Russian Language Courses

Attention! Students who have learned any Russian outside of a university setting, including as a home language, while living abroad, or through study at the pre-college level, are required to take the EM/placement test prior to enrolling in Russian courses at OSU. Students who have studied Russian at a different university or as part of a summer program may be eligible for transfer credit. Learn more about transfer and placement.

Russian 1101.01 (Classroom), .51 (Self-Paced), .61 (Online)

Elementary Russian I 

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 4 credit units

As an introduction to Russian language course, it will focus on the development of skills in speaking, understanding, reading, and writing contemporary Russian in a cultural context. Not open to native speakers or to students with 2 or more years of high school study. 

Not open to students with credit for 101.01, or 5 credits of 101.51, or 4 credits of 1101.51 or 1101.61. This course is available for EM credit. GE Foreign Language course. FL Admis Cond course.


Russian 1102.01 (Classroom), .51 (Self-Paced), .61 (Online)

Elementary Russian II

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 4 credit units

Continued development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in cultural context. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit. 

Prereq: 1101.01 or 4 cr hrs of 1101.51, or 101.01 or 101.51. Not open to students with credit for 102.01 or 5 credits of 102.51, or 4 credits of 1102.51. This course is available for EM credit. GE Foreign Language course. FL Admis Cond course.


Russian 1103.01 (Classroom), .51 (Self-Paced), .61 (Online)

Intermediate Russian I

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 4 credit units

Continued development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in cultural context. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit. 

Prereq: 11102.01 or 4 cr of 1102.51, or 102.01 or 5 cr of 102.51. Not open to students  with credit for 104.01, 104.51 or4 cr hrs of 1103.51 or. This course is available for EM credit. GE Foreign Language course.


Russian 1133

Intermediate Russian for Heritage Speakers I

Offered: Autumn | 4 credit units

This course is designed for students who have a Russian background, hear and/or speak (to a different degree) Russian at home and want to learn to read and write in Russian, or to develop their speaking and literacy skills through formal Russian language study. Students must take a Russian placement exam, and test out of Russian 1101 and 1102.

Prereq: Not open to students with credit for Russian 1103.01. GE Foreign Language course.


Russian 2104.01 (Classroom), .51 (Self-Paced), .61 (Online)

Intermediate Russian II 

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 4 credit units

Increasing functional ability in speaking, listening, reading, and writing practice, vocabulary-building; new grammar structures; start developing higher-level language skills in Russian. Not open to native speakers of this language through regular course enrollment or EM credit. 

Prereq: 1103.01 or 4 credits of 1103.51, or 104.01 or 5 credits of 104.51. Not open to students with credit for 402.01, 407.01, 4 cr hrs for 2104.51, or 5 cr hrs for 402.51 or 407.51.


Russian 2144

Intermediate Russianfor Heritage Speakers II

Offered: Spring | 4 credit units

This is the second course designed for students who have a Russian background, hear and/or speak (to a different degree) Russian at home and want to learn to read and write in Russian, or to develop their speaking and literacy skills through formal Russian language study.

Prereq: 1133.


Russian 3101

Third-Year Russian I: Contemporary Russian in Cultural and Literary Contexts

Offered: Autumn | 4 credit units

Further develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills and grammar competence while discussing topics of contemporary Russian life and literature. 

Prereq: 2104.01 or 4 cr hrs of 2104.51, or 402.01 or 407.01, or 5 cr hrs of 402.51 or 407.51, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 501 or 560.


Russian 3102

Third-Year Russian II: Current Events through the Russian Media

Offered: Spring | 4 credit units

Introduction to the Russian mass media with an emphasis on current events; further development of speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills and grammar competence. 
 
Prereq: 3101 (501 and 502), or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 503 or 562.

Russian 3121

Advanced Reading Russian I (Self-Paced)

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 1-3 credit units

Developing reading skills and strategies from a variety of authentic Russian sources, with special emphasis on contemporary materials. 
 
Prereq: 2104.01 (407.01) or 2104.51 (407.51), or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 580.51 or 581.51. Repeatable to a maximum of 3 credit hours.

Russian 3122

Advanced Reading Russian II (Self-Paced)

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 1-3 credit units

Further development of reading skills & strategies from authentic Russian sources, with emphasis on contemporary materials.  Students register for 1-3 credit hours during semester. Progress is sequential from one credit hour to the next; 80% is required to advance. 
 
