Coursework

Coursework is one component of the Russian Flagship’s rigorous, flexible curriculum. The program is designed to enable students of any major, including those who enter UW–Madison with no prior study of Russian, to achieve a professional level of language proficiency by graduation.

For a typical student, this means condensing four years of Russian language coursework into two academic years and two summers, including a summer study abroad program in a Russian-speaking country. Students then spend an additional one to two academic years completing advanced Russian language coursework at UW–Madison before embarking on the Russian Overseas Flagship (ROF), the program’s capstone year abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Although it is possible to complete the program, including the ROF capstone year abroad, in four years, most students who begin studying Russian at UW–Madison require five years to complete the program. Factors that may affect a student’s timeline include prior experience studying Russian, other academic commitments, the pursuit of multiple majors or certificates, semester credit loads, extracurricular involvement, employment, and other individual circumstances.

Students work closely with Russian Flagship advisors to develop individualized study plans for meeting coursework and other program requirements. These plans can be adjusted on a case-by-case basis to accommodate a student’s major, course schedule, or other needs. Early planning is an important factor in ensuring that timely progress through the program.

Kazakhstan is a multilingual and multiethnic country in which both Russian and Kazakh are widely used, alongside many other languages, including English. Although Russian is widely spoken in Almaty, where the Russian Overseas Flagship (ROF) is located, both Russian and Kazakh are official languages of Kazakhstan. Developing a basic knowledge of Kazakh can help students demonstrate respect and interest in Kazakh language and culture. 

As part of their linguistic and cultural preparation for the ROF, students must complete a series of introductory, non-credit Kazakh language lessons and pass end-of-lesson quizzes. They do so through Salem, Kazakhstan, an online Kazakh language course designed for Russian Flagship participants. This requirement must be completed by August 1 prior to departure for the ROF.

The required Salem, Kazakhstan lessons are:

• Вводный урок (Introductory lesson)
• Тема 1: Все обо мне (All about me)
• Тема 2: Где я живу (Where I live)
• Тема 3: Едим дома или идем в ресторан? (Do we eat at home or go out to eat?)

A link to Salem, Kazakhstan is on the Russian Flagship’s Canvas site. The course is hosted by the Language Flagship Technology Innovation Center at the University of Hawai’i.
Students interested in studying Kazakh for credit before participating in the ROF are encouraged to take advantage of one or both of the following opportunities at UW–Madison:

• Kazakh language courses are offered during the academic year through the Department of German, Nordic, & Slavic+. The first course in the sequence, offered in the fall, is GNS 331: First Semester Kazakh (4 credits).
• Intensive summer Kazakh instruction (8 credits) through UW–Madison’s Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI).

Students on their capstone year in Almaty take an introductory course in Kazakh during the fall semester. Kazakh language instruction is also offered in the spring semester as an optional course.