Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP)

Just got blessed by God through my mom and uncle for telling me about your program and making me apply I wasn't sure neither was I feeling lucky but I kept my hopes up till I see the end of it and I hope it really the best of my life

In 2020, the Russian Area Studies and Language Program (RLASP) was held virtually, and despite the challenges of being stuck at home the program was a tremendous opportunity to continue developing my Russian language skills. The program perfectly centered on the right balance of rigor and fun, and I easily bonded with my professors and cohort despite learning virtually. RLASP allowed me to learn more about advanced grammar topics and new vocabulary, while continuing to work on more fundamental aspects like phonetics. The presence of courses in geography, history/politics, culture, and cinema allowed me use my Russian "in practice" while exploring more technical vocabulary. I would highly recommend the program to any learner of Russian, but especially intermediate students who are ready to make the jump to a more advanced level of understanding and proficiency in the language.

I quite enjoyed the 8 weeks I had spent in the American Councils RLASP learning about the Russian language and culture. I had never previously been a part of an intensive language program and as such I was quite excited and nervous to partake in this virtual-learning study abroad experience. Through this experience I was able to learn a vast amount pertaining to Russia’s language, culture, and people. I quite enjoyed learning more about the Russian language and its complexities such as verbs of motion and when to use imperfective and perfective forms of a verb. I also enjoyed learning about the beauty and complexity of Russian art and literature. One of my favorite classes was “Искусство и культура современной России” and I also enjoyed analyzing the cartoon "Бабочка". Overall, having partaken in the vigor and diversity of this program I developed new and better ways to express myself in Russian and really feel that my confidence when speaking Russian is boosted. Moreover, having been a part of this program and having learnt so much about the Russian language and culture, I have decided to also continue my studies of Russian at my university by enrolling in 4 additional courses which detailed aspects of Russian history and literature.