We are pleased to announce that the East and Central Europe Program is conducted a six-week intensive Institute for ten faculty members in the social sciences from universities located all over Russia. Running until October 19, 1996, the Institute's highly interactive program, entitled Explorations in Political Science, offered not only intensive exposure to political science as taught in the U.S. (comparable to a full semester's work), but also assisted in the development of a core curriculum for use in Russian universities.

The program of the Institute examined the following five fields of political science: the American Political System; Western Political Theory; Political Philosophy; Comparative Politics and International Relations; and Empirical Research Methods. Each course section lasted approximately one week. Each classroom session was followed by separate discussion on teaching the sections covered.

In addition to the sections on political science, each participant took part in training sessions devoted to the use of the Internet as a tool for research. This component of the curriculum was conducted by NYU's Associate Librarian Ann Snoeyenbos and the New School's Associate Librarian, David Perry.

Other activities included special guest lectures, field trips, and meetings with policy makers on the national, state and local levels. Among the guest lecturers in New York City were Jonathan Schell (Media Studies Center) and Professor Shlomo Avineri (Hebrew University in Jerusalem). The group was also invited to meet with the President of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), Professor Stanley Katz, and his colleagues. Brief remarks on the teaching of humanities and political science at U.S. universities were delivered by the Vice President of ACLS Dr. Douglas Bennett.

The field trip to Washington DC included a briefing at Senator Moynihan's office on How Congress Functions on the Staff Level, a tour of Congress, and a meeting with Roy Schotland, Professor of Law at Georgetown University, on The Right to Vote and Its Exercise: Aspects of Representation.

The trip to the state capitol in Hartford, CT., was centered around a meeting on Democracy and State Government. Among the discussants were: Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director of the Connecticut Commission on Children; Senator Donald Williams; Representative Brian Mattiello; Mr. Joel Cogenjoel of the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities; Miles Rapoport, the Connecticut Secretary of State; Louis Martin from the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities; Leslie Brett of the Connecticut Commission on Women, and Judge Aaron Ment.

Finally, near the conclusion of their stay at the New School, on October 15, the Russian scholars will be introduced to the larger New York community in a round-table discussion: Russia Today: Contradictions of Democracy.
 
 

Institute Faculty
Prof. Andrew Arato (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. Youssef Cohen (New York University)
Prof. Martin Gilens (Yale University)
Prof. Jeffrey Goldfarb (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. Victoria Hattam (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. Ira Katznelson (Columbia University)
Prof. James Miller (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. James Nolt (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. David Plotke (The Graduate Faculty)
Prof. Michel Rosenfeld (Cardozo Law School)
Prof. Ian Shapiro (Yale University)
Prof. Andrzej Tymowski (Yale University)
Prof. Michael Walzer (Institute for Advanced Study)
Prof. Aristide Zolberg (The Graduate Faculty)

Institute Participants
Natalia Batova (Chair, Department of Philosophy, Magadan International Pedagogical University)
Antonina Dordous (Chair, Department of Political History, Khabarovsk Pedagogical Institute)
Boris Gubman (Department of Theory and History of Culture, Tver State University)
Vladimir Kostornichenko (Department of Modern History, Volgograd State University)
Dmitri Kukarnikov (Department of Philosophy, Voronezh State University)
Denis Makarov (Department of Political & Social Science, Moscow State Pedagogical University)
Olga Malinova (Department of Political Science, Moscow State Institute of Electronic Technics)
Galina Rokina (Department of History, Mari El State University)
Sergey Savchenko (Department of Philosophy, Moscow State University)
Dmitry Strovsky (Department of Journalism, Ural State University, Yekaterinburg)