Why Russians Don't Smile: Russian Culture at Home, School, and on the Streets

1. Why Russians Don't Smile: Russian Culture at Home, School, and on the Streets Zhenya ArutyunyanCharlotte Country Day School

2. Culture Norms … in general Behavior and norms are culture based…. Think.. -flowers -eating -colors -personal space -timeliness -dressing up or down

3. Russians on the streets…Issue of Smiling • people tend to express less emotion in public because “tamping down emotional displays reinforces the borders between friends and strangers, which in collectivist societies are hard to cross” (Marina Krakovksy in Psychology Today). • Is there a reason to smile? • Proverbs…

4. On the streets… • Outward expression of affection ≠ extraverts • Dressing up…especially women • Smoking

5. In the homes… • Gifting the host • Eating • Drinking & Toasting • “You don’t eat no meat? Ok, I make lamb” • Generosity/Hospitality • Shoes and Legs • Lack of political correctness … but expectation you know what you should know • Superstitions: • mirrors, utensils, sitting at the corner • Length of stay: no such thing as a quick stop-by

6. AT SCHOOL -1st day: September 1 -Teacher’s Day: 1st Sunday in October (until 1994); October 5 -11 grades -School Day

7. High School Curriculum & Day • Russian LiteratureRussian LanguageMathematicsAlgebra and Geometry Calculus (Beginning of Analysis)PhysicsChemistryRussian History World HistoryGeographyBiologyForeign Languages (English, German, French, or Spanish), PECooking, Arts and Crafts (for girls)Manual Work (for boys)Art of DrawingMusicAstronomy PRIVATE SCHOOLS: add ons… SCHOOL DAY 8 am – 2 pm 45 min classes Subjects do not meet every day 6-7 classes per day in high school (10-11 grade) 5-6 classes per day in secondary (5-9) 4 classes per day in primary school (1-4) Grading: 2-5 (5 is the highest) School Age: 6-17

8. Glimpse into Math - GEOMETRY (7-9th grade) 79. Suppose that an angle, its bisector, and one side of this angle in one triangle are respectively congruent to an angle, its bisector, and one side of this angle in another triangle. Prove that such triangles are congruent.80. Prove that if two sides and the median drawn to the first of them in one triangle are respectively congruent to two sides and the median drawn to the first of them in another triangle, then such triangles are congruent.Prove theorems:400. If a diagonal divides a trapezoid into two similar triangles, then this diagonal is the geometric mean between the bases.401. If two disks are tangent externally, then the segment of an external common tangent between the tangency points is the geometric mean between the diameters of the disks.402. If a square is inscribed into a right triangle in such a way that one side of the square lies on the hypotenuse, then this side is the geometric mean between the two remaining segments of the hypotenuse.576. The altitude dropped to the hypotenuse divides a given right triangle into smaller triangles whose radii of the inscribed circles are 6 and 8 cm. Compute the radius of the inscribed circle of the given triangle.577. Compute the sides of a right triangle given the radii of its circumscribed and inscribed circle.578. Compute the area of a right triangle if the foot of the altitude dropped to the hypotenuse of length c divides it in the extreme and mean ratio.

9. School Behavior… • Raising Hand • Teacher’s Authority • Class behavior -Beginning and end of class