CONTACT INFORMATION

RICHARD M. ROBIN
Romance, German, and Slavic Languages and Literatures
Phillips 509
The George Washington University
Washington, DC 20052
202-994-7081
rrobin@gwu.edu
http://home.gwu.edu/~rrobin

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

1982. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Ph.D.-Slavic Linguistics.
1974. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, M.A. - Slavic Languages and Literatures.
1968 - 1972. Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. Russian Department B.A. - Russian; Magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Dobro Slovo, departmental honors.

ADDITIONAL TRAINING
1985, 2000 . Certified by ACTFL for oral proficiency testing in Russian

EXPERIENCE

George Washington University

1993 - present. Associate Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and International Affairs, George Washington University Columbian College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and Elliott School of International Affairs, Washington, D.С.
CSAS Language Center Interim Director (Spring 2007).
CSAS Language Center Technology Fellow/Specialist (2005–).
Chair, German and Slavic Department (1995-1999 and 2001-2005). Russian. Language Program Director (1994-).

1981 - 1992. Assistant Professor, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, George Washington University (Columbian College), Washington, D.C. Russian: first-year intensive, second-year intensive, fourth-year, methodology of teaching Russian, Russian syntax, Russian phonetics and phonology, Russian historical grammar. Language lab coordinator; Foreign-Language Committee.

Middlebury College

Summers, 1983-88. Russian School, Middlebury College. 1988 - Master teacher for methodology seminar in video technology. 1987 - Course coordinator, intensive intermediate Russian. 1985-86 - Russian video programs resource coordinator. I put together a two-year supplementary course for audio-comprehension and cultural proficiency based on authentic Soviet television broadcasts. 1984 - Course coordinator, first-year Russian. 1983 - Instructor, intensive first- year Russian.

State University College at Oswego

1978 - 1981.  Instructor, Department of German and Slavic, State University of New York at Oswego. First- through third-year Russian.

University of New Mexico

1976 - 1977. Lecturer, Department of Modern and Classical Languages, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque. First- through third-year Russian. Russian Club, Russian House adviser.

RELATED TRAVEL

2007. CIBER Business Russian project (video shoots).
2005 and 2006. GOLOSA video project, 4th edition. Photography for 4th ed.
2001-2002. GOLOSA video project, 3rd edition.
1997 - 2000. Moscow. Co-authorship with S.A. Khavronina.
1996 and 1997. Moscow and St. Petersburg: photography for Голоса, 2nd ed.
1995. Herzen Institute: initialization of GW-Herzen program.
1993. Moscow and St. Petersburg: photography for Голоса.
1989-1991. Three trips to the USSR as proficiency tester for ACTR.
1989-90. Herzen Institute, Leningrad: variable-term exchange scholar (American Council of Teachers of Russian).
Summer, 1988. Resident Director for the ACTR High School Teacher Exchange, Herzen Institute, Leningrad.
1981-1987. Four trips to the USSR (private travel).
Fall, 1980. Resident Director, SUNY-MGPIIA Moscow semester exchange.
Summer, 1978. IREX summer study at Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Summer, 1974. Resident Director, Center for Foreign Study, Language seminars at Sochi.
Fall, 1971 CIEE Semester Program, Leningrad University.
Summer, 1970 CIEE Summer Program, Leningrad University.

SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY

Dissertation:
Methodology of Teaching Russian Phonetics to American Students: A Survey of American and Soviet Approaches (1976–1982).

Grants

2009–2011 GW CIBER grant. This $20,000 grant funds the further development of the multimedia packet for Business Russian beyond the pilot stage.
2006– CIBER Center Project. This DOE award is shared by the GW Language Center and the Business School. My part of the three-year project is to create a national CIBER business course in Russian with appropriate materials.
2005-. DOE Title VI (with Anna Chamot, co-PI). Narrative and narration in Russian OPIs. $80,000 over three years.
2002-2006. DOE Title VI (Anna Chamot, PI). LCTFL Distance Learning Project.
1999-2001. DOE Title VI (Anna Chamot, PI). Section for Heritage Speakers’ Distance Learning Project.
1994-1995. ESIA award for LCEN continuation (see below).
1988. Annenberg/CPB: for the development of a nationwide electronic-mail Listening Comprehension Exercise Network (LCEN) in Russian based on bi-monthly television broadcasts.

