Official and Business Style: Oral and Written Forms

The purpose of this course is to develop the communicative competence of students for successful professional activity in the fields of diplomacy and foreign policy, as well as informational, political, legal and cultural spaces where Russian is used. The course includes materials for improving both oral and written expression in official and business styles. Development of oral competence will focus on skills used in negotiation, discussing terms of cooperation, formalizing agreements and monitoring their implementation. Through analysis of speeches by politicians and officials, we will study the stylistic and intonation features and rhetorical devices of official speech, and gain practice in this style of oral expression through discussion and the exchange of ideas. Development of written competence will focus on skills used in international cooperation and business, for example stylistic methods of persuasion, confirming facts, and raising objections. The course will improve students’ ability to create texts in a variety of official and business styles, including diplomatic style (convention, note, memorandum), legislative style (law, codex, charter, contract), and managerial style (statement, order, protocol, business letter).