The SRAS Newsletter
A Resource for Students, Educators, and Anyone Curious about Russia
Devin Connolly is a tour guide focusing on
Central Asia and the Caucuses region. |
Welcome from SRAS!
In a recent CIA/NIS report projecting the future of geopolitics, the authors seem most uncertain about Russia. They write that if Russia used its oil wealth to diversify its economy and invest in its population, it would continue to grow in power. Most Russia watchers have long agreed on this – but with oil prices high and Russia's budget running major surpluses, the main disagreement was on if Russia's procrastination on diversifying and investing represented a major mistake. Now, with oil prices plummeting at a time of global economic crisis, nearly everyone can agree that Russia is facing some very serious challenges. Never in the history of this newsletter have we felt that Russia has been in such a complex situation, where all factors of economics, demographics, social development, and foreign and domestic policy are all coming into immediate focus and immediate importance. For this reason, in addition to our planned focus on professions and working in Russia, and our seasonal focus on Russian holidays and future trends, we've chosen to additionally focus on obzori. Our news reviews this month cover the gambit of the Russian economy, politics, foreign relations, society, the military, and related issues such as news from Eurasia and the aftermath of the conflict with Georgia. If you have thoughts on where Russia is heading, or thoughts on what you'd like to see from our newsletter in the coming year, let us know! We'd love to hear your opinion. To subscribe to this free newsletter, send an email with "Subscribe SRAS" in the subject field to jwilson@sras.org.  News and Announcements
Join SRAS at the AATSEEL conference in San Francisco on the 27-30th of December. Attendees can come by our table for a free calendar (see below for details)! 2009 Boren Scholarships and Fellowships should be applied for before January 29 and February 11, respectively. Studies in Slavic Cultures is accepting submissions for the 2009 issue on "Memory." Graduate students should make submissions before December 20th. Brill Academic Publishers is proud to announce a new multi-disciplinary Slavic and Eurasian Studies publishing program. BBC Russian Service is facing funding cuts. A movement is forming to protect it. Ukrainian Traditional Folklore, a multimedia site, has added a new section on Ukrainian traditional weddings. The memoirs of a veteran of General Andrei Vlasov's anti-Stalinist Russian Army of Liberation (ROA) have just been published in Britain by Spellmount Books, part of the History Press. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | 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. | News from Eurasia
Financial crisis in Eurasia; Sparring on famine and gas; New gas deposits found in Turkmenistan; Kyrgyzstan gets $100 mln. South Ossetia Obzor This third installment follows the aftermath of the war and the current political climate in Georgia. Russian Military
Military reform, arms sales, agreements, and military relations.
| Russia-Related events in:
UK; SW CA, 2; CO; DC, 2, 3;
HI; IL, 2;
MA, 2; NC, 2, 3;
NJ; NY, 2, 3;
OH, 2; PA; More Cultural Events
in the US! |
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 Devin Connolly, Central Asian Tour Guide
Devin Connolly turned a love of adventure and knowledge of Russian into a career. Just back from leading a group of tourists through Georgia, she shares thoughts on her education, her travels, and maintaining a tourist industry in the aftermath of a war.
Faith Seim: The Drama of Russia
Faith Seim studied Russian at Moscow State University with SRAS, and later studied film direction at the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK). She went on to work with the Moscow-based RAMKO/Russian-American Movie Company. Russia's Foreign Workers
Foreign workers as a whole make up a large percentage of the Russian work force and are likely to remain a strong presence in Russia due to demographic and economic pressures. This article, co-authored by SRAS Assistant Director, Josh Wilson, explains where they come from and why they stay. St. Petersburg's New Fantasy Islands
A new tourist port is now open on a man-made island in St. Petersburg. More islands are planned to support housing and commercial space - but the new development could cost St. Petersburg in traffic congestion and a loss of its historic skyline and feel. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
Faculty Led Travel
Planning to lead a group of students, professionals, or community members to Russia this summer? Now is the time to start planning! Contact SRAS to find out how we can help you make it happen. SRAS has a full range of study programs. Click here! SRAS Summer Work Study
Offering intensive Russian lessons, professional translation and research experience, and a living stipend while in Moscow. Scholarships and Grants
An updated list of current Russia-related scholarship cycles. Thousands of dollars are available for study abroad. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Global Trends 2025 (PDF, 33.4 MB)
This latest report from the NIC and the CIA examines what changes the next decades may bring to global politics and economics. They predict a much stronger position for Russia in both fields. Russian Holidays, 2009
SRAS has just completed its annual update of its Holiday Histories article with more information and the days off for all Russian federal holidays. Very helpful for anyone planning to spend extended periods in Russia! SRAS Calendar (PDF, 1.2 MB)
This month's Image of the Month is actually the first four months of our new SRAS calendar. Compiled from photographs and commentary collected from from SRAS students, this calendar is always an insightful and aesthetically attractive look at Russia.  -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Debate: Bakhmina "Maternity Parole"
One of the hottest political debates in Russia right now is whether ex-Yukos lawyer Svetlana Bakhmina should be granted parole from her prison sentence due to fact that she is/was pregnant while in prison (she recently gave birth there).
93 Untranslatable Words
This compact book, available for just $12 from Russian Life, details difficult to translate words and concepts with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose. Russian Funeral Traditions
With the recent death of Patriarch Alexei II, we've heard western newscasters on CNN and BBC refer to Russian traditional funeral practices as "involved," "strict," and "very, very long." Of course, to most Russians, the practices are none of these things, but rather "normal," "reverential," and, of course, "Orthodox." This month's Russian Mini-Lesson explores these traditional practices and the vocabulary related to them. 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. |