Professional Recognition

2009 – GW Language Center Award for Innovative Teaching (Business Russian)
2006 – AATSEEL Slavic College Teacher of the Year Award.
2004 – GW Bender Award: Teaching with Technology.
2004 – AATSEEL Award for best pedagogical materials (Russian for Russians), shared with Olga Kagan and Tatyana Akishina. Interactive webpage and audio.
1988 – GW Columbian College Distinguished Teaching Award.

Publications

2009, in press. Political Russian, 6th edition. Washington, D.C.: ACTR-Kendall/Hunt. Co-authored with Natasha Simes. This edition adds an interactive Quia component and a complete set of audio comprehension exercises based on recordings from Russian radio.
2007. “Learner-Based Listening and Technological Authenticity.” Language Learning & Technology, Vol.11, No.1, February 2007, pp. 109-115.
2006. “Computers and Pedagogy in Russian: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?” Slavic and East European Journal, 50, 1, Spring: 65-82.
2006. Teaching and Learning to Near-Native Levels of Language Proficiency II: Proceedings of the Fall 2004 Conference of the Coalition of Distinguished Language Centers, edited with Inna Dubinsky.
2006. “Expert Language Learners in Foreign Clothing,” in Dubinsky and Robin: 101-104.
2006. Political Russian, 5th edition. Washington, D.C.: ACTR-Kendall/Hunt. Co-authored with Natasha Simes. Completely revised audio site.
2006-2007 GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1 and 2, 4th edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Karen Evans-Romaine, Galina Shatalina, and Joanna Robin. This edition includes a running e-mail soap opera, authored by me, plus a revised VHS and web accompaniment and new photographic supplement. It also includes Quia-based interactive web exercises (currently being completed).
2006. Review of Barbara Lewandowska-Tomaszczyk, ed. Practical Applications in Language and Computers. Series: Łódż Studies in Language. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2003 in SEEJ Winter (50.4): 755-756.
2005. “Review of Russian Language Instructional Sites on the Web” Language Learning and Technology, http://llt.msu.edu/vol9num3/pdf/review3.pdf, 28-34.
2005. “Aleksandr Galich.” Dictionary of Literary Biography. Vol. 317, Twentieth century Russian Émigré Writers. New York: Thompson/Gale, 110-118.
2004-2005. Golosa Video Project. Web-based video component for Golosa.
2003. GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 2, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Karen Evans-Romaine, Galina Shatalina, and Joanna Robin. This edition represents about a 30%-rewrite. Web-based audio program.
2002. “New Paradigm or Mid-Course Correction? Grammar as the Ultimate Advance Organizer.” Front Page Dialog. ACTRLetter.
2002. “Should We Teach Grammar?” National Capital Language Resource Center Newsletter 6, 8, October.
2002. GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1, 3rd edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Karen Evans-Romaine, Galina Shatalina, and Joanna Robin. This edition represents about a 30%-rewrite. Web-based audio program.
2002. Political Russian: An Intermediate Course in Russian for International Affairs, National Security and Socio-Economics, 4th edition. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt in with ACTR and SAIS. Co-authored with Natasha Simes. My work amounts to a 10%-rewrite.
2002. Russian for Russians. Bloomington, Indiana: Slavica. Co-authored with Olga Kagan and Tatiana Akishina. Interactive website and web audio.
2002. “Heritage Hares.” National Capital Language Resource Center Newsletter 6, 2 April.
2000. “Mentoring Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty: A Case Study of Russian in the National Capital Area” in Ben Rifkin (ed.) Mentoring Foreign Language TAs, Lecturers and Adjunct Faculty. AAUSC.
2000. “Language Across the Curriculum,” in Olga Kagan and Ben Rifkin (eds.) The Learning and Teaching of Slavic Languages and Cultures: Toward the 21st Century. Bloomington, Indiana: Slavica.
1999. On the Air: В эфире российское телевидение. Washington, DC: ACTR/Kendall-Hunt. Co-authored with Natasha Simes and Ludmila Guslistova. Audio exercises based on Russian television.
