Staff Articles

Virtual Study Abroad?: Russian Immersion Experience

Fallon O'Malley

This summer I participated in the American Councils RLASP (Advanced Russian Language and Area Studies) program through American Council's for International Education. I had originally planned on studying abroad through William and Mary, but due to the pandemic and other challenges, I decided to apply to an outside organization for more opportunities in language immersion. There are many programs that American Councils offers to learn Russian, such as Politics & Public Diplomacy and other oversees flagship programs. The RLASP program combined intensive classroom instruction with a wide range of extracurricular activities and opportunities to connect with local people. It is normally offered in four different cities (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Vladimir, or Almaty), however it did end up being facilitated online because of travel restrictions and COVID. While this first came as disappointing news, I quickly realized that having classes online allowed professors from both major cities, Moscow and St. Petersburg, to collaboratively teach our courses. This offered a unique experience, which allowed us to connect with students of both universities. Of course, each city has strong opinions about the other and this was reflected in our dialogue with the students. However, this created deeper discussions on issues related to day-to-day life as we learned more about individual experiences and sought to understand these different perspectives.

For the duration of the program, I attended class for around four hours every day and then would complete separate group assignments with my peers as a way to research more about our personal interests in a Russian-language context. All participants were split into groups (группа) and each group was named after a city. For example, my group was called Суздаль, which is a small town northeast of Moscow. Each day, our groups would attend classes for several hours based on different topics. Some classes included: Speaking Practice (разговорная практика), Art and Culture (искусство и культура), Grammar (грамматика), Phonetics (фонетика) Word Education (словообразование), Political Processes of Modern Russia (политические процессы современной России) and more. One of my favorite courses was called "Group Discussion" and this was a two hour period at the end of the week where we would speak with Russian students and discuss topics related to American and Russian life. Here we would discuss topics such as: Russian and American slang, social media platforms, or where we often go to vacation. This was a high point of the week for me because everyone could chat about their lives and we did not worry as much about understanding everything that was said. This is unlike the dread felt sitting through a full length lecture in Russian and hoping you can keep up with the material. Later, we were matched with other Russian students who would be our "language partners" for the duration of the program. My language partner was Daria, who is a student in Moscow International University, and this was one of the best ways I began to overcome my fear of making mistakes when I speak Russian. In my opinion, one major takeaway from this experience was learning to let go of this worry and to challenge myself everyday. We all struggle with language learning and its important to know that everyone is in the same boat as you. Ask lots of questions and make lots of mistakes for greater gains in the future.

In all, I would highly recommend the program to students in any walk of life and level in Russian. I was in a group of students from all over the U.S. who were not just undergrads but doctoral candidates and individuals outside of academia. We were all similar in our desire to improve our Russian skills, but also generally to become better students and world citizens. Of course, learning does not end once we leave university, but stays with us our entire lives. In the future, I will probably look back at this experience with newfound appreciation. Sometimes it is hard to reflect on something so recent as it seems like little progress has been made. It took me several weeks to become comfortable with my level of Russian and to engage in conversations with fluent speakers. Though it is important to remember there are many people cheering for you, whether that be your professors, classmates or friends. It may not seem like it in the moment but the smallest things can make the biggest difference.

Top Image: RLASP Summer 2021 Orientation slideshow

Image on left: Discussion in the course "Разговорная Практика" on tips for students.

Image on right: Students from МГУ give a tour of Moscow and provide a fact about the Kremlin.

Мелодии Миры №5: Ёлка, Точки расставлены

Mira Wroblewski

Альбом: Точки расставлены

Исполнитель: Ёлка

Избранная песня: Прованс

While most students of Russian probably recognize the word ёлка (Christmas tree) from their holiday-themed vocabulary lessons, I can’t help thinking of Ukrainian singer Ёлка, whose music I’ve been listening to as long as I’ve been studying Russian.

Ёлка’s hit song Прованс first graced my ears during a summer exchange program to Moldova in 2016. Although I had never heard any Russian pop before, the program’s bus driver, Sergei, was determined to change that. Sergei had a CD of about 25 pop songs that he played on an endless loop—needless to say, our cohort of students was forced to become well-acquainted with them after 8 weeks of extended bus rides. While some did quickly become maddening, Прованс remained a favorite—not only were the “ah-ah-ahs” in the chorus the easiest thing for us Russian novices to sing along to, but the song was also catchy and danceable.

