2018 Second Annual Five College Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies (REEES)
Undergraduate Research Symposium
We dedicate this symposium with admiration and gratitude to our colleague Robert Rothstein (SEEESTu program director since 1996), in anticipation of his forthcoming retirement. His tireless and creative work has sustained the program. We are proud to pick up the baton!
Saturday April 21, 10:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., Herter 601, UMass Amherst
Free and open to the public. Sponsored by Five Colleges, Inc.
10:30 Coffee/Tea reception – arrival & registration
11:00 Welcome/introductory remarks (Julie Hemment, incoming SEEESTu program director)
11:00 Keynote Address by Madeleine Reeves, “Constructing an Immigration 'Crisis': Time and 'Illegality' in Russia and Beyond”
12:30–1:30 Lunch
1:30–2:45 Student Panel I: Culture, Organizations, and Identity in Eurasia
Faculty Discussant: Hilary Fink (UMass)
Jacqueline Ritchie-Dunham (Smith), “Putin and the Patriarch: A Study of the Russian Orthodox Church’s Influence over Russia’s Identity in Business” (did not present)
Nicole Daphnis (Mt. Holyoke), “Resisting Passivity: Change in Russian Labor Politics During the 1990s”
Veronica Douglas (Smith), “An Orthodox Victory?: Stalin in Contemporary Iconography”
Sophia Paarz (UMass), “Kyrgyzstan’s Religious Ambiguity: the Debate over Hijabs”
2:45–3.00 Coffee break
3:00–4:15 Student Panel II: Geopolitics and Political Struggles in Eurasia
Faculty Discussant: Bogdan Prokopovych (UMass)
Steve Hayes (UMass), “Russian and Chinese Transitions from Socialism in Comparative Perspective”
Jack Nichols (UMass), “A Pragmatic Approach to the Adherence to Human Rights Standards”
Seyoung Jeon (Amherst), “Rosneft’s Investments in Iraqi Kurdistan’s Oil Industry” (did not present)
Andres Garcia (UMass), “Where are the Blue and Yellow Hearts?”
4:15–5:00 Coffee/Tea Reception, student paper awards, and closing remarks (Bob Rothstein and Julie Hemment)
Symposium Committee: Audrey Altstadt (History), Evgeny Dengub (Russian), Julie Hemment (Anthropology), Irina Kogel (Russian), Lauren McCarthy (Political Science and Legal Studies), Robert Rothstein (Polish and Yiddish Languages), Régine Spector (Political Science)