Russian Advanced Online Course

Waiting for the train in Russia.

Each summer, we will offer an advanced online course on a special topic in Russian grammar or stylistics. These courses are intended for students with at least three years of Russian (or the equivalent) who wish to take a “deep dive” into an advanced topic and explore the subtleties of usage by educated native speakers of Russian.

This summer’s advanced online offering will be Verb Prefixes in Russian. A subtle understanding of the patterns of Russian word formation and general meanings of prefix morphemes is necessary for expanding one’s vocabulary. Prefixed verbs, where the prefix serves as a word-forming morpheme, are a challenging aspect of the Russian language for advanced learners. The complexity of this topic is related to the large number of verb prefixes in Russian, the variety of their meanings, and the peculiarities of the syntactic and lexical collocations of prefixed verbs. Students will focus on twenty-one verb prefixes in Russian, paying special attention to (1) the main meanings of verbs with a specific prefix, (2) the most common syntactic and lexical collocations of verbs with a specific prefix, and (3) the peculiarities of using verbs with a specific prefix in a figurative or metaphorical sense.

Classes will meet for 1.5 hours daily, Monday through Friday, for four weeks. Classes will be held online via Zoom, with course materials shared on Canvas. Each course will be offered for three semester hours (one Middlebury unit) of credit at the undergraduate level.

Summer 2024 Dates and Fees

Dates: June 24 - July 19

Credits: 3 semester hours (1 Middlebury unit)

Cost: $2,535

Classes will meet for 1.5 synchronous hours daily, Monday through Friday, 5:00–6:30 pm EDT

Deadline

Applications are due by May 15 at the latest. We encourage you to apply as early as possible, as the course could fill before May 15.

Apply

Please apply using the Language Schools online application. On the application, select “Summer Language Immersion: Beginner Thru Advanced.” The Advanced Online Course will appear as a program option in the drop-down list.

  • Applicants should have studied Russian for at least three years (or the equivalent) in the past. Their current speaking proficiency should be Intermediate Mid or higher on the ACTFL scale. Proficiency testing may be required.
  • The application fee is waived for online course applicants.
  • Alumni of the School of Russian, Middlebury College, or Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey do not need to submit supplementary materials.
  • New applicants should email their scanned university transcripts to schoolofrussian@middlebury.edu.
  • Students registered in the 8-week program or 6-week graduate program may not take the advanced online course, as they are already registered in a full-time course load.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is not available for this course, as students are considered to be registered part-time.

Contact

For more information, please contact the School of Russian at 802-443-2006 or schoolofrussian@middlebury.edu.