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The Residential College Russian program offers Russian lunch table, and Russian Tea to provide the opportunity to practice Russian in informal situations.  All students, faculty and friends who can say something in Russian are welcome at these functions.  These activities present an excellent opportunity for students to practice the skills they have been acquiring in the classroom.  Many of our students come to these activities after they have completed our sequence to keep their language skills alive. It is a great place to meet friends with similar interests, learn about Russian culture, and just have fun. 

The lunch table and the Russian Tea are an integral part of the RC Russian program. 

Note:  If you are enrolled in our classes, make sure that your schedule permits regular visits to the Russian table and Russian Tea.  Students should come to four hours of co-curricular activities a week.  If you have classes coinciding with the Russian table, show your schedule to your instructor and you will be excused from the lunch table on those days.  However, you are expected to make it on all other days. 

Our Program also offers such additional activities for more advanced students as Russian Theater, Outreach Project and Teaching Internships. For more details on these activities please see below. 

Russian Table

The Russian table is held in Room 164 MTThF 1-2 p.m.  Those who do not have meal cards for Housing can bring their own lunch or buy it in the RC Cafeteria.  There is always a teacher on hand ready to converse with students.  Occasionally we invite special guests. 
 

Russian Tea

Russian Tea is held every Tuesday 3-5 in Greene Lounge.  Tea, coffee, cookies and pleasant conversation are provided.  Speakers of all levels are welcome. 
 

Theater

Once a year in the winter semester we stage a Russian play with more advanced students as actors (however, we also had first-year students in the past helping us out with technical questions). In the winter of 1999 we "Teatr Istoricheskogo Portreta" ("TIP") under the direction of Dr. Leonora Mikhailovna Ivanitskaya will stage a production in the style of the amateur theater of 1900's.  We will post the details very soon in the "Courses" section.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, if you are interested, you could get in touch with Alina Makin who could answer your questions. 
 

Outreach

Volunteer to work in the Russophone community of Ann Arbor: with elderly people who need help with their day-to-day tasks, and with the newly arrived people who have limited or no English!  We advise that interested students take a Readings course (Russian 323) before participating in this program, although if you are eager to help you could work with more advanced students as a junior volunteer. 
 

Internships

We are always looking for advanced students of Russian who are willing to help our first- and second-semester students as peer tutors and receive college teaching credit or work/study compensation for their services.  Eligibility requirements are: junior or senior standing, solid Russian skills, and at least one course with the supervising instructor. 

Exchange

Because of their strong language skills, many RC students choose to study abroad for a summer, a semester, or for their junior year.  Students may study abroad with one of the University of Michigan’s programs, or many choose from a number of programs sponsored by other colleges and universities.  Information about international study is available through the University’s Office of International Programs.  Interested students should speak with a Residential College academic advisor. 

There is a wide choice of exchange programs (one-semester, year long, spring/summer, and internships) available to those who have taken at least three years of college-level Russian.  Each year many of our students study in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yaroslavl and other cities of the former Soviet Union.  In fact  our students are so well prepared for study abroad programs that we always get high evaluation of their language skills from such programs. 

Also, due to the on-going changes in Russian societies and increased business opportunities, many of our graduates go to Russian for internships and work for American companies. 
 

Ruler
Please submit all questions and comments to Alina Makin, Program Head