Professor Lucey (Russian and Slavic Studies) was awarded the 2019 Fisher Fellowship to participate in this year's Summer Research Lab (SRL) at Illinois University. As the 2019 Fisher Fellow, Dr. Lucey presented her research on the representation of prostitution in nineteenth-century Russian literature at a campus-wide lecture, "Tales of Violence and Murder: The Prostitute in Fin-de-Siècle Russian Literature" on June 13, 2019. She also participated in a workshop cohosted by the Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEC) and SRL on the topic of US-Russian relations. 

The Fisher Fellowship Program was created in honor of Professor Ralph T. Fisher, Jr. (1920–2015), the founder of REEC, the SRL, and a longtime leader in the field of Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Thanks to Professor Fisher’s vision, the University of Illinois Library and Slavic Reference Service (SRS) have for generations provided excellent support for REEES researchers worldwide. Funding for SRL has been made possible by a generous grant from the U.S. Department of State, through its Title VIII Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union, and the Fisher Endowment. 

Thirty students from Tucson's Academy of Math and Science (AMS) got a chance to put their Russian to use during their visit to UA on April 11, 2019. The middle schoolers visited the Department of Russian and Slavic Studies to take part in the campus-wide "Monster Bash" event on the UA Mall. The group of sixth- and seventh-graders made Monster Bash passports to participate in the games and presentations on the UA Mall, which were presented by students from two general education courses, RSSS 315: Vampires and Werewolves, with course professor Dr. Colleen Lucey, and GER160A1: From Animation to Zombies with course professor Dr. Joela Jacobs.

The middle school students got to put their Russian language to practice by visiting with faculty, grads and other students in the department. Keep up the good work learning Russian! 

The Department of Russian and Slavic Studies wishes to thank all the parents and chaperones for accompanying the young scholars to campus. We are especially grateful to Mr. Gavin Roddy and Ms. Svitlana Holm for their assistance organizing the visit! 

Thee Department of Russian and Slavic Studies congratulates Daria Loginova for receiving the Bronze Medal (Category C, Level 3) in the ACTR National Post-Secondary Russian Essay Contest. 

Congratulations, Daria!  

The Department of Russian and Slavic Studies is pleased to congratulate Valentina Vinokurova (MA student in RSS) for receiving the 2019 COH Outstanding GAT Award! Congratulations, Valentina! 

The AATSEEL - AZ Conference was held at University of Arizona April 3-4, 2019. With over thirty attendees from around the state, the conference was bustling with ideas! Many thanks to Dr. Liudmila Klimanova for organizing the event, as well as the conference commitee: Dr. Anastasiia Gordiienko, Dr. Benjamin Jens, and Prof. Suzanne Thompson. 

Thank you to all the attendees and presenters who made the conference such a success! 

Students from Dr. Anastasiia Gordiienko's RSSS 305: Russian and American Foodways took part in an Iron Chef competition on April 13, 2019. The students worked in groups of three to prepare traditional Russian cuisine, including borscht, piroshki, salads, and more. Judges from the Russian and Slavic Studies Department had a difficult time naming only one top dish, as they were all delicious! 

Congratulations to the students in RSSS 305 on their amazing accomplishments this semester!

Special thanks to Liz Sparks and the team at Tucson Village Farm for all their organizational support!  

On March 27^th, students from RSSS 305: Russian and American Foodways had a Russian breakfast at European Deli and Market. The RSSS 305  students, who have been studying the relationship of food to social and individual identity-building processes, food justice, and Russian and American hospitality and etiquette, tasted a few typical Russian cuisine and drinks, such as meat stuffed cabbage rolls (golubtsy), meat and potato dumplings (pel'meni and vareniki), rye bread drink (kvas), Russian crepes (bliny) with different fillings, “Napoleon” cake, and a variety of Russian sweets. The Russian Breakfast was sponsored by a SFI Grant. RSSS 305 Foodways focuses on the cultural similarities and differences between Russian and American foodways and teaches students to appreciate the overall importance of the nations’ eating habits as social and national markers.