Program in Russian and East European Studies

• Federal grant will expand Chinese-Russian-Asian Studies at Fairfield University

The end of the Cold war along with the collapse of the Soviet Union and communist regimes in Eastern Europe offer a unique opportunity to take a fresh look at an old field: Russian and East European area studies. Formerly caught within the framework of the Cold War, new societies are emerging, struggling to come to grips with their pasts and forging their own unique futures. With the assistance of a grant from the PepsiCo Foundation, Fairfield University has begun a variety of new initiatives in this area.

The Russian and East European Studies minor offers students an opportunity, from a base major either in International Studies or one of the disciplines, to develop a focus on this dynamic area of the world. Eighteen credits (six three-credit courses) are required for the minor. Five of these courses must be chosen from courses exclusively or substantially concerned with Russia and/or Eastern Europe, from a range of seven different disciplines. At least three different disciplines must be represented. The final course, required of all minors in their senior year, will be an interdisciplinary capstone seminar for seniors, "Current Topics in Russia and Eastern Europe," which will be team taught by a rotating group of faculty from several disciplines.

Independent Study and internships are encouraged, and can be substituted for any course with the approval of appropriate faculty and the Director of the program. All students are also encouraged to apply for a junior semester or year abroad in Russia or Eastern Europe, from a wide range of affiliated programs including the American Collegiate Consortium (Middlebury) with 20 sites, the Boston University Moscow internship program, the Consortium on International Education Exchange (CIEE), St. Petersburg language and culture program, and Fairfield's own program in St. Petersburg at Herzen University. Up to 5 scholarships per year will be available for such study, funded by the PepsiCo Russian Studies program grant.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business at Fairfield University have new opportunities for you. We have a new area studies minor: Russian and East European Studies. Study in this field will enhance your career in whatever you choose to do. Russia and Eastern Europe offer an expanding market for jobs and other entrepreneurial activities.

Russian and East European Studies is an interdisciplinary program pulling together courses and faculty from a wide variety of fields in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Business. Six three-credit courses are required for the minor, which can complement majors in International Studies, International Business, or a number of other majors. The courses required will introduce you to Russian language, history, politics, literature, art and business.

In addition to their participation in the Russian Area Studies program, the School of Business faculty integrates Russian and East European studies throughout the curriculum, as part of the School's commitment to action-based learning. Courses in international business, management, finance, information systems and marketing incorporate case studies, often drawn from the faculty's consulting and research-h, which reveal the dynamic aspects of Russia's developing economy. For example, in International Business law, Russia serves to illustrate problems and opportunities in market development in the absence of a fully developed legal system. Similarly, International Finance can explore the development of a business plan for new enterprises in Moscow. The special Russian bankers internship program enhances student and faculty international business experience, helps develop networks, and leads to potential job placements in Russia and other former Soviet republics.

You can study for a semester or a year abroad in Russia or Eastern Europe and receive scholarship assistance from the PepsiCo Foundation for up to $5000. At least four scholarships per year will be available. Fairfield has affiliated with three exciting programs, from which all students can choose:

• The American Collegiate Consortium. This high quality academic program offers one semester or year long programs at 20 sites in the Former Soviet Union, including Ukraine, Kazakhstan, the Baltic States, and Armenia, in addition to numerous sites in European and Siberian Russia.
• Boston University Moscow internship program. This exciting one-semester program combines language and culture immersion with an internship with a new Russian business or non-profit group (environmental organizations are quite popular).
• Council for International Educational Exchange. This program, based at St. Petersburg University in the cultural heart of European Russia, is the oldest American-Russian academic exchange program, and offers wonderful opportunity for language and culture immersion with particular opportunities in the fine arts.

In any case, whether you end up going to study abroad or not, take Russian to fulfill your language requirement! You will be enriched and feel a new sense of accomplishment with this new language. We teach Russian with the help of videos and games that encourage and inspire you to speak.

The PepsiCo Russian Studies program, funded by a generous grant from the PepsiCo Foundation, has enabled the university to reintroduce Russian language, provide for faculty development, enhance the curricula through visiting Russian scholars, bring Russian students to Fairfield and send Fairfield students to Russia, and improve technological communication with partner universities in St. Petersburg and Moscow. In addition, Fairfield has hosted the Russian-American Bankers' Forum and the School of Business is engaged in a series of training programs and internships for Russian bankers and businessmen. Cultural exchange programs in Music, Fine Arts, and History are also underway.

Each year at the end of May, Fairfield University students travel to Russia and Eastern Europe. This is a most vivid and memorable way to combine history, culture and present day life of the emerging region.