Trinity-in-Moscow Study Abroad Program

Tue Oct 16 19:08:46 UTC 2007

On behalf of Katherine Lahti and Carol Any, faculty sponsors of the
Trinity-in-Moscow study abroad program hosted by Trinity College, Connecticut,

Id like to draw your attention to Trinity-in-Moscow study abroad program
for students of Russian. It is quite unique in (1) the level of academic
quality (students are taught by top scholars in the field, and students with
various majors can be accommodated); (2) the degree of integration into the
Russian society (students do an internship with an NGO or business company,
as well as a number of extra-curricular activities with peers); (3) the
amount of individual attention (the on-site Director provides a lot of
academic and personal attention and support, right from the moment of the
students arrival throughout the entire semester). If you are interested,
please check the description of the Program below.

       For questions regarding the goals and the design of the Program, please
contact our Faculty sponsors at Trinity College Katherine Lahti and Carol
Any at katherine.lahti at trincoll.edu, carol.any at trincoll.edu
       For questions regarding the Moscow site, available courses, potential
 internships, housing, please contact our on-site Director Valentina Apresjan
at valentina.apresjan at gmail.com
       For application forms and questions regarding grades and credit transfer
please contact our International Programs Director at Trinity College Lisa
Sapolis at Lisa.Sapolis at trincoll.edu

         We designed our program in Moscow to address the shortcomings of
other study programs in Russia that our students had attended in the past. 
We are especially proud of two unique features:  (1) a complete course of
study that can be tailored to students with various academic interests and
majors as well as various levels of Russian language proficiency, and (2) a
core course that brings students into contact with illustrious guest
speakers from government and cultural life.

	The program began in 2002 with a group of six students from Trinity and
from Wesleyan University.  It runs every Spring semester.  Our students take
courses at two of Moscows premier academic institutions, the Gorky
Institute of Literature and the Russian State University of the Humanities
(RSUH).  Students may choose to live in a home stay or in a dormitory at RSUH.

	To be eligible for the program, students must have studied Russian for at
least one semester, and taken one Russian Studies course in English.  

	The program consists of the following:

 Core course, taken by all students, which consists of three modules. 
	Module 1, Political Forces and Cultural Change in Russia Today, is
offered as a weekly seminar-supper at the Gorky Institute.  Each week an
important figure from public life is brought in as a guest speaker.
	Module 2, Moscow Yesterday and Today, is offered in the form of weekly
walking tours with accompanying readings.  The walking tours include
cultural and historical tours led by professional art historians, as well as
a choice of social tours to such places as an orphanage, a nursing home, and
a prison, which help students understand the life and problems of
contemporary Russian society. 
	Module 3, Historic St. Petersburg, is a series of walking tours in St.
Petersburg covering history, architecture, and literature.

         Individual seminar on the topic of students choice led by a
scholar in the appropriate field.  Topics that students have taken in the
past include 19th century Russian literature; Russian folklore; the Chechen
wars; perestroika under Gorbachev; and the former Islamic republics of the
Soviet Union. We can arrange a seminar on virtually any topic in the
humanities if notified by the end of November.  For those students who major
in mathematics or physics, we set up courses with the Math-in-Moscow
Program, a highly recognized program taught by eminent Russian scientists. 
          Russian language classes taught by specialists from the Russian
University of Humanities where our students also have a chance to socialize
with Russian peers.  
          Internship, which allows students to explore Russia through
working in a company or institution alongside Russian people. Our
internships include both charity and business appointments, based on
students needs and interests. Some internship options include working in
human rights institutions, teaching English or office and research work in
companies. Some students have found excellent post-graduation jobs in their
internship placements!
           Intensive Russian prep course.  This is a three-week survival
skills course that students take upon their arrival in Moscow at the
Institute of Russian Language and before the formal study of the semester
begins.  

	The resident program coordinator in Moscow is Dr. Valentina Apresjan.  Dr.
Apresjan, a native of Moscow, holds a Ph.D. in linguistics from the
University of Southern California and is on the research staff at the
Russian Language Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences.  She has an
outstanding facility in English and knowledge of American culture, and so is
in a unique position to help our students bridge the culture gap. Dr.
Apresjan acts as Trinitys liaison with RSUH and the Gorky Institute,
monitors students general academic progress, arranges and monitors
students internships, helps the students negotiate bureaucratic tangles and
in general assists them in dealing with culture shock.  She also accompanies
the group on a two-week trip to Petersburg at the end of the program.  
          Because we do not run a big program, we are able to provide a lot
of individual attention to our students, from arranging seminars according
to their interests to giving them personal attention whenever they need it.
Dr. Apresjan meets the students upon  arrival at Sheremetevo Airport, shows
them around the city, and creates a program of recreational activities. The
group makes two trips during the semester, visits music halls, theaters, and
clubs, holds informal meetings with Russian peers, goes out to restaurants,
ice-skating and (for the adventurous) even horseback riding.

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