Dobro Slovo

Delta Zeta Chapter at USF

 

Prof. Dr. Jacob Caflisch, Sr.

 

 

Dr. Jacob Caflisch, Sr., Professor, International Executive-Secretary, PSI & Charter President, 2000—

Dr. Victor E. Peppard, Professor, WLE Chair & Charter Vice President, 2000—

 

On 16 January, 2K1, in Cooper Hall, Room 459 from 2:00 to 4:00 p. the Delta Zeta Chapter of the National Honor Society in Slavic Languages & Cultures held its Charter initiation for the following lifetime faculty, student, and members honoris causa:

 

Our charter initiation roster, January 16, 2001:

 

·       Dr. Jacob Caflisch, Linguistics, Polish, Russian

·       Dr. Victor E. Peppard, Russian

·       Dr. Irena Nemchonok, Russian

·       Dr. Darrell Slider, Government & Political Science

·       Dr. Golfo Alexopoulos, History

·       Raymond Cepko, Graduate Student Linguistics

·       Alexandra Fitos, Graduate Student in International Studies & Russian

·       Kira Motchalina, Fulbright Exch. Scholar in English studies, Russia

·       Mila Nedelkovska, Fulbright Exch. Scholar,  Skopje,  Macedonia

 

An applicant considered for membership in Dobro Slovo must:

 

·       have an 85% (=B+) average in at least two years of coursework in a Slavic language, literature and culture. For the Russian and other Slavic areas at USF this requirement is equivalent to at least three years of study for which current course grades are to be considered;

·       have a minimum overall  GPA of 80% or a B;

·       indicate an active and abiding interest in Slavic languages, literatures, and cultures and/or related areas of scholarship in Slavics.

 

 

 

 

Why study a Slavic language?

 

Dr. Jacob Caflisch

 

In the world of today, commerce and fellowship seem to be opening up and developing at a rapid pace.  This excitement is occurring within many areas in former times that were not particularly in good working relationships with the west. It seems to be universal that friendships and understanding can be gained and fostered more adequately and with a surprising modicum of cooperation whenever communicative barriers can be eased. At least the basic thing seems to be the effort to attempt a language or culture of a target area. The study of any foreign language puts people into a decided advantage in the ability to exude a feeling of cooperation and understanding. It seems natural, given these hypotheses, that people feel more relaxed and are in a better position to “hit it off” around those who make an assertive attempt to use and experience the languages of those with whom they wish to communicate. Studying a language can open up a vast area of new experiences and, at the same time, knowing one Slavic language makes it much more likely that the speaker can more easily reach people who speak another Slavic language. The Slavic areas are now fertile ground for concentrated efforts to maximize trade via cooperative efforts and ideas. People everywhere are basic—despite governments. Our basic position is that people are really pretty much the same everywhere—everyone wants a shelter from the Elements, a decent living wage, and food for survival. If we in the west can move favorably toward historical understanding, apply good business acumen and show ourselves as genuinely interested potential partners and associates, we will have come far. In short, we ought to show ourselves as an example in the world. I would add that humans are gregarious by nature, so it is good to have friends and other acquaintances with whom to share our feelings—joys, sorrows, successes, and otherwise. Language allows all these things and provides a “personal” flavor and perspective. Dobro Slovo provides a center around which scholars of similar interests can make their works and ideas known to others in the Society as well as to all in our Bay Area communities. We can say that we offer ourselves as a service to both campus and business.

 

Our Russian Offerings:

 

RUS 1120. Beginning Russian I (04). CR: RUS 1120L. A first course in the contemporary language. Students develop their four basic skills—speaking, listening, reading, writing. Concentration on comprehension, speaking, reading.

 

RUS 1120L. Russian I Laboratory (01). CR: RUS 1120. If RUS 1120 is dropped, then RUS 1120L is dropped simultaneously. This course is taken concurrently with RUS 1120. Involves exercises and other laboratory work.

 

RUS 1121. Beg. Russian II (04). PR: 1120, or CI. CR: 1121L. A second course in elem. Russian. Continued development of the four skill areas of the language.

 

RUS 1121L. Beg. Russian II Laboratory (01). CR: 1121. Concurrent enrollment with the lecture course is required, and if lecture course is dropped, 1121L is dropped simultaneously.

 

 

 

 

RUS 2200 (04). Russian III (04). PR: First-year Russian, or EQ.  Review and development of the four skills, expansion of composition, reading, conversation.

 

RUS 2201. Russian IV (04). PR: 2200 or EQ. Review and continuance of skills in conversation, composition, reading  abilities.

 

RUS 2270. Overseas study program (01—06). Intensive concentrated study of Russian in Russia (RF), involving at least 20 hrs./wk. Of lecture—instruction and discussion, with cultural excursions conducted in Russian. Various sites are visited.

 

RUS 3240. Conversation I (04). PR: Second-yr. Russian, or EQ. Skills sharpened in conversation, topics, discussion.