1998c. “Writing Real Russian: Process or Product?” in And Meaning for a Life Entire: Festschrift for Charles Moser (Peter Rollberg, ed.). pp 479-498. Bloomington, Indiana: Slavica.
1998a. GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 2, 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Joanna Robin and Kathryn Henry. This edition represents about a 40%-rewrite. Redone audio program.
1997a. GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian, Book 1, 2nd edition. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Joanna Robin and Kathryn Henry. This edition represents about a 30%-rewrite. Redone audio program.
1997b. Review of Lekic, Masha, Olga Rassudova, and Tatiana Kirsh. Что вы об этом думаете? Video Course: Focus on Listening and Speaking.ACTR, Washington, DC: 1996. AATSEEL Webpage: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~aatseel/book-reviews/ index.html (now defunct).
1997c. Review of Emily Tall and Valentina Vlasikova. Let's Talk About Life! An Integrated Approach to Russian Conversation. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 1996. AATSEEL Webpage: http://clover.slavic.pitt.edu/~aatseel/book-reviews/index.html (now defunct).
1997d. “Cyrillic in Cyberia,” Problems of Post-Communism. September–October, 1987: 65-66.
1996. Review of Lubensky, Sophia. Russian-English Dictionary of Idioms, New York: Random House. Slavic Review 57, 2.
1995a. “Talking about Communication and Grammar: Time to Call Time Out” ACTRLetter 22, 3 (Fall).
1995b. Review of Anikin, Andrei (ed.), English-Russian Dictionary of Economics and Finance, St. Petersburg: School of Economics Press, 1993. Slavic Review 54, 1: 222-223.
1994. GOLOSA: A Basic Course in Russian (2 volumes). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall. Co-authored with Joanna Robin and Kathryn Henry. Directed the audio program.
1993. Russian Listening Comprehension, Part A, Volume 2. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Slavic Materials.
1992a. Conversations in Exile: Russian Writers Abroad. Ed. John Glad, interviews translated by Richard Robin and Joanna Robin. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
1992b. “Listening Comprehension Before and After Study Abroad.” National Foreign Language Center Working Papers. Washington, D.C.: Johns Hopkins University. Co-authored with Ralph B. Ginsberg and Paul R. Wheeling.
1991a. Russian-Language Listening Comprehension: Where Are We Going? Where Do We Go?" Slavic and East European Journal, 35, 3 (August): 403-410.
1991a. Russian Listening Comprehension, Part A, Volume I. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University Slavic Materials. Video/textbook for the development of advanced listening comprehension skills in Russian.
1990a. Political Russian: An Intermediate Course in Russian for International Affairs, National Security and Socio-Economics. Dubuque, IA: Kendall-Hunt in with ACTR and SAIS. Co-authored with Natasha Simes.
1990b. English-Ukrainian Computer Dictionary. Edmonton, Alberta: Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies Press, University of Alberta. Co-authored with Peter Fedynsky Tamara Horodysky, and Teresa Kikena.
1989a. “The Listening Comprehension Exercise Network (LCEN): A Nationally Available Tool for the Development of Listening Proficiency in Russian.” Foreign Language Annals, 22, 6: 573-79. Co-authored with Betty Lou Leaver.
1989b. The LCEN Handbook: How to Set up a Computer-Based Listening Comprehension Network for Language Studies. Washington, D.C.: Annenberg/CPB - Project for International Communications Studies (PICS).
1988. “Watching Comprehension, the Motivating Power of Television.” ACTR Letter, November.
1987a. “The VCR and the Development of Listening Comprehension in Russian,” Slavic and East European Journal, 31, 1 (Spring): 220-233.
1987b. Teaching Listening in Russian: Instructional Materials for the Less Commonly Taught Languages (Isabelle Kaplan, Project Director). Yonkers:, NY: American Association for the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
1984. “Russian Phonetics Instruction in American Colleges: Two Surveys,” Russian Language Journal, Nos. 129-130, Winter-Spring.
1979. Review article of Davidson, Dan. E. and Brecht, Richard, Soviet American Contributions. Chicago: G and G Press, 1975, in Modern Language Journal, No. 111, Winter. 

