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The SRAS Newsletter
A Resource for Students, Educators, and Anyone Curious about Russia Welcome from SRAS!
Technology has changed the world and how we interact with it. Where once the classroom, workplace, and social sphere had clear physical boundaries, there are now social networking sites, virtual commuting, distance learning, and a rapidly growing number of entertaining ways to teach yourself Russian online. This month's newsletter takes a dual focus. First, we look at ways that Russia is continuing to help push mankind past the boundary of Earth's atmosphere. Read about an SRAS student that combined her Russian program with research at a Russian observatory. We also have a new original article about Russia's past and future in space - and info on the "Tunguska Event," which occurred a century ago and is still being studied. Secondly, we look at a number of ways that technology can be integrated into your education or curriculum. YouTube, blogs, Facebook, and even old-school-style print newsletters are great ways to supplement your study material and engage and excite students. You'll also find a raft of language and culture resources (including a Russian MiniLesson geared for Halloween!), a panorama of primary documents, our "obzori" for September, and the latest news in programs, funding, and advocacy for language programs and study abroad in Russia! If you have views or material you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact us. To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org. News and Announcements  Applications for Spring 2010 are due October 16! Plan early to make sure you get a space and have time to research funding and travel options! Programs available: Russian as a Second Language; SRAS Work Study Programs; Kyrgyz Focus; Russian Studies Semester; Siberian Studies; Bordertalk: Sino-Russian Relations; and The Russian Far East.
Charles Braver Language Exploration Grants are due October 16th. These award $500 for study abroad in Russia or Kyrgyzstan! SRAS Congratulates Sarah Beckham Hooff. Sarah was awarded the $1000 SRAS Research Abroad Grant to assist her research project "Environmental Psychology and Politics of Lake Baikal." Medvedev met with college students in Pittsburgh. See what he was asked and how he responded. FLAP has awarded $12.4 Million to schools to support critical language instruction. Darvazah is an online introduction to the Urdu alphabet with audio. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Обзоры: Learn About Russia and Eurasia
through the News | These news reviews strive to paint an accurate and balanced picture of life in Russia and to deliver information on important events affecting Eurasia. | - Russian Society
Civil society, demographics, media, education, and more.
News from EurasiaEurope reacts to missile shield cancellation; Ukraine prepares for elections; Georgia responds to EU report on Russian-Georgia War. Domestic PoliticsPoliticians, political parties, the opposition, and Russia's regions. - Russian Economy
Economic sectors, foreign trade, and government intervention.
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-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------  SRAS Now on Facebook!
SRAS has ventured to the world of Facebook. Subscribe to our page and get the latest on job opportunities for Russian speakers, scholarships and grants, and new language resources. See also our "Name that Building!" contest for a chance to win a 2010 calendar!
Facebook for College Professors
This white paper quickly explains how and why Facebook should be used in your curriculum. (You'll need to form a free account on this site to download the file and use the links, but you can read the paper online - try increasing your screen size with the "zoom" function under "view" on your browser.) Also, see this other white paper on best practices for using Facebook as an outreach tool. Stetson University: Bear in Hat
Starting a blog at Blogspot is free and remarkably easy. The Russian program at Stetson University uses a blog to allow not only professors to post YouTube videos and other web resources as part of their curriculum, but also for students to share their study abroad experiences, favorite parts of Russian culture, and other information to help get others excited about learning Russian! Stetson also runs an "old school" newsletter that can also be great for student outreach - print is still cool! Use Online Video in Your Classroom
YouTube is full of Russian-related content - from educational videos on greetings in Russian to Russian music videos. This article, while written for K-12 general education, contains some great information on how to make YouTube work for any classroom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Tabitha Smith: Practical Pulsars
Tabitha Smith completed a customized RSL program with SRAS during the summer of 2009. The program combined a month of Russian training in St. Petersburg, Russia, with visa and travel services to support a month of independently-arranged scientific research in Pushchino, Russia. In this new interview, she discusses her experience, research, and the importance of science. Russia in Space
A brief history of the international rivalry that once drove mankind's venture into space, the international cooperation that now drives it, and what Russia, a major leader in space travel and exploration, is planning for its future in the final frontier. Tunguska Event
A century ago, a massive explosion, more powerful than most nuclear bombs, shook Siberia. Most likely, it was caused by a large meteorite entering the Earth's atmosphere, becoming superheated, and exploding. However, scientific research on the incident - and conspiracy theories - continue to this day. Recent Russia-Related Job Postings
Web Editor – The Moscow News is looking for a native English-speaking web editor with a minimum of two years' journalistic and editing experience, fluent Russian-language skills and good knowledge of Russian news and business. |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Russian Studies Abroad
Russian Studies Abroad provides a broad educational foundation for students planning a professional career with ties to Russia.
