Requirements

Russian Flagship requirements

Students must successfully complete an 8-week probationary period before they are invited to sign a contract indicating they understand the program’s requirements and promise to work hard to meet their benchmarks. At this time they are also invited to enroll in the federal Flagship certification system to track their progress and achievements.

There are two main sets of Flagship program requirements: Domestic Russian language study and overseas language study, which consists of both the pre-Capstone summer abroad and the Capstone Year abroad.

Domestic Russian language study

Domestic Russian language study includes coursework, tutoring sessions, extra-curricular activities, and annual assessments.

1. Complete four foundational language courses:

• SLAV-R 101-102 Elementary Russian I &II (8 credits total)
• SLAV-R 201-202 Intermediate Russian I & II (8 credits total)
• SLAV-R 301-302 Advanced Intermediate Russian I & II (6 credits total)
• SLAV-R 401-402 Advanced Russian I & II (6 credits total)

2. Select any two content courses:

• Business Russian (3 credits total)
• Russian Political Culture (3 credits total)
• Russian for Social Studies (3 credits total)
• Contemporary Russian Culture (3 credits total)
• Russian Media (3 credits total)
• Russian Modernism (3 credits total)
• Russian Through Literature (3 credits total)

3. Complete an Intro to Kazakh language course (1-credit course at IU or online training modules).

4. Participate in weekly tutoring sessions (1-2 hours/week).

5. Attend co-curricular events and career events (3 per semester).

6. Participate in annual spring assessments including oral proficiency interviews and reading & listening exams.

Overseas Russian language study

Overseas Russian language study has two components: the a pre-Capstone study abroad trip and the Capstone Year in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

1. Pre-capstone Russian Summer Abroad is completed by attending an intensive Russian language program that is at least 6 weeks long and includes a homestay experience.
2. The Capstone Year includes coursework, research, and a professional internship at a local Business, NGO, or Academic Institute. In addition to taking Russian and Kazakh language courses and enrolling in a Russian-taught content course at the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, students also conduct an original research project based on their academic interests and complete a professional level internship based on their career goals.