It turns out that Sergei wasn’t the only one playing the song on repeat—in 2011, it topped the charts in both Russia and Ukraine. The song, about a girl and her dreams to go to France, is light-hearted, feel-good, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It won a variety of awards, from “Best Song” at the RU Awards and the Golden Gramophone. Boris Barabanov in Kommersant wrote that it was undoubtedly the main hit of the year, and turned “almost into a national anthem in the spring of 2011.” The song also appeared in Afisha magazine’s 2011 list of the most memorable Russian pop hits of the past 20 years.

Although Ёлка had been a professional musician for years before Прованс was released, she regards it as a breakthrough point in her musical career. It was her the first song she acknowledged as being in the pop genre, having been in R&B and rock groups prior. Since its release, she has gone on to produce many more hits, including more Golden Gramophone winners like Мальчик-красавчик, Около тебя, Лети, Лиза, Грею счастье, and Мир открывается. She was coined Ёлка (Christmas tree) as a child for her love of bright accessories, and her glowing personality indeed shines through in all the work she does.

I’ve selected some lyrics from the iconic Прованс (Provence) from Ёлка’s album Точки расставлены (Points have been placed).

Избранный текст песни Прованс:

Rocket integration conducted at Roscosmos’ Baikonur Cosmodrome, 2015

Dmitry Rogozin, 2018

Film Review: Viy (Вий) (1967)

Yasha Barth & Megan Carlon

Introduction:

With Halloween right around the corner, we figured that there is no better way to kick off the spooky season than with the classic Russian horror film Viy. Viy was originally written by Ukrainian-born Russian writer Nikolai Gogol in 1835 as part of his Mirgorod tales (Viy). The tale follows the events preceding and leading up to the unfortunate demise of Khoma, a philosopher-monk studying at a seminary.

Nikolai Gogol is one of the most famous novelists and playwrights in Russian history, having written many famous works including short stories Viy, The Night Before Christmas, and the novel Dead Souls. Despite his great success, Gogol struggled late in his life with depression and eventually went on a hunger strike before his death. However, several theories arose regarding his death after he was discovered to be face down in his casket when his grave was being relocated (Nikolai Gogol). Perhaps he was indeed buried alive…

You can watch the film with subtitles for free on YouTube using the following link: https://youtu.be/Amh3uudVMBo

Fun facts:

• During the production of the film there occurred a sudden switch in actresses. Originally, Alexandra Zavyalova was chosen to perform the role of the witch Panochka, but she was replaced by Natalia Varley, an actress who had previously worked as a circus performer. Varley’s background in circus work made it easy for her to be filmed flying around in the air without any fear (Интересные Факты).

• It was difficult to locate an older female actress to assume the role of the elderly witch, which resulted in the producers assigning the role to male actor Nikolay Kutuzov (Интересные Факты).

Yasha’s Review:

When I first saw this film in elementary school, I was so scared that I vowed to never watch it again. Years later I have overcome my fear, revisited this scary classic from 1967, and have been able to focus on and understand different aspects of the film that I was initially oblivious to. Viy’s mix of classic Russian myths and legends through the depiction of countryside life and religious rituals was both spectacular and frightening. Directors Georgi Kropachyov and Konstantin Yershov’s modest comedic style slightly softens the horror aspect of the film through the performances of the actors, yet the attention to details – such as bloody tears and the lighting – and the unbelievable depiction of the torments brought about by the witch reinforces the fearful aspect of this classic. Despite the interesting storyline and references to the significant role of the orthodoxy in peasant life, the ending and presentation of Viy himself was rather lackluster. Nevertheless, I appreciated the fact that this film both has an element of horror and comedy that blends together exceptionally well and makes this film a must-see for people of all ages who want to learn more about Russian religion and pagan folklore. Gogol would be proud of this adaptation of his story.

Megan’s Review:

The story of Viy was originally written and published by Gogol in his collection “Migorod” in 1835. The main character, Khoma, is a philosopher who studies in seminary under the Orthodox Christian Church during the 19^th century. He has an unfortunate run-in with a witch who holds the power of metamorphosis– an ability highly associated with the devil and demonic spirits amongst the Russian people at this time. The power of the demonic forces in the film is shown in contrast to holy men and images of the Christian faith. For the centuries prior, old pagan and Orthodox Christian beliefs merged to become the religion of the Russian peasant. This double faith is seen throughout the film as Christian personages and beliefs are used to explain the balance between “good” and “unclean” forces. The film often utilizes Christian and pagan imagery and beliefs like the eleusa cheek-to-cheek painting of Mother Mary, the “Not made by hands” icon of Christ, references to birch trees, and magic circles that ward off evil spirits. The story is saturated with Russian folklore which makes it even more interesting to watch. The film starts off slow and suspenseful while building to uncover the creatures of the night. I hadn’t seen the film before and was delightfully surprised by the quality of its special effects given that it was released in the 1960s. It is a great film for people interested in Russian folklore, especially during the Halloween season.

