Language and Culture in St. Petersburg, Russia

The Summer Language and Culture program in St. Petersburg, Russia is designed to give intermediate-level students of Russian a short term, highly intensive introduction to current Russian life and culture. Through focused language study and organized excursions to important cultural sights, students will maximize their chances to use their language skills, improve their fluency, and gain insight into the rhythm of Russian life.

Saint Petersburg, Russia’s most westernized city, rightly deserves its reputation as the country’s “window to Europe.” Its neo-classical architecture, broad avenues, many canals, and geometrically arranged parks give the city the feel of a European capital. Located just below the Arctic circle in latitude, the city boasts its famous “White Nights” in early summer. The length of the day on June 21 is 18 hours and 45 minutes, and even after the sun sets, it never grows dark.

The Program

Participants will take classes at St. Petersburg State University in the Center for Russian Language and Culture with highly qualified, native-speaker instructors. Classes are scheduled between 9:30am and 2:30pm, Monday through Friday, leaving students with plenty of time for extracurricular activities. Students will be placed in groups by their level of language proficiency.

The following courses will appear on all students' transcripts at the conclusion of the program:

Russian 550: Advanced Conversation, Composition and Grammar in Russia: Summer Study in St. Petersburg (6 credit hours) and
SLAV 679: Topics in: Russian Culture (2 credit hours)

For a total of 8 credit hours

In certain circumstances credit may be given for other courses, as arranged with the program director prior to the program.
All groups will follow the same basic academic program at St. Petersburg University, which includes:

• Development of Oral Proficiency: Students have the opportunity to work on communication and conversation skills about all areas of daily life, and to develop skills necessary to sustain longer conversation, narration, and description.
• Advanced Topics in Russian Grammar and Written Expression: Students review and study in detail some of the more complex aspects of Russian grammar: prefixed and non-prefixed verbs of motion, indirect discourse, and verbal aspect. There are regular written assignments.
• Practical Phonetics and Intonation: The course concentrates on understanding the rules of Russian phonetics and intonation and their practical application in the spoken language. This is an excellent opportunity for students to acquire more native sounding Russian.
• Russian Literature and Culture: Through lectures and reading of select texts students learn about Russia’s great literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Understanding Contemporary Media: Newspaper, Film and TV: By reading newspapers and watching films and television programs with instructors, students have the opportunity to improve their listening and reading comprehension.

Faculty Directors

Dr. Maria Carlson is a professor in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature. She teaches Russian culture and intellectual history, 18th- and 20th-century Russian literature, and Russian Symbolism.

Dr. Irina Fedyunina-Six is a lecturer in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature. She teaches Russian language, culture and business. 2008 will be her fifth year leading the program on-site.

Excursions

The program includes the following excursions:

• City Tour: Within the first days of the program students have a bus tour of the major sights of St. Petersburg.
• Peter the Great’s Summer Palace: Situated on the Gulf of Finland, the palace complex is famous for its cascading fountains and landscaped grounds.
• Novgorod Velikii: This northern Russian city, founded in the 10th century, features a detinets (kremlin), medieval trading rows, and 11-12th century churches. It was a center of Slavic literacy, iconography, and applied arts.
• Kizhi Pogost: Kizhi is an island on Lake Onega in the Republic of Karelia with a beautiful ensemble of wooden churches, chapels and houses. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Russia and a World Heritage Site.
  
• Other cultural excursions in St. Petersburg and its environs are organized by the group leader depending on the participants’ interests.
  

Accommodations

Students stay in Russian dormitories, close to the university. Rooms are equipped with kitchen facilities and a privite bus takes the students to classes daily.

Dates (tentative)

Depart U.S.: May 28, 2010

Arrive St. Petersburg: May 29, 2010

Depart St. Petersburg: July 11, 2010

Eligibility

Open to undergraduate and graduate students from any accredited U.S. college or university who have completed a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college-level Russian. Minimum 2.5 GPA required (exceptions considered after submission of a petition).

Credit

Eight hours of credit are granted by the University of Kansas upon successful completion of the program.

Cost: TBD (Summer 2009 costs are listed below).

Program Fee: Approximately $3,500 ($3,700 for non-KU students). The program fee includes tuition, fees, accomodations, excursions, orientation, emergency medical evacuation and repatriation services, and administrative costs.

Additional costs: Airfare, visa and passport fees, meals, and personal expenses.

All dates, costs, and program information are subject to change as necessary due to fluctuations in the exchange rate or other reasons.

Travel Arrangements

Students should plan to travel to St. Petersburg on a prearranged group flight. Details about travel arrangements will be available in early April.

To receive the special visa required for Americans traveling to Russia, participants will need to provide detailed information from their US passport by early April. Since it can take up to eight weeks to obtain a passport, prospective participants are strongly encouraged to apply for their passport when applying for the program.

Financial Aid

Since this program meets all Department of Education requirements for intensive summer language programs, eligible graduate students may use FLAS Summer Fellowships. KU students should see the CREES website for more FLAS funding details.

KU students who qualify for summer financial aid in the form of Stafford and/or other loans, Pell or SEOG Grants, and scholarships may apply the aid to the cost of a Study Abroad Program.

Limited supplemental scholarships are available to KU undergraduates. Applications are available at the Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the scholarship application. The scholarship application deadline is March 1.

Non-KU students should check into the financial resources available to them at their home institutions.

Application Procedures

Final Application Deadline: March 1, 2010

*A copy of your passport is due at the time of application.

Early application is strongly encouraged. Applications received after the deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Application forms are available from the KU Office of Study Abroad. You can also download the application. All application materials are to be returned to the Office of Study Abroad no later than March 1.

(Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to download an application. If your computer does not have Acrobat Reader you can download it for FREE.)

For more information, contact:

Dr. Maria Carlson or Dr. Irina Fedyunina-Six
The University of Kansas
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
phone: 785-864-1230
e-mail: irinasix@ku.edu

The University of Kansas
Office of Study Abroad
Lippincott Hall
1410 Jayhawk Blvd. Room 108
Lawrence, KS 66045-7515
phone: 785-864-3742
fax: 785-864-5040
e-mail: osa@ku.edu