other than English. Most of them took Spanish or French in high school, and promptly forgot all of it after they graduated. I never took language classes before, though, and I decided that I would try to learn something different than the ones my friends tried.
I love the class and look forward to going every day just for the challenge of it. Dr. Marshall is a great teacher and gives us assignments that help me understand the language and culture, not just memorizing verbs and word endings. Now that I have some idea of what it takes to learn a second language, I hope to study this summer and be prepared for the next class in the fall.
First Step toward Fluency.
By Smouni Hajar
I took Russian to learn about a Slavic language, learn a new way to pronounce words, and hear new sounds. Russian is a difficult language because of all the cases, but step-by-step Dr. Marshall is teaching us how to master it.
I really enjoy going to class because it is fun and because you learn a lot. Actually missing a class might be detrimental because you get behind and it is harder to follow. But I like Russian so much that I am going to take it in graduate school and hopefully be able to speak it fluently in a couple of years.
Something Fun to Study.
By Jessica Ball
The reason that I decided to study Russian was because I had always thought that it was interesting. I have already fulfilled my language requirements so this class was just something fun to study for me. I really don't know what I expected going into the class. I had never taken a Slavic language before so it was going to be a totally new experience for me. I would have to say that it wasn't extremely easy, but Dr. Marshall explained it well and made it interesting.
I am really glad that I took the class. I am hoping to make it over to Russia at some point, so I think that this class will really come in handy.
Indeed a Challenge.
By Colin Stanton
I enrolled in Russian 1310 because I needed another three-hour class and it sounded interesting and challenging. I was bored with French, Spanish did not appeal to me, and the university does not offer Italian (the only other language in which I was interested), so Russian was my choice.
After one semester, I realize that this language is indeed a challenge. I enjoyed learning most of what was covered in class, but there were too many grammatical rules that prevented us from getting into learning things like verbs, adjectives, and other things that make language so enjoyable. I do not believe that I will be continuing my Russian education on the language front, but I do enjoy the literature and history.
Getting into the Groove.
By Nick Trusty
I took Russian this year because I needed some experience at learning a
new language. I didn't really know what to expect when I came into class. I
thought it would be really hard, and that I was about half crazy for even
getting myself into it.
But, Dr. Marshall is a great teacher. He explains everything so that
we can understand it, and learn it well. I must admit the language isn't an
easy one to learn, but once you get into the groove, it becomes a lot
easier. I'm transferring to Fayetteville next year, and from my experience in Dr.
Marshall's class, I think I will continue to study Russian.
ARCHIVE:
Student Paragraphs from Fall, 2002.
Why I Decided to Take Russian.
By Micah Klein
I decided to take RUSS 1310 because I have always been interested in
learning the ins and outs of other languages. It's something I've become
accustomed to after 3-1/2 years of German. I'm a writer, so exploring my
potential to the fullest means paying great attention to the full range of
human speech and thought.
I feel like I've learned a lot in RUSS 1310, even if I've only just barely
skimmed the surface of a language. I hope to continue with studying
Russian, even if not in a scholastic setting.
Pertaining to the structure of the class, I think workload is decent
enough without being too light. The layout of the book was
dissatisfactory. After five chapters of study, we've only learned a handful
of verbs (I've always been told that verbs are the meat of any language),
adjectives, and grammatical structures.
Micah Klein
mjk99001@cub.uca.edu
A Dream and a Love for Language.
By Natalie Ryan
While sorting through my reasons for taking Russian 1310, I failed to find an exact, logical motive. I found a dream that I had years ago and loved where I was dressed up in a costume with tiny red radio flyers printed on it and a newspaper hat and a tin drum; I was singing a Russian lullaby. Then I thought; no, that isn't rational. Then I remembered my fascination with many a Russian ballerina as a young adolescent. Not so academic. Next I found a reason that seemed satisfactory, my love for language.
I think that when you learn another language you are enabled to see the world from another's viewpoint. Similar to Micah, the study of foreign languages helps me to reach my human and artistic potential.
The Thrill and an Irrational Pleasure.
By Sarah Heard
I signed up for Russian 1310 this semester because I wasn't about to pass up my first real opportunity to study Russian.
Why study Russian? Well, why not?
Russian is the fourth language I've formally studied. There's nothing that quite matches, for me, the thrill of mastering the fundamentals of a language of which I'd hitherto known nothing. It's an irrational pleasure which I feel no need to justify (though doing so would not be difficult), and Russian happened to be high on my list of languages I would like to study.
Now that I'm nearly at the end of my first semester of Russian, it's high on my list of languages I would like to study further, and I'm only disappointed that the second semester course will not be offered in the spring -- both because this may well be the last opportunity I have to study this language at UCA, and because, at the risk of making this appear to be a clumsy attempt at flattery, because I quite appreciate Dr. Marshall's combination of dedication and relaxation where his students' language learning is concerned.
I suspect the volume of self-study Russian materials sold at area bookstores is about to rise dramatically.
Captivating and Intriguing.
By Jennifer Franecke
Russian is a captivating/intriguing multi faceted culture and language. There is not a better way to learn about a people than through their language, and with this in mind I signed up for Russian 1. The course teaches the basic principles of the language, as well as necessary grammatical rules. Under the exemplary guidance of Dr. Marshall, students are led through the basics of this fascinating language and culture. Russian is by no means an easy language, but the rewards of taking this course speak for themselves.
A Strong Interest in History.
By Nicole Richardson
As an entering freshman at UCA, I went into scheduling with one demand: to take Russian I. My strong interest in Russian history drove me to take this class because I believe to greatly attain an understanding for a subject, you must learn the language.
The class more than exceeded my high expectations. Dr. Marshall moved at a slow, but steady pace due to the complexity of the language. With a combination of hands-on activities and entertaining lectures, class was not only fun but eagerly anticipated. I would strongly recommend this class to anyone interested in Russian culture or anyone looking for a good (but attainable) challenge.
The Language of His Neighbors.
By Bilegdei Batchuluun
The reason I'm studying Russian language is that I grew up very close to Russia. Mongolia is bordered with Russia. We have many Russians traveling in and out of my country, schools that specialize in Russian, many restaurants. We even have Russian TV channels. Well, I guess that is why I'm studying Russian.
*This is the next step toward THE One World Language.
Step Two: *Your adverb on a pike!
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