CIEE Russian Area Studies Program in St. Petersburg, Russia

  Russia

• St. Petersburg: 
St. Petersburg

Term: Fall, Spring 
Dates: Fall 16 weeks: late Aug-mid-Dec; Spring 16 weeks: mid-Jan-mid-May

Description: The Russian Area Studies program aims to help students gain a greater understanding of Russian history and culture combined with intensive Russian language instruction.

Academic Program
2010 marks the 43rd anniversary of the CIEE Study Center in St. Petersburg. CIEE began its close relationship with St. Petersburg State University when the Summer Russian Language Program began there in 1967. The CIEE semester Russian Language program (RLP) was established in 1970, and the Russian Area Studies program (RAS) in 2000.

The Russian Area Studies program is for students who are interested in an academic program in Russia with an English component. The program offers a set of courses, taught in English, on Russian history, culture, and civilization as well as a rigorous language program. The program is designed for students with zero to four semesters of
Russian. Students at a higher level (having taken at least one Russian class beyond intermediate) enroll in the Russian Language Program. The RAS program cannot accommodate advanced learners and cross-registration between RAS and RLP is not possible.

Oral Proficiency Interviews - A digitally recorded oral interview is conducted with interested students at the beginning and end of each semester. The interviews are conducted by the Resident Director and follow American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL) guidelines. These interviews provide students with easily accessible language "snapshots" of their pre- and post-program language proficiency.

Academic Culture
Classroom attendance and participation are monitored carefully and may have a significant impact on final grades. Homework assignments serve to reinforce what is discussed in class. Much of the academic material is presented in class, and the 90-minute periods provide plenty of time for a range of learning activities. Students are expected to be prepared for class. Much of the material used is written by the teachers themselves, and exercises are often taken directly from the teacher's texts.

CIEE teachers have years of experience with American students, but sometimes they may express their feelings more frankly than Americans expect. The area studies classes may include visiting lecturers, topic specific visits to museums, and other activities.

Highlights:

• Improve your Russian language proficiency with intensive training
  
• Live in the 300-year old St. Petersburg and experience the relationship between traditional and modern elements influencing Russian society
  
• Participate in optional volunteer projects organized through a well-developed network of contacts that facilitate integration into Russian society
  
• Experience a rich cultural program including local and regional excursions, visits to museums and historical sites, and interaction with locals

The program also offers three overnight field trips each semester: Moscow, Novgorod, and Tallinn, Estonia (fall semester), or the Pskov region (spring semester). These trips include excursions to places of educational, cultural, and historic significance, while still allowing some time for students to explore the sites on their own. The trips are coordinated with the academic program, through preparation in class prior to the trip and through discussions of experiences and impressions upon return to St. Petersburg.

There is also an Independent Russian Travel Week each semester. Students are encouraged to visit areas outside of St. Petersburg on their own. Students travel independently and the cost of this travel is not included in the program fee. In past semesters students have camped on Lake Baikal, visited Vladivostok, taken in the sites of the Tatar Republic, and visited the shores of the Black Sea.

Volunteering
CIEE students are offered the opportunity to conduct English conversation lessons with students from St. Petersburg State University. In addition, students may take advantage of a range of volunteer projects. Past students have volunteered at after-school programs for children, local art galleries, and private libraries. CIEE staff organize an information fair each semester to introduce students to available opportunities with local businesses, agencies, and schools.

Immersion
Sobesedniki - Peer Language Tutors
CIEE students are paired with local students for a variety of language and cultural exchange activities. These students help provide CIEE participants with additional language support and a first-hand look at the lifestyle of their Russian peers.

Target Language Meals
Students are invited to participate in regularly scheduled lunch discussions with CIEE staff, language faculty, and local students. CIEE participants attending these optional meals are required to speak only Russian with their teachers and peers.

Cultural Reimbursement Program
As a means of encouraging students to enrich their study abroad experience in St Petersburg, CIEE offers a Cultural Reimbursement Program, allowing students to be reimbursed for their participation in local cultural activities such as movie screenings, theater performances, concerts, and visits to local museums and places of historic interest.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes