The Peoples, Nations, and Nationalities of the former USSR

Description

Enrollment of 24 includes students from the Russia and Eurasia program. 

This workshop investigates the ethnic, cultural, religious, and political diversity of the former Russian and later Soviet empires. We will examine the histories of the fifteen "republics" that emerged as internationally recognized nation states upon the collapse of the USSR in 1991 as well as the dozens of smaller ethnic identities that continue to exist within these newly legitimized borders. Books, articles, films (recommended), and student research will provide us with a strong overview of the complexity of this enormous geographic region that covered twelve time zones. Individual students will be responsible for investigating one particular nationality (or ethnicity) in greater depth than will the class as a whole, and they will then share their findings with the entire workshop.