Pulling Back the Curtain on Russian Language Learning

Looking back, Jehanne Gheith is heartened by the strides Russian language study has made since her undergraduate days. She still remembers a moment from early in her language studies when an in-class conversation prompt asked: Tell me about your factory.

“Thankfully, we’re moving past outdated, overly rigid methods of language instruction,” she says. “The focus now is on meeting students where they are and making the material feel relevant to their lives and today’s world.” 

The associate professor of Slavic and Eurasian Studies points to recent updates to Duke’s Russian language program that reflect a more modern and contemporarily relevant approach to teaching. She credits three components: a textbook change; a purposeful incorporation of online materials and the recent addition of three faculty, Jennifer Flaherty, Liubov Kartashova and Daria Smirnova, whose combination of course offerings, connections to Russia and teaching approaches resonate with a wider range of students. 

“The Russian program is experiencing a noticeable shift in those who can see themselves studying the language,” Gheith shares, “and I think that speaks to how we’re teaching at Duke — through more engaging materials and dynamic faculty who are expanding the reach, the inclusivity and the relevance of the program.” 

One of those faculty is lecturing fellow and Russian native Daria Smirnova, who understands that today’s students are interested in more than basic grammar and vocabulary: They also want to see how the language functions in a “real world” setting. 

“They need to see how the language exists outside of the classroom,” she explains. “When students make that connection between words on a page and hearing the language on TikTok, for example, Russian shifts from this abstract subject to something connected to a broader community.”

Smirnova notes the smaller class sizes help students feel more comfortable with one another, and during in-class language practice, they spend more time talking about their own lives — rather than their factories. “Instead of getting lost in a big lecture hall, my students tell me they feel seen, heard and included.”

Gheith shares that the language program regularly hosts two student-focused events. “Pops with Profs,” is a relaxed, well-attended gathering where students and professors enjoy conversations and popsicles. “Russian Tea” provides time for students and faculty to meet while enjoying tea and treats. Both events have strong student participation from not only Russian-focused students but also those who haven’t traditionally seen themselves represented in Russian language spaces.  

That sense of inclusion goes beyond class size. Smirnova admits that as a “quintessential white, blue-eyed Russian,” she may not be the most effective example of diversity herself, but she believes it’s essential for students to understand that Russia is not a “Caucasian monolith.”

As students learn the language, she wants them to recognize that Russians are much more ethnically diverse and complex than Westerners think. “The reality is that the majority simply don’t look like me, and they certainly don't look like KGB agents from the movies.” 

That complexity is especially important when students, understandably, link the Russian language to the country’s long geopolitical history and current position on the world stage. Rather than shying away from the topic, faculty acknowledge it and use those moments to reframe the conversation: Studying Russian is not about endorsing a regime but about developing tools to think critically, communicate across divides and better understand the forces shaping global events.

“We can condemn the actions of the Russian government while still engaging with a language and a rich culture that go far beyond it,” Gheith says. “It’s vital not to view the country through a single lens, so when we step back and take in the full picture, the experience becomes much more transformative. It allows us to understand a culture from an entirely different angle.”