IREX Teaching Fellow Creates First Russian Club at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

Through IREX’s Teaching Fellowship Program for Eastern European and Eurasian Studies, Leila Zakhirova, a 2009-2010 visiting professor at Whittier College, has made a significant impact on campus.

In addition to developing and introducing successful and popular new coursework to the school’s curriculum on topics such as “International Relations of Eurasia, “History and Politics of Energy in Eurasia,” and “Identity Politics in Central Asia,” she began the Spring semester with the inauguration of a new student club on campus. The “Russian Club,” the first of its kind at Whittier, was developed to spread awareness about the former Soviet Republics among students and the Whittier community in general. The club provides students with an array of enriching academic and cultural experiences such as cooking and tasting Russian food, learning basic Russian phrases, and participating in region specific film viewings and discussions.

In upcoming weeks, the club plans to invite guest speakers to talk with students about Eurasian countries, including Turkmenistan, Zakhirova’s native home. The club held its first meeting on March 2nd with a successful showing of 30 students. Zakhirova and club members recently reached out to neighboring Pitzer College to jointly organize and host some future social events for students.