UMaine Introduces Travel-Study Class on Russia
Contact: John Mahon, 581-1968; Andrei Strukov, 581-1925; George Manlove, 581-3756
ORONO — Special travel-study courses offered through the University of Maine previously have focused on Canada, Europe, China and other regions, as international interest keys on areas of rising global significance. Now, as the world watches to see how Russia manages perhaps the largest mass of natural resources on Earth, a travel-study course on that country is being offered this spring.
The course, which involves several class sessions prior to a May 14 departure for Moscow, will include discussions with Russian business and government leaders managing the country’s vast oil and natural gas reserves, and forest products, to explore how one of the world’s largest nations manages them.
“The Role of Russian Government in Exploration and Development of Natural Resources,” is being co-taught by John Mahon, business professor and dean of the College of Business, Public Policy and Health, and Andrei Strukov, who grew up in Russia, teaches Russian language classes at UMaine and who works as an instructional technology development specialist in the Department of Information Technologies on campus.
The three-credit course, offered through the Maine Business School and the Division of Lifelong Learning, is open to UMaine upper class students and members of the community, says Robert White, associate provost and dean of the Division of Lifelong Learning. A cost of $2,950 includes all fees associated with travel to, from and inside Russia, in addition to meals, accommodations, museum entrance fees and guided tours during the 10-day trip. In addition, students pay the regular tuition or fee rates for the course. The course is not only open to UMaine degree-seeking students, but also to those who enroll as non-degree students, adds White.
An informational class will be held Feb. 10 at 3 p.m. in Room 113 in the D.P. Corbett business building on the Orono campus. Information about schedules, deadlines and assignment of academic credit can be found on a website designed for the course (www.umaine.edu/it/russia/index.php).
The trip will include discussions with business and government leaders, and also travel to Russia’s rural villages, in addition to celebrated landmark cities, including St. Petersburg and Moscow.
“The objective is, even though Russia is a capitalist country, they have a lot more government involvement in everyday life, including the regulation of natural resources,” says Strukov. Students will see how those factions interplay.
Mahon says the Russia travel-study class will help participants understand more about the politics, economy, culture and policies of Russia at a critically important time and in the midst of developing global energy crises.
“How can you ignore Russia when you’re talking about international trade or natural resources? It would be like saying ‘let’s ignore China,'” Mahon says. “When you look at this trip, you’re going to see a lot of Russia that most people don’t see. How many people in their life time are going to take an overnight train for 26 hours from Moscow to Syktyvkar?