Clip: https://youtu.be/DCm065IBnIU?t=220

This clip shows the first night that Khoma spends praying inside the church and his interaction with the deceased witch.

Vocabulary:

Ведьма: a witch

Отпустите: let go (of me)

И пальцем не тронет: (they) won’t lay a finger on you

Сгинь: scram/begone

Нечистая сила: evil spirit/unclean soul

You Don’t Bite the Hand That Feeds You

Sarah Lage

The results of the women’s rhythmic gymnastics all-around at the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo were controversial. Israel’s Linoy Ashram, the reigning World bronze medalist (2019), edged out Russia’s beloved Dina Averina, a three-time World all-around champion (2019, 2018, 2017), for the Olympic gold medal. Dina’s identical twin sister, Arina – who qualified close behind her sister in second position – did not even make it onto the podium. A Russian woman has not lost the Olympic all-around gold medal since 1996, when Ekaterina Serebrianskaya of Ukraine became the Olympic champion over Russia’s Yanina Batyrchina.

After the results were finalized, Linoy approached Dina to congratulate her, but Dina did not acknowledge her presence. In a press conference following the event, Dina said, “[The judging took] a very long time. I immediately realized that they were counting so that I would not win. This has already happened at the European Championship, when I took third place, and Boryana Kaleyn from Bulgaria became the second. How many years have I been in sports? I know everything.” (Pledge Times, 2021) According to Dina, the judges have become sick of Russian gymnasts winning everything, and this is why she did not become the Olympic champion.

The Russian Olympic Committee submitted an inquiry to protest the final result, citing the fact that Ashram dropped her ribbon during one of her routines, but the scores remained unchanged and Linoy Ashram became the first Israeli woman to win an Olympic gold medal. Although Ashram did drop her ribbon, her routine was more difficult than Averina’s, which allowed her to remain in first place despite the deduction for the drop. Further, because Linoy did not have to take any physical steps to pick up the dropped apparatus, the mistake wasn’t very costly anyway.

Russian fans did not take the news of Dina Averina’s loss well. Within minutes of the final scores being announced, Ashram’s social media was flooded with thousands of hate comments. Many called her a “fake champion.” Others proclaimed – in all caps – that Dina was the best. Some simply got their point across with lines of vomiting emojis. A few used anti-semitic language to attack the gymnast. The negative feedback Linoy Ashram received from Russian fans was so overwhelming that she had to make her Instagram account private, and it remains private today.

In the aesthetic sports community, Russian fans are not, in general, thought of highly. Westerners don’t like that they’re comfortable commenting on athletes’ bodies and attacking victorious athletes when their countrymen lose. For many fans, the Russian response to Linoy Ashram’s victory was not surprising. What shocked them were the comments that former and current members of the Russian national team made about the judging and results of the event.

Russian artistic gymnast Aliya Mustafina, a former world and Olympic champion, called the results “an injustice” on her Instagram story. Olympic figure skating champion Evgeniy Plushenko said that the results were “unfair,” and reminded his followers that he was robbed of his second Olympic gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics, when America’s Evan Lysacek became the Olympic champion and he took home the silver medal (frankly, Plushenko actually was robbed, but that’s a story for another time). Tatiana Navka, an Olympic champion in ice dancing, asked, “First place with an obvious and gross error? Where is the honest refereeing?”

Many non-Russian fans voiced their disappointment in these athletes for publicly denouncing the results of the event and Linoy Ashram’s win for Israel. As people who have been judged subjectively for years, these athletes should know better, right? It may not be that simple. I think that Americans – and others who live in countries where athletics are not government-funded – often forget about how vastly different the sports system is in Russia. Aliya Mustafina, Evgeniy Plushenko, Tatiana Navka, Margarita Mamun, Viktoria Komova, and others who voiced support for Averina have relied on the Russian government for funding throughout their careers. These athletes, who’ve all won Olympic medals, have amassed significant amounts of wealth through both their victories and the sponsorships they’ve received because of them. They’ve also grown up in intensely nationalistic environments and were raised to prioritize the victory of their country over anything else. Acknowledging the triumph of a rival when the judging could possibly be considered “questionable” would essentially be thought of as a betrayal.

