Russian Club

Volume 1 | Issue 1
Nov. 14, 2016

Opportunities to Learn About Russian Culture

The OU Russian Club, started in 1975 by Dr. A. Heidi Karriker, provides
an opportunity for students of Russian and faculty and staff interested in Russia to
meet, share experiences, and learn more about the culture, history, and politics
of this vast country and neighboring areas. Students do not need to speak Russian
to be involved in the club's many activities; however, a desire to learn more about
Russian culture is a must. Jacob Greer, a student currently involved in Russian
Club says that it is important to explore other cultures, and Russian Club is a great
way to do so.

Want more
information? Go to
the Russian program
website at
http://www.ou.edu/ca
s/modlang/Russian/in
dex.htm or check us
out on Facebook.
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Upcoming Events
Be sure and join us for our events! The president of the club, Matthew Walters
said, “These events are a great way to connect with other Russian speakers and
use the Russian language authentically, as opposed to a sterile classroom setting.”

Russian Club Dinner

Every Wednesday, schedules permitting, we will have a dinner in Cate Center at
6:00 p.m. The aim of these dinners is for students to improve their conversation
skills by talking to other Russian speakers.

Movie Night
We will be showing The Prisoner of the Caucuses at 6:30 p.m. in Kaufman Hall,
Room 229. We will have pizza and drinks before the movie. There will also be a
discussion of the movie after.

Get to know…
Professor Rachick Virabyan
Professor Virabyan is a familiar face to Russian language students. Most Russian
students have been taught by him, or will at least recognize his name. He
graduated from Yerevan State University with a master’s degree in Russian
Philology. He then began teaching the Russian language and literature in the high
school system. Due to political turmoil in Georgia, he was forced to flee to the
city of Sochi in Russia, where he continued teaching until he emigrated to the
U.S. in May 1992. He became a faculty member here at OU in 2003, and became
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the Russian Club advisor in 2009. Virabyan said, “I’ve been teaching my whole
life. It was my dream to continue [teaching] here in America like I did back at
home.” His hobbies include collecting books for his personal library and fishing.

Russian Language Tip

The Russian language can be difficult to master, but OU’s Language Learning
Center offers many resources for students to practice Russian outside of class.
The main office is located in Kaufman Hall, Room 206 and has computers,
whiteboards, and tutors at student’s disposal. The Center’s online resources can
be found at llc.ou.edu. Online, students have access to films, television, radio, a
dictionary, and more. Madeline Harney, a student currently studying Russian
said, “Learning Russian is important to me because I have Russian-speaking
friends. I was actually able to talk to them in Russian when I visited them this
summer!”

Student Resources
Tutoring
Tutoring is offered for Russian Language students in Kaufman Hall at these
times:

 Mondays from 2-3:30 p.m., Room 228

 Tuesday 10:30-12:00 a.m., Room 118
 Thursday 10:30-12:00 a.m., Room 230
 Thursday 2-5:00 p.m., Room 230

Advising
Dr. Johnson is the advisor for all students working on a Russian major or minor.
She also offers advising for students interested in studying abroad. Her office is
located in Kaufman Hall, Room 213. She can be contacted at
emilydjohnson@ou.edu, or (405) 325-1486. Her office hours are Tuesday and
Thursday from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. and Wednesday from 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.

Study Abroad
Monica Goodwin is the study abroad advisor for the Russian Program. Her office
is located in Farzaneh Hall. She can be contacted at mlgoodwin@ou.edu. Students
are encouraged to make an appointment on iadvise, or go to Open Advising. Open
Advising is available weekly from 12 to 1:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays or
3 to 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Students are strongly encouraged to study abroad.