SRAS Blog

Travelers to Russia and especially those planning to lead groups abroad should take note that Russia has recently passed new legislation that bans hostels in residentially-zoned buildings. Many Russian cities have seen a boom in recent years in hostels opened in former communal apartments as Russia’s tourism sector has developed. However, some long-term residents of… Read More

Every spring, Herzen State Pedagogical University hosts a conference where international students are challenged with articulating themselves using solely the Russian language for a five to ten minute presentation. Students can choose any topic relating to cross-cultural communication and then collect information through interviews, research, and observations. In addition to the oral presentation, students also… Read More

We just received notification that the consulate fees have been increased, effective March 4. For single-entry this is a hike of $70, for double, only $16, and for the multi, it is actually lower now. It’s a good time to get your multiple-entry visa! It seems as well that there will no longer be any… Read More

SRAS will be at: The Forum on Education Abroad in Denver in March 2019 NAFSA in Washington DC in May 2019 We would love to meet you at Forum or NAFSA this year! We have exciting opportunities for study and internships in Eastern and Central Europe and Central Asia. We can also assist with research travel abroad and custom programs…. Read More

SRAS recently celebrated our 20-year anniversary. We’ve also recently developed a new family of websites and a new system for managing increasing enrollments. All these developments have inspired me to take a look at the “evolution” of study abroad to Central/Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The Beginning of the Post-Soviet Era: the 1990s Back in… Read More

The deadline for SRAS’ Home and Abroad Scholars program is fast approaching: May 1!   This scholarship program, worth up to $10,000, combines an intensive internship with a study abroad program to Russia or Kyrgyzstan. We especially encourage students interested in history, anthropology, environment, military, and/or culture to apply. Study abroad while building your resume… Read More

On a chilly day in late October, I found myself on the back of a horse slowly crisscrossing up a mountain and looking back at the breathtaking view of the pristine Lake Issyk-Kul stretching across the horizon. This is how I started my site visit to our location in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Having worked with our… Read More

The School of Russian and Asian Studies has outgrown its name and has made some significant changes. When we first formed, we were based in Moscow and looking mostly eastward. We established programs across Russia, in Siberia and the Russian Far East, as well as Central Asia. We introduced students to the wide diversity of… Read More

SRAS students studying in Warsaw, Poland on the Security and Society in the Information Age program have recently published a new scholarly volume. As part of their program course work, the students worked with experts in a variety of fields at the Terrorism Research Center, a research unit within Collegium Civitas. Collegium Civitas hosts the… Read More

SRAS is pleased to announce a new member to our team: Molly Cain. Molly comes to us with nearly three decades of experience in travel to Russia and nearly two decades in working with study abroad. She will be assisting SRAS in further developing our partnerships with US universities. Molly first went to Russia in… Read More