The Havighurst Center - Miami Orientation 2021

1. 322 Harrison Hall
Oxford OH 45056
HavighurstCenter@miamioh.edu
www.miamioh.edu/havighurstcenter
FOR RUSSIAN & POST-SOVIET STUDIES
THE HAVIGHURST CENTER

2. The Havighurst Center for Russian & Post-Soviet Studies was established in 2000 as the result of
a generous bequest from Walter E. Havighurst, a professor of English at Miami University. The
Center boasts a core of eight faculty members engaged in research and teaching about Russian,
Eastern European and Eurasia, hosts and sponsors events and programming on the region, and
provides undergraduate students interested the region with funding for study abroad,
fellowships with the Havighurst Center, and unique opportunities to meet with international
scholars and artists.
ABOUT THE HAVIGHURST CENTER
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3. With 145 million native speakers, Russian is one of the ten most
widely spoken languages in the world. An additional 110 million
people speak Russian as a second language.
At Miami University, you can major in Russian, East European and
Eurasian Studies or minor in Russian Language. In addition to
language courses, you can take classes in literature, political
science, history, classics and religion
Recent students’ accomplishments:
Nancy Pellegrino (B.A. 2021): Critical Languages Fellowship
August Hagemann (B.A. 2020): Fulbright semifinalist, Dawisha Grant
recipient
Emily Erdmann (B.A. 2019): Fulbright recipient, 2019-2020
Emily Walton (B.A. 2016): M.A. from Georgetown, 2019, Boren
Grant recipient
WHY RUSSIAN STUDIES?
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4. Fellowships and Grants
Undergraduate Fellowship
The Havighurst Center for Russian & Post-Soviet Studies awards the Havighurst
Undergraduate Fellowship to qualified undergraduate students who declare Russian, East
European and Eurasian Studies as a major.
Dawisha Research Grant
The Karen Dawisha Memorial Fund, honoring the founding Director of the Havighurst
Center, Karen L. Dawisha (1949-2018), awards grants to qualified students to support study
abroad and/or innovative research by undergraduate students interested in Russia, the
Soviet Union, or its successor states.
Blog Posts
Students are encouraged to submit a contribution to the Havighurst Center’s
Blog, The New Contemporary, which features interviews, articles, op-eds, and other pieces
that spotlight the Center’s focus and activities.
Student Clubs
Russian and Eastern European (RUS/EE) Club
RUS/EE Club offers students the opportunity to learn about Russia and Eastern European
countries. They meet bi-weekly and hold a number of events each semester including cultural
dinners, presentations, and movie nights. For more information, visit the RUS/EE club website
or contact club advisor Dr. Sutcliffe at sutclibm@miamioh.edu.
Lithuanian Club
The Miami University Lithuanian Club focuses on the celebration of the Lithuanian culture,
language, and people. The goal of the club is to promote and strengthen bonds in the
Lithuanian community. To join, e-mail club advisor Neringa Klumbyte klumbyn@miamioh.edu.
You also can visit the Lithuanian Club on their website and on Lithuanian Club Facebook.
Study Abroad
The Havighurst Center offers financial assistance to Miami University students participating in
study abroad programs to Russia and other post-Soviet states. Miami University students
planning to enroll in a study abroad program for the summer, semester, or full academic year
are eligible to apply.
STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES
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5. Annual Lecture
The Havighurst Center hosts an Annual Lecture, inviting nationally and internationally renowned figures
associated with the regions of Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia to lecture on their areas of expertise.
This lecture series has hosted such dignitaries as Dr. James Billington, Librarian of Congress; Yegor Gaidar,
former Prime Minister of Russia; Mikhail Gorbachev, the last General Secretary of the Communist Party of
the Soviet Union; Alexander Kwasniewski, former President of Poland; Philip Dimitrov, former Prime
Minister of Bulgaria; US ambassador to the former Soviet Union and Russia, Jack Matlock, Herta Müller,
Nobel Prize in Literature Recipient, and former President of Kyrgyzstan Roza Otunbayeva.
Creative Horizons
Creative Horizons is a collaboration between the Havighurst Center, Arizona State University’s Melikian
Center, and the Institute on Russia at the University of South Florida. Building on separate experiments in
virtual programming since Spring 2020, this joint venture gives audiences in Arizona, Florida, Ohio and
beyond the opportunity to hear from working artists in the region as they discuss their methods,
perspectives and aspirations.
Colloquia Series
Each semester, the Havighurst Center hosts the Havighurst Colloquia Series. This lecture series, which is
attached to an undergraduate, cross-listed topics course focusing on Russian, East European and Eurasian
Studies (REEES), is comprised of invited guest speakers who lecture on some aspect of the topic being
taught that particular semester. Recent topics have included religion in the former USSR and media in
Russia today.
Young Researchers Conference
The Havighurst Center annually hosts the International Young Researchers’ Conference (YRC), which invites
advanced graduate students and recent doctorate recipients from the U.S. and abroad to present their
research on a specified topic within the region of Russia, Eastern Europe and/or Eurasia.
Events and Programs
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6. If you’d like to receive more information about our upcoming Fall 2021 events,
get on our email list! Send an email to HavighurstCenter@miamioh.edu,
with the subject Class of 2025
https://www.facebook.com/Havighurst
https://twitter.com/HavighurstCtr
https://blogs.miamioh.edu/havighurst/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4fXLZjidanuU_FSXHBWmSw
HTTP://WWW.MIAMIOH.EDU/HAVIGHURSTCENTER
FOR MORE INFORMATION