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J-Term Course Proposal
The Russian Language and Area Studies Department J-term course proposal is officially under consideration. Fingers crossed — будем держать кулачки!
We’re so grateful for all the input and support we’ve received from Theresa Heath, Director of the Smith Center for Global Engagement, and Alyssa Melby, Director of Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement.
In the meantime, we can announce the tentative course title and description:
Civic Engagement in Riga, Latvia: History, Culture, and Politics at a European Crossroads
In this course, students will spend one month in the scenic, historic, and exciting capital of Latvia, Riga. They will divide their time between civic engagement projects with local NGOs on one hand, and on the other, lectures, discussions and excursions that will address the pressing issues of immigration, displacement, diaspora, and language politics in Latvia and Eastern Europe more generally.
The course centers community engagement: students will choose to collaborate with a local community partner based on their personal and academic interests. Local partners include organizations for youth community building, LGBTQ+ support, exiled writers and journalists, and environmental sustainability.
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Riga Site Visit & Research in Helsinki
This summer, Profs. Dossi and Morse traveled to Riga, Latvia and Tallinn, Estonia to conduct a site visit for an exciting new J-Term course. They also conducted research at the National Library in Helsinki, Finland.
Our visit to Riga was engaging, informative, and fun. SRAS’s Baltics Program Manager, Katya, organized our itinerary and put us in touch with potential community partners for our program. We’re so grateful for her guidance and look forward to working together in the future.
In Tallinn, Prof. Morse attended a mass at the Transfiguration cathedral, which houses an exquisite early 18th c. baroque iconostasis. Profs. Dossi and Morse also enjoyed exploring the old town and the Maritime Museum with their children.
Finally, in Helsinki, Profs. Dossi and Morse worked in the National Library. Prof. Dossi examined the extensive collection of nineteenth-century Russian medical journals in the Slavonic Library, while Prof. Morse examined texts from the private libraries of three influential courtiers at the court of Peter I (r. 1682-1725) held in special collections.
Rainy Riga Old Town 
Tallinn, Old Town 
St. Olaf’s Church, Tallinn 
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Summer 2025
This summer, Profs. Dossi and Morse will travel to Latvia, Estonia, and Finland to conduct site visits for an exciting new Russian Studies J-term program, and conduct research at the Helsinki Slavonic Library at the University of Helsinki.
At the Slavonic Library, Prof. Dossi will examine the extensive collection of nineteenth-century Russian medical journals kept in their archives. Prof. Morse will examine documents from the personal libraries of courtiers at the Petrine Court.
The site visit portion of the trip is funded through the Smith Center for Global Engagement and the research portion through the Professional Development fund at St. Olaf.
House of the Brotherhood of the Blackheads, Riga 
Tallinn, Shoreline 
Helsinki Cathedral
