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White Nights! Golden Onion Domes! Royal Palaces! In June, the sun doesn't set in St. Petersburg until well after midnight and the pearl of Russian Imperial architecture glows most brightly. Known as the "Venice of the North" because of its many canals and rivers, St. Petersburg is liveliest during the four weeks of our program, when the streets are bustling and opportunities for cultural contact are the greatest.
Established in 1989, the UR Summer Program in Russia began in the provincial city of Tver before moving to Moscow in 1992 and to St. Petersburg in 1994. Each, year, approximately a dozen students from the University of Rochester and elsewhere make the trip. For many, it is a life-changing experience: "This has been the most wonderful experience of my life." "The program and the Russian people have changed my life." "What I loved about this trip cannot be expressed with words". (From the 1999 trip.)
Accommodations
Students stay with host families who provide two meals a day, private rooms, as much Russian as you want, and the chance to see Russia though Russian eyes. Placement is supervised by the University of St. Petersburg and most families are repeat hosts. The homestays are one of the most rewarding features of the program for our students: "My hostess cared for me better than my own mother." "My family was excellent… They were willing to let me do everything and were extraordinary in helping my Russian."
Prerequisites
No prerequisites! Begin Russian now! While we recommend one year of college Russian, the program is open to beginners as well. Come start Russian in Russia!
Clusters and Credits
Students receive 6 credits for either RU 107 or RUS 157 or RUS 207, all of which are part of a humanities cluster in Russian and count towards both the major and minor in Russian and Russian Studies.
Fellowship Aid
The Modern Languages & Cultures Mildred R. Burton Fund helps defray costs for UR undergraduates studying language abroad. Applications are due February 24 and may be obtained from the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures.
Classes
Participants in our month-long program attend four hours of classes a day, four days a week (Fridays and weekends are reserved for excursions). Classes rotate and include grammar, phonetics, conversation, analytical reading, and Russian culture. All classes are held on the main campus of the University of St. Petersburg and are taught by university instructors.
Excursions
A typical excursion itinerary looks like this:
Week One: City tour; Peter & Paul Fortress; river and canal trip; day trip to Novgorod or overnight boat trip to island monastery of Valaam.
Week Two: Hermitage Peterhof Summer Palace; a weekend trip to Moscow (includes city tour, Red Square, Kremlin, performance at the Bolshoi Theater).
Week Three: Russian museum; opera and/or ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theater; Catherine's Palace.
Week Four: St. Isaac's Cathedral & other famous churches; Summer Garden; farewell party.
Program Applications and Costs
The program fee of $TBA includes tuition, homestay, visa fees, 6 UR credits & all excursions. Airfare is separate. We fly group rate on Finnair from JFK Airport in New York City, although participants are free to make their own arrangements.
Applications may be obtained from the Department of Modern Languages & Cultures, Box 270082, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627-0082. The deadline for applications is March 3, though late applications will be considered on a case-by case- basis.
Organizers
The program is run by Dr. Anna Maslennikova, Professor of Linguistics at the University of St. Petersburg and a Senior Lecturer at the UR and UR Professor Kathleen Parthé .
For more information contact the department:
Phone: (585) 275-4251
e-mail: mlc@mail.rochester.edu
Disclaimer:
Information about this program is tentative and subject to change. Please check with program director for most recent information.
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