Diverse Russian: A Multicultural Exploration

Diverse Russian: A Multicultural Exploration

Diverse Russian: A Multicultural Exploration is a free, online, interactive Open Educational Resource that explores the diversity of Russian-speaking people and communities throughout the world. The textbook’s authors are Shannon Donnally Quinn, an Associate Professor of Russian at Michigan State University and a PhD alum (2007) from Slavic Languages and Literatures here at UW, and Anna Tumarkin, Teaching Professor, Director of the Russian Language Program, and Associate Director of the Russian Flagship Program at UW-Madison.

The textbook is proficiency-focused and helps students achieve or solidify intermediate-level proficiency on the ACTFL scale. It may be used to supplement existing intermediate-level Russian textbooks or as a main textbook in a course aimed at developing listening, reading, and conversation skills. The textbook exposes students to a wide range of cultural information that allows them to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of Russian-speaking communities around the world. There are six chapters, each of which is aimed at a different geographical/ethnic focal point: Ukraine, Kazakhstan, prominent ethnic groups within the Russian Federation, the Baltic countries, Sakartvelo (also known as Грузия or Georgia), and the United States.

Thomas Jesús Garza (University of Texas-Austin) writes that Diverse Russian “offers both learners and instructors of Russian unprecedented access to the variety and diversity of Russian-speaking communities on three continents” and that the textbook’s authors are to be commended for taking “a large step toward a more inclusive pedagogy of Russian language and culture.”

We congratulate Anna and Shannon on their work—and don’t hesitate to click the textbook’s link and start exploring!