 

RUS 3470. Overseas study (01—06). Must be enrolled in the USF Summer Study in Moscow Program. Two years of study required. PR: Intensive Russian at Moscow Linguistic University (MLU), with excursions in Moscow and other sites. Students from other institutions are eligible.

 

RUS 3500. Russian Culture (03). This is a course in the Cultural History of Russia from Rus’ to ca. 1920. The “Four Pillars of Russia” are covered—Religion, Art, Architecture, and Music. (For Literature, see RUT courses below).

 

RUS 4241. Conversation II (04). PR: The previous course of this series, or EQ. Conversation skills concentrate on topics, fields, vocabularies.

 

RUS 4402. Advanced Conversation & Composition I (04). PR: 4241, or CI. Third-yr. level of proficiency.

 

RUS 4403. Advanced Conversation & Composition II (04). PR: 4241, or CI. Third-yr. proficiency required.

 

RUS 4471. Advanced Overseas Study (01—06). Must be enrolled in the USF Summer Study in Moscow Program. Three  yrs. of Russian study required. Intensive language study at MLU, with excursions in Moscow and other sites. Students from other institutions are eligible.

 

RUS 4709. Russian Linguistics (03). PR: Second yr. required; third-yr. desired, or CI. Phonology, morphology, morphophonemics and word-formation data/analyses. Some basics of syntax. Agreement/government.

 

RUS 4900. Selected Topics (01—03). Author, movement or theme within a period. (Literature concentration).

 

RUS 4905. Directed Study (01—03). Topic and requirements to be mutually decided between professor & student. Subjects are open to negotiations.

 

RUT 3110. Classics in English Translation (03). Masterworks and genres of 19th c. Major works of Pushkin, Lermontov, Gogol’, Turgenev, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Chekhov. Available as an elective for all students from all academic disciplines and departments.

 

RUT 3111.  20th c. Literature in English translation (03).  Masterworks of Soviet and some Post-Soviet eras: Bely, Olesha, Babel’, Zamyatin, Akhmatova, Bulgakov, Pasternak, Blok, and Solzhenitsyn. Elective for all students from all academic disciplines and departments.

 

 

Our Polish Offerings:

 

POL 1120. Beginning Polish I (04). CR: POL 1120L.  Some knowledge of Russian can help. The four basic skill areas—listening, speaking, reading, writing. Course seeks to individualize students’ needs to some extent. Dictation, grammatical exercises, writing, and vocabulary-building are central issues. S-U available.

 

POL 1120L Beg. Polish I Laboratory (01). CR: 1120. Concurrent enrollment, with lecture session. If 1120 is dropped, 1120L is dropped simultaneously. S-U only. Laboratory experience designed to offer additional practice using instructional technologies and media (language skill areas).

 

POL 1121. Beg. Polish II (04). PR: 1120, or EQ. CR: 1121L. Course continues the four skill areas, with continued emphasis on structures, dialogues, readings, dictations, vocabulary-building. Some work in aspect, verb structures, nominal case apparatus and government. S-U available.

 

POL 1121L. Beg. Polish II Laboratory (01). CR: 1121. Concurrent enrollment in lecture session required, and, if dropped, then 1121L is dropped simultaneously. S-U only. 

 

POL 4709. Issues in Polish Linguistics. No Departmental approval required. PR: 1121. Grapheme-morphophoneme connections and equivalencies, morphology, agreement, verbal aspects, cases of argument structure, some issues in syntax, including floating clitics and government.

 

POL 4905 Directed Study (01—05). PR: Departmental approval.  Topic and requirements to be negotiated between professor and student.

 

*Polish Literature & other culture courses currently under review.

 

 

Russian Faculty at USF:

 

Victor E. Peppard, PH.D., Professor,  & WLE Department Chair

Jacob Caflisch, PH.D., Professor, International Executive Secretary, Phi Sigma Iota, WLE

Irena Nemchonok, PH.D., Lecturer, WLE

Ionka Sarieva, Doctoral Program in SLA-IT, Bulgarian, Russian, WLE & ELI

 

Polish Faculty at USF:

 

Jacob Caflisch, PH.D., Professor

 

Other areas touching on Slavic study:

 

Government, Politics, & History:

 

Darrell Slider, PH.D., Professor, History & Government, History

Robert V. Barylski, PH.D., Assoc. Professor, Government, History

Golfo Alexopoulos, PH.D., Assistant Professor, Government & History, History

 

 

 

 

 

Culture & Civilization:

 

Victor Peppard, Culture & Civilization, Distance Learning, Honors Program at USF

Jacob Caflisch, Culture & Russian-Eurasian Interface, Honors Program at USF

Irena Nemchonok, PH.D., Lecturer.

 

Linguistics:

Jacob Caflisch, Theoretical Linguistics (comprehensive) & Polish, SLA-IT

Roger W. Cole, PH.D., Professor, Linguistics & Bulgarian, WLE, SLA-IT

 

 

Some photographs of our charter Dobro Slovo membership, January 16, 2001.