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Why Study Russian?

Remember that if you want to sign up to one of our free Saturday Russian classes in Dublin, Limerick or Galways you can sign up here.

We interviewed students that take our Saturday morning Russian classes and here’s what they had to say!

Why did you decide to study Russian?

What do you like about Russian?

Do you plan on using Russian in your future?

Show our video series ‘Russian Made All the Difference’ to your students!

Check out this presentation, it sounds crazy!

The Best Way to Start Learning Russian

Check out this fun colour game to hear how Russian sounds.

You might spend more time on it that you think!

Click here to visit this game and other fun interactive activities.

NEWS!

Dr Sarah Smyth, Department of Russian and Slavonic Studies (TCD), was awarded the Pushkin Medal by President Medvedev for her contribution to the promotion of Russian language and culture in the world. This medal is awarded annually by Presidential decree to ten people from the fields of culture or education. The award ceremony was held in the Kremlin palace on 4th November, the Russian national holiday. In her speech , Sarah made reference to encouraging new developments in Irish-Russian relations, and looked forward to both sides building on newly strengthened foundations. In the current year other visitors to Russia from Ireland include Bono, on the occasion of a U2 concert in Moscow, and President McAleese, who accompanied a trade and education mission in September. In addition to Sarah’s work in Trinity and further afield, she has been a member of the management committee of Post-Primary Languages Ireland since its inception and has made an enormous contribution to the work of introducing Russian in our schools. 

Russian in our schools

Post-Primary Languages Ireland presently employs 10 part-time teachers of Russian to teach a TY module in 25 schools in Dublin, Offaly, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, and Donegal. This module began in 2005 with just 100 students taking a 10 week pilot module in the subject and has since expanded so that there are now more than 500 students each year able to access basic Russian language skills. Last year we undertook an evaluation of Russian among TY students taking it, among TY coordinators organising it, and among school management who make key decisions in relation to subject choice in schools. The results of this evaluation showed that it is very difficult to think of introducing Russian as a regular subject in the Senior Cycle curriculum in the context of the current curriculum overload and the historic dependence on French as the usual choice of modern language. We have , however, introduced Russian as an extra-curricular subject for Leaving Cert at the beginning of the current school year .

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