Yale Summer Session in New Haven & Batumi and Tbilisi, Georgia: Third-Year Russian I & II + Culture

Description

[NOTE: Program details (overall status, dates, costs, syllabus, etc.) are subject to change each summer, and the information on this page will be updated as such details are finalized.]

An intensive "at-home-and-abroad" program featuring language study at the third-year level of Russian. Language classes meet for three hours daily throughout the entire eight weeks of the program.  Thematically, the course centers on Russian history from the murder of Paul I in 1801 to the Great Reforms of Alexander II and his murder in 1881. It involves a comprehensive review of the essential aspects of Russian grammar, extensive vocabulary building for social sciences and history, as well as practical vocabulary necessary for everyday conversations and activities in contemporary Russian. Readings in Russian literature and Russian media supplement the basic course materials.

The program consists of a language course in conjunction with a separate Culture course (RUSS S244) – Georgia, Russia, and the Caucasus in Literature, Cinema, and Visual Arts – that meets for 90 minutes twice per week both in New Haven and Georgia.  The Culture course is an interdisciplinary and hands-on exploration of Georgian and Russian cultural history through literature, cinema, and visual arts. Topics include Georgian and Russian cultures in their historical transformations and interrelations, reflections of Georgia and the Caucasus in Russian literature, Georgian contributions to world literature and artistic culture, Russian-Georgian literary and visual avant-garde connections, the age of Stalin, politics and culture of the USSR and its aftermath. The course is also supplemented by 12 hours of the Georgian language instruction at the elementary level.

The syllabus below is from a previous summer and may contain dates and other information that differ from those of the upcoming summer.

Budget

Yale Summer Session Programs Abroad updates program budgets in late January. Please note the year listed on the button below.

Summer 2023 Budget

Trips and Activities

Numerous field trips to important Georgian museums and historical sites align with the readings and lectures of the Culture class and provide students with hands-on experience essential to a successful study abroad program.  These trips include a weeklong stay in Tbilisi – the country’s capital, Uplistsikhe – an early Christian cave city of the 2nd century, David-Gareja – a 12th century Christian Orthodox monastery and the cultural center of East Georgia (Kakheti), Gelati – an Orthodox monastery and a cultural center in West Georgia (Imereti), Vardzia – the cultural center of South Georgia in the Golden Age of Queen Tamar and Shota Rustaveli, a trip on the Georgian Military Road to one of the highest mountains of the Caucasus – Mount Kazbegi, the only Museum of Joseph Stalin in his birthplace, the town of Gori, and many others.

Housing

[NOTE: Students are required to stay in program-provided housing abroad.  There is no option for individually-arranged housing abroad.]

While in Batumi, students will live in the best part of the city by the Black Sea with carefully selected Russophone host families who will provide breakfast and dinner daily. Living conditions will vary, but most apartments will be a walking distance from classes.

Homestays are an integral part of this program. The living arrangements provide participants with the opportunity to learn more about the host culture, increase language proficiency, and form meaningful connections in the community. Students admitted into the program are expected to spend time getting to know their homestay families and be mindful of the need to balance time spent at home with time exploring the city or going out with friends. If you have any questions about living with a homestay family, we encourage you to reach out to the program instructor.

Participants must depart housing on the last day of the program.

Notes

The program starts with three weeks on Yale campus in New Haven before moving to Batumi, Georgia, on Friday of the third week for the following four weeks on the Black Sea coast. The hosting institution in Batumi is a German private school Euro-2000 with a large Russophone segment in it. For the last week, the program moves to Tbilisi where students stay at a hotel, complete the academic part of the program, and explore the capital city with its culturally rich environs.

Note: Effective Summer 2020, students using an International Study Award (ISA) to participate in this program will be eligible for free on-campus housing and meal plan for the New Haven period.

FOR SUMMER 2023: Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to and from Georgia in such a way that they arrive in Batumi on June 17, 2023 (this will require departing the U.S. on Friday, June 16), but have their return flights originate from Tbilisi on July 25, 2023: NYC – Batumi; Tbilisi – NYC. The transportation from Batumi to Tbilisi in the beginning of the seventh week will be provided by the program. Monday, July 24, 2023, is the last full day of the program. Additional information will be provided upon admission.

US and EU citizens, as well as citizens of many other others countries (see the full list here –  https://www.geoconsul.gov.ge/HtmlPage/Html/View?id=956&lang=Eng) do not require a visa to visit and study in Georgia for up to one year.

The program staff in Georgia includes two local student assistants who accompany the program participants on all tours and provide them with additional language practice and possible help in everyday matters in an unfamiliar country.

Questions

For course content questions contact instructor Constantine Muravnik. For general program questions contact the Study Abroad staff.

Learn More

Review eligibility requirements, the application process, and deadlines:

How to Apply