Additional Activity

2008–2009 Russian Listening NSEP/Flagship test: 45 items per year plus audio edits.
2004–2009 Russian Listening AP test (ACTR/ETS): 120 test items per year plus audio edits.
2005–2006 ACTR Advanced Placement Committee
2004–2006 (summers) NCLRC Video Workshops
2004 Russian Reading AP test (ACTR/ETS): 120 test items plus audio edits.
2003 (June) NCLRC Workshop: The Fundamentals
2002 (May) Master Teacher for NCLRC workshops on less commonly taught languages
2002 Item writer for CAL Russian language reading test
2001 AATSEEL Professional Development Committee (Chair)
2001–present. ACTR AP Committee
2001 Reviewer for ACTR Russnet program
2000, 2009 Referee for AAASS panels and LLT publications
1999-present. Advanced Placement Advisory Board: Russian
1999 AATSEEL Committee on Testing and Professional Development
1998-2001 Referee for AATSEEL pedagogy panels.
1998-1999 Referee for The Learning and Teaching of Slavic Languages and Cultures: Toward the 21st Century (Slavica).
1997-1999 Grant Coordinator for ESIA Title VI: Section on Distance Learning (Languages across the Curriculum) and teacher education
1994-1999 Russian FLEX exams (reading). Listed in the testing data base for the Center for Applied Linguistics.
1997-1998 Item writer for Center for Applied Linguistics: Simulated Oral Proficiency Interview (SOPI)
1997-1998 Anonymous referee for Slavica
1997-2000 OASIS Lecturer: “Emerging Russia”
1994-1997 Outside reviewer for ACTR high school textbook series (Лицо к лицу; Ровесники)
1996, 93, 88-89 Master teacher for Indiana Slavic Summer Workshop
1994-5, 96-7 Performance Tester for the International Monetary Fund
1994, 1990 Ford/ACTR Summer Russian Institute: Teaching for Proficiency: Listening Comprehension.
1991-1994 Educational Testing Service: Consultant for Russian listening comprehension questions and writing proficiency test development.
1991-1992 Reviewer-Consultant for Norwich University’s Summer Russian School (together with Irene Thompson and Maria Lekic).
1989-1992 Referee for Slavic and East European Journal (Methodology of foreign language instruction).
1991 Consultant to Russian and East European Area Studies Program, University of Virginia on proficiency-based language instruction.
1988-1990 AATSEEL Committee on educational technology
1988 Author for ACTFL materials development: listening comprehension in Russian.
1987 - 1990 Oral Proficiency Tester for ACTR USSR program participants; Middlebury College; Friends School (Baltimore, MD).
1987 - Tester trainer for ACTFL workshops, Russian section: George Washington U., 1987, and School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins U., 1988, George Washington University, 1991.
1987 Resource teacher for Soviet television workshop held at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, June, 1987.
1987-88 Language instruction coordinator for US guides at the USIA exhibit on technology in the USSR. I coordinated a staff of five instructors for three three-week training period for 24 USIA guides in April and October, 1987, and May-June, 1988.

