Activities
Language Classes
SRF Russian language classes in Edinburgh 2024 – 2025
- Russian classes resumed on the 16th of September 2024.
- Contact Natasha Samoilova to enquire about classes or to enrol: russiancourses@scotlandrussiaforum.org, mob.07980004569
- To encourage potential students – an article about why adults make good language students (Daily Telegraph 18 Sept 2013)
- Here are 5 tips on how to learn Russian from the British actor Andrew Byron
Course Organiser/Head Tutor:
Dr Natasha Samoilova (PhD St Andrews) Dr Samoilova has considerable experience of teaching Russian at all levels and has taught at the Universities of Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews. She is a native speaker.
Tutor:
Irina Safronova (MA Moscow State University, MCIL). Irina has taught Russian and English in Moscow, Strasbourg and Edinburgh and also worked as an interpreter/ translator for various international governmental and non-governmental organisations.
Classes in 2024-2025
Classes run for 1hr 30mins once a week on a weekday evening in central Edinburgh. Term 1 is 13 weeks long, from September to December 2024. Please contact the course organiser, Natasha Samoilova, for advice on which class would suit you best and other enrolment queries: mob. 07980004569 or email russiancourses@scotlandrussiaforum.org
Some student comments:
A1 level: Complete beginners
- In-person
-
Tutor's home
Tues. 6.00 - 7.30 pm. - Term 1: 13 weeks
- Textbook: Ruslan Russian 1 & Workbook.
A2 level
-
In-person -
Tutor's home
Thurs. 6.00 - 7.30 pm. - Term 1: 13 weeks
- Textbook: Poekhali 2.2
B1 level
-
1) In-person -
At 50 George Square
Wed. 6.00 - 7.30 pm. - 2) On Zoom
- Wed. 12:30 - 2 pm
- Term 1: 13 weeks
- Textbook: Tochka Ru B1, part 1 & Workbook
B2 level
-
In-person -
At 50 George Square
Wed. 6.00 - 7.30 pm. - Term 1: 13 weeks
- YouTube & Internet resources, handouts
Fee
The fee for Term 1 is 195 pounds (15 pounds for 1.5 hour class). Please pay by bank transfer to Natasha (Natalia) Samoilova,
account no.00220436, sort code 83-26-28. If you want to pay in instalments please contact Natasha.
Venue
All in-person classes will take place at 50 George Square, EH8 9JU (The University of Edinburgh), room 2.14
Books
- Ruslan language course: the course is devised by the British Russian language teacher John Langran. For the Beginners course, we use two books – Ruslan 1 Course book (5th ed.) and Ruslan 1 Workbook. Here you can find more information about the course as well the Contents and Lesson 1 for Ruslan 1: http://www.ruslan.co.uk/
- Poekhali language course: the course is devised by the Russian teachers Stanislav Chernyshov and Alla Chernyshova. This year we use Поехали 2.2 (8th revised edition), which is a course book and a workbook all in one. You can find more information about this book, for example, here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lets-Go-Poekhali-Textbook-2-2/dp/5907123508
- Tochka Ru language course: for higher levels we use books devised by the Russian teachers Olia Dolmatova and Ekaterina Novacac. You can explore the books and see lesson samples here: https://www.tochkaru-book.com
Additional courses
- Advanced level Discussion group with Irina Safronova
The classes take place on a Thursday at 6:30 – 8 pm at tutor’s home. Please contact Irina for dates & fees at irina.safronova@blueyonder.co.uk
- Translation class, online class for B1 /B2
Currently we read and translate into English a play by Evgeny Shvarts “The Dragon” – Евгений Шварц “Дракон”, 1944, a political and philosophical parable.
Friday 4.00 -5.30 pm on Zoom. It is free for the current or former SRF students.
How to enrol
Please email the course organiser Natasha Samoilova at russiancourses@scotlandrussiaforum.org.
Benefits
All enrolled students will automatically become full members of SRF – reduced rates for SRF meetings, invitations to members-only events, annual magazine, regular email news bulletins and other benefits.
Conversations
Cultural Conversations
These are in-person or zoom talks and discussion of topics of interest to members.
Recent topics have included:
Dr Yerkebulan Sairambay, an outstanding young scholar, spoke about some of his
experiences of being a Kazakh in Scotland and his current fascinating research.
