The Post-A-Level course is an intensive course: it develops students' language skills in the use of Russian, translation and oral practice through a series of three weekly classes. It also offers students a challenging interdisciplinary introduction to Russian and East European cultures from the ninth century through the present.

Language Work

Language work aims to train students to use all elements of Russian grammar and syntax correctly and to acquire a sound knowledge of modern standard Russian. Russian is a highly inflected language, so grammatical accuracy is essential both to understanding and to communication. Every area of grammar has therefore to be mastered. The course is designed to provide a comprehensive training system, covering grammar rules, exceptions and subtleties, syntax, idioms and set phrases, equivalents and non-equivalents in English and Russian, register, style, formulation of ideas, and argument.

You will be attending three weekly classes organised by the Slavonic Studies Section:

• SLB1: Use of Russian
• SLB2: Translation from Russian
• Oral Practice in preparation for Russian Oral B (NB: though they are organised by the Department, these sessions are formally classified as supervisions, supported by the Colleges)

All incoming post-A-level students must take the Diagnostic Test that will be offered via Moodle in late August/beginning of September before the Michaelmas teaching term begins. The aim of this exercise is to assess your level of Russian and allocate you to the right group.

Assignments to language classes for Use of Russian and Translation will be announced on the Wednesday afternoon before classes begin. Your supervisors for the oral practice sessions will also be contacting you that Wednesday to arrange weekly supervision times. It is essential that you check your email and bring your diary to the briefing meetings for papers SLB1 and SL1 on Wednesday.

For grammar revision use:

• James S. Levine, Schaum’s Outline of Russian Grammar. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Terence Wade, A Comprehensive Russian Grammar (Blackwell)

Literature, History, Culture

In addition to your language classes, you will also take paper SL1: Introduction to Russian culture. Teaching for this paper will be through:

• a series of 16 lectures organised by the Section
• fortnightly supervisions arranged by the Section on behalf of the Colleges