Charles Braver Grant
This grant will award $500 to a goal-oriented student to help offset the costs for studying language in Russia or Kyrgyzstan for spring 2010 semester. GAO: Persistent Language Shortfalls (PDF, 674k)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) states that 31% of Foreign Service Officers do not meet the language requirements their jobs demand. Of those serving in Russian-speaking countries, this number is 20%. SRAS has a full range of study programs. Click here! Scholarships and Grants
Thousands of dollars are available for study abroad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
Haunted Places - "Нехорошие" места
This month SRAS marks the coming of Halloween with a special Russian Mini-Lesson on haunted places in Russia. Панорамы улиц
Yandex now has an equivalent of Google Streetview for Moscow. Just click the link above and select "Панорамы улиц" (with the binocular icon), and click on any of the blue-coloured streets to explore Moscow! Teachers, we see endless possibilities here for lessons on verbs of motion! Русское чистописание
Learn to print with a very cool resource from Brown University! RussianPod
The advent of the smartphone, combined with a rapidly growing market for "apps" is leading to explosion of ways to turn your cell phone - cheaply and easily - into a way to boost your vocabulary, listen to lessons, and even check your pronunciation. The link above is just one of many sites offering apps - trying Googling for more. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
CNN interview with Medvedev (streaming video)
During a recent trip to the United States, Russia's Dmitry Medvedev was interviewed by CNN's Fareed Zakaria. European Report on the Conflict in Georgia
A new report that spreads lots of blame to both Russia and Georgia and indicates both violated international treaties is being used by both countries to argue that they were right in their actions during the Five Day War last August. (Full text of report online). National Intelligence Strategy (PDF, 5.73MB)
According to the National Intelligence Strategy, a report issued by America's top intelligence office, Russia is among the four greatest "threats to the United States' national interests" as it is "the world's second-largest nuclear power and second-largest military power and a key exporter of military technology and a country with vast international influence." | | | Planning on Researching Abroad? |
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Russia’s National Security Strategy (PDF, 264k)
This issue of the Russian Analytical Digest analyzes the security dimension of Russia’s policy. First, it examines the key policy principles of the Foreign Policy Concept (FPC) and the National Security Strategy (NSS). Further, it considers the national security issues from an economic perspective. The Russian Military: Today and Tomorrow (streaming video)
Click on the "Audio and Video Clips" at the top right to watch video or hear audio of panels discussing current Russian defense reform efforts, Russian perceptions of security trends in Europe and Asia, new Russian concepts of national security, and Russian views regarding future war, information warfare, the role of nuclear weapons, and Russia's efforts to develop forces for power projection beyond Russia's borders. ECFR: What Does Russia Think? (PDF, 908k)
The EU's Russia policy cannot succeed as long as it continues to rest on faulty analysis and mistaken assumptions. This is the main conclusion of What Does Russia Think?, a collection of politically revealing essays by intellectuals whose views influence the Kremlin. From Assistance to Engagement (PDF, 1MB)
How should we in U.S. and Russian civil society engage one another to best address problems and challenges we face? A policy paper from the Center for Strategic and International Studies. PONARS Eurasia Policy Memos
PONARS Eurasia, the Program on New Approaches to Research and Security in Eurasia, is an international network of social scientists that seeks to promote scholarly work and policy engagement on transnational and cross-border issues, as well as comparative political and public policy topics, within the Eurasian space. If you have views or material you would like to contribute to the newsletter, please contact us. To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org. |
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