Historical Reference

In Russia the main strategy of teaching of Russian as a foreign language began to develop since the 1940’s, just after the Second World War. Two Departments of Leningrad State University (the Department of Russian teaching methods for non-Russians at the Faculty of Northern Peoples, headed by Associate Professor A. Gortsevsky, and the Department of the Russian language at the Philological Faculty, headed by Professor M. Sokolova) were the main predecessors of the present Department of Russian for foreigners (non-philologists).

In 1952, on the basis of the working experience of these two centers the University Department of Russian for foreigners (later – for non-Russians) was organized. Afterwards the Department joined the Philological Faculty of Leningrad State University. Associate Professor A. Averyanova was the first head of the Department.

In the middle of 1960s within the Department of Russian for foreigners several profile sections were set up: Preparatory, Philological, Natural sciences, Humanities. On the basis of these sections, the Faculty of Russian as a foreign language was founded. It included the following parts: the Department of Russian for students of the Natural Science Faculties (head – Professor A. Moiseyev) and the Department of Russian for students of the Faculties of Humanities (head – Professor V. Mokienko).

In 1991 for the second time the Department became the part of the Faculty of Philology. Since then, it is headed by Professor V. Khimik.