Admission requirements
Master students can only take this course an extra-curricular course. For Bachelor students this restriction does not apply.
Description
In this course, students will receive a thorough introduction to the Georgian language, one of the main languages of the Caucasus, in all its aspects: grammar, script, reading/writing, speaking, and sociocultural context. The course is designed to familiarize the student both with Georgian grammar, as well as provide practice in speaking and writing skills. This course is aimed at students from Linguistics, International Studies, Political Sciences, Russian studies, but is open to students from all departments who are interested.
Georgian is a Kartvelian language spoken by appr. 4 million speakers, mostly in Georgia (where it is the national language) as well as in neighboring countries and in a large diaspora. It is one of only three Caucasus languages with a historical writing tradition, and Georgian inscriptions have been found as early as the 4th c. AD.
With knowledge of Georgian, a vast collection of texts is available to students, from medieval historical and theological treatises to its body of literary prose and poetry (including Georgia’s national epos ‘The Knight in the Panther Skin’), to socio-political literature in the soviet and post-soviet context. Furthermore, Georgia has been the center of scholarship of the Caucasus, whether it’s geological, ecological, anthropological, or linguistic.
From a linguistic point of view, Georgian is famous for its large consonant clusters with up to 8 segments. Morphosyntactically, it features a split ergative, split active/inactive alignment system. The Georgian verb can mark up to 3 arguments, which involves a complex hierarchy to decide which marker is overtly expressed. A special set of valency markers (pre-radical vowels) can cause valency operations, but each is also used to signal tense-aspect forms. Moreover, the Georgian language alongside other Kartvelian languages presents a complex TAM system, which includes evidentiality.
Course objectives
After completing this course, the students will:
have a thorough understanding of Georgian grammar (B1 level) and be able to read intermediate Georgian texts with the help of a dictionary.
Have basic writing/listening/speaking/conversation in Georgian (A2 level).
Have basic knowledge of the context of Georgian society and Georgian cultural practices.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
The course will consist of 2 separate blocks:
The first block will consist of two seminars per week, in which we will focus on grammar, script, and reading comprehension. The lecturer is Jesse Wichers Schreur.
The second block will also consist of two seminars per week, in which selected grammatical topics will be introduced, and much attention will be given to speaking, writing, and conversation skills, with many exercises, practical activities, and listening materials. In each session, topics about Georgian culture and society will be introduced. The lecturer of the second block is a professor of Georgian language from Tbilisi State University.
Assessment method
Assessment & Weighing
Weekly homework assignments, block 1 (20%)
Midterm exam (with grammatical questions and reading comprehension) (30%)
Weekly homework assignments, block 2 (20%)
Final exam (30%)
Final oral exam and presentation (mandatory but not graded)
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
Both the midterm and the final exam can be retaken once after a failing grade, in consultation with the lecturer.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
All material needed will be provided by the teacher via Brightspace.
Registration
General information about registering for courses and exams can be found [here] (https://www.student.universiteitleiden.nl/en/your-study-programme/courses-and-exams/enrolment/humanities/russian-studies-ba?cf=humanities&cd=russian-studies-ba#tab-1)
Registration À la carte education, Contract teaching and Exchange
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of À la carte education (without taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
Information for those interested in taking this course in context of Contract teaching (with taking examinations), eg. about costs, registration and conditions.
For the registration of exchange students contact Humanities International Office.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats