The Center for Belarusian Studies at Southwestern College organized and held a major symposium October 6 and 7, 2009, on the topic “Higher Education and Civil Society in Belarus.” The conference - held on Southwestern’s campus in Winfield, Kansas  - brought together leading specialists in the subject area from Belarus, from the North America Belarusian Diaspora, and from the diplomatic arena.

Participants of the symposium

Continue reading Symposium on “Higher Education and Civil Society” held at Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas

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This two-day event is intended to shed light on the situation surrounding higher education in Belarus and its broader implications for the normalization of civil society in that country.  Leading specialists from both Belarus itself and North America in the fields of higher education and government will share views among themselves and with invited guests and the general public.  The Center will oversee preparation of a final policy document reflecting the formal papers and informal discussions shared at the symposium.

The Center for Belarusian Studies welcomes interested persons to share in this unique event, beginning at 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, October 6, 2009. All sessions will be held in Southwestern Library, Reference Room, on the campus of Southwestern College, 100 College Street, Winfield, Kansas 67156.

List of presenters:

Dr. Ales Antsipenka, Head, Belarus Collegium;

Dr. Zinaida Gimpelevich, Professor of Slavic Literature, Waterloo University;

Dr. Alyaksandr Kazulin, former Rector, Belarusian State University;

Dr. Aliaksandr Kalbaska, Vice-rector, European Humanities University;

Dr. J. Andrew Sheppard, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Southwestern College and
Associate Executive Director, Center for Belarusian Studies;

Dr. Stanislau Shushkevich, former Head of State, Republic of Belarus;

Dr. M. Paula Survilla, Professor of Musicology and Ethnomusicology, Wartburg College
and Executive Director, Center for Belarusian Studies;

Amb. David H. Swartz, Associate Executive Director, Center for Belarusian Studies and
former U. S. ambassador to the Republic of Belarus;

Amb. Kenneth S. Yalowitz, Adjunct Professor and Director, Dickey Center for
International Understanding, Dartmouth College and former U.S. ambassador to
the Republic of Belarus;

Three of the first graduates with B.A. degrees in Belarusian Studies of the European
Humanities University

download CBS Symposium Poster

David Swartz and M. Paula Survilla were invited to Montreal celebration of Belarusian Independence Day. In their comments, Swartz and Survilla thanked the community for their support and stressed the importance of the CBS as a physical and virtual location that will emphasize a Belarusian presence for Belarusians and for non-Belarusians alike.

Celebrating Belarusian Independence Day at the Belarusian Community Meeting in Montreal

Executive Director, Professor M. Paula Survilla, CBS Visiting Scholar in Residence, Nadzeya Sychuhova, and Ambassador (retired) David Swartz.

On March 28, Executive Director M. Paula Survilla, former Ambassador to Belarus, David Swartz, and CBS Visiting Scholar in Residence, Nadzeya Sychuhova were hosted by members of the Belarusian community in Cleveland at their center Polacak. Members of the community were invited to a luncheon as well as formal presentations by CBS staff who emphasized the importance of the Belarusian Center from three perspectives:

• the significance of the CBS for a growing and changing Belarusian Diaspora (Survilla);
• the importance of the Center as a resource in the understanding of contemporary political and socio-economic realities for Belarus (Swartz), and
• the significance of the CBS in the academic work about and for Belarus in Europe and in Belarus proper (Sychuhova).

The Center expresses its deep thanks to the organizers of this event and for the generous support of the Polacak community. We look forward to many exciting collaborations in the future.

This course introduces students to the country of Belarus through the exploration of geography, language, culture, tradition, ethnography, history, literature, and policy, while considering its position at the center of Europe.

Students have the opportunity to experience Belarusian traditions (culinary practices) and various forms of expression (dancing, Belarusian “folk” as well as contemporary music). This multidisciplinary approach will allow for a holistic understanding of Belarus in the current political and cultural climate.

1) Mackey, Krystiana Renae: Undegraduate/Bachelor of Arts/Music -Class Level: Senior, 2) Pierson, Amy Lynn: Undegraduate/Bach Sci Nursing/Nursing - Class Level: Junior

APPLICATION FORM

Dear friends,

The Center for Belarusian Studies at Southwestern College (Winfield, KS) invites undergraduate and graduate students to participate in its first International Summer School for Belarusian Studies from July 6 to August 7, 2009. The program, to be co-sponsored by the Poland-based Belarusian Historical Society, will be held at the Belarusian Lyceum in the town of Hajnówka in the Podlasie region of northeastern Poland, an area of great natural beauty and home to Poland’s ethnic Belarusian minority - an ideal setting for the study of Belarusian language, history and culture, as well as for the study of a broad range of issues relating to cultural diversity and minorities policies in the expanded EU. 

Coursework will include intensive Belarusian language instruction (beginning and intermediate levels and individual advanced-level tutorials) and lectures in English and Belarusian on Belarusian history, literature, contemporary politics and society. The program will also include a regional studies component, with lectures and events focusing on the history, culture and current status of the Belarusian minority in Poland, as well as of the Podlasie region’s other ethnic groups, including Poles, Jews, Tatars, Lithuanians, and Russian Old Believers. Faculty will include instructors from Białystok University and the Belarusian Lyceum in Hajnówka, as well as Hrodna University in Belarus. Additional guest lectures on Belarusian history, politics and culture will be given by visiting researchers from Europe and North America. Students will have a choice of dormitory accommodations at the Belarusian Lyceum, or homestays with Belarusian-speaking families in Hajnówka.

Coursework will be supplemented by a rich and diverse cultural program, including

• visits to Belarusian minority cultural organizations and media outlets,
• meetings with Belarusian writers and artists, films, concerts, theatrical performances, and
• excursions to important sites related to Belarusian and Orthodox culture and other attractions of the Podlasie region: the city of Białystok, the recently restored Orthodox monastery in Supraśl, the Białowieża (Belaveža) National Park (the largest and ecologically most diverse remnant of the primeval forests of the Northern European plain), the historic town of Bielsk Podlaski, the Holy Mountain of Grabarka (the most important Eastern Orthodox pilgrimage site in Poland), and the Borderland Foundation in Sejny, a unique institution dedicated to preserving the rich multicultural heritage of the borderland region and promoting dialogue and new forms of cooperation between its many ethnic groups and cultures.
• In mid-July students will also have the opportunity to attend Basovišča, the annual festival of Belarusian rock music organized by the Belarusian Students’ Association in the town of Gródek (Haradok) east of Bialystok.
• At the end of the program, from August 8-19th, students will have the option of traveling to Belarus on a tour including Hrodna, Navahrudak, Slonim, Niasviž, Mir, Minsk, Połack, Viciebsk, Mahiloŭ, Pinsk and Brest.

The program cost, including tuition, room, board, cultural program and excursions is $2,900 (the cost of the optional Belarus tour at the end of the program will be announced as details become available). For further information and application materials, please contact the program director: Dr. Curt Woolhiser, Harvard University, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, Barker Center 327, 12 Quincy St. , Cambridge MA 02138-3804; e-mail: cwoolhis@fas.harvard.edu; tel. (617) 495-3528. Please note that the due date for all applications is May 15, 2009. 

(Download APPLICATION FORM)

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