American students of YSU Faculty of Russian Philology received certificates for successfully completing the semester planned for the " Russian Language and Area Studies" program.
The program "Russian Language and Area Studies" was developed by YSU Faculty of Russian Philology and launched in the summer of 2022. The program offers students from various US universities courses on Russian language studies at YSU for 2-8 weeks, one semester or one-year duration (chosen by student). There is also an opportunity to study in a summer program.
Pavel Balayan, Associate Professor of the Chair of Russian Linguistics, Typology and Communication Theory of YSU Faculty of Russian Philology noted: "Students from the best American universities, including Harvard, Stanford, Yale, California, Virginia and Emory, come to study in various programs of the Faculty of Russian Philology.
"American Council for International Education" state organization based in Washington, the supporter of the program for assessing the progress of American students, ensures continuous communication with the university through its Armenian branch ("American Councils Armenia").
"American Council for International Education" state organization, with the support of which students come to Armenia, constantly conducts inspections and testing to check and evaluate the level of Russian language skills of the American students studying here. Sometimes the representatives of the organization also visit YSU and are present at the lectures. Our partners in Washington state that the level of students' knowledge of Russian has increased significantly during this one semester," said Pavel Balayan, emphasizing that within the framework of the program, another 6 students studying in US universities are expected to visit YSU in January.
Two of the four students who received a certificate studied for one semester, and the other two will continue their studies at YSU.
Emory University student Cameron Cranwall studied at YSU for one semester under the program.
“Emory University did not have a program suggesting in-depth study of the Russian language, so one of my professors suggested studying abroad. I chose Armenia to study Russian, for which I am very happy. It was very important for me to improve my level of knowledge of Russian, particularly in the conversational domain. This was my first experience studying abroad for a semester, and I really enjoyed studying at YSU," said Cameron Cranwall.
Speaking about his impressions of Armenia, he emphasized the uniqueness of Armenian culture. He was also interested in the geography of Armenia, which he managed to study a little. "If I have a chance, I will definitely visit Armenia again. The locals are very kind and hospitable, and Yerevan is a very beautiful and interesting city."
Pete Casteel, a student of the University of Virginia, valuing the education he received at YSU, said: "During one semester, I have improved my knowledge of Russian quite a bit. The professor at the University of Virginia, with whom I work, says that it is incredible that in such a short period of time I managed to speak Russian fluently, understand conversations on various topics and speak freely about those topics."
Pete Casteel, describing the Armenians, said that he was amazed to see how fluently the Armenians spoke two and more foreign languages: "I have been in different cities of Armenia, I visited Dilijan, Gyumri, Sevan, Etchmiadzin, and I was attracted by Armenians' excellent knowledge of foreign languages and their ability to communicate freely."
It should be noted that since 2022, the number of American students visiting Armenia under the " Russian Language and Area Studies" program has doubled. Pavel Balayan informed that up to 50 American students will be hosted at the faculty within the framework of the summer program.
