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This unique Russian-language textbook draws on printed mass media, especially up-to-date Internet media sources, to introduce intermediate and advanced students to varied aspects of modern Russian life. Presenting fascinating material on armed conflicts, government and politics, business and economics, accidents and catastrophes, the new Russian class society, problems of youth, and more, the book provides the cultural and linguistic background necessary to better understand Russian media reports and to gain insights into Russia’s current political, economic, and cultural issues.

Features of the book include: vocabulary development exercises; pre- and post-reading classroom activities; information on Russian media, government, politics, economics, and military; a Web site with extensive Internet tasks, interactive dictionary, updates, instructor material, and links to relevant information; and a multimedia supplement based on current Russian television programs.

Marita Nummikoski, associate professor of Russian at the University of Texas at San Antonio, is the author of Troika: Elementary Russian. Andrei Bogomolov is professor of Russian at Moscow State University.

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Customer Reviews (1)

Overpriced with little real content
I bought this book while I was taking a course on political Russian, hoping that it might be a good supplement to the required text.Unfortunately when I received it, I was disappointed with the content.The words provided are useful to a true novice of political Russian, but had already all been covered in my class in the first two weeks.It does provide root definitions, which can be helpful, but again the words were pretty basic.Finally the fact that it only includes 5 lessons means that there just isn't enough substance to justify the cost.The book's website doesn't have very much information and several of the links were not working.Overall, if you are serious about being able to read the Russian news, the book Political Russian by Natasha Simes and Richard Robin is a much better (but much more expensive) choice Political Russian: An Intermediate Course in Russian Language for International Relations, National Security and Socio-Economics or translate a couple articles from BBC in Russian and you will have covered much more vocabulary than is covered in News from Russia. ... Read more

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This book provides a multi-faceted picture of the many complex processes taking place in the field of contemporary Russian media and popular culture. Russian social and cultural life today is strongly individualised and consumers are offered innumerable alternatives; but at the same time options are limited by the new technologies of control which are a key feature of Russian capitalism. Based on extensive original research by scholars in both Russia itself and in Finland, the book discusses new developments in the media industry and assesses a wide range of social and cultural changes, many of which are related to, and to an extent generated by, the media.

The book argues that the Russian mass media industry, whilst facing the challenges of globalization, serves several purposes including making a profit, reinforcing patriotic discourse and popularizing liberalized lifestyles. Topics include changing social identities, new lifestyles, ideas of "glamour" and "professional values". Overall, the book demonstrates that the media in Russia is far from homogenous, and that, as in the West, despite new technologies of control, media audiences are being offered a new kind of pluralism which is profoundly influencing Russia's cultural, social and political landscape.

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This book explores developments in the Russian mass media since the collapse of the USSR in 1991. Complementing and building upon its companion volume, Television and Culture in Putin's Russia: Remote Control, it traces the tensions resulting from the effective return to state-control under Putin of a mass media privatised and accorded its first, limited, taste of independence in the Yeltsin period. It surveys the key developments in Russian media since 1991, including the printed press, television and new media, and investigates the contradictions of the post-Soviet media market that have affected the development of the media sector in recent years. It analyses the impact of the Putin presidency, including the ways in which the media have constructed Putin’s image in order to consolidate his power and their role in securing his election victories in 2000 and 2004. It goes on to consider the status and function of journalism in post-Soviet Russia, discussing the conflict between market needs and those of censorship, the gulf that has arisen separating journalists from their audiences. The relationship between television and politics is examined, and also the role of television as entertainment, as well as its role in nation building and the projection of a national identity. Finally, it appraises the increasingly important role of new media and the internet. Overall, this book is a detailed investigation of the development of mass media in Russia since the end of Communism and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

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One of the great transitions as the Soviet Union dissolved involved the transformation of state broadcasting in Russia and the Newly Independent States.

This book deals with the turmoil associated with struggles in Post-Soviet Russia:

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In this volume, Gronas addresses the full range of psychological, social, and historical issues that bear on the mnemonic existence of modern literary works, particularly Russian literature. He focuses on the mnemonic processes involved in literary creativity, and the question of how our memories of past reading experiences shape the ways in which we react to literary works. The book also examines the concrete mnemonic qualities of poetry, as well as the social uses to which poetry memorization has historically been put to use. This study will appeal to scholars of cognitive poetics, Russian literature, and cultural studies.

