Final Call - Russian Language Summer School 2026, Yerevan (ASPIRANTUM)

ASPIRANTUM’s 2026 Russian Language Summer School in Yerevan

The program offers 6–10 weeks (120–200 hours) of intensive Russian. Instruction is available at upper elementary and intermediate levels, focusing strongly on all core language skills in small groups.

We already have 20 confirmed participants across our Armenian, Russian, and Persian summer schools, and places are now limited. You can see the profiles of participating students here: https://www.instagram.com/aspirantumcom/

This final call is to remind prospective applicants of this opportunity.

The program also includes cultural excursions and activities across Armenia.

Full details and application:
https://aspirantum.com/courses/russian-language-summer-school

Application deadline: May 1, 2026

Reminder: AATSEEL Book Award Nominations Due May 1

Please consider submitting a recently published book for the annual Book Award of the American Association of Teachers of Slavic and East European Languages. We offer prizes in the following categories:

• Best first book
• Best book in literary studies
• Best edited multi-author scholarly volume
• Best literary/scholarly translation into English
• Best book in linguistics and language pedagogy
• The Svetlana Boym Best Book in Cultural Studies Prize

You can review eligibility and submission requirements on our website. Find the nomination form here. 

Nominations must be submitted by May 1, 2026.

Visiting Assistant Professor Position at Miami University

Job Description Summary

Visiting Assistant Professor/Instructor to teach a full load of courses, including Russian language, literature, and culture courses in English (possibly including folklore) at all levels. Renewable for a second year based on need, successful performance, and continued funding. Position starts in August 2026. 

Job Description

Minimum Qualifications:

Required: Ph.D. in Slavic languages and literatures or closely related field by date of appointment for appointment as Visiting Assistant Professor; Master's in Slavic languages and literatures or closely related field by date of appointment for appointment Instructor.

Consideration will be given to candidates with demonstrated teaching excellence; native or near-native fluency in both Russian and English, areas of specialization open; teaching experience at the college level in the U.S.

Required Application Documents

Cover letter, curriculum vitae, and evidence of teaching effectiveness

Special Instructions (if applicable)

Inquiries may be directed to Aurora Barker at BarkerA@MiamiOH.edu. Screening of applications will begin two (2) weeks from the date of posting and will continue until the position is filled.

See the full description here.

CFP: Online Talk Series “The Human–Animal Bond in Eastern and East-Central Europe” (Oct 2026–Feb 2027)

Overview

Animals have long occupied an ambivalent place in human societies,
serving as sources of food, labor, and material resources while also
becoming central objects of scientific experimentation and cultural
inspiration. At the same time, they have increasingly become subjects of
ethical consideration, raising questions about agency, suffering, and
dignity. As inhabitants of a shared world, animals have been shaped by
humans and have, in turn, played a crucial role in defining the human
itself. By positing a sharp distinction between mind and matter,
Cartesian dualism grounded the identification of the human in opposition
to the non-human—a process that, as Giorgio Agamben argues with his
concept of the anthropological machine, continues to this day.
Consequently, to speak about animals in the broadest sense is also to
speak about humans.

Scientific research on animals, as well as the origins of zoology, can
in part be traced back to Aristotle. The long nineteenth century, from
the late eighteenth century to the outbreak of the First World War,
witnessed profound transformations in the understanding of animals.
Developments in physiology, medicine, and the natural sciences made
animals indispensable to experimental research and contributed to
advances in zoology. At the same time, literary, philosophical, and
public debates increasingly addressed the moral implications of their
treatment. Animals thus emerged as crucial figures in discussions of
life, consciousness, morality, and the place of human beings within the
natural world.

Within the culturally diverse contexts of Eastern and Eastern-Central
Europe, including the territories of the Romanov (Russian) Empire, the
Habsburg Monarchy, and the Ottoman Empire, these developments
intersected with broader intellectual transformations. Religious
traditions encountered emerging scientific and philosophical
perspectives that redefined the relationship between humans and animals.
Influenced by evolutionary thought and modern science, humans were
increasingly understood not as separate from nature, but as its most
highly developed animals.