Papers, Presentations, Other Workshops

2009. Technology for Russian and LCTLs. Indiana University, SWEESL (scheduled for June).
2009. Off-the-Shelf Technology for FL Teachers. NECTFL, New York
2008. YouTube Production Workshop for FL Teachers. NCLRC Washington, DC.
2007. Technology Workshop for general faculty. Temple University
2007. Technology for Teaching Speaking and Reading. Middlebury Pedagogy Workshop.
2006. Fair Use, Intellectual Property, and What if Russia Joins the WTO (Panel Discussant). AATSEEL, Philadelphia.
2006. Video for Foreign Language Teaching Workshop. ACTFL, Nashville, TN
2006. Content-Based Language Instruction. Panel Chair. AATSEEL, Philadelphia.
2005. Legitimizing Semi-Authenticity, AATSEEL, Washington, DC
2005. Webcasting in Russian. ACTFL, Baltimore, MD
2005. Shooting Foreign Language Video. ACTFL, Baltimore, MD
2005. Webcasting in Russian. NECTFL. New York. April Sponsored by NCLRC.
2004. Roundtable: Teacher Preparedness? Non-Professionals Teaching Slavic Languages. AATSEEL. Philadelphia. December.
2004. Forum: “Golosa 4th ed. in preparation.” AATSEEL. Philadelphia. December.
2004. “Expert language Learners Wear New Clothing.” Second Annual Workshop on Teaching and Learning Languages to Native-like Levels of Proficiency. Washington, D.C.
2003. “Teaching in the Mixed Classroom” AATSEEL. San Diego. December.
2003. “Technology and Language Teaching” AATSEEL. San Diego. December. (Panel chair)
2003. “Near native Speaker’s Forum.” Workshop on Teaching and Learning Languages to Native-like Levels of Proficiency. Washington, D.C.
2003. “Special Russian Webcasts.” NECTFL, Washington, DC. April Sponsored by NCLRC.
2003. “A Textbook for Heritage Speakers: How Is It Different?” With Olga Kagan. NCOLCTL, Los Angeles, May. Sponsored by NCLRC.
2003. “Preparing LCTL Language Instructors: The Essentials.” With Dora Johnson. NCOLCTL, Los Angeles, May. Sponsored by NCLRC.
2002. “Roundtable: Student Counseling in Language Teaching: Assessing Learning Styles and Other Individual Variables” AATSEEL.New York. December.
2002. “Roundtable: Teaching to Mixed Audiences: Native/Heritage/Slavic/Non-Native” (Chair). AATSEEL. New York. December
2001. “Getting and Using Web-Based Audio and Video Authentic Materials in Teaching Upper-Level Classes.” AATSEEL, New Orleans. December.
2001. “Russian for Russians Forum.” AATSEEL, New Orleans. December.
2001. “Where have all the lyrics gone?” AAASS. Washington, DC.
2001. “Media in the Classroom.” AATSEEL Roundtable.
2000. “Viva the VIAs: In Defense of Soviet Popsa.” Kentucky Foreign Language Conference and AATSEEL Conference.
2000. “Russian for Russians in the Heritage classroom.” AATSEEL Conference.
1999. “Writing for Proficiency: Process or Product?” AATSEEL Conference. Chicago.
1999. Golosa, 2nd edition – Using Golosa on-line. Publisher’s presentation. AATSEEL Conference, December, 2000.
1999. On the Air. Publisher’s presentation. AATSEEL Conference. Chicago, December, 2000. (with Natasha Simes and Ludmila Guslistova).
1998. “Heritage Speakers in the Russian Language Classroom.” AATSEEL Conference. San Francisco
1997. Golosa, 2nd edition. Publisher’s presentation. AATSEEL Conference. Toronto.
1997. Testing for Placement. AATSEEL Roundtable. Toronto.
1997. Russian for Specialized Purposes. Roundtable at AAASS Conference. Seattle.
1997. Textbook roundtable. Golosa, 2nd edition and Russian As We Speak It, to be revised. Kentucky Foreign Language Conference. April.
1997 and 1996. “Narration vs. narrative in Russian OPIs,” AAAL Conference. March, 1997; AATSEEL Conference. December, 1996.
1996. Golosa roundtable. Kentucky Foreign Language Conference. April.
1995. “Student self-evaluation in mini-OPIs,” AATSEEL Conference. December.
1995. “Authentic Writing: Process or Product,” AAASS Conference. October.
1991. “We’ve Got Ourselves a Situation Here: Role-plays and Authenticity in Russian-language OPIs,” AATSEEL Conference, December.
1990a. “It’s All in the Background: Media in Russian-Language Pedagogy,” AATSEEL Conference, December.
1990b.“Методика и средства обучения аудированию при ограниченных финансовых и технических возможностях,” Herzen Institute Conference on Language Pedagogy, Leningrad, January.
1989a. “The Listening Comprehension Exercise Network: Progress to Date,” ACTR conference, Washington D.C., February.
1989b. “Teaching by Telecommunication: The Listening Comprehension Exercise Network.” Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, March.
1989c. “Russian Computer Fair,” panel demonstration. Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, March.
1989d. “Pedagogy of Russian in the Schools,” panel discussion. Georgetown University Roundtable on Linguistics, March.
1988. “Television, Audio Comprehension and Small C Culture,” North-east Conference on Language Teaching, New York, April.
1987. “The Listening Comprehension Exercise Network,” AAASS Conference, Boston; Department of State Foreign Service Institute; the National Security Agency’s Cryptological School; the U.S. Naval Academy; Interagency Linguistic Roundtable.
1986. “Proficiency in Audio Comprehension and the VCR,” AATSEEL Conference, New York, December.
1983. “Hierarchies in Teaching Verbal Aspect,” AAASS Conference, Kansas City.
1982a. “Is Russian That Hard?” Panel, Northwest Slavic Conference, Chicago.
1982b. “Conversation Strategies for L2 Learners,” Southeastern Conference on Linguistics, College Park, Maryland.
1980. “Accent Perceptions in Second Language Speakers,” Quest-80 Conference, Oswego, New York.
1979. “Masking Devices in Teaching Advanced Russian,” Midwest Slavic Conference, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
1976. “Cultural Content in Russian and Ukrainian Textbooks,” Conference of the Michigan Academy of Sciences, East Lansing.
1975. “Роль фонетики и интонации в обучении русскому языку иностранцев,” IREX-MGU Exchange Conference, Moscow.