eTextbooks are now available to purchase or rent through VitalSource.com! Please visit VitalSource for more information on pricing and availability.

Faces of Contemporary Russia is a one-semester textbook for high-intermediate to advanced level Russian students that aims to develop students' linguistic proficiency by examining significant personalities in current Russian culture. In addition to introductory and concluding chapters, the book features twelve individuals (one per chapter), drawing from a range of areas such as arts, sports, journalism, and business. While upper-level Russian textbooks tend to emphasize grammar and reading more traditional works of Russian literature, this book instead seeks to primarily engage students in learning about and discussing the breadth of contemporary Russian culture while weaving the study of grammar and vocabulary into those discussions. In addition to readings and in-class communicative activities, the book also features guided research assignments that encourage students to make use of the many personality interviews and YouTube clips available online.

For Instructors: Exam copies of the textbook are available free of charge to instructors and can be ordered on this page. To request a print sample, please use the "print" exam copy button. To request a digital sample, instructors should log onto VitalSource.com, select "Faculty Sampling" in the upper right-hand corner, and select the desired product.

Olga Mesropova is an Associate Professor of Russian at Iowa State University. She is the author of the advanced-level cinema-based Russian language conversation textbook, Kinotalk, has co-edited two scholarly anthologies with Slavica Publishers and Johns Hopkins University Press, and has published numerous articles and reviews on Russian cultural discourse.

"What a gift Olga Mesropova has given to upper-level students of Russian and their instructors! Faces of Contemporary Russia offers learners the chance to acquire deep cultural literacy in the realm of post-Soviet Russian media, politics, athletics, and the performing arts, while also developing the lexicon and syntactical strategies that will propel them to advanced level proficiency in reading, speaking and writing in Russian. Structured around engaging biographies of major cultural figures from 21st century Russian life and culture, each unit offers annotated readings, accompanied by expertly designed exercises that take students from the finer points of Russian grammar to thoughtful discussion of major sociocultural issues facing Russians today. The exercises ask students to explore in depth a range of topics that are particular to Russian life and culture, while also making connections to their own cultural, political, and social contexts. The material is fun, dynamic and flexible enough to be easily adapted to meet the needs of a wide range of instructional styles and learner needs."

Faces of Contemporary RussiaContents

PrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroduction: Faces of Contemporary RussianRussia of the 21st century. A panorama of cultural life. Through the prism of sociology: Which periods of Russian history are of interest to Russians

1. Oleg Kuvaev, Masyanya and flash-animationOleg Kuvaev: BibliographyHistorical Context: Saint Petersburg, Petrograd, LeningradGetting ready for reading and conversation: Who is Masyanya?Though the eyes of a scholar of culture: Who is Masyanya?Historical Context: Worker and Kolkhoz Woman Grammar Daily, weekly, yearly , + instrumental case Genitive case, review

2. Darya Dontsova, bestsellers and historical detective novelsDarya Dontsova: BibliographyThrough the prism of sociology: Do today's Russians read much?Getting ready for reading and conversation: What is ironic detective fiction?Through the eyes of a scholar of culture: What is ironic detective fiction? Grammar Numerals + genitive case Perfective/imperfective verbs, review with prefixes Simple superlative, review

3. Diana Vishneva and the world of the Russian balletDiana Vishneva: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: The world of Russian balletThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: The world of Russian balletThrough the prism of sociology: Is it true that all Russians are fans of ballet? Grammar Motion verbs, review , ... Dates, review

4. Konstantin Raikin and the world of Russian theaterKonstantin Raikin: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: The world of Russian theaterThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: The world of Russian theater Grammar Motion verbs, review Dative case, review Numerals, review with prefixes

5. Valentin Yudashkin and the Russian fashion industryValentin Yudashkin: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: Contexts of Russian fashionThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: Contexts of Russian fashionThrough the prism of sociology: Are school uniforms necessary? Grammar Participles, review Motion verbs, review

6. Ksenia Sobchak and the world of Russian glamourKsenia Sobchak: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: Russian glamour – what is it?Through the prism of sociology: Do Russians think of themselves as happy people?Through the eyes of a scholar of culture: Russian glamour – what is it? Grammar Verbs with the prefix - Review of cases Participles, review Passive voice, review Reflexive verbs, review

7. Vladimir Posner and the world of Russian televisionVladimir Posner: BibliographyHistorical context: USSR–US Space BridgesGetting ready for reading and conversation: The world of Russian televisionThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: The world of Russian televisionThrough the prism of sociology: Talk shows on Russian television Grammar Review of cases The word Motion verbs, review ?

8. Zemfira and the world of Russian rock musicZemfira: BibliographyListening to Zemfira's songsGetting ready for reading and conversation: The world of Russian rock musicThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: The world of Russian rock music Grammar - + verb Review of cases , , , Reflexive verbs Perfective/imperfective verbs, review

9. Renata Litvinova and the world of Russian cinemaRenata Litvinova: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: The world of Russian cinemaThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: The world of Russian cinemaHow well do you know Russian cinema? Grammar Review of cases with prefixes Verbal adverbs, review + perfective/imperfective verbs, review Verbal adverbs vs. participles

10. Evgeni Plushenko and Russian figure skatingEvgeni Plushenko: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: Contexts of Russian sportsThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: Contexts of Russian sports Grammar Perfective/imperfective verbs, review Verbal adverbs, review - (? , ) (? , ) with prefixes Verbal adverbs vs. participles

11. Igor Matvienko and the world of Russian pop musicIgor Matvienko: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: Contexts of Russian pop musicThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: Contexts of Russian pop musicThrough the prism of sociology: Do Russians like pop music? Grammar , ... Verbal adverbs, review Participles, review

12. Irina Khakamada the women of Russian politicsIrina Khakamada: BibliographyGetting ready for reading and conversation: Women of Russian politicsThrough the eyes of a scholar of culture: Women of Russian politicsThrough the prism of sociology: Women in politics? Grammar Negative adverbs Participles, review

In Lieu of a Conclusion: Russian millennialsPussy RiotRussian vloggersCulture Studies Test