College of Education     Jackson School/REECAS

University of Washington

 

EDLPS 541 / SISRE 590

RUSSIAN EDUCATION AND SOCIETY

 

 

Instructor:  Prof. Stephen T. Kerr

Office:  122 Miller Hall, Box 353600

Course meets: 107 Smith

Telephone:  (206) 685-7562

Wednesdays, 2:30 - 4:20 p.m.

E-mail:  stkerr@u.washington.edu

Office hours:  By appointment

WWW: http://faculty.washington.edu/stkerr

 

 

Session

Date

Assignment for Session*

Topic in Class

1

4/1/09

---

Introductions – course, students, instructor

Stasis: Formative influences from the Soviet period

2

4/8

Eklof, 2005; Karpov & Lisovskaia, 2005; Kerr, 1994; Webber, 2000

Change: "The Movement" & Russian Educational Reform, 1983-1992

3

4/15

[Non-traditional materials and sources – exercise]

[No class meeting -- AERA.]

[Non-traditional materials and sources; See exercise description in syllabus]

4

4/22

DaVanzo & Grammich, 2001; Demoscope; Heleniak, 1999; Kerr, 2005; TPAA/GBC

Destiny:  Demographics and education – health of, risks to, and societal influences on Russia's children and young adults

5

4/29

Kozulin selections (1990; 1998); Vygotsky materials

Ideas:  Russian educational psychology – Vygotsky and his school; Preschool education

6

5/6

Canning, Moock, & Heleniak, 1999; Vaillant, 2005; Peterson, 2005; Webber, 2000

Content:  Russian and Soviet General Education (Grades 1-10/11) – Curriculum in an era of change

7

5/13

Muckle, 2005;

Webber, 2000; Zumbrunnen, 1994.

Pedagogy:  Teachers – Their background and preparation, and the functioning of the educational system

8

5/20

TBA

Levels:  Higher and professional education; the Bologna Process

9

5/27

Canning et al., 2004; Froumin et al., 2003; Kerr, 2008;

TBA

Future:  Modernizing the educational system: Programs of the 21st century

10

6/3

Final papers due (with abstracts for class members)

Final paper presentations; conclusions

 

* Some readings will be distributed in class the week prior to that in which the reading will be discussed.  Others will be available online or on reserve.  Details will be discussed weekly.

1.  Course Rationale and Goals

 

                This course provides an overview of the educational system in Russia and, in a more limited way, other parts of the Former Soviet Union.  The educational systems in this part of the world have gone through large changes over the past few years, changes that parallel broader shifts in society, the economy, and intellectual life.  Since the fate of economic and social change depends in large measure on the mental habits that citizens develop through their formal and informal schooling, this is an opportune time to consider reforms proposed and attempted in education in Russia, elsewhere in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and in Eastern Europe. 

 

            Our focus here will be not only on formal institutions of education -- the kindergartens, schools, vocational training institutions, and universities that citizens attend - but will include also the wider cultural and social "surround" of non-formal education such as the public media, clubs and social organizations, continuing education programs, and so on.  Also, since education is today inextricably entwined with questions of social, political, intellectual, and economic development, we will spend some time examining how these social forces intersect around education.

 

            A note of caution: The political and social climate in Russia and the CIS is in a state of flux as we undertake this course.  Bear this in mind as we proceed, and pay special attention to the dates of the materials you read.  Items published only a few years ago may have lost some of their value as descriptions of the present situation (while retaining their value as historical and context-setting references). 

 

            A further caveat: while we will spend most of our time in the course concentrating on developments in Russia, students may also choose to focus their course activities and papers on developments in other parts of the CIS or Eastern Europe.  Bear in mind, however, that materials in English will become progressively more difficult to find in Suzzallo Library as you move geographically toward the frontiers of the former USSR.

 

 

2.  Course Content and Sequence

 

            We will begin with a brief introduction to the history of education in Russia and the Soviet Union.  The focus here is partly on the written and documentary history of education (key events, changes in curricular patterns, etc.), and partly on understanding the more subtle social and political dynamics of how the Soviet system of education came to be, how it compared with other educational systems in both the United States and Europe, what it did and did not provide for the citizens of the former USSR.  A key aspect of this initial overview will be to consider how change was or was not accomplished within the system at various points in time.  We will also examine the heritage of Russian psychology (particularly the work of L.S. Vygotsky and his followers) and its effects on present-day thinking about the way educational experiences should be structured.

 

            Schools do not exist in a social vacuum, and a powerful influence on Russia's young people recently has been the rapid degradation in children's health and safety during the post-Communist period.  We will look at how demographic changes, as well as related issues of drug and alcohol abuse, STDs and HIV/AIDS, environmental pollution, and dietary patterns, have had negative impact on school attendance, performance, and the potential for parental support for young people.

 

            Next, we will examine the system of education as Russian citizens experience it.  We will look at the kindergartens and day-care centers that have long been an interest of Americans studying the USSR.  We will examine how non-school institutions such as the media, religious organizations, and youth groups have affected the world-views of citizens in Russia and the CIS.  We will consider the system of general and vocational education that provides young people with their fundamental view of the world; this system has been subject to various attempts at reform over the past few years – although the system has recently reverted to a more centralized pattern of control, there are still a number of interesting independent voices.  Debates over "modernization" efforts and standards have been a central part of recent discussions in Russia.  We will also examine how institutions of higher education have adapted to the reforms proposed for them, and see how their role has changed with recent political and social shifts. 

 

            Finally, we will look at the future and how key policy makers perceive the tasks the schools will be expected to carry out over the coming years. 

 

 

3.  Requirements

 

            Students may enroll in this course either via SISRE 590, "Special Topics," or via EDLPS 541, "Topics in Comparative Education."  Both provide 3 credits.

 

            There are four principal requirements for this course: 

(a) your careful reading of the assigned materials, and your thoughtful participation in class discussions about these;

(b) a search for, and presentation of, non-traditional materials relating to schools and education in Russia and the former USSR;

(c) a brief oral presentation to the class on a topic of interest to you (including a literature review related to the topic); and

(d)  a final paper or project.  These are described in more detail below.

 

a.  Readings and discussion.  Read the materials assigned, and come to class prepared to discuss them in detail. 

DUE:  Every course meeting.

EVALUATION: On basis of completion of readings and thoughtful comprehension of them, evidenced through discussion. 

CONTRIBUTION TO COURSE GRADE: 5%.

 

b.  Non-traditional materials and sources.  The object of this exercise is to explore what relevant materials and information on Russian education exist outside of the traditional scholarly apparatus of books, articles, and reports.  The aim here is to explore current popular electronic resources such as YouTube, Flickr, Russian social networking sites (100druzei, etc.), blogs and wikis either about or based in Russian schools/universities.  You might also find reports or materials from non-academic projects that have bearing on education in Russia – for example, Trans-Atlantic Partners against AIDS Alliance does a good deal of educational work and has interesting resources.

 

Find at least three sites, resources, or materials, and post their URLs on the class GoPost before our class meeting.  Be prepared to say a bit about: (1) How you found the site or material (how hard it was, how you searched, etc.); (2) What you think is interesting or useful about the site or material (what is says about the state of education in Russia, etc.); and (3) How representative you feel the site or material is (in other words, would you judge it as "typical" or some sort of outlier; this will, in many cases, be a subjective judgment, but give it a try!)

DUE:  April 22

EVALUATION:  Graded (leniently), based on quality of material identified and analysis during class presentation.

CONTRIBUTION TO COURSE GRADE:  20%.

 

 

c.  Oral presentation to class.  You should prepare a brief oral presentation to the class on some aspect of Russian (or other CIS) education you find interesting or perplexing.  The presentation may contribute to or be a "trial run" for your final paper, or it may deal with an unrelated topic.  Plan to talk for no more than 10 minutes and allow time for comment and discussion.  Your goal is to identify questions and problems, and to familiarize yourself with the literature in the field.

 

In your oral presentation, try to do the following things:

 

(1) Choose an important issue either the topic on which you want to do your final paper, or some other topic of interest.  In your opening remarks, indicate why it is an important question to raise.

