Understanding Russia Through Everyday Life

The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, working in conjunction with Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal, the American Home in Vladimir and the Vladimir State Pedagogical University in Russia, has submitted a grant application for a Fulbright-Hays Group Project Abroad (GPA) to lead a short-term seminar in Russia on "Understanding Russia through Everyday Life" for 15 U.S. K-12 educators.

In 1917 Russian society experienced dramatic changes in all aspects of life. In 1991 the Russian people confronted yet another revolutionary transformation of their lives. While these dramatic changes in politics and society deeply affect everyday life, people nonetheless seek to maintain a sense of stability and normalcy. This seminar is designed to help U.S. elementary and secondary school teachers gain a better understanding of Russian history, society, politics, economics, culture, arts, and language by studying these topics from the perspective of everyday life and develop lesson plans to incorporate into their classes based on the new material. The lesson plans will be compiled into a curriculum guide and disseminated to other teachers of social studies and Russian through various avenues, including curriculum workshops and online media.

The program is designed to take place in three stages:

Stage 1: A five-day pre-departure curriculum development workshop on Russia and orientation at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.  This is a required component of the Fulbright-Hays GPA.

Stage 2: A four-week seminar in Russia

Stage 3: Post-travel development of lesson plans by participating teachers to be implemented in class in AY 2007-08. This is a required component of the program.

STAGE 1
Curriculum Development Workshop on Russia and Pre-Departure Orientation

Dates: June 20–24, 2007
Location: Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Workshop schedule [PDF]

The workshop at University of Illinois will serve as a foundation for curriculum development during the in-country seminar.  It will also provide pre-departure orientation information.  All participants of the seminar in Russia will be required to take part in the workshop.  Click on the above link for more information on the workshop.

Once you have been selected for the seminar in Russia, you will be asked to submit a separate application and housing reservation form for the workshop by May 4. Prior to the workshop, you will be sent via e-mail a collection of recent media coverage of important topics in Russia today. These articles will provide you with substantial background on contemporary Russia prior to the trip.

STAGE 2
Short-Term Seminar in Russia: "Understanding Russia through Everyday Life"

Dates: June 25–July 23, 2007
Sites: Vladimir, Murom, St. Petersburg, and Moscow
Housing: Home stay in Vladimir and Murom; hotels (double occupancy) in St. Petersburg and Moscow
International Travel: Depart from Bloomington to Moscow; return from Moscow to NYC/Chicago on Delta

Seminar schedule [PDF]

The intensive four-week seminar in Russia on "Understanding Russia through Everyday Life" will have a full schedule of lectures by Russian specialists, language instruction by experienced language instructors, field trips, and other cultural and educational activities. 

Much of the seminar will be conducted in the city of Vladimir, 190 km(118 miles) northeast of Moscow, in the heart of central Russia. With a population of 380,000, Vladimir is a historic city with an astonishing array of architectural and cultural sites, and life in Vladimir is probably more representative of Russian society in general than the two capitals, St. Petersburg or Moscow.  Vladimir is also the sister city of Bloomington-Normal where Illinois State University is located. The seminar director, Professor Ronald Pope of Illinois State University, is founder and President of Serendipity-Russia which operates the American Home in Vladimir. The Home is a multipurpose institution that teaches English and Russian, organizes educational tours, and does other cultural and charity work in Vladimir. The American Home staff, under the direction of Dr. Pope and Dr. Alexei Altonen, will make all the seminar arrangements in Vladimir and will coordinate the arrangements with the other communities. Participants will have access to computers and e-mail at the American Home, and the staff will do their best to provide any personal assistance that might be needed.  Re housing, participants will be placed with host families, affording them an understanding of Russian life beyond what any lecture could possibly convey.

History of Vladimir and Murom (in pdf)

Vladimir tourism site

Following 2-1/2 weeks in Vladimir, the seminar will move to Murom, St. Petersburg, and Moscow for approximately 3 days at each city for comparative purposes.  

Please read the seminar schedule page for more details. [will be posted soon]

Throughout the program, the participants will be expected to work on curriculum development: narrowing down the topic and objective of their lesson plans; collecting materials, artifacts, images, and data; and consulting with Pope and Altonen, as well as with the other seminar lecturers.   

STAGE 3
Post-Travel Development and Implementation of Lesson Plans by Participating Teachers 

Following the seminar in Russia, the participants will be asked to develop and submit a lesson plan that is relevant to their teaching and implement the lesson plan in AY 2007-08.  This is a required component of the seminar.

Participants will be asked to sign a contract regarding this matter before departure.  They will receive a certificate of completion upon receipt of the lesson plan and, if budget allows, partial reimbursement for purchases of curriculum materials in Russia.

Select teachers will be asked to present their lesson plans in two workshops at Illinois in summer 2008 - Curriculum Development Workshop on Russia and the International Summer Institute for Precollegiate Educators (expenses will be covered by REEEC). Others are asked to present their lesson plans at in-service workshops in the their local districts, but this is not required.  

The lesson plans will be compiled into a curriculum guide by REEEC and disseminated.

PROGRAM PERSONNEL

Program co-director: 
                 Valeria Sobol (assistant professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, University of Illinois)
Program co-director & in-country seminar director: 
                 Ronald Pope (associate professor of politics and government, Illinois State University)  
In-country technical director & coordinator: 
                 Alexei Altonen (director of special projects for the American Home; associate professor of language methodology, Vladimir State

                Pedagogical University, Russia)
Program technical director & coordinator: 
                 Lynda Park (University of Illinois)