Aims of the Lecture Series

This lecture series explores discourses and knowledge about animals and
the human–animal relationship throughout the long nineteenth century in
Eastern- and Eastern-Central Europe. Key questions include: What ideas
and concepts regarding animals and the human–animal relationship were
prevalent in the natural and social sciences, the humanities, and
religion? How were scientific findings adapted and reinterpreted in
literature and culture? What imaginative or counter-concepts of animals
emerged in literary and cultural contexts? Finally, the series examines
how practices of dealing with animals shaped ethical reflections on
their treatment.

We invite contributions that explore how animals and the human-animal
relationship were represented, conceptualized, and contested within the
intellectual, literary, and scientific cultures of the period. By
bringing together perspectives from literary studies, philosophy, the
history of science, and cultural history, the seminar aims to illuminate
the role of animals in shaping modern debates about nature, knowledge,
and humanity in Eastern- and Eastern-Central Europe.

Possible topics include, but are not limited to:
·       Animals in scientific experimentation, particularly in physiology,
medicine, and psychology
·       Historical case studies of experimental practices involving animals,
including ethical and epistemological implications
·       Literary representations of animals and their role in moral,
philosophical, or social debates
·       Animals in public culture: zoos, exhibitions, popular science, and
visual representation
·       Early vegetarian movements and other refusals to consume animal
products, including their theoretical foundations and motivations
·       Discourses on animal suffering, compassion, and early animal
protection movements
·       Religious perspectives on animals in interaction with scientific and
modernist discourses
·       Changing conceptions of the human–animal relationship in the context
of evolutionary thought and modern science

The online talk series forms part of a broader initiative to establish a
research network and prepare a series of publications.

Submission Guidelines
·       Abstract: 250–300 words
·       Short Bio: 100 words
·       Deadline for Submission: 15.06.2026
·       Notification of Acceptance: July 2026
·       Submission Email: humanimalbond@gmail.com

Seminar Details
·       Format: Online
·       Duration: 1h30
·       Presentation Length: 30 minutes, followed by discussion
·       Monthly October 2026 – February 2027 every third Friday

Organizers
Dr. Nadine Menzel (Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg,
nadine.menzel@uni-bamberg.de)
Dr. Maxim Demin (Ruhr-Universität Bochum,
Maksim.Demin@ruhr-uni-bochum.de)

The ASP Distinguished Manuscript Award in Slavic Studies

 

Russian and Ukrainian Summer Online Courses at Stony Brook

We are offering summer online synchronous courses at Stony Brook (all courses are 6 weeks May 26 - July 3):

Intensive Elementary Russian (RUS 101) - covers 2 semesters of Beginner Russian

Intensive Elementary Ukrainian (UKR 101) - covers 2 semesters of Beginner Ukrainian, can accommodate heritage speakers. MoTuWeTh 10:30AM - 12:45PM

Russian for Heritage Speakers (RUS 213) TuTh 1:30-3:30

Russian and Post-Soviet Cinema (HUR 241) - hybrid asynchronous course Tu 5:30-7:30

Information can be found at stonybrook.edu/summer

Additionally, all our Russian courses during the academic year are also online synchronous, including all 4 years of Russian plus a heritage speaker course.

IMPORTANT DEADLINES & REMINDERS: Future(s) of International and Area Studies Conference

IMPORTANT DEADLINES & REMINDERS: Future(s) of International and Area Studies Conference

REGISTER by no later than May 1, 2026 for the Future(s) of International and Area Studies: Challenges, Opportunities, Goals conference at the University of Pittsburgh, May 8–10, 2026.

Participants may attend either in person or virtually. While registrations will be accepted until May 6, 2026 participants registering for the in-person format after May 1, 2026 will not have access to provided meals. If you need to change your registration, cancellations/refunds must be requested by April 14, 2026. Requests to transfer your registration to another person are possible through May 5, 2026. 

If you are traveling to Pittsburgh, please book your hotel accommodations as soon as possible. Do not hesitate. To take advantage of the conference hotel room block, reservations must be made before 5 pm (ET) on April 16, 2026. Pittsburgh will be in graduation season and finding alternative accommodation arrangements will be very challenging and parking on the University of Pittsburgh campus will be limited.

For additional information about the conference, including program details, travel information, and registration please visit the conference website.