Russian (Fribourg)

Russian 1

In this course, linguistic and intercultural knowledge on a basic level will be taught, as well as the skills and strategies needed to learn a language (reception, production, interaction, mediation). At the end of the course, students should be on an A2 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The students will have learned to talk about well-known topics, to communicate in easy everyday situations and to understand and write short and easy texts.

Russian 2

At the end of this course, students should be on a B1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. The students will have learned to talk about their interests in a distinguished way and to react to other people's statements spontaneously. The students will be able to interact in most everyday situations, to understand more complex and authentic texts and to write different texts themselves. The intercultural competences will be trained through working with authentic material (text, audio, video).

Russian 3

This course focuses mainly on the intercultural comptences. The course will be held in the form of a project and only authentic materials (literary texts, news articles, films, music etc.) will be used. The contents of the Russian 3 courses do not repeat. This means that students may attend and validate the course during several semesters. At the end of this course, students should be on a B2+/C1 level according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Some examples from the last few years: - "simulation globale" about topics such as: an apartment building in Sochi or Riga, a village at Lake Baikal, a company; - Russian-language films and series; - literature of the Russian emigration; - a translation project in collaboration with young Russian authors; - a conversational course "Russian Parlour Games for Breakfast"; - a hybride course about the "History of Dissidents in the Soviet Union"; - a hybride course about the "History of the Everyday Culture of Moscow During the 20^th Century".

Video example: "Hybride Course with teleportation effect" About the "History of the Everyday Culture of Moscow During the 20^th Century", that has been promoted by the Innovations's Fund of the University of Fribourg (2022).

About the Course

The Russian course in Fribourg is interactive and hands-on. It is modelled according to the current state of research in second language acquisition pedagogy. The students have the possibility to help design the lessons and to choose certain contents. They learn to communicate and to express themselves (speaking and writing) from the first day on. The individual needs and wants of every student are being taken into account as far as possible. One of the elements of the Russian courses in Fribourg is performative language teaching (training of spontaneous speech, learning while moving, games, elements of drama and theater in language learning).

Lecturer of Russian (Fribourg)

Name / Titel

lic. phil. Natascha Dominguez Sapien

Funktion

Lecturer of Russian

Mail

natalia.dominguez@unifr.ch

Phone

+41 26 300 79 13

After studies in Slavic and Romance Philology in Moscow, Bochum and Oviedo, I worked from 1999 until 2008 as a member of scientific staff and lecturer of Russian at the DAZ of the Lotman Institute for Russian and Soviet Culture and at the Center of Foreign Language Education of the Ruhr University in Bochum. Since 2008 I have been working as a lecturer of Russian at the University of Fribourg. Furthermore, I am an examiner for TRKI exams and a trainer and a coaching instructor for psychodramaturgie linguistique (PDL).

My didactic focus (design of language courses, further education for teachers and research projects):

• performative foreign language education
• Psychodramaturgie linguistique (PDL)
• theater pedagogy

• "simulation globale"
• playback theater

• sociometry
• performative foreign language education online

Russian I: 180 lessons / 12 ECTS per semester, 2 semesters in total;

Russian II: 120 lessons / 6 ECTS per semester, 2 semesters in total;

Russian III: Russian III C (120 lessons / 6 ECTS) and Russian III D (120 lessons / 6 ECTS), 2 semesters each.

Evaluation

- frequent and active participation
- final exam at the end of each semester

The teaching materials are updated regularly. At the moment, we work with «Привет, Россия» in «Russian 1» and «Russian 2» courses. This book is available both in print and online and can be purchased here, via Amazon or directly with the lecturer.

For the «Russian 3» course no books will be used. Since the course is designed in the form of a project, only authentic materials, which will be provided by the lecturer, will be used.

Our courses are aimed at the needs of students of Slavic Studies and Eastern European Studies. However, students of different study programs can attend as well. Auditors are welcome to join, too. The conditions for obtaining the credit points consist of an active and frequent participation and an exam at the end of the semester.

Students without previous knowledge may only start with Russian I in the autumn semester. Students who do have previous knowledge may have the possibility to start at a higher course, only after consulting the lecturer.