IREX Partners with Bennett College to Introduce Russian Studies Curriculum on Campus

In the tradition of encouraging and supporting US scholars and students in the field of Eastern European and Eurasia studies, IREX has partnered with Bennett College for Women, one of only two historically black women’s colleges in the United States, to develop and introduce a Russian studies curriculum on campus through the Teaching Fellowship Program for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies.

The Teaching Fellowship Program is a pilot program designed by IREX to establish and support a new post-doctoral teaching position in Eastern European and/or Eurasian area studies at accredited Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) throughout the United States. The program provides these institutions of higher learning with the necessary means to build their capacity to expand coursework in Eurasian and Eastern European studies, drawing a diverse group of undergraduate students to the field and encouraging them to pursue careers in international affairs. At the same time, the program helps secure young PhDs to the field, giving them the opportunity and support to develop and deliver courses in their field of expertise.

In its first year, IREX selected Bennett College as one of two institutional grantees of the program out of a total of 20 schools from 11 states that submitted applications.

Recognizing the correlation between the study of languages and the promotion of cultural literacy, the Department of English and Foreign Languages at the college conducted a survey of the 165 students enrolled in the Class of 2012 to determine the level of interest in the study of foreign languages not currently offered on campus. The survey responses indicated a strong preference for the study of Russian. The grant will assist the college in expanding its students’ exposure to global perspectives and strengthen the institution’s internationalization initiatives.

Through the program, Bennett College will introduce the following courses in the 2009-2010 academic year:

                + Russian Literary Masterpieces
                + Russian Culture and Civilization
                + Russian Women Writers
                + Introduction to Russian Film

On April 20, 2009, IREX president Ambassador W. Robert Pearson traveled to Bennett College for Women to kick off the program with a grant-signing ceremony on campus. Dr. Millicent Rainey, interim provost of the college, joined Ambassador Pearson in delivering remarks to faculty, students, and staff about the importance of international education and IREX’s new partnership with Bennett. Following remarks, Ambassador Pearson presented Dr. Rainey with a ceremonial check for the grant award of $90,000.

The Teaching Fellowship Program for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies is funded by IREX and the US Department of State's Title VIII Program.