We are delighted to be able to continue our collaboration with OSHER ONLINE, an educational service that is offered by our "big sister" the Osher National Resource Center (NRC) at Northwestern University. This class is being run and organized by NRC staff. Sessions are live and will not be recorded. 

This course explores recent events in Russia and the post-Soviet region, many rooted in ethnic tensions. Russia is home to 180 nationalities, often in conflict. We will examine how the Russian state—from the Tsars to Putin—has imposed uniformity, diminishing ethnic groups. Through a historical lens, we will look at both peaceful movements, like the Circassian, and violent resistance, such as in Chechnya. Contemporary Russian culture, including music, cinema, cuisine, and humor, will also be discussed to shed light on current events.

Your instructor: Asya Pereltsvaig, PhD

Asya Pereltsvaig, PhD, received a degree in English and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a PhD in Linguistics from McGill University. She taught at Yale and Stanford, and has been teaching in lifelong education programs since 2010. Her expertise is in language and history, and the relationship betwen them. Her most recent book is Languages of the World: An Introduction, 4th edition.