New Russian Studies Project

August 12, 2015

At the beginning of the spring semester, an interdisciplinary Russian Studies project was launched at the MacMillan Center. It is led by Paul Bushkovitch, Reuben Post Halleck Professor of History; Thomas Graham, Jackson Institute Senior Fellow; and John MacKay, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures, and Film and Media Studies.

The Russian Studies project offers a lively and multifaceted set of events to inform and engage student and faculty interests, drawing on the enduring and new lessons of Russia history, the deep wellspring of Russian culture flowing through film, as well as the ideas of contemporary thinkers focused on Russia at this pivotal time. The project offers three intersecting programs under the auspices of the European Studies Council of the MacMillan Center. As part of the project, a website has been developed at http://russian-studies.yale.edu. The organizers hope it will become the central repository for information on Russian studies, including courses, research, events and news, for the Yale community.

“Russian Studies at Yale has long been one of the leading centers for the study of Russia in the United States and a meeting place for Americans and Russians in the pursuit of mutual understanding and constructive engagement,” according to the project’s organizers. “Our goal is to satisfy the growing interest in Russia on campus—and generate more—with a range of activities that will cover political, economic, social, cultural, and other matters. The additional Renova Group funding is especially useful in enabling us to engage Russian colleagues with our faculty and students on campus, and to round out the historic and contemporary elements of the programming.”

Initial funding for the Russian Studies project was provided by the MacMillan Center, along with in-kind support from the European Studies Council and the Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, which are both housed under the MacMillan Center. The project also received external funding from the Renova Group to develop more robust programing.