Saturday 6 June 2020

Essay Honors Add to Russian department’s checklist ...

four Bowdoin college students have extraordinary themselves in a prestigious Russian language essay contest right through the spring semester. here's the most desirable performance yet from Bowdoin, observed associate Professor of Russian Alyssa Gillespie, and one which puts the school ahead of its friends.

alyssa gillespie

Professor Alyssa Gillespie, Russian branch chair

"The national put up-Secondary Russian Essay Contest this yr had 1,261 essays submitted from fifty-six universities, colleges, and associations throughout the nation," she explained. "Three judges in Russia study each and every essay and independently ranked them. This 12 months's essay topic changed into 'Who or what modified your life?'" (In Russian: Кто изменил или что изменило вашу жизнь?).

Boris Ardemasov '23 clinched the gold this yr within the heritage speaker, stage three category, which means he became born into a Russian-speaking family unit however acquired most of his education in English. He selected to put in writing about the approach that his immigration to the USA at the age of nine has both widened his cultural horizons and made him painfully privy to the indisputable fact that most american citizens have most effective a superficial skills of Russia, in accordance with political hobbies alone, as opposed to on a deeper figuring out of the richness of Russian tradition and of Russians as individuals with a shared humanity.

The other winners from Bowdoin had been:

Jacob Baltaytis '21, who received an honorable point out within the heritage speaker, level two class, which potential that, whereas born right into a Russian-speakme household like Ardemasov, he by no means attended school in a Russian-speakme country;

"These results put our department on the map as one of the vital brilliant Russian programs at any liberal arts school in the US."Professor Alyssa Gillespie. Chair, Russian branch.

Augustus Gilchrist '20, who gained a silver medal as a non-heritage speaker, level 4 (essentially the most superior category for college kids discovering Russian as a foreign language). Gilchrist additionally picked up a silver medal in the spring 2017 contest; and

Liam McNett '23, who won an honorable mention within the non-heritage speaker, stage one class during his very first 12 months of Russian language analyze.

"I in reality had no intention of learning Russian initially," he pointed out, "however, after sitting across from Professor Gillespie at an adventure for admitted college students and hearing her articulate her love for the area as well as the merits of researching Russian, i used to be satisfied!" due to the fact that then, said McNett, he has fallen in love with Russia's rich language, culture, and literature. "I additionally enjoy the tight-knit, supportive group it truly is the Bowdoin Russian department, which makes it the entire greater rewarding," he delivered. 

"These effects are brilliant," spoke of Gillespie. "They put our branch on the map as probably the most unbelievable Russian courses at any liberal arts faculty within the US, despite its small dimension. The wide selection of students who had been recognized in the contest this 12 months also illustrates that we serve all kinds of Russian freshmen smartly, including each those that grew up speakme 'kitchen Russian' at home however lacked adventure in studying and writing the language and using it for intellectually subtle purposes, and those who have pursued Russian as a international language at Bowdoin at all proficiency tiers, starting with zero knowledge and working as much as the optimum linguistic and cultural mastery."

These successes were now not the best achievements of Bowdoin Russian college students this 12 months: Two these days graduated Russian majors have accomplished striking achievements in their analysis. Artur Kalandarov '20 obtained first prize in a national research competition for the primary chapter of his honors thesis, which compares the U.S. and Soviet experiences in Afghanistan, whereas Laura Howells '20 published her summer season analysis on Russian civil society, conducted jointly along with her school marketing consultant at the George Washington school, in a scholarly journal. read more.

On true of her analysis success, Howells, together with classmate and silver medal winner Augustus Gilchrist (see above), earned a prestigious Fulbright fellowship to examine and work in Russian-talking countries all through the arriving academic 12 months. Howells's venture on Estonian cyber safety became the one concept awarded a prestigious study/research Fulbright supply to Estonia this year, in a competition that was also open to masters- and doctoral-stage researchers. read more.

a few Bowdoin alumni are additionally flourishing in the Russian stories field, said Gillespie. They include Stephen Pastoriza '19, who just had an article in accordance with his honors thesis approved for booklet: "photographs of girls in the Works of Ivan Turgenev" will appear this summer within the UC Undergraduate Journal of Slavic and East/important European experiences, vol. 13 (2020–21).

Three different Bowdoin Russian alumni have recently comprehensive graduate levels and achieved professional success. Melanie Tsang '13, who accomplished a grasp of foreign affairs diploma at Columbia school's college of foreign and Public Affairs and interned at the US department of the Treasury within the office of Europe and Eurasia, is now employed as an analyst at the health and Human functions office of the Inspector established in ny metropolis. Joey Kellner '09, who comprehensive his PhD in Russian heritage at Berkeley, has simply authorised a tenure-song appointment within the heritage branch at the university of Georgia–Athens.

moreover, Mira Nikolova '13, who received her PhD in Slavic reviews from Brown university this can also, is returning to Bowdoin. "Mira's coming lower back to train as visiting lecturer in our department this coming yr, which I'm very enthusiastic about," spoke of Gillespie. "Her deep understanding of the Bowdoin neighborhood ethos will serve her smartly in working with our students in these doubtful instances, and he or she will additionally serve as a dwelling example of the enjoyable pathways that a commitment to researching Russian language and lifestyle could open up for them, too, sooner or later." 

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