 

(2) Indicate the current state of knowledge--What do we know?  Here, you should explore the current literature in the field to discover what is known about the problem.  As part of this, identify at least 5 other books or articles of high quality (and, if relevant, recency) that speak in a serious way to the issue chosen.  What do the authors of those pieces contribute to the conversation?  What are their assumptions, biases, "taken-for-granted"s, and how do these affect their arguments and conclusions?

 

(3) Identify unresolved questions or problems--Where are the controversies and the difficulties?  What issues are still unaddressed?  What new questions have you raised?  How do you plan to deal with those (additional resources to be consulted, individuals or organizations to contact, conceptual gaps to bridge)?

 

Plan to bring to class a single-page outline of your presentation, with sufficient copies for everyone in the class.  The outline ought to include at least five references (with brief annotations) that you have found useful. 

DUE:  various points throughout the quarter; sign-up at the start.

EVALUATION: Graded, with feedback to the presenter. 

CONTRIBUTION TO COURSE GRADE: 25%.

 

d.  Final paper.  You should choose a topic related to the issues discussed in the course, develop a significant question about the topic, seek out evidence to answer the question, and write a paper of no more than 15 pages describing your findings.  The paper should be presented with appropriate scholarly apparatus (references, consistent editorial style, etc.)  APA (American Psychological Association) style is preferred, but any other recognized style may be substituted.

 

During the last class session, we will have a general discussion about your papers, the difficulties (conceptual, methodological, practical) you encountered in preparing them, and the "next steps" (if any) that they suggest for your further work. 

DUE:  June 3.

EVALUATION: Graded.

CONTRIBUTION TO COURSE GRADE: 50%.

 

If you want your paper returned to you, please provide a self-addressed envelope with sufficient postage at the time you turn your paper in to me.  Otherwise, papers may be picked up from 122 Miller Hall at any point after the official end of the quarter.  Unless you inform me to the contrary, I will assume that you agree to having all papers returned via a common file.

 

 

 

4.  Sources of Information and Language Proficiency

 

In a course such as this, you might have concerns about the need for proficiency in Russian in order to use source materials and do required course work.  While a knowledge of Russian would certainly be useful, it is by no means necessary.  There are many sources of information available in English; these include the monthly journal of translations, Russian Education and Society (formerly Soviet Education), as well as Current Digest of the [Post] Soviet Press, a weekly survey of the Soviet/Russian press that regularly carries items pertaining to Russian and Soviet education.  Now-defunct publications such as East-West Education and the ISRE Newsletter may be useful.  Specialized academic journals in the field of Russian and Soviet studies also often carry valuable material.  You may also find occasional articles and chapters dealing with Russian education in mainstream educational journals such as American Educational Research Journal, Journal of Teacher Education, Comparative Education Review, and so forth. 

 

You should use appropriate indexes, available in the UW library and on-line, to identify publications in English--ERIC, PsyInfo, and SSCI (ISI) would be the most useful.  There are also a number of on-line Russian resources, as well as many useful Web sites in both countries; see separate online list.

 

In Russian, you will find that the UW libraries subscribe to a few of the most important Russian journals and newspapers that deal with education.  These include the weekly newspapers Uchitel'skaia gazeta and Pervoe sentiabria, and such journals as [Sovetskaia] Pedagogika; holdings of other useful journals are more limited--Narodnoe obrazovanie, and Doshkol'noe vospitanie, for example.  For official notices from the Ministry of Education [and Science, post 2004], you will find the Biulleten minobrazovaniia Rossii (higher and professional education series; titles changes frequently), as well as Vestnik obrazovaniia (general education series); in both these cases, look for annual summaries and statistics from the Ministry on the state of education.

 

Among the non-education-specific periodicals, there are of course such newspapers as Nezavisimaia gazeta, Komsomol'skaia pravda, Literaturnaia gazeta, and Rossiiskaia gazeta.  Journals such as Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniia, Voprosy filosofii, and others, frequently carry articles related to education.  There are quite a few books; and if you plan an especially ambitious project, you may want to take advantage of the library's interlibrary loan service.  Russian materials of various kinds are more and more frequently available on-line, although coverage varies.  Access to a good Russian search engine helps; I mostly use Aport (http://www.aport.ru/).

