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On 2 July 2016 the Department of Slavonic Studies welcomed an enthusiastic group ofÌýsecondary school students in Years 11 and 12 to º£½ÇÉçÇø for a day of language taster sessions and rich presentations in literature, film and culture.Ìý

Designed for students who are alreadyÌýstudying Russian as well asÌýfor students just itching to get started,ÌýtheÌýevent sought to introduce prospective applicantsÌýto the º£½ÇÉçÇø degree and toÌýpromote the study of the Russian languageÌýand Slavonic Studies more generally.ÌýParticipants mixedÌýwith academic staff as well asÌýcurrent undergraduates -- and even recited Russian futurist poetry together.

'Our Department is committed to building interest in and excitement for the study of Russia, Poland and Ukraine',ÌýsaidÌýDr Rory Finnin, Head of the Department of Slavonic Studies. 'Applying to study Russian at º£½ÇÉçÇø – and potentially adding Polish and/or Ukrainian from theÌýsecond year of study – is to embark on an intellectual adventure that will distinguish studentsÌýfor the rest of their lives. It is also to join the ranks of a highly employable community of scholars who forge rewarding careers in such diverse fields as journalism, law, politics, and diplomacy.'

The began withÌýtaster language lessons for three different groups of students:Ìýpure beginners,Ìýstudents with GCSEÌýRussian,ÌýandÌýstudents withÌýA-Level Russian. These sessionsÌýwere led by Mrs Natasha Franklin,ÌýDr Elena FilimonovaÌýand Dr Susan Larsen. After a lunch with staff and current º£½ÇÉçÇø undergraduates, participants then enjoyed a presentation on the 'super-charged' cultural legacyÌýof St Petersburg by Dr Alyson TappÌýentitledÌý"'Streets Are Our Brushes, Squares Are Our Palettes’: City, Art and Language in Revolution". The event closed with a session on 'Art, Politics and Protest:Ìý1953 to the Present' by Dr Susan Larsen, whichÌýexplored three moments in Russian and Soviet history when artistic innovation and political change intertwined with particularly dramatic results: the brief ‘Thaw’ that began after Stalin’s death in 1953; the era of openness (²µ±ô²¹²õ²Ô´Ç²õ³Ù’) and restructuring (perestroika) that preceded the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991; and the extraordinary wave of public protests that filled many Russian city streets in 2011 and 2012.

Please email slavon@hermes.cam.ac.uk to join our mailing list andÌýexpress your interest in our future outreach activities and initiatives.Ìýcan be found on theÌý of the º£½ÇÉçÇø Committee for Russian and East European Studies (CamCREES).