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tHIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO LOW ENROLLMENT
June 30 - August 1, 2008 (July 1 - July 31 in Russia)
With the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has experienced revolutionary change. The development of a market-based economy, the growth of institutions of civil society, the dominance of a class of oligarchs in business, and the efforts of the government to reassert the interests of the state have each been part of the drama of the last sixteen years.
In few areas have the changes been more dramatic than in religion. From a communist regime that discouraged religion and tried to educate millions to abandon their religion for faith in the doctrines of Marx and Lenin, to the attempts to of the Cold War era to control religion for the good of the state, to the tentative efforts at liberalization of restrictions on religion during the 1980s, to the adoption of western-constitutional protections for the practice of religion, Russians have seen the role of religion in society transformed.
The Republic of Kalmykia, a Federal subject of the Russian Federation, is the only predominantly Buddhist region of Europe. As descendants of the Tibetan Buddhists, the Kalmyks have maintained their religion over the centuries, at times facing severe persecution and oppression. Today Buddhism in Kalmykia is in a period of renewal, as evidenced by the recent visit of the Dalai Lama in 2004 and the awarding to the Dalai Lama of the order of the White Rose by Kalmykia’s president Kirsan Ilumzhinov last year.
How can a study of Buddhism in Kalmykia shed light on the larger questions of the role of religion in Russian civil society? How does religion form the identity of Kalmyks? What tensions exist between the Kalmykia Buddhists and the Russian Orthodox church? How does the Russian Federation deal with the question of religious pluralism?
These and other issues will be examined in a month long course. The course will begin with two weeks of study at the Center for the Study of Religion at Russian State University for the Humanities in Moscow. American studies will join their Russian counterparts in classes taught by the faculty of the Center (with English translation). The group will then travel to Kalmykia for two weeks of field work where the participants will observe the Buddhist community, through visits to religious sites, interviews, and participation in religious events.
Venues
Two weeks in Moscow at Russian State University for the Humanities, Moscow (RGGU) will provide dormitories, cafeterias, and classrooms for the program.
Two weeks in Kalmykia visiting Buddhist monasteries and centers.
Study with Russian Students
A number of RGG U students will participate with the American students in the program. English translation services will be provided for non-Russian speakers.
Field Work in Russia
The program will include visits to religious sites and to religious groups in Kalmykia that will augment the classroom study done at RGGU.
Cultural Sites Visits
The program will include visits to the following cultural attractions in Moscow:
The Kremlin, the Armoury Chamber, the Diamond Fund, Red Square, Novodevichy Convent and Cemetery, the Pushkim Museum of the Fine Arts, the Tretyakov Gallery, and Sergiev Posad.
6 credits available in:
PUBP 310
RELI 376
RUSS 490
SOCI 385
Double or Triple occupancy rooms provided by RGGU.
Faculty Director: John Farina, Department of Religious Studies, GMU
This course will be taught by members of the Faculty of the Center for the Study of Religion, Russian State University
for the Humanities, including Dr. Alex Agadjanian, and Dr. Nikolai Shaburov, and by GMU professor of religious studies, John Farina.
The program is open to Mason students, non-Mason students, staff, faculty, alumni, and the general public. To obtain credit, students need at least a 2.25 GPA.
Program Fee:
$4,345 ($4,395 for non GMU students) (minimum 10 participants)
The program fee includes:
Program Fee does not include:
Financial aid may apply. You may also apply for a Center for Global Education Scholarship click on the link for more information.
The Department of Modern and Classical Languages also offers study abroad scholarships.
Center for Global Education reserves the right to make any necessary changes including adjustments in cost in the event that unforeseen circumstances arise.
CGE reserves the right to raise its program fees in light of currency fluctuations or any other unforeseen circumstances.
Deadline:
To apply, first, consult the How to Apply section and then complete the online application. You must pay the non-refundable $75 application fee for your application to be considered.
For more information, attend a study abroad info session or contact.
Program Officer: Marie Alice Arnold