U. incorporates Russia in study abroad offerings

Ballet, tsars and Cossacks aren’t the only things Russia is known for.
This summer, interested University students may be able to truly experience Russia with the first-ever Russia Summer Study Abroad program in St. Petersburg, directed by the Program in Russian and East European Languages and Literatures.
“Russia is a very important place to study in [that] it’s one of the world powers, it has an incredible history [and] it plays an important part of American foreign policy,” said Gerald Pirog, professor of Russian literature.
The program runs from June 5 to July 19, providing students with six weeks of experience and nine credits in the studies of Russian language and culture, said Lauren Randolph, associate director of the Study Abroad Office.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to see a beautiful city and learn a new language,” she said.
Pirog said this program was initiated at the University for several reasons.
“Our students have gone through other programs but it is more difficult to transfer credits, or sometimes they have to re-apply to Rutgers University,” he said. “Also, we wanted to have a program that was fully in our control and that would be taught by Rutgers professors.”
Pirog said students will have three University professors available at all times while abroad: Russian language professor Svetlana McCoy-Rusanova, history professor Jochen Helbeck and Pirog himself.
Five days a week, students will have an hour of Russian grammar, composition and phonetics to count for six credits and two semesters of Russian at the University, he said.
“It’s an intensive language program,” said Pirog, but the program accepts beginners and students from other universities.
It is open to students from all majors and levels, Randolph said.
“I think the more options you have, [the better because] there are so many students here who want different things, it’s important for them to have a variety of opportunities to match the variety of interests,” said Rachel Klein, a School of Arts and Sciences first-year student.
Pirog and Helbeck will be co-teaching the second course, worth three credits, on St. Petersburg history and literature in English, Pirog said.
“They will be reading some novels and historical text, which we will provide,” he said.
When students return from Russia in August, they will have to write two three to five page papers, Pirog said.
Students will meet for this course four times a week, Monday through Thursday, and one of the days will be an excursion, he said.
“In-city excursions would include things like mansions that the nobility lived in,” Pirog said. “We’re going to go see the steps of the Bronze Horseman.”
He said another major excursion would involve the famous Russian novelist, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and visiting the Dostoevsky Museum.
“We would have a sort of ‘Crime and Punishment’ excursion where we would follow the steps of the main character,” Pirog said.
But many of the excursions will need a day to do the sites justice, he said.
“Excursions that take a day would be places like Catherine the Great’s estate in the town of Pushkin or the Emperor Paul I’s estate in the town of Pavlovsk, and we would be going to Peterhof Hall, which is the summer residence of the tsars and is on the Gulf of Finland,” Pirog said.
But the program is mainly focused around St. Petersburg, as even the whole-day trips are not far from the city, he said.
Pirog said there will be no trip to Moscow, but students are free to go to the capital if they make arrangements.
“We chose St. Petersburg over Moscow because I think St. Petersburg is somewhat more easy to manage. It’s smaller,” Pirog said.
McCoy-Rusanova said he is from St. Petersburg and the cost of living is cheaper there.
Randolph said St. Petersburg in the summer is a unique place because of the White Nights — a few weeks during the summer when the sun does not set due to the city’s northern locale. The city hosts many festivities during this time, she said.
“So basically, all night long you have perpetual daylight,” she said. “It’s a great time to be in St. Petersburg.”
He said the program accepts up to 15 students, but they will accept more if there is a strong rush of students.
“We want to get [applications] as soon as possible because for Russia you need a student visa,” Randolph said.
She said the deadline has been extended through March.
The costs have not been finalized yet but they will be in a few days, Randolph said.
The program does not cover airfare or meals, Pirog said. But financial aid is available and the costs cover transportation from the students’ hotel to classes.
Pirog said there would be another information session on the program after spring break.
He suggests students look at the Web site, stay in touch with the program professors and talk to Study Abroad.
For more information, visit study abroad or their information Web site at http://seell.rutgers.edu/Main%20Pages/Russia2.html.