CONF: French Language in Russia, Uni of Bristol, 12-14 Sept 2012

The French Language in Russia
The second half of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth
On the occasion of the bicentenary of the war of 1812
An international interdisciplinary conference
University of Bristol, Wednesday 12-Friday 14 September 2012


The bicentenary of Russia’s war against Napoleon provides an opportunity to explore various aspects of the history of the French language in Russia.
The war drew the attention of Russian society to the use of French in Russia. Disapproval of francophonie had already been expressed in the second half of the eighteenth century but at the beginning of the nineteenth century the practice became a target for certain groups of Russian intellectuals, and the growth of a national self-consciousness in Russia was thus revealed. Russian writers had stressed the importance of learning and mastering the native language well before 1812, to be sure, but it was the war against Napoleon that made it possible for the attitudes of different social strata and groups towards the francophonie of Russian high society to be clarified.


The conference aims to examine various cultural practices and ideological positions that were associated with the use of French in Russia both before and after the Napoleonic Wars. The chronological extent of the period to be studied is very broad, from the reign of Elizabeth to the age of Nicholas I, so that it should be possible to trace the appearance of francophonie in Russia, its flowering and the beginning of its decline.


The conference will address questions such as the following: the way French was learnt, cultural practices associated with its use (correspondence, keeping a diary, reading and composition of works of literature, translation, literary circles and salons, and so forth), the social groups which used it, and reservations about and hostility towards its use among the nobility. However, this list of questions is not exhaustive. Other matters may also be addressed, such as the linguistic situation in Russia during the period in question, the use of other foreign languages there and similar phenomena in other European countries.
The conference is being organised within the framework of a three-year project in the University of Bristol on the history of the French language in Russia from the eighteenth century to the early twentieth century. The project is led by Professor Derek Offord and funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This is the first European project which aims to study the history of francophonie in one of the countries that was most affected by it. A number of international events will be organised as part of the project and it is envisaged that their proceedings will be published.


The conference will take place in Clifton Hill House, one of the University’s most attractive halls of residence. It will begin at lunchtime on 12 September and end around 4.00 on 14th.


Conference organisers
School of Modern Languages, University of Bristol; Derek Offord, project leader; Vladislav Rjéoutski and Sarah Turner, post-doctoral research assistants.
http://www.basees.org.uk/CFP-french-in-russia.shtml

Summer Program: Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute

Summer Program: Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI) University of Wisconsin-Madison June 18-August 10, 2012 creeca.wisc.edu/cessi

The Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) and the Department of Languages and Cultures of Asia at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are proud to announce the second annual Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute, CESSI, to be held at UW-Madison from June 18-August 10, 2012.

In summer 2012, CESSI will offer intensive courses in beginning and intermediate Kazakh, Tajik, Uyghur, and Uzbek. With sufficient enrollment, other Central Eurasian Turkic languages could also be offered. Please contact the CESSI program coordinator if you are interested in a language not listed above. Scheduling of all courses is contingent upon enrollment. Please apply to CESSI as early as possible to help ensure that your class will be offered.

CESSI 2012 will also feature lectures (in English) on Central Eurasian history and culture and a rich program of cultural events and field trips related to the countries of Central Eurasia. Information and application materials are available on the CESSI Web site: creeca.wisc.edu/cessi

The deadline for admission and the fee remission grant is April 16, 2012. The application deadline for Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships at UW-Madison is February 15, 2012. More information about UW-Madison FLAS fellowships is available at: flas.wisc.edu

CESSI is a joint initiative of 16 U.S. Department of Education-funded National Resource Centers at 10 U.S. universities, along with Nazarbayev University (Astana, Kazakhstan).

For further information about CESSI 2012, please contact Nancy Heingartner, CESSI program coordinator, cessi@creeca.wisc.edu, 1-608-262-3379

JOB: Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Russian, University of Pittsburgh

The Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of Pittsburgh invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position with a specialization in late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russian literature and culture to begin in August 2012, pending budgetary approval. Ph.D. is required at the time of appointment. Native or near-native (or ACTFL superior-level) proficiency in English and Russian required. 


In addition to undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in Russian literature and culture, the position may require teaching Russian language at all levels (including content-based advanced courses) and general-education literature and culture courses in English (both large lecture-based courses and smaller discussion-oriented ones).


Applicants must demonstrate promise of significant scholarly achievement and a strong interest and experience in teaching. Expertise in a second Slavic language and literature, especially Polish or BCS, is desirable. 


Candidates should arrange to submit a letter of application, CV, representative student teaching evaluations, representative syllabi, samples of scholarly writing (the length of one or two journal articles), and the names and contact information for three persons able to provide confidential professional letters of recommendation (we do not need the letters themselves at this time, but we do need the names of the recommenders) by surface mail to: 


Russian Assistant Professor Search Committee 
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures
1417 Cathedral of Learning
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, PA 15260


Questions may be directed to: 
Ms. Christine Metil, 
Department Administrator 
metil@pitt.edu 
1-412-624-5906 
Review of applications will begin immediately and continue until the position is filled. 


Preliminary interviews will be held in Washington, DC during the ASEEES conference (November 17–20) and Seattle, WA during the AATSEEL conference (January 5–8).


The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer. Women and members of minority groups under-represented in academia are especially encouraged to apply.

http://www.aatseel.org/joblist/tenure-track-assistant-professor-in-russian1.htm