Not standing by Dina Averina in the face of an apparent “injustice” could have resulted in a loss of favorability among fans, government officials (yes, many of them followed and commented on the results of this competition too!) and sponsorships, which serve as a significant source of income for many world-class Russian athletes. It is always safer to act in accordance with the narrative that the Russian federation creates– and they undoubtedly created one. The official account of the Russian Olympic Committee tweeted, in response to the results, “The whole world has seen this injustice.” Russian lawmaker Vitaly Milonov said of Linoy Ashram, “It was embarrassing to watch her… she should have refused the medal, because what happened there was simply unjust.” (Haaretz, 2021)

Would it have been, perhaps, more respectful to not say anything about the judging at all? Yes. But we don’t even know if these athletes had (or thought they had) a choice. You don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

Цитаты

Galofaro, C. (2021, August 7). Rhythmic gymnastics upset: Israel beats Russia, wins gold. AP News. https://apnews.com/article/2020-tokyo-olympics-rhythmic-gymnastics-upset-3549dd4ff9d2e1c309748b1db63e87db

Haaretz. (2021, August 7). Russia Fumes as Israel Ends Its Streak of Olympic Golds in Rhythmic Gymnastics. Haaretz. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-russia-fumes-as-israel-ends-its-streak-of-olympic-golds-in-rhythmic-gymnastics-1.10096553

NBC Sports. (2021, August 7). Israel’s Linoy Ashram wins gold in rhythmic gymnastics SHOCKER | Tokyo Olympics | NBC Sports. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cFI1ycXASY

@Olympic_Russia. (2021, August 7). Twitter. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Olympic_Russia/status/1423955288558915589

Olympics.com. (2021a, August 6). Rhythmic Gymnastics—Qualification—Rotation 1 Results. Olympics. https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/rhythmic-gymnastics/results-individual-all-around-qual-a0000101.htm

Olympics.com. (2021b, August 7). Rhythmic Gymnastics—Final—Rotation 4 Results. Olympics. https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/rhythmic-gymnastics/results-individual-all-around-fnl-a0000104.htm

Pledge Times. (2021, August 7). Dina Averina shared her emotions after the scandal at the Olympics. Pledge Times. https://pledgetimes.com/dina-averina-shared-her-emotions-after-the-scandal-at-the-olympics/

Wikipedia. (2021a, August 30). Dina Averina. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dina_Averina

Wikipedia. (2021b, September 2). Gymnastics at the 1996 Symmer Olympics – Women’s rhythmic individual all-around. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymnastics_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics_%E2%80%93_Women%27s_rhythmic_individual_all-around

Wikipedia. (2021c, September 4). Linoy Ashram. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linoy_Ashram

Interview with Professor Erin Alpert Holmes

Pavel Parkhimovich

I know that you attended William & Mary a while ago. Could you tell me about your experience here?

So, I went to William & Mary. I majored in Global Studies with a concentration in Russian Studies. I also minored in Film studies. I had a really great experience at William & Mary. I was involved in a lot of different activities, especially in the music department. I played in the band and pep band and I was a member of the Nu Kappa Epsilon. I was also a work study in the Modern Language Department doing administrative work in the office. There used to be a modern language computing lab, which is not there anymore, but I also worked there.

What did you decide to do after you graduated from William & Mary?

So, I went to the University of Pittsburgh for graduate school. They do a combined master’s & PhD program there. So you can go through the master’s degree while getting your PhD. It was a really interesting experience. Something that I really liked about my experience over there was that you get a lot of teaching experience. I learned very quickly that something I loved doing as I was studying Russian and Russian Literature and Russian film, was teaching. I was a teaching assistant for a class called Russian Fairy Tales. This was their version of Russian Myths and Legends. Russian Myths & Legends is the class that I’m teaching now at William & Mary. As a graduate student, I took classes in Russian language, culture and literature. I took classes that taught me how to teach Russian. I decided to take a Polish language class while I was at graduate school, although I don’t remember much of it anymore.

After finishing the PhD program, why did you decide to come back to teach at William & Mary?

Well, after finishing grad school, I continued to teach at the University of Pittsburgh. I have been teaching online classes at this university for almost 10 years now. I have also been teaching English to speakers of other languages as my main job. Lena and Sasha Prokhorov actually invited me to apply for the teaching position to teach this Russian Myths and Legends class in the Russian department at William & Mary. I was very excited about being a part of this department because it really shaped me when I was a college student at William & Mary. I even remember when the first issue of Gazeta came out and the fact that it is still around is fantastic.

Would you say that there are any similarities or differences in the Russian program now compared to how it was for you when you were a student here?

