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Workshop Opportunity for Junior Faculty and Scholars: Teaching Russian Heritage in a Global World

Planned for July 17-29 in Crimea, Ukraine

The Kennan Institute would like to alert junior faculty and scholars to this exciting opportunity to participate in a workshop this summer in Crimea, Ukraine.

Assistant Professors and Post-Graduate students from the United States and Canada are invited to participate in an advanced summer workshop "Teaching Russian Heritage in the Global World: Joint Advanced Workshop for Junior Faculty from Russia, Post-Soviet Countries, the US, and Canada in Russian History, Culture and Language."

The workshop will take place from July 17-29 in Crimea, Ukraine (changes in time and location may occur and will be announced). The duration of the workshop is 12 days. Faculty leading the workshop will include prominent historians, linguists, and specialists in Russian culture from Russia and the United States. Participants in the workshop will be junior faculty from Russia, the US, Canada, and other post-Soviet states.

The workshop's program will consist of lectures, seminars, roundtables, and time and space for exchange among all the participants. The workshop is entirely original, the first to allow different groups of specialists — historians of Russia, teachers of Russian language, and experts in culture and literature — to work together on common problems and challenges. Despite long-standing contacts, numerous exchange programs, and various summer "institutes," there have been no comparative workshops of this kind.

The main goals of the workshop are:

1) To discuss in comparative perspective how to teach Russian language, culture, and history in Russian and non-Russian (i.e., quintessentially "Western") environments

2) To discuss and develop comprehensive educational strategies that would focus on teaching Russian language, culture, and history

The workshop will fill the gap between disciplines and national traditions by providing a forum for the discussion of issues ranging from foreign language education at various levels, working with heritage learners, translation, intercultural communication, history and social science, not for their own sake, but in the context of the challenges that Russian, American, and Canadian faculty face in their respective countries as they try to enhance and broaden interest in Russia's cultural heritage among the student body of the 21st century. We will focus, in part, on the contrast between the two existing "national" schools: (a) teaching about Russia in North America, and (b) teaching about Russia in Russia itself; we expect that this will guarantee stimulating debate that will provoke further research and discussion.

The workshop will help the next generation of faculty to be better informed of the issues, values and ideas that inform and inspire the teaching of Russian history, language, and culture at institutions around the world.

Workshop participants will be provided room and board in Crimea during the duration of the workshop. Participants will also be reimbursed for some or all of their transportation expenses (up to a certain maximum) after the workshop is over. More details about transportation reimbursement will be provided upon notification of admission.

To apply for admission to the workshop:

a) complete the workshop application on-line at
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=MR3t0Sus0fLXzG_2bdH6SeTQ_3d_3d

b) ask your department chair to send a letter of support to both brifkin@temple.edu AND zubok@temple.edu

c) send a copy of your current curriculum vitae to both brifkin@temple.edu AND zubok@temple.edu

d) send a sample of your scholarly writing up to 10 pages in length (from a published work or a work in progress) to both brifkin@temple.edu AND zubok@temple.edu

e) send a syllabus for a course you're teaching now, have taught recently, or plan to teach soon in the area of Russian history, language, literature or culture to both brifkin@temple.edu AND zubok@temple.edu

All application materials must be received no later than Wed., April 1, 2009.

Admission decisions will be made and applicants will be informed by Friday, May 1, 2009.

Enrollment in the workshop is limited by constraints of funding and accommodations.

Related Program

Kennan Institute

The Kennan Institute is the premier US center for advanced research on Russia and Eurasia and the oldest and largest regional program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Kennan Institute is committed to improving American understanding of Russia, Ukraine, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the surrounding region though research and exchange.  Read more