The SRAS Newsletter
A Resource for Students, Educators, and Anyone Curious about Russia
The Russian elections resulted in a
predicable landslide win for Dmitry
Medvedev. Although most Russians believed
that the elections would not impact their
lives and while many doubted their fairness,
Russians still turned out to vote - and vote
for Medvedev - in large numbers.
Picture from 1tv.ru |
Welcome from SRAS!
The Russian election season has spurred a phenomenal amount of global interest in just how much freedom can be found in Russia. It is a valid question. Humans are, as Socrates has told us, naturally political and empathetic creatures – it's only natural that we might be concerned for the political well being of Russians, no matter how far removed from us by geography or history they may be. However, it is also important to remember this separation. An American trying to understand a Russian's political views can be just as difficult as a New Hampshire liberal trying to put himself in the shoes of a Bible-belt conservative. It requires considerable research and an open mind. It requires searching out and critically evaluating varied sources of information – questioning what we may consider common knowledge and taking seriously what we may consider improbable. As Socrates would also tell us, simply believing without question what we hear from any source is the shortest route to fallacy and misunderstanding.
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 March 15 is the deadline to apply for summer study abroad! Due to Russia's tightening visa policies, late applications will be difficult if not impossible to process. Apply today! March 15 is the deadline to apply for the Charles Braver Language Exploration Grant! The grant will give an SRAS student $500 towards their summer tuition.  HIV tests are now required for all student visas. It used to be that the Washington D.C. consulate did not require these for student visas under 90 days (all others did require them). All consulates in the US have no been brought into line and all now require the tests. Belarus has made changes to its visa regulations.
Vestnik, the Journal of Russian and Asian Studies is now in its eighth call for papers. Students (undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate) who have written exceptional work within the last year are highly encouraged to submit them for publication! The American Friends of Russian Folklore (AFRF) has formed to support and promote American understanding of Russian traditional life and culture. They will support educational and cultural presentations, field research, recordings, film making, archiving, and analysis of Russian folklore and oral histories. Maslenitsa is this week (3rd-9th of March). Make some blini for your fellow Russian students! Beyond Borders is an interesting - and free - comparative geography of the US and Russia. We are far more similar than one might think... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | 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 that do not receive heavy coverage in the Western news. | Russian Business and Economy
China is Russia's number three trade partner, the financial crisis skirts Russia, Russia becomes #2 in world spam production... the USRCCNE newsletter covers it all.
| |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Russians Speak Out Online
The NY Times translated one of its more critical articles on Russia into Russian and encouraged Russians to comment on it online and then translated several of those comments to English. The result is an extensive resource of what Russians think about critical articles. The original article can be found here. The full text of all comments, in Russian, can be found here.
The World According to Zhirinovsky
Russia's nationalist candidate took almost 10% of the presidential vote. What drives Russian nationalists? To contribute to a study of this question, SRAS has embarked on a project to present Vladimir Zhirinovsky's manifesto in English translation. Election Update (PDF)
This latest Russia Election Update discusses the transfer of power of in Russia, what the Presidential candidates stood for, and possible reasons why Kasyanov was not allowed to run. Can Russia Regulate the Internet?
Russian legislators have proposed two pieces of legislation to this end. SRAS Assistant Director Josh Wilson considers each separately in a new article on the website of Alinga Consulting Group. "Putin's Plan" (Streaming Video)
PBS Frontline recently featured Russian TV host Vladimir Pozner, dissident Gary Kasparov, and the head of Moscow's Carnegie Center to discuss the current state of Russian democracy.
How Free Are the Arts in Russia? (PDF)
This compilation of articles discusses the current state of literature, art, museums and what this may mean for Russian society. Russian and German viewpoints are presented. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Destination: St. Petersburg
Russia's cultural capital is also an important business and political center. This fully updated page details the city's unique past and how its status in Russia is changing today.
Study Abroad in St. Petersburg
SRAS features a growing range of study abroad programs in St. Petersburg focusing on art history, studio art, the Russian language, journalism, and translation. Apply by March 15th! SRAS has many more programs. Click here! Scholarships and Grants
An updated list of current Russia-related scholarship cycles. New Internship Offered
Beginning in summer, 2008, a new, paid internship will be offered in Moscow, Russia. European University Closed
Officially, this has occurred due to fire code violations. This article from the Jewish Daily outlines some of the other considerations and some of the ramifications for education in Russia if the university does not find a way to reopen. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language Resources
 The poster above is one of several developed by the National Language Service Corps to boost enrolment in priority language programs - which include Russian. Click it for more info on the corps.
|
Olga's Blog: Несбывшаяся американская мечта
Olga discusses how she applied to study in America - and was turned down because she was too young for the program. This month we also take an extensive look at Russian capitalization. Kем станет работать Владимир Путин?
Fishki.net is a Russian humor site. Here, they present several animated pictures of Putin with simple Russian phrases describing the actions performed in a humorous speculation of what Putin might occupy himself with if he left politics. Warning: Fishki.net also features advertising and links some viewers may find offensive. День защитника? - Defenders' Day?
The 23rd of February has long been a day to celebrate all men - in the capacity that all men have historically been required to serve in the military. What happens to the holiday in an age when military service is actively and widely avoided? Do It Yourself! - Cделай сам! (Streaming Video)
This month's Russian Mini-Lesson lets you chose your own! Inforvideo.ru is a new Russian website featuring dozens of short instructional videos. Each is about 2-4 minutes long and features Russians performing practical actions (like cooking) and explaining, slowly and clearly, each step of the process. Who could ask for a better language resource? | 
