Harvard Summer in Tbilisi

The Harvard Summer Program in Tbilisi, Georgia, provides students with a full course in intermediate-level Russian language instruction along with opportunities to explore Russian and Georgian culture, history, literature, film, and urban studies. Language study tracks the content of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Russian B-level courses (equivalent to Russian Ba-Bb, Bta-Btb, or Bab), preparing students to continue in Advanced Russian/Third-Year (Russian 101-103); the program includes 140 hours of language instruction. Modules include Georgian history and politics, architechture and urban morphology, Georgian film, and Russian fictions of the Caucasus.

Modules include:

Georgian History and Politics

Stephen Jones will present a two-week module on the historical and cultural background of Tbilisi and Georgia, including a seminar and speaker series with guests from among Georgian politicians, historians, and artists. Excursions around Tbilisi and environs include visits to the parliament, the Viceroy's Palace, and the Wine Museum, in addition to visits to the cities of Gori and Bolnisi. Topics include the significance of food and feasting in Georgian culture and visits to churches and monasteries.

Architecture and Urban Morphology

Julie Buckler will present a three-week module on Tbilisi as a city, providing an on-the-ground approach to the city of Tbilisi including its history, and culture, Georgia's role in the Russian empire and the Soviet Union, as well as post-Soviet changes leading to individual urban humanities mapping projects covering various periods (ancient/medieval, Russian Empire, Republics of Georgia; pre-Soviet, Soviet, post-Soviet). Students look at the architectural and other physical markers left by each period, exploring the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural, and multi-confessional history of Tbilisi and the various foreign influences on its development.

Georgian Film

Stephanie Sandler leads a two-week module introducing Georgian film with lectures, screenings, and excursions.

Russian Fictions of the Caucasus

Justin Weir concludes the program with a three-week module on the romantic vision of an orientalized Caucasus including readings in English and Russian (integrated with the language program) from the works of Pushkin, Lermontov, and Tolstoy.