The Russian as a Second Language Program

The main objective of the Russian as a Second Language (RSL) program is to maximize the development of the student’s knowledge of both the Russian language and the Russian cultural and linguistic environment.

Students who study at Smolny generally must enter with a minimum Russian language proficiency of intermediate-mid, as measured on the ACTFL (American  Council of Teachers of Foreign Languages) scale. The ACTFL scale was developed by US language professionals to measure proficiency in a specific language. Your Russian teacher should be familiar with the ACTFL scale and be able to give you a good idea about where you place on the  scale.

The RSL program awards eight academic credits.

Students take 10 academic hours of RSL

(45 minutes each) per week during the 15-week Smolny semester. During this time the RSL course of study includes diverse language components, including grammar, phonetics, conversational Russian, academic reading, and composition. The specific courses will vary depending on students’ language skills.

In addition to the semester program, a two-week Russian Language Intensive is provided prior to the beginning of the first semester at Smolny. This two-week course offers 20 academic hours of language instruction per week, combining conversational Russian with an introduction to the academic Russian used in the classroom.

• Examples of RSL programs from recent semesters.

• Information on Smolny's RSL faculty members.

• More information on how the RSL program integrates with academics at Smolny, including peer tutoring.

• Heritage speakers of Russian may also find components of the RSL program to be beneficial. The RSL team is happy to help heritage speakers choose the best mixture of Russian language and other Smolny courses. Click here for more information on Heritage speakers at Smolny.