Activity 1

As you know, Таня учится на историческом факультете. In Moscow the biggest and most famous university is Московский Государственный Университет (Moscow State University), or МГУ. Open the home page of the Исторический факультет МГУ home page:

http://www.hist.msu.ru


1			The skyscraper pictured here is MGU's main building, located on Sparrow Hills (Воробьёвы горы) on a bend in the Moscow River. It can be seen from almost anywhere in the city center. Describe the building in Russian. Does this look like the buildings at your college or university? Do you like it? Why?




2			Таня loves history, but she, like many students, hasn't decided what to focus on yet. Fortunately, исторический факультет МГУ contains many different кафедры (roughly, departments; for a review of Russian educational terms, see page 165 in your textbook). Click on the "кафедры" link. Таня will undoubtedly be a little bewildered by the number of кафедры. How many are there? Help her choose one by clicking on several links in turn. Each кафедра page contains a picture. Briefly describe what you see in Russian. Are all the pictures of Russia? If not, what other countries are represented? With your knowledge of Russian and a little help from the photos, try to figure out what the кафедра names mean. Which кафедра do you think Tanya would prefer? Why? If you are working on this exercise as a class, you might divide up the кафедры and have each student report back on what he or she has found.




3			In her studies Таня will undoubtedly need to know several foreign languages. Find the кафедры that teach languages. Hint: Look for the word for "language" in the кафедры names. How many are there? Click on the "Kaфедра иностранных языков." On this кафедра page you'll find a picture of Вавилонская башня (the Tower of Babel). Why do you think it's here? Below the picture are three links. Click on the one that will provide information about the кафедра. Scroll to the bottom of the page, where you'll find a list. A list of what? Explain in Russian.




4			Which languages will Таня need to know in order to study in the kafedra you helped her choose earlier in this actvity? Are they offered by the кафедра иностранных языков? If not, do you think they might be taught in the кафедра древних языков? What is the difference between the two кафедры? Consult a dictionary if necessary. Explain in Russian.




5			Return to the Исторический факультет home page by clicking on the "Up" button in the lower left corner of the kafedry page. Now let's help Tanya learn a little about student life at МГУ. As they say, a picture's worth a thousand words. Click on the "Фотоархив" link. What do you think this expression means? The "Фотоархив" page contains a number of links. Click first on the link that begins: Вручение дипломов, or Graduation ceremony. Return to the "Фотоархив" page by clicking on the "back" button, then click on the "Студенты" link. Describe the scenes you find here. Do they resemble student life at your college or university?




6			Judging by what you have seen on this site, would you like to study in the исторический факультет МГУ? Why?




7			А ЧТО ДАЛЬШЕ? You can visit the МГУ main home page, which has information in Russian and English about the whole university, at http://www.msu.ru Many of Russia's universities have extensive websites with information in Russian and English. Here are just a few: http://www.rsuh.ru Российский государственный гуманитарный университет (Russian State University for the Humanities), which you learned about on page 165 in the textbook: http://www.eu.spb.ru Европейский университет (European University in St. Petersburg)

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