Prereq: 3121 (581.51), or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 582.51. Repeatable to a maximum of 3 credit hours.

Russian 3140

Russian Conversation

Offered: Autumn, Spring | 1 credit unit

Maintaining and further developing conversational skills in Russian at the intermediate level. Taught in Russian as round-table discussion. 
 
Prereq: 2104.01 (402.01) or 2104.51 (402.51), or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 2 credit hours.

Russian 4101

Advanced Russian I

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Speaking, listening, reading and writing practice in Russian at the advanced level, with focus on Russian films from the 1930s to the present. 

Prereq: 3102 or 503, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 601.


Russian 4102

Advanced Russian II

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Continuation of Russian 4101: speaking, listening, reading, and writing practice in Russian at the advanced level, with a focus on Russian culture and national identity.

Prereq: 4101 (601) or 609, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 610.


Russian 4135

Practical Russian Pronunciation

Offered: Every two years | 3 credit units

Russian phonetics, including terminology, transcription, practical exercises designed to improve pronunciation, and problems of teaching pronunciation. Taught in Russian. Not open to native speakers of Russian.

Prereq: 2104, or 30 credit hours in Russian, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 635.


Russian 5101

Advanced Russian III

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Continuation of Russian 4102. Development of speaking, listening, reading, & writing skills at the advanced level, with a focus on a specific theme of interest for area specialists (e.g., history, literature, culture, linguistics, health issues). 

Prereq: 4102, or permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 711. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.


Russian 5102

Advanced Russian IV

Offered: Annually | 3 credit units

Continuation of Russian 5101. Development of speaking, listening, reading, & writing skills at the advanced level, with a focus on a specific theme of interest for area specialists (e.g., history, literature, culture, linguistics, health issues). 

Prereq: 5101, or permission of instructor. Repeatable to a maximum of 6 credit hours.


Russian 5103

Advanced Russian V

Offered: Occasionally  | 3 credit units

Students will continue to develop comprehensive knowledge of Russian in the following skills: speaking, reading, writing, listening, and grammar. Taught in Russian.

Prereq: 5102, or permission of instructor.


Russian 5150

Russian for Business

Offered: Occasionally  | 3 credit units

This course will provide specific vocabulary and skills to deal with various areas of business and industry in Russia, including oil and natural gas, agriculture, and commerce.

Prereq: 4102, or permission of instructor.



Russian 5160

Russian for Open-Source Media Research: Reading & Listening Comprehension, Analysis, and Translation

Offered: Occasionally  | 3 credit units

Reading and listening comprehension are essential skills for students of Russian who plan to work as translators, language analysts, or other industry-specific specialists. This class will also provide those who have a general interest in Russian culture a survey of topics dealing with current events, politics, and international relations, and will engage exclusively with authentic texts.

Prereq: 3101 or 3121, or permission of instructor.


Russian 5630

Russian Translation: Theory, Practice, and the Profession

Offered: Autumn, Spring (occasionally) | 3 credit units

Translation is an essential part of human culture, and meeting the challenges it poses is crucial to understanding literature, politics, and many other fields of thought. In this course, we will focus on two areas of Russian-English and English-Russian translation: the translator’s role in shaping, transmitting, and interpreting literature, and the importance of translation in understanding Russian current events. By exploring both translations of classic literary works and translation theory and terminology, we will open up opportunities for understanding and working in different areas of translation by reading news articles selected from current Russian newspapers and journals. In addition to exploring the theory and practice of translation, the course will introduce students to professional opportunities and techniques for Russian translation. 


Russian 6171

Basic Reading Russian for Graduate Students (Self-Paced)

Offered: Autumn, Spring, May Term, Summer | 3 credit units

Russian alphabet, basic vocabulary, and basic elements of grammar for graduate students who need to develop reading skills for professional research. Taught in self-paced format. Continued by Russian 6172. 

Prereq: Graduate standing. Not open to students with credit for 571.


Russian 6172

Reading Russian for Research (Self-Paced)

Offered: Autumn, Spring, May Term, Summer | 3 credit units

Continuation of Russian 6171: further development of reading skills, vocabulary, and grammar for graduate students who need to read Russian for professional research. Taught in self-paced format. 

Prereq: 6171 (571), and graduate standing. Not open to students with credit for 572 or 573.