 

If you are unable to locate a book or periodical, see me.  For those with Russian proficiency, I have some issues of journals to which the UW libraries do not subscribe, as well as some back issues.  I also have a fairly complete collection of the publications of VNIK-"Shkola" from the late 1980s, a number of sociological studies conducted by the Russian Academy of Education, a good many World Bank reports, as well as many other materials.

 

 

Readings:

 

for 4/8

Eklof, B.  (2005)  Introduction.  In Eklof, B., Holmes, L., & Kaplan, V.  Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 1-20).  London: Frank Cass.

Karpov, V., & Lisovskaia, E.  (2005).  Educational change in a time of social revolution.  In Eklof, B., Holmes, L., & Kaplan, V.  Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 23-55).  London: Frank Cass.

Kerr, S.  (1994).  Diversification in Russian education.  (1994.)  In T. Jones (Ed.), Education and society in the new Russia (pp. 47-74).  Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.

Webber, S.  (2000)  School, reform and society in the new Russia (Chs. 2-3).  New York: St. Martins.

 

 

for 4/15

Non-traditional materials exercise – see description in syllabus.

 

 

for 4/22

DaVanzo, J., & Grammich, C.  (2001).  Dire demographics: Population trends in the Russian Federation.  RAND Monograph Report; available at:

http://www.rand.org/pubs/monograph_reports/MR1273/

Demoscope Weekly (in Russian) at: 

http://demoscope.ru

Heleniak, T.  (1995).  Dramatic population trends in countries of the FSU.  Transition Newsletter – World Bank.  Available at:

http://www.worldbank.org/html/prddr/trans/so95/oct-ar1.htm

Kerr. S.  (2005).  Demographic change and the fate of Russia's schools.  In Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 153-175).  London: Frank Cass.

TPAA/GBC  (Transatlantic Partners Against AIDS / Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS)  Site at: 

http://www.gbcimpact.ru/en/

 

 

for 4/29

Excerpts from:

Kozulin, A.  (1998).  Psychological tools: A sociocultural approach to education.  Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Kozulin, A.  (1990).  Vygotsky's psychology: A biography of ideas.  New York: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

Lev Vygotsky.  Wikipedia entry at:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky

Vygotsky Resources.  At:

http://www.kolar.org/vygotsky/

 

 

for 5/6

Canning, M., Moock, P., & Heleniak, T.  (1999).  Reforming education in the regions of Russia.  World Bank Technical Paper No. 457.  Available at:

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2000/01/25/000094946_00011205340795/Rendered/PDF/multi_page.pdf

Peterson, N.  (2005).  Teaching literature in the new Russian school.  In Eklof, B., Holmes, L., & Kaplan, V.  Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 309-321).  London: Frank Cass.

Webber, S.  (2000)  School, reform and society in the new Russia (Chs. 5-6).  New York: St. Martins.

Vaillant, J.  (2005).  In Eklof, B., Holmes, L., & Kaplan, V.  Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 221-246).  London: Frank Cass.

 

 

for 5/13

Muckle, J.  (2005).  The conduct of lessons in the Russian school.  In Eklof, B., Holmes, L., & Kaplan, V.  Educational reform in post-Soviet Russia: Legacies and prospects (pp. 322-333).  London: Frank Cass.

Webber, S.  (2000)  School, reform and society in the new Russia (Ch. 8).  New York: St. Martins.

Zumbrunnen, C.  (1994).  The Organizational-Activity Game as a method of collaborative planning and problem solving in the former Soviet Union.  Available at:

http://www.fondgp.ru/lib/int/12

 

 

for 5/20

TBA

 

 

for 5/27

Canning, M., et al.  (2004).  The modernization of education in Russia.  World Bank – Policy Note.  Available at:

http://194.84.38.65/files/esw_files/Edu_Modernization_Education_Russia_PN_eng.pdf

Froumin, I., et al.  (2003).  E-learning policy to transform Russian schools.  World Bank Publication.  Available at:

http://194.84.38.65/files/esw_files/elearning_policy_eng.pdf

Kerr, S.  (2008).  Results of the E-Learning Support Project.  (Draft).  World Bank.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STK

3/27/09