Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
Join Micaela Schweitzer-Bluhm, Diplomat in Residence in Northern California, who will discuss internship programs where you can work in U.S. Embassies and consulates abroad and in Washington, DC. Learn about our internship programs in different bureaus which focus on everything from STEM to economics. Find out how you can apply for the Fall 2020 internships which open for application this month.
Socrates in Russia
Editors: Victoria Juharyan (Middlebury College) and Alyssa DeBlasio (Dickinson College)
In a philosophical fragment titled “Socrates in Russia,” the Ukrainian philosopher Gregory Skovoroda (1722-1794) writes: “In Russia there are many men who would be Platos, Aristotles, Zenos, Epicuruses; but they don’t stop to think that the Academy, the Lyceum, and the Stoa developed from the thought of Socrates, as a chick grows from the yolk of an egg. So long as we do not have a Russian Socrates we shall have no Russian Plato or any other philosopher.” Under the guise of a prayer for a Russian Socrates, this fragment reveals Skovoroda’s own self-conception as that very Socrates in Russia. His life and works only reconfirm this notion: Skovoroda left us 33 Platonic dialogues and led the life of a peripatetic philosopher. The introduction to Gregory Skovoroda’s collected works begins with a quote by the legendary Georgian philosopher Merab Mamardashvili (1930-1990), who was himself dubbed as “the Georgian Socrates.” Mamardashvili writes: “…In the history of philosophy, in general, there are these strange cycles, something akin to a play of correspondences… Let’s put it this way: Greek philosophy after all started essentially with Socrates, and for some reason always, when philosophy begins again, it begins with Socrates… Just under a different name… And so, Socratic experience underlies these cycles. It repeats…” There are many other such Socratic figures in the history of Russia’s philosophy, especially as the practice of not writing became an act of resistance against Tsarist and, later, Soviet ideology.
Continue reading “Submissions Wanted: Socrates in Russia”Exploring History through Art and Art through History
We are excited to announce that applications for the Wallis Annenberg Helix Fellowship 2020–2021 are now open.
Helix is the opportunity for students and scholars to explore historical borderlands through the lens of Jewish and intercultural creativity. We invite students and educators enrolled or employed at a recognized institution during the 2020–2021 academic year to be part of this transformative experience.
Throughout the course of the program, fellows spend a full year immersed in the regions and cultures that sustained vibrant and diverse multilingual communities before the genocidal devastation of the twentieth century. Fellows literally follow in the footsteps of great poets in Minsk and painters in Vitebsk, reproducing artworks and reciting poems in the places they were originally created. With the generous support of the Annenberg Foundation, the Fellowship cultivates and shares new artistic and scholarly work inspired by the themes and figures that fellows encounter together.
Thanks to the generosity of donors and members, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is sponsoring up to 16 grants annually, at a maximum of $6,000 each, for the purposes of conducting doctoral dissertation research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia in any aspect of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies in any discipline. These awards may be held concurrently with other partial funding sources, but are intended to support students whose projects have not yet been fully supported. The grant recipient cannot concurrently hold the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays DDRA, SSRC IDRF and other similarly fully-funded fellowships. The grant is for primary dissertation research, not for dissertation write-up.
Continue reading “CFA: ASEEES DISSERTATION RESEARCH GRANT”CESSI is an intensive, eight-week language program held each summer in Madison, Wisconsin. CESSI will be held from June 15 to August 7, 2020.
Students receive the equivalent of one year of language study during this time and earn eight credits upon completion of the program. In addition to language classes, CESSI students have the opportunity to attend lectures on Central Eurasia; participate in cultural events, including traditional cooking demonstrations; engage with local Central Eurasian communities; and network with other scholars of Central Eurasia. CESSI is a great way for students to gain language skills before studying abroad, applying for jobs, or conducting fieldwork in the region.
Students of all disciplines and academic programs are welcome!
For more information and to apply, visit cessi.wisc.edu or contact cessi@creeca.wisc.edu.
In partnership with the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) the International Association for the Humanities (MAG) is delighted to announce that its 2020 Congress will be held in Minsk, Belarus next June.
THEME
The Congress will focus on the humanities and related social sciences as intellectual practices fundamentally integrated into culture. Historically, the humanities and social sciences arose in Europe and elsewhere in response to the social and cultural needs of individual and community life. In East Europe and Eurasia the principles of the European humanistic tradition have also sustained critical enquiry and common, trans-national values. Assuming a close relation between the humanities and social sciences, the agenda of the Congress includes an examination of this division, as well as the interchange between scholarly reflection and public socio-cultural initiatives. We particularly invite participants to examine from any perspective the roles socio-humanistic studies have played and might continue to play in shaping socio-cultural transformations in the region.
Continue reading “Conference: MAG International Congress: Cultural Transformations (Belarus)”Thanks to a grant from the US-Russia Foundation, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is sponsoring grants with stipends of up to $6,000 for the purposes of conducting graduate research related to the rule of law, governance, economy, business, and civil society in Russia. These grants are intended to provide opportunities for young scholars to make connections with Russian peers and senior specialists, promoting long-term professional relations, and to foster the next generation of Russia experts.
Graduate students in MA programs and professional schools are strongly encouraged to apply. PhD students at the predissertation level may apply for pre-dissertation research.
The grants may be held concurrently with other partial funding sources. The grant recipient cannot concurrently hold the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation research Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays DDRA, SSRC IDRF, and other similarly fully-funded dissertation research fellowships.
Continue reading “Funding: Civil Society in Russia Research Grant”Thanks to the generosity of donors and members, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is sponsoring up to 16 grants annually, at a maximum of $6,000 each, for the purposes of conducting doctoral dissertation research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia in any aspect of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies in any discipline. These awards may be held concurrently with other partial funding sources, but are intended to support students whose projects have not yet been fully supported. The grant recipient cannot concurrently hold the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays DDRA, SSRC IDRF and other similarly fully-funded fellowships. The grant is for primary dissertation research, not for dissertation write-up.
ELIGIBILITY
During this six-week program, students look at identity and ethnicity in Central Asia, embark on a horse trek in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan and explore Uzbekistan. They then select from one of two tracks, the first focused on language study (Russian, Kyrgyz, or Tajik) and the second on linguistic anthropology. All levels of Russian are accommodated, including beginner.
An extended track, with 4 additional weeks of intensive language study, is also available.
Dates: June 13 – July 26, 2020 (10-week option runs May 30 – August 9)
Application deadline: March 1
Cost: $5,495 (6 weeks); $7,995 (10 weeks)
June 10-16, 2020
This Summer Institute is designed for world language educators who have some knowledge of Project-Based Learning (PBL) as well as some practice in generating project ideas. During the Institute, participants will flesh out their ideas for a project design they have already subjected to critique. Applicants must complete the prerequisite NFLRC MOOC (massive open online course) Envisioning Project-Based Language Learning and earn a badge in order to qualify for consideration for the Institute. Participants who fulfill requirements outlined in an associated course syllabus may opt to receive two (2) graduate course credits (tuition fee).
Duration: 5 instructional days (Wed., Th., Fri., Mon., and Tue.)
Location: University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
Sponsors: Second Language Teaching and Research Center (L2TReC) and National Foreign Language Resource Center (NFLRC)
PREREQUISITE: Envisioning Project-Based Language Learning MOOC