Academic Program: “Russian Language and Civilization” Program (St. Petersburg/Moscow, Russia)

Deadline for Applications: February 01, 2017

For students eligible for in-state (TX) tuition.

This 5-week program offers a total immersion learning experience. The program places excursions and cultural outings at the core of the instruction. Students learn on-site the vibrant history, art, and culture of Russia and of its capital. This program will prepare students for study and work in Russia, either introducing them to the language or upgrading their established skills to the intermediate or advanced level. All students will also study major monuments of Russia’s artistic heritage to help them understand the country’s cultural history, ranging all the way from prehistoric roots to the dissolution of the Soviet Empire.

Credit

RUSS 221: Russian Field Studies I (3 hours)
RUSS 222: Russian Field Studies II (3 hours)

Eligibility

Minimum 2.0 GPA or instructor permission.
Good standing with the University

Highlights

History and Art Museums in Moscow
Red Square
Trip to Kizhi
Trip to Novgorod
Visiting Hermitage and Cat

For more information, and to apply, click here.

January 18, 2017

Academic Program: Maymester in Russia 2017 (Vanderbilt U.)

Deadline for Applications: January 31, 2017

Vanderbilt University’s Russian Department is offering a Maymester cultural immersion program in Russia for May-June 2017(RUSSIAN 2210: Russia Today: Political, Socio-economic, and Cultural Change).

The program includes community service, lectures on topics being explored by participants (politics, economics, sociology, culture, history, art, etc.), Russian language lessons, interaction with Russian university students, excursions to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and provincial towns, home stays, and opportunities for reflection.

More information about the program can be found at https://webapp.mis.vanderbilt.edu/studioabroad/index.cfm?FuseAction=Abroad.ViewLink&Link_ID=090DE255-DE61-8FCF-EB6A1A0811743D32 .

Some of the possible volunteering opportunities include:

+ Vladimir Handicapped Children’s Association “Light” (founded by a small group of parents who disagreed with the Russian educational system’s position that mentally and physically handicapped children should neither be seen nor heard, and certainly should not be educated),
+ Vladimir Regional Veteran’s Home
+ Vladimir Youth Health and Education Center (they provide educational, counseling, legal, health and other services)
+ Russian Orthodox Church – assist with restoration work at a local church,
+ Vladimir-Suzdal Museum Complex – clean up and restoration work

January 12, 2017

Academic Program: Russian Language Summer School (Omsk State University)

Deadline for Applications: June 10, 2017

See message below:

“Greetings from Omsk!

We represent the International Relations Office of Dostoevsky Omsk State University, Russia.

Our department would like to invite students to participate in our Russian Language Summer School that is designed for international students who are interested in learning Russian language and would like to delve into Russian traditional culture.

The course covers a balance of language skills (speaking, listening, reading, and writing), grammar at an appropriate level from beginner to advanced and includes 72 academic hours of tuition.

Russian Language classes are taught by experienced language teaching professionals (teachers of Russian as a Foreign Language) and follow a communicative approach to language teaching. In addition to in-class Russian language instruction, students will attend lectures of cultural and academic interest.

The social and cultural program of Summer School is designed to help participants gain a valuable overview of Russian culture based on local heritage. We want to show participants the wide diversity of Russian culture, which is why we have built a great program for participants to keep them learning, exploring Omsk and experiencing new things.

Upon the completion of the program, students will get the Russian Language School Certificate (3 ETCS).

Please check out our Gallery to see what we got up to in 2016, read our Testimonials page to find out what our participants said about us http://www.omsu.ru/about/structure/general/omp/english-version/rlss/review.php , or check the information about recent Summer School http://www.omsu.ru/about/structure/general/omp/english-version/rlss/ “

January 10, 2017

Academic Program: Summer Intensive Russian Program (Monterey, California)

Deadline for Applications: March 1, 2017

Applications are now being to the Middlebury Institute of International Studies’ Summer Intensive Russian Program (http://go.miis.edu/silprussian) in beautiful, coastal Monterey, California.

Dates: June 15 – August 9, 2017
Tuition: $4,175

Program Highlights:
-Eight-week intensive program (equivalent to two semesters of undergraduate language study)
-Students are exposed to real-world materialssuch as Russian press conferences, pop music lyrics, and literature to stimulate broad-ranging communicative activities.
-Project-based to develop students’ fluency in their own fields of interest.
-Up to 8 units available for transfer on the graduate and undergraduate levels
-Elementary, intermediate, and advanced courses offered

Greetings from Monterey, California!
The 60-year-old program offers a well-rounded curriculum that allows students to acquire and strengthen reading, writing, speaking and listening skills and develop lexical and cultural knowledge of the Russian language while building fluency though a communicative and content-based approach to engage students in the learning process.

Watch the video: https://vimeo.com/141697591
Send them an email: languages@miis.edu
Apply Now: http://go.miis.edu/silpapply. Priority deadline: March 1

January 9, 2017

Travel: Citizen Initiative Delegation (Moscow, Russia)

Travel Dates: April 1 – 16, 2017

Please see the message from the Center for Citizen Initiatives below:

CITIZENS OF GOODWILL MUST TAKE THE LEAD AGAIN!