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One of the most astounding aftershocks of the collapse of the Soviet Union was the massive immigration of Russian Jews to Israel. Today, Russian speakers constitute one-sixth of Israel's total population. No other country in the world has absorbed such a prodigious number of immigrants in such a short period. The implications of this phenomenon are immense both locally (given the geopolitical situation in the Middle East) and globally (as multicultural and multiethnic states become the rule rather than the exception). For a growing number of immigrants worldwide, the experience of living across different cultures, speaking different languages, and accommodating different--and often incompatible--identities is a daily reality. This reality is a challenge to the scholar striving to understand the origin and nature of cultural identity. Languages can be learned, economic constraints overcome, social mores assimilated. But identity persists through generations, setting immigrants and their children apart from their adoptive country.The story of the former Russians in Israel is an illuminating example of this global trend. The Russian Jews who came to Israel were initially welcomed as prodigal sons coming home. Their connection to their "historical motherland" was seemingly cemented not only by their Jewish ethnicity, but also by a potent Russian influence upon Zionism. The first Zionist settlers in Palestine were mostly from Russia and Poland, and Russian literature, music, and sensibility had had a profound effect upon the emerging Hebrew culture. Thus, it seemed that while facing the usual economic challenges of immigrations, the "Russians," as they came to be known, would have little problem acclimatizing in Israel. The reality has been quite different, marked by mutual incomprehension and cultural mistranslation. While achieving a prominent place in Israeli economy, the Russians in Israel have faced discrimination and stereotyping. And their own response to Israeli culture and society has largely been one of rejection and disdain. If Israel has failed to integrate the newcomers, the newcomers have shown little interest in being integrated. Thus, the story of the post-Soviet Jews in Israel illustrates a general phenomenon of cultural divergence, in which history carves different identities out of common stock. Besides marking a turning point in the development of Israel, it belongs to the larger picture of the contemporary world, profoundly marked by the collapse of the catastrophic utopias of Nazism and Communism. And yet this story has not adequately been dealt with by the academy. There have been relatively few studies of the Russian immigration to Israel and none that situates the phenomenon in a cultural, rather than purely sociological, context. Elana Gomel's book, The Pilgrim Soul: Being Russian in Israel, is an original and exciting investigation of the Russian community in Israel. It analyzes the narratives through which Russian Jewry defines itself and connects them to the legacy of Soviet history. It engages with such key elements of the Russian-Israeli identity as the aversion from organized religion, the challenge of bilingualism, the cult of romantic passion, and even the singular fondness for science fiction. It provides factual information on the social, economic, and political situation of the Russians in Israel but relates the data to an overall interpretation of the community's cultural history. At the same time, the book goes beyond the specificity of its subject by focusing on the theoretical issues of identity formation, historical trauma, and utopian disillusionment.The Pilgrim Soul is an important book for all collections in cultural studies, ethnic and immigrant studies, Israeli studies, and Soviet studies. It will appeal to a variety of readers interested in the issues of immigration, multiculturalism, and identity formation. ... Read more

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An ideal introduction to the language and culture of Russia, Russian Language and People is an integrated multi-media course for beginners. As well as teaching you to communicate in and understand Russian, this course provides an accessible introduction to the written language. There are also plenty of fascinating insights into modern Russia and traditional customs.Whether learning at home or in a class, Russian Language and People can help you to reach the equivalent level of a first qualification, such as GCSE. Audio* Closely integrated with the book, conversations and dialogues help you develop your listening and speaking skills * Stage-by-stage pronunciation practice enables you to perfect your accent and monitor your progress 2 x 75-minute CDs ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Journal of International Affairs, published by Columbia University School of International Public Affairs on March 22, 2010. The length of the article is 343 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Post-Soviet Russian Media: Conflicting Signals.(FURTHER READING)(Book review)
Author: Allon Bar
Publication: Journal of International Affairs (Magazine/Journal)
Date: March 22, 2010
Publisher: Columbia University School of International Public Affairs
Volume: 63Issue: 2Page: 249(1)

Article Type: Book review

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Chapters: Freedom of the Press in Russia, Voice of Russia, Media of Russia, Interlogos, the Moscow Times, Seda Pumpyanskaya, Rospechat, Interfax, Kremlin Pool. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 56. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: The issue of the freedom of the press in Russia involves both the ability of directors of mass media outlets to carry out independent policy and the ability of journalists to access sources of information and to work without outer pressure. Media of Russia include television and radio channels, periodicals, and Internet media, which according to the laws of Russian Federation may be either a state or a private property. Various aspects of the contemporary press freedom situation are criticized by multiple international organisations. According to International Press Institute, the Russian laws, bureaucratic regulations and politically motivated criminal investigations have forced the press into self-censorship. According to International Press Institute, Russia is the most dangerous European country for journalists. According to Human Rights Watch, the Russian government control over civil society through selective implementation of the law, restriction and censure. In 2009 Reporters Without Borders ranked Russia 153th out of 175 in the Press Freedom Index. According to the Commissioner for Human Rights of Russia Vladimir Lukin, the constitutional norm of the speech freedom is basically observed, as well as there is no institutionalised censorship. According to the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe Alvaro Gil-Robles in 2004, with all the difficulties the Russian media are free as a whole. Freedom of the press is provided by the Constitution of Russia. The Constitutional speech freedom norm guarantees the freedom of ideas and speech f...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=11417233 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Russian Life, published by Russian Information Services, Inc. on May 1, 2010. The length of the article is 552 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Blaming the messenger.(notebook)(media coverage of terrorism)
Author: Maria Antonova
Publication: Russian Life (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2010
Publisher: Russian Information Services, Inc.
Volume: 53Issue: 3Page: 7(1)

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Russian Mass Media Directory (Us Governmen Agencies Business Library) ... Read more

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A translation of Dolgovechnosti zhelezobetona v agressivnikh sredakh, Moscow, 1990. Treats modern concepts on structure formation & properties of hardened cement & concrete for imparting to their maximum resistance against corrosive media; Methods for improving the resistance of concrete to deterioration. A special section is on aspects of the corrosion of reinforcement.

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The evolution of democracy in the EU?s eastern neighbor Russia isretarded and still struggling to gain traction in the face of stubbornresistance.The lack of a functioning civil society, rule of law, truemarket economy, pluralism, respect for human rights, and mediafreedom are in direct contrast to European Union policies. Questionsof EU-Russia-US relations in areas of energy security, immigration,criminal enterprise, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction allpose serious threats to regional stability and subsequent Europeansecurity. United States foreign policy is an important actor in thissphere, using instruments such as the venerable Cold War era RadioLiberty to project its values and interests.But therein lies the question: What is the role of Radio Liberty in the changing Russian medialandscape and what impact does it impart to EU-Russia-USrelations? ... Read more