2023 Fall Newsletter

Happy Holidays from the UCLA Russian Flagship!

Dear Friends of the UCLA Russian Flagship Program,

Concluding another enriching fall quarter, we wish to express our profound appreciation for everyone's contribution to the success of the UCLA Russian Flagship Program. Your commitment and enthusiasm have played a pivotal role in maintaining our program's excellence.

Studying Russian today extends beyond mere language acquisition; it encompasses an exploration of complex cultural dynamics, poignant historical contexts, and pressing geopolitical concerns. We encourage our students to reflect on the ongoing regional challenges and envision a brighter, democratic and decolonized future for all regions where Russian is spoken. It is essential to recognize that without hope, neither progress nor change is possible.

As we enter the holiday season, let's carry with us the spirit of unity and goodwill. May these holidays bring you joy, peace, and an opportunity to recharge for the adventures that await in the new year.

Warm wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!

Below are some of Fall quarter’s highlights:

Fall 2023 Quarter in Review

Instructor Spotlight

Professor Lilya Kaganovsky completed her undergraduate studies at UCLA and UC Santa Cruz, an M.A. in Slavic Languages & Literatures at Columbia University, and a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature and Film Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to her appointment at UCLA, she held academic positions at the College of William & Mary and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Her appointment at UCLA is a homecoming to the university.

Student Spotlight

We had the opportunity to speak with Kurtis Yan, a student from the Political Science department, who has focused his studies on Russian language, culture, and politics, and studied in Almaty, Kazakhstan in summer 2022. He received the Excellence in Russian, East European, and Eurasian Languages and Cultures Award and a Boren Scholarship for the Russian Flagship Capstone year in Almaty for the 2023-24 academic year. In this interview, Kurtis discusses his academic journey at UCLA and in the UCLA Russian Flagship Program.

Past Events

Flagship alumnus Kristine Carrillo represented UCLA in an interactive webinar in which faculty, staff, and students from all eight Russian Flagships showcased the cultural and study abroad experiences, international internships, and research opportunities that being part of Flagship affords.

The Russian Flagship collaborated with the Department of Slavic, East European & Eurasian Languages & Cultures to host an open house for prospective students. The event featured piroshki and presentations by departmental and Flagship faculty and Flagship students and staff.

The UCLA Russian Flagship hosted a hybrid information session for students to learn about overseas study opportunities. Flagship students and alumni spoke about their experiences studying abroad in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The presentations were followed by a "Meet and Greet" with the new Flagship Director Professor Tanya Ivanova-Sullivan

The Русскоговорящий клуб (Russian Speakers Club) met this quarter every Wednesday in Kaplan 311 to provide a space to practice Russian. Flagship students had the opportunity to meet native and non-native Russian speakers, and play games like Durak.

Professor Lilya Kaganovsky moderated a bilingual reading of poetry by Ukrainian poet Iya Kiva. Ms. Kiva is a poet, translator, and journalist who was born in Donetsk and fled the war in 2014 to settle in Kyiv. Shortly after arriving, she began shifting from writing in her native Russian to writing in her second language, Ukrainian. She is the author of two volumes of poetry and the recipient of numerous awards for her poetry and translation. She is currently a fellow at the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program.

Director and producer Marianna Yarovskaya presented a discussion of her documentary films "Women of the Gulag" and "Lyuba Sobol's Hope for Russia." One powerfully tells the tragic stories of women – the last survivors of the Gulag, a brutal system of

terror that wreaked havoc on the Soviet population during Stalin's regime. The second film fast forwards almost a century later to the valiant effort of women of the Russian democratic opposition to replace Putin's "power vertical" with a democratic Russia.

The Department of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Languages & Cultures hosted the annual Holiday Party and Showcase event, featuring an evening of cultural festivities, musical performances, poetry recitations, dancing, skits, and light refreshments.

Please consider supporting the UCLA Russian Flagship Program. Click below to learn about opportunities for support and engagement.

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