| Department of Russian and Slavic Studies

Department of Russian and Slavic Studies Condemns Russia's Invasion of Ukraine

Feb. 26, 2022

The Department of Russian and Slavic Studies condemns Russia’s assault on Ukraine. The University of Arizona is the home of many scholars and students who have spent their lives studying Ukraine, Russia, and other nations in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Many of us are from the region, have family and friends suffering there, and are heartbroken by the war and its toll on Ukraine and Eastern Europe. As a department within the College of Humanities, we are dedicated to educating students to become concerned, global citizens. We abhor war and violence and urge leaders and citizens around the world to do everything in their power to put an end to this war, help those affected by it, promote peace in the region, and end the humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine.

Maslenitsa Spring Festival

Celebrate Spring with the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies!

When

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., April 8, 2026

Where

University of Arizona Mall

Celebrate Spring with the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies! Maslenitsa (aka Spring Festival or Pancake Week) is one of the popular holidays of many Eastern European countries which all share excitement for the end of Winter!

Join us for snacks, Slavic candy, games, and activities. Learn a traditional Slavic folk dance and show off your best traditional costume from Slavic and Central Asian regions! Prizes will be awarded!

Contacts

Professor Veronika Williams

vaw@arizona.edu

Attachments

Take a look at this flyer!

Honoring Ukrainian Resilience

Past, Present, and Future

When

5 – 6 p.m., March 4, 2026

Where

Manuel Pacheco Integrated Learning Center, Room 125

Join us as we commemorate the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through the short film Displaced and brief remarks, we will reflect on the local and global effects of the war.

Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to attend.

Suggested Parking: Cherry Ave Garage (1641 E Enke Dr.)

Contacts

Professor Suzanne Thompson

seanes@arizona.edu

Honoring Ukrainian Resilience

Past, Present, and Future

When

4:15 – 5:30 p.m., Feb. 23, 2026

Where

Manuel Pacheco Integrated Learning Center, Room 130

Join us as we commemorate the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Through a short film and brief remarks, we will reflect on the local and global effects of the war.

Faculty, staff, students, and community members are invited to attend. Light refreshments will be served.

Suggested Parking: Cherry Ave Garage (1641 E Enke Dr.)

Contacts

Dr. Benjamin Jens

bcjens@arizona.edu

Margaree Little Shortlisted for 2026 Pen Award for Poetry in Translation!

Feb. 6, 2026

Congratulations to current MA student Margaree Little whose recent publication, At the Edge: Selected Political Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, was shortlisted for the 2026 Pen Award for Poetry in Translation! More information on Margaree Little's translation is available here.

About At the Edge: Selected Political Poems of Marina Tsvetaeva

"This collection is a revelation. At the Edge restores to English a long-overlooked dimension of one of the 20th century’s most complex poetic voices. With fierce clarity and precision, Margaree Little’s translations bring us a Tsvetaeva who is not merely a lyricist but an uncompromising witness to the cataclysms of her time—revolution, war, famine, exile, and the rise of fascism." —Julia Nemirovskaya

AZ-AATSEEL 2026

March 28, 2026

Feb. 5, 2026

Arizona State University

School of International Letters and Cultures, Russian section

(co-organized with ASU’s Melikian Center:Russian, Eurasian & East European Studies and the University of Arizona’s Department of Russian and Slavic Studies)

Abstracts for 20-minute papers on any aspect of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian literatures, cultures (including film, music, theatre, visual art, etc.), linguistics, and history are invited for the annual AZ-AATSEEL Conference. Comparative topics and interdisciplinary approaches are welcome and encouraged.

The conference will be held at Arizona State University in-person on Saturday, March 28, 2026 with a virtual option.

This year’s keynote lecture will be delivered by Dr. Thom Reilly, Professor and Co-Director, Center for an Independent and Sustainable Democracy, School of Public Affairs, Arizona State University. He will be presenting with his research team on his forthcoming book, Child Abduction in the War in Ukraine: Erasing Ukrainian Identity as a Tool of War (Routledge, 2026).

To present a paper at the AZ-AATSEEL Conference, please submit a proposal by February 27, 2026. You can submit a proposal by sending it to hilde.hoogenboom@asu.edu Please include the name of the conference (AZ-AATSEEL), your last name, and short title of your paper in the subject line.

A complete proposal (in Word or PDF format) consists of:

Author’s contact information (name, preferred pronouns; affiliation, telephone, and email).
Paper title
200-300 word abstract

Conference registration is free. Refreshments and snacks will be provided. Participants are expected to cover their lunch.

For questions regarding the conference or submission process, please email Dr. Hilde Hoogenboom Hilde.Hoogenboom@asu.edu

The Creature Feature

Hosted by the Slavic & Eurasian Club

When

11 a.m. – 1 p.m., Oct. 31, 2025

Where

Learning Services Building (LSB) Courtyard. 1512 E. First Street

Please join the Slavic & Eurasian Studies Club for an exciting event with costumes, prizes, dancing, games, music, food and drinks!

Don't miss out! Get ready for an afternoon filled with community and fun! Bring your friends and celebrate Halloween with the Slavic & Eurasian Club

Farron Shanahan

Associate Director of Development - Foundation Relations

University of Arizona Foundation

B.A.

Russian

2019

B.A.

Psychology

2019

Studying Russian Language turned me into a calculated risk-taker and a master communicator. Thought I don't actively use the language, the skills pertaining to thoughtful communication and connecting with others have proven crucial to the field of fundraising and development. Studying abroad also taught me so much about trusting myself above everything else. Navigating a foreign country where my mother tongue was not the standard forced me to be vulnerable in a way I have never experienced. Being so vulnerable and out of my comfort zone allowed me the space to reckon with myself and learn what my true values were. I also had to really trust my gut, more than I ever had to before, and this prepared me for more than just my career, it prepared me for life.

Daniela Gonzalez

Graduate Student

University of Arizona

B.A.

Russian

2025

B.A.

Spanish

2025

I will start a Russian Master’s degree in the fall and upon completion of that degree, I plan to pursue a career in the Foreign Service. The Humanities prepared me by giving me the opportunity to be flexible, open to making mistakes while learning a new language, broadening my understanding of the world through study abroad, and learning to be kind and compassionate of language learners as I continue to learn Russian and expand my skills as a translator.

Sabrina Sulaymonova

Law Student

ASU Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law

B.A.

Russian

2025

I am attending ASU’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law and pursuing my JD! My degree encouraged me to think critically and broadened my world view.

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