#97-01-06
For Release: 1-14-97
Contact: Peter Bailley

Knox College students who recently conducted research projects on Russia will present two free, public roundtable discussions at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 21 and Thursday, Jan. 23 in the Round Room of the Ford Center for Fine Arts. Seventeen Knox students went to St. Petersburg and Moscow for three weeks this past December, as part of the Advanced Preceptorial course "Russia Then and Now."

On Jan. 21, the students will discuss Russian politics, economics and environment. The topics are:

Authoritarianism, Democratic Values, and Prospects for Continued Democratic Reform in Russia; Eric Rinehart

The Election Process of a Newly Democratized Federation; Amanda Weitkamp

Post Communist Challenges to Collectivist Mentality; James Mutti

The Russian Mafia; Mark Berns

Environmental Issues in Russia; Gregory Plutko

Environmental Effects of the Chernobyl Disaster; Ayano Inoue

The Importance of Folk Medicine in Post Communist Russia; Shana Salik

On Jan. 23, the presentation focuses on Russian society, culture, and the arts. The topics are:

What does "Feminism" mean to the Russian Woman?; Monica Novak

Challenges of Work and Family for Russian Women; Aga Wysocka

Beggars and the Homeless in Moscow; Kip Conwell

Effects of the Internet on Russia; Aaron Shaw III

Mobilizing the Fight Against AIDS and HIV in Russia; Alex Russell

Russian Film and the Post Communist Market; Amy Mitchell

Russian Perspectives on Childhood; Chris Katholi

Overcoming Myths about the Enemy- a series of poems; Lindsay Dilks

Two students, Colby Butcher and Rachel Weeda, also participated in the program, but they are currently studying off-campus with other programs. Their projects are:

The Investment Environment in Modern Day Russia; Colby Butcher

Sexual Minorities in Russia; Rachel Weeda

The "Russia Then and Now" Advanced Preceptorial course, directed by professors Daria Kirjanov and Ivan Davidson, began in the fall. The students studied Russian language, culture and history and prepared research topics that they investigated further while in Russia. During Knox's winter break in December, the students traveled to St. Petersburg, staying for three days, and then to Moscow, for two weeks.

The group stayed in an 18-floor international dormitory near the Moscow State University. The students attended seminars, conducted research relevant to their individual projects and visited Russian schools, museums, theaters, and businesses.

Knox's Advanced Preceptorial program is a series of interdisciplinary senior-level courses in which students examine current topics, using knowledge gained through in-depth study in their major fields.

Founded in 1837, Knox is an independent, four-year, liberal arts college, located in Galesburg, Illinois, with 1,100 students from 42 states and 33 nations. Knox's "Old Main," a National Historic Landmark, is the only building remaining from the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas debates.