A New Way To Teach Russian Dr Natalia Parker on the innovative “spiral method” she uses
for teaching Russian at the University of London.
Allan Cameron discussed some of the important Russian aspects of his latest highly
acclaimed novel, A Woman’s War against Progress.
Karen Hewitt talking about the long standing and highly successful Oxford-Perm Project.
Please see the monthly Newsletter for up to date information.
Chai n Chat
These are conversations partly in Russian and partly in English about current and cultural
topics. They generally take place on the first Thursday of each month. All are welcome, but
asked to register in advance at the info@scotlandrussiaforum.org email address so places can
be kept at the table for you.
Please see the monthly Newsletter for up to date information.
Ivan the Terrible and His Son Ivan on 16 November 1581
Ilya Repin 1883–1885
Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow
Grief-stricken tsar Ivan the Terrible cradling his son after having dealt a fatal blow to his head in a fit of anger
Herring
Kuzma Petrov-Vodkin 1918
In 2018 it was sold at auction for the highest price paid for a work in the history of Ukrainian art
Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) Kazimir Malevich 1916
Russian Museum, Saint Petersburg
He was the first president of the Leningrad Union of Soviet Artists
Talks & Conferences
OCTOBER 2024
SRF took part in an important Research Project meeting on FRIDAY June 28th. An on-line meeting took place on SATURDAY 29th June for members. A Written Report about this Research Project will be sent to members whenever it is received
1. THE PETER HARVEY MEMORIAL TALK: We are pleased to announce that author Allan Cameron will be giving The Peter Harvey Memorial talk on 19th OCTOBER, 2pm in the QUAKER MEETING ROOMS in Central Edinburgh. Doors will open at 1.45 and refreshments will be served at 3pm.Further details have been sent out to members.
2. “CHAI AND CHAT” The next meeting of “Chai and Chat” will be held in the usual place and at the usual time on Thursday NOVEMBER 7. All welcome. Sincere thanks to Elizabeth White for the most successful running of this group.
3. INTERNATIONAL RUSSIAN MEET UP GROUP. The next meeting of this Group will be held on Sunday October 6th . If you would like to find out more, please e-mail the organiser Graham Dane at: graham.dane@yahoo.com. Also you can check:
International Russian Meetup Group (Edinburgh, United Kingdom) l Meetup
Congratulations again to Graham for this exciting new venture!
4 . “THE FORUM”: The next issue of “The Forum” will appear in WINTER 2024. This promises to be a bumper issue!
5. RUSSIAN CLASSES: Natasha Samoilova has already launched her new Russian classes for this session….
6. CULTURAL CONVERSATIONS: We look forward in late October to a talk from Karen Hewitt, Oxford University and she will be speaking about the Oxford Perm Project. Details will be sent to SRF members in due course.
If you are holding an event related to Russia or her neighbours which you would like us to list on this page please email brief details and an image to info@scotlandrussiaforum.org. The SRF reserves the right to accept, reject or edit material sent in.
Edinburgh International Russian Group (on Zoom)
This group meets on Sunday mornings at 10 am (UK time) for 90 minutes, and generally once a month. People join from many different countries and there is never a shortage of topics for them to talk about.
The 90 minute meeting is run as three 30 minute Zoom sessions. At the beginning and end of each, all participants will be in a single plenary session (generally about 20 people) for a few minutes but participants are separated into groups (breakout rooms) of about 3 people each for most of the time. Each breakout room should contain at least one native speaker of each language. The breakout discussions may begin in either language but after 10-15 minutes the language must change.
The groups will be reshuffled and will be different during each 30 minute Zoom session. The groups are very supportive and you are not expected to have a high command of each language as the third person in the group will keep the chat going if you get stuck. Any language level from A2 upwards is worth trying out.
All participants switch on their cameras during the conversations, unless there is a genuine technical issue.
If you would like to take part, please look at the monthly newsletter for dates and joining instructions – you will be very welcome. You will chat to speakers of Russian and English in small groups, spending equal amounts of time in each language, and meet interesting people from other countries and from your own country.
If you are holding an event related to Russia or her neighbours which you would like us to list on this page please email brief details and an image to info@scotlandrussiaforum.org. The SRF reserves the right to accept, reject or edit material sent in.