I would say there are a lot of similarities. For example, the Gazeta course is still being offered to this day. A lot of the faculty is also the same including Sasha and Lena Prokhorov and Bella Feliksovna. The students that are taking my classes show a lot of passion and dedication which is still the same as how it used to be at William & Mary. I took classes with Sasha, Lena, and Bella Feliksovna as a student at William & Mary. I actually took Russian in high school and came into William & Mary at an advanced level. I took Russian Myths & Legends with Sasha Prokhorov my freshman year of college and it is surreal that I am now teaching this class myself.

Do you collaborate with Sasha & Lena to design Russian classes in the department?

Yes, I worked with both Sasha and Lena to help design the Russian Myths & Legends class. The class that I’m teaching now is a little bit different from the version that Sasha is teaching. I got a lot of feedback from Sasha and Lena about the class. I haven’t had the opportunity to work with them on other classes yet. I’m still new to the department but I have been in touch with them a lot about the class that I’m teaching. I still teach the online courses at University of Pittsburgh while teaching the Russian Myths & Legends course at William & Mary. Students at these institutions, I would say, are different. For example, at the University of Pittsburg many of the students in my online classes, after being away for a while, decide to continue their education further. I would love to teach in person at William & Mary, but I would say that I’m pretty settled in Cleveland.

Why did you decide to pursue a PhD after you finished your bachelor’s degree?

I decided to pursue a PhD because I wanted to teach. Most teaching positions for Russian require a PhD-level education. I also have been teaching literature and culture classes in translation, which is something that I very much enjoy. I knew that teaching is something I wanted to do and graduate school confirmed that, so I decided to continue on that track.

Have you ever thought about studying anything else besides Russian?

Honestly, not in my grown-up life. After taking Russian during my freshman year of high school, I realized that this is what I wanted to do. I find everything associated with the Russian language to be very fascinating and it is what I really enjoy. At some point, I did want to be a writer, but Russian is definitely my passion. I have also taught ESL (English as a Second Language) to people who speak different languages, and I would say that my experience in teaching Russian really helped me develop the kind of skills to teach English to others. A lot of them are Russian speaking students. These classes are taught to students 17 and older. We teach free ESL classes for adults through a community college. These classes are mostly taught in community locations like libraries and community centers.

What interests you the most about Russian language and culture in general?

I have a great love of Russian cinema and how the culture and the times are reflected in Russian cinema. Obviously, there are many interesting things about the Russian language and culture but cinema, I would say, is my favorite.

Have you ever traveled to Russia?

Yes, I have traveled to Russia a couple of times. I found learning the rules and Russian culture to be very interesting, including the bureaucracy, paperwork, documents, and things of that nature– little everyday cultural things. For example, I joined a gym and took a yoga class over there. I noticed differences in culture with things like people putting away the equipment. Setting up yoga mats was also different compared to the gyms that I’ve been to in the United States. Every time I traveled to Russia, I went there to study and take Russian classes. The last time I went there, I took classes in Moscow. This was about 10 years ago. I’ve been to Russia three times, twice to St. Petersburg and once to Moscow. The first time was a cultural exchange for only a couple of weeks. The other times were both for studying. I stayed in Russia for the entire summer during my visit. I spent most of the time taking classes there while living in a student dorm. I spent my free time exploring the city and also doing research. I spent a lot of time looking at films that the organizational memorial had in their archives, mostly looking at documentaries, specifically, that were related to representations of the Gulag. As a PhD student I studied Russian culture and film through an organization outside of the University of Pittsburgh. I finished my Russian coursework, then my PhD and moved forward onto teaching.

Did you do any research after finishing your PhD?

I did some. Obviously I did my dissertation and finished my PhD. I didn’t do a lot of extra research after that; I have looked at some topics that were related to my dissertation. I’ve done a couple of conference presentations. But I would say that I’ve focused more on teaching than on research. If I had to choose between teaching and research, I would probably choose teaching because that is my passion. When I do research it is mainly focused on documentary film.

Do you teach English to students who mainly speak Russian, or do you have students of all backgrounds?

I have students from all different backgrounds. In Cleveland, there is a large Russian speaking community, but my students come from all over the world. This includes places like South America, Africa, and Asian countries. Most of the European students are from former Soviet Republics. My students speak languages such as Spanish, French, and Chinese.

Do you have a favorite class that you’ve taught before?

Yes, my favorite class that I have taught would be a class called “Behind Bars”. I taught this class for several semesters but don’t teach it now. It is a comparative prison culture class. We usually look at the Gulag, Nazi concentration camps, and the American prison system. We look at these through the lens of writing, including both fiction and non-fiction, and even through films, TV series, and tattoo culture. I was the first person who taught it at the University of Pittsburgh so it was very fascinating to me. The class is still being taught at the University of Pittsburgh. I would love it if it could be taught online so that I could still teach it.