History at PSU
In 2009, Dr. Sandra Freels successfully competed for a “Dissemination of Innovation” grant sponsored by The Language Flagship in the National Security Education Program (NSEP). For the first three years, the PSU Russian Flagship Program worked in collaboration with the established Chinese Flagship Program at the University of Oregon to take its successful model and adapt it to PSU in a new language.
The dissemination grant sparked three intensive years of program development for the Russian section at PSU. New faculty were hired, including Anna Alsufieva (who came to PSU from Reed College) and Olesya Kisselev and Daria Aleeva. In the first years, these faculty worked intensively with PSU's University Studies program to develop advanced Russian language courses that mirrored the themes covered in the PSU’s University studies curriculum. In the first academic year, 22 students joined the program’s advanced coursework. The cohort included both students from Russian-speaking families and others who had been studying Russian in the classroom for several years already. Students were attracted by the opportunity to perfect their language skills through classes at PSU and through study abroad while pursuing the major of their choice. In fall of 2010, the Russian program introduced an Introductory Track so that students who had never studied Russian before could fit the program into their undergraduate studies. By 2012, the program had developed a quality set of courses, selection procedures, and a stable student cohort and so it was awarded continuation funding as a Flagship Program in its own right.
The Flagship program provides significant scholarship support for students to study abroad for a summer or for an academic year. The year-long study abroad program (Russian Overseas Flagship, or ROF) was first located at Saint Petersburg State University, but since Fall 2014 students have been studying at The Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The change has expanded academic and life opportunities for PSU students. They have the opportunity to live in a dynamic bilingual society, to observe the intercultural dynamics of Kazakh and Russian, and to learn deeply about Central Asia and Kazakhstan, a modern secular Islamic country, which manages its powerful neighbors to the North (Russia) and East (China). In Kazakhstan Flagship students have completed their internships in a very broad range of businesses and organizations.
Dr. William Comer was hired from the University of Kansas to lead the program in 2014 when Dr. Freels retired.
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Flagship Programs and other initiatives
From 2009-2018, PSU hosted one of only four Flagship programs for Russian in the United States. The other programs were located at the University of California, Los Angeles, Bryn Mawr College, and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In 2018, two additional Flagship programs were established at Indiana University and the University of Georgia. In 2020, the University of North Carolina and Virginia Tech were selected to expand the set of Russian Flagship programs to eight nationally.
The Language Flagship has hosted a number of initiatives to develop high-quality online resources for students' language and cultural learning. These include STAR: Steps to Advanced Reading, a website that allows learners to build their reading skills in Russian from the Intermediate Mid to Advanced Mid-levels and the Flagship Culture Initiative, scenario-based learning about cultural norms and expectations in Russian-speaking countries. Portland State has also participated in several Community Linkages Projects, which are designed to strengthen the connections between University Flagship programs, community colleges, and dual language immersion programs.
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The Flagship Curriculum at PSU
RFP offers an Introductory Track for students with little or no prior experience in Russian and an Advanced Track for students who already read, write, and speak Russian well enough to participate in general discussions of academic topics.
Students of both tracks take:
- advanced Russian language classes (Rus 411, 412, 413)
- classes in Russian whose topics relate to their majors (Rus 457, 458, 459)
- classes in Russian relating to media, politics, economics, and environment (Rus 444, 445, 446, 454, 455, 456)
- classes in Russian on Russian culture, history literature and film (Rus 341, 342, 420, 421, 427, 433)
Students also take a course on Russian Phonetics and Phonology (Rus 325) and a course in Advanced Grammar (Rus 414).
This domestic course of study prepares students to pass the qualifying exams for acceptance into the Russian Overseas Flagship (ROF). Students need to achieve Proficiency scores of ILR 2 (ACTFL Advanced Low) in Speaking, ILR 2 in Reading or Listening, and then no less than ILR 1+ in the other skills. This high level of proficiency at the end of their domestic students assures that students can achieve ILR 3: General Professional Proficiency at the end of the ROF.
Once accepted for the ROF, students spend one year in Almaty, where they combine language coursework with one mainstream university course and an internship. Students through their coursework in the ROF complete a Senior Capstone conducted in Russian.
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Credentials at Graduation
The PSU Russian Flagship Program is designed for undergraduate students and is open to post-Bac students. At the end of their successful studies in the Russian Overseas Flagship, students should be ready to graduate from Portland State. When applying to graduate, Flagship students can earn a BA or BS in their major and PSU's Certificate of Advanced Proficiency in Russian. Students who are completing a BA degree in their major can also easily add a second major in Russian.
In addition to PSU's major and certificate credentials, students who successfully complete all aspects of the Russian Overseas Flagship can receive national certification from The Language Flagship as a Flagship Certified Professional, or a Flagship Certified Professional with Distinction.
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Flagship Designated Courses
RUS 111, 112, 113 “Introduction to Flagship Studies” (1, 1, 1). Conducted in English, this class examines questions of language proficiency, assessment, and career development. Required of all Flagship scholars during their first year in the program.
RUS 150, 151, 152 “Beginning Flagship Russian” (6, 6, 6). Conducted partially in Russian, this team-taught course introduces students to the fundamentals of Russian grammar and vocabulary. Equivalent of Rus 101-203.
RUS 444, 445, 446 “Flagship Studies: Globalization” (2, 2, 2). Conducted in Russian and designed for students in their first year of the RFP Advanced Track. In this course, students learn to read and talk about Russian newsprint and broadcast media, by discussing topics of community, national and global interest.
RUS 454 “Flagship Studies: American Studies” (2). Conducted in Russian and designed for students in their second year of the RFP Advanced Track. Students read and discuss documents that explore Russian views of America.
RUS 455 “Flagship Studies: European Studies” (2). Conducted in Russian and designed for students in their second year of the RFP Advanced Track. Students read and discuss documents that explore the structure of the modern European Union and Russian views of Europe.
RUS 456 “Flagship Studies: Environmental Sustainability” (2). Conducted in Russian and designed for students in their second year of the RFP Advanced Track. Students read and discuss documents about environmental issues facing Russia and Kazakhstan.
RUS 457, 458, 459 “Russian in the Major” (2, 2, 2). Conducted in Russian and designed to be taken in the year prior to study at the Overseas Flagship Center. This series of classes provides students with an opportunity to develop a professional vocabulary and to become familiar with conventions of discourse in their chosen field. Required of all Flagship students.
UNST 421 “Senior Capstone: Effecting Change (Russian)” (6). Conducted in Russian, this course meets the PSU requirement for a multidisciplinary community-based course. Students in the course complete an internship in a Russian-speaking environment, either in Russia, Kazakhstan, or in the United States. The course culminates with a student-designed project. Required of all Flagship students aspiring to the Certificate of Advanced Proficiency in Russian.
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