Overview
Culture, Public Policy, and Administration in Russia
V482/V582 Topics in Public Affairs (3 cr.)
May 10 - May 24, 2013
About
The Russian Federation has always been of great interest to Americans, American policy-makers, and American scholars, in part because of its vast size and diversity of land and people but also because it has frequently served as the United States’ political and economic counterpoint in the world. The collapse of the Soviet Union brought the first major economic reforms to the Union’s largest country. Almost two decades later, Russians are wrestling with dramatic political and administrative reform. In the midst of this change, students will spend two weeks studying Russian culture, public policy, and administration at the Higher School of Economics (HSE), the top-ranked school of public affairs in Russia. In daily classes taught by Professor Maureen Pirog of SPEA and Dean Alexei Barabashev of HSE, as well as other prestigious HSE faculty, students from IU learn about public policy reforms in Russia surrounding urban economic development, housing, health, energy, and labor market reforms. Students also study the structure of Russian government at the state, regional, and local levels, as well as administrative and civil service reforms in Russia.
Visit historic landmarks and cultural centers of Russia:
- Meet Russian officials on a visit to the Federation Council or the Duma (Russia’s equivalent of the Senate and House of Representatives, respectively)
- Explore the Kremlin and Red Square
- Take a boat trip on the Moskva River
- Tour Sergiev Posad, the center of Russian Orthodox religion
- Experience the world-famous ballet of the Bolshoi Theatre
Accommodations
Students have single rooms with private bathrooms and workspaces at the HSE Professors’ Inn, just a short metro ride from classes and the center of Moscow. Accommodations also include computers, free internet access, cooking facilities, and a security desk.