You Can Have a Role in Rebuilding Relations and Trust between the U.S. and Russia

Dare to make a difference! We invite you to apply for the first-ever Mega Delegation of up-to-100 American citizens who will travel to Russia in April of 2017 to hold hundreds of discussions with Russians from all walks of life in 10 regions throughout Russia. Too many travelers go to Moscow, spend a few days, talk with a limited number of people set up for them and come back to America with a very limited point of view. Hence this trip will guarantee that we are exposed to multiple points of view and get them documented with surveys and notes from discussion groups in far-flung north-to-south and east-to-western regions.

We will investigate both countries’ perspectives on why the relationship deteriorated to this place again––and what it will take to rebuild equitable relations and trust between these two nuclearized Superpowers. And hopefully, the spectre of Nuclear War … or surrogate wars of any kind may be avoided in the future.

We citizens have the opportunity to be the human links during this extremely critical juncture––and make no mistake, the situation is extreme and it is critical. More than ever, we need to have “ears to the ground,” listening and fact-checking assumptions and exaggerations relative to both countries. We need to comprehend both sides of the issues that have grabbed the angst of today’s policy makers. We need to understand the assumptions and major stick points regarding Syria, Iraq, Libya, Iran and China that divide our leaders––then use our voices nationwide and worldwide to call for sane alternatives. Future outcomes and solutions need to be open, honest and fair to all countries concerned.

WHAT IS NEEDED & WHY?

As 2017 begins, we can organize the following:

1) American citizens need to travel to Russia to make independent analyses of Russia, Russian people, Russia’s interests and points of view––and return home to educate on how to work toward and promote reasonable solutions for both countries. We need to create public awareness and public discourse regarding how to create a sustainable future for us all.
2) Russian citizens and public figures need to travel to American cities to share their concerns and perspectives for rebuilding constructive relations and accommodating to each others’ politics and needs.
3) Stop Cold War II demonizations and narratives which feed fears across both nations;
4) Rebuild citizen and VIP human connections within both populations as rapidly as possible.
5) Provide “truthful information”––refrain from fake news, rumors, disinformation and fabrications. Continue reading “Travel: Citizen Initiative Delegation (Moscow, Russia)”

January 3, 2017January 3, 2017

Travel: Harvard Summer Program (Tbilisi, Georgia)

Deadline for Applications: January 26, 2017

Harvard Summer Program in Tbilisi, Georgia
Dates: June 19 – August 11, 2017
2017 Faculty: Professor Julie Buckler, Dr. Veronika Egorova

Advance your Russian-language skills while exploring Georgian culture, history, literature, and film, including Georgia’s longstanding cultural and political relationship with Russia. The ancient capital city of Tbilisi, which is rapidly developing itself for the twenty-first century, offers a distinctive and fascinating site for urban studies and a guiding theme for your Russian-language learning. We will undertake small-group fieldwork projects that allow us greater contact with the city and its residents, as well as opportunities to use Russian in real-world situations. We’ll meet with city experts, writers, artists, preservationists, politicians, and NGOs. You’ll also take several trips within Georgia – to Mtskheta, Davit Gareja, Gori, Borjomi, Batumi, and Kazbegi — to gain a deeper understanding of the Georgian nation and its regional context.

Program Structure

Your studies include intermediate-Russian language courses every weekday and additional sessions two to three times each week, devoted to Tbilisi small-group urban fieldwork projects; Georgian culture, history, literature, film; and Russian literature and culture about the Caucasus. Note: A pre-departure introduction to Georgian language will be available for participants and additional non-credit Georgian language study may be arranged as part of the program in Tbilisi for those desiring to study Georgian. Continue reading “Travel: Harvard Summer Program (Tbilisi, Georgia)”

January 3, 2017

Academic Program: The Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (Middlebury Institute)

Deadline for Applications: February 1, 2017

Developed by the Middlebury Institute’s Graduate Initiative in Russian Studies (GIRS) with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (MSSR) aims to expose top Russian area studies graduate students from across the United States to leading voices on Russian-U.S. relations.

MSSR offers the next generation of specialists in Russian area studies opportunities to develop deep and broad expertise in their field. Participants who complete the program will acquire a thorough understanding of contemporary Russia, and will be positioned to pursue careers in foreign policy, diplomacy, and the private sector.

Faculty

Dmitry Trenin of Carnegie Moscow Center, Andrey Zorin of Oxford University, Matthew Rojansky of the Kennan Institute, Emil Pain and Sergey Zakharov of the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, Natalia Sevagina of the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow will be among the MSSR faculty. The full list, with bios, is available on our faculty and visiting experts page.

Curriculum

Leading experts from Russia and the United States will give lectures and seminars on topics ranging from The Concept of Honor in Russian History, The Russian Psyche Through Art and Cinema to U.S.-Russian Nonproliferation Cooperation. Students will participate in 2–3 interactive lectures and seminars daily. Through intensive instruction in both English and Russian, students will have the opportunity to strengthen their language skills in the context of their academic interests.

Based on their research interests and in consultation with instructors, participants will also undertake a research project, which will be presented at the end of the summer and published online. Continue reading “Academic Program: The Monterey Summer Symposium on Russia (Middlebury Institute)”