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Can you tell us about your decision to visit MSPU?
I very much wanted to teach in Moscow. Upon the recommendation of a colleague, I visited the website of MSPU and found the university to be exactly what I was looking for. From the advice of a colleague and the information found on the website, the students seem dedicated and the faculty seem concerned about the pedagogy of the teaching process. It appeared that the faculty in political science and sociology are particularly accomplished in their fields of study.
As I first applied for a Fulbright grant two years ago, I was in touch with Dr. Roman Dubovitskiy, the ex-Head of the International Relations Office. I was encouraged by my discussions with him. As he was a former Fulbright Scholar to the United States, he was familiar with the Fulbright Program and very supportive of my application. We had very fruitful internet conversations about the design of my course, and about what I could expect as a faculty member at MSPU. I was very satisfied with my ongoing contact with the International Relations Office as this further supported my decision to teach at MSPU.
2. Was this your first visit to Moscow? If not, could you tell us a little bit about your previous trips?
No, this is my fifth visit to Moscow. My first visit to Moscow was during the summer of 1977 on a student tour out of Copenhagen. I was a graduate student at the time and had just completed as an undergraduate two years of study of the Russian language. I am of Slavic descent, as all four of my grandparents immigrated to the United States from Czechoslovakia in about 1910. Thus I feel a special affinity for the Russian people. And, as I have always been interested in politics and in different cultures, the context of the ongoing Cold War at that time intensified my interest in visiting the Soviet Union.
I did not visit Russia again until 2005. I decided to visit Moscow with my wife and 12 year-old son. We rented an apartment in downtown Moscow for a week, and then traveled to St. Petersburg. It was interesting to see how things had changed from more than 25 years earlier. We had a wonderful trip visiting many important sites. Because of this trip, I decided that it would be interesting to bring students from my university to see Russia.
Then, in 2009 and 2013, I did bring ten students from Lenoir-Rhyne University for a 10 day trip during our Spring break. These trips were in combination with a short one credit course on the politics and culture of Russia. We visited Moscow and St. Petersburg. I was amazed in the level of interest of our students to visit Russia. I hope to continue to bring American students to Russia for the years to come.
3. How long have you taught at Lenoir-Rhyne University, and what sort of subjects?
I have just finished my 30th year of teaching at Lenoir-Rhyne University. The university has gone through many changes while I have taught there. I am now the Program Coordinator for the field of political science. In addition to the general political science bachelor’s degree, we offer specialized degree programs, one in law, and another in international affairs.
My general approach to teaching political science is to view issues from a political economy perspective taking into consideration economic class distinctions. I teach American government courses including a course on political parties and elections, a course on Congress, and a course in American public administration. I teach a two courses in Constitutional Law. I also teach two courses in political theory. As we have a small two-person department in political science, both of the members of the political science faculty must teach a broad array of courses.
4. You named your course as “A Political History of the United States.” It’s a very specific course for a Russian audience even among students. What was your reason to bring this course to MSPU students?
Actually, I don’t see this course as one that is specific in content. From a macro perspective, it is one that touches on a number of topics in American politics, but it looks at these topics as they developed through American political history. The course traces the historical development of the United States beginning with the Revolutionary War fought against the British to the post-industrial period of the present. We looked at the slavery period leading to the Civil War in the1860’s, and the collapse of the US economy leading to the Great Depression of the 1930’s. We looked at the role of the US political system in dealing with these crises. I also tried to explain how the political process, for example how the President is elected, operates in the present day.
I got the idea for the course on a visit to Moscow in 2013. I was in Moscow with a group of ten students from my university and we visited the Museum of Contemporary Russian History. We had a particularly good presentation in English by a member of the staff at the museum. She touched on all the major events beginning with the Russian Revolution. I thought that I would like to present a similar kind of analysis to Russian students so that they could understand better how the American political system has developed. It was the Russian guide at the museum that gave me the idea for the course!
5. You taught the course from February until May. How did you find the Russian educational system?
It is hard to make a comparison with what I am familiar with in the United States since I teach at a small private Lutheran college. MSPU is a large public university, and thus the structure and procedures are quite different. What is done more informally at my university involves a more formal bureaucratic process at MSPU. But then that is the way I think it is at large public universities in the United States as well.
The big difference I found at MSPU is that undergraduate courses meet only once a week for three hours. That is quite different than in the United States where undergraduate courses typically meet three times a week for one hour. Or, they meet two times a week for one and a half hours. In the United States, only graduate level courses meet once a week for three hours. I have taught graduate courses in the past, so the three hour course meeting was not a problem for me. MSPU students seemed quite interested in learning about American politics so the three hour time span did not hinder my presentation of the course — I rather liked it as it worked well with the students. I was a bit concerned before the course started, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
6. There is a famous expression that students are everywhere students wherever you go. Did you find something special about Russian students? How did they participate in your course?
First of all, I was surprised to have about 40 students in the first class meeting as I was expecting far fewer students. There is undoubtedly a strong interest among MSPU students to hear lectures in English, and to learn more about the United States. I felt a level of excitement among the students perhaps indicative of the unusual nature of the course. During the first two lectures, Professor Alexander Chernovsky provided interpretation for the students. The level of proficiency to speak English varied among the students and having the lecture interpreted gave students some time to acquaint themselves with my style of lecture. After four or five class meetings, the level of participation leveled off at about 20 students in the lecture portion of the class.
As most of the students in my class were in the faculty of political science, they already had a strong interest in studying political power. I felt a strong connection between what I was there to teach, and what they expected to learn. A substantial portion of the class already had a good foundation in their understanding about the major political events in the United States. I am hopeful that the course expanded their knowledge, and that the political economy approach I used enabled them to better critically evaluate political events, not only in the United States but other countries as well. I did give four short essay exams, and I noticed a significant improvement from the earlier exams to the last one. As students came to understand my expectations and as the got more practice writing in English, the quality of their exams improved significantly.
Among the core of students who attended the course I found them to be very welcoming and gracious. On numerous occasions, students came up to me individually to thank me for coming to Moscow to present this course. I had many discussions with students outside of class ranging from questions about the Fulbright Program and graduate study in the United States, to the assignments they were working on in other courses. MSPU students are concerned about planning their careers, and they are concerned with the many facets of politics, not just what we discussed in class. Because of the congenial atmosphere in the classroom, it was an enjoyable experience for me to teach my course.
7. Do you have any plans to visit MSPU again, say to offer other courses?
I would be most honored to come back to MSPU to teach other course, but as of this time I do not have plans to do so. It is very difficult to get a second Fulbright grant, so the circumstances make it unlikely I can come back to teach another course at MSPU. Though maybe some other opportunity will be available but not sure at this time what that may be.
Associate Professor Timur Minyazhev and I are discussing the possibility of developing a summer student exchange program between MSPU and Lenoir-Rhyne University. I am hopeful that I can bring a group of students from my university to MSPU during May/June of 2018. They would study the Russian language and take a course to study the culture and political history of Russia. Then, the following summer MSPU would send a group of students to Lenoir-Rhyne University. As I see it, this would be a great opportunity for students from both universities to interact with one another. I hope we can work out this exchange!
8. What would you like to wish our students and staff?
As I have made numerous friends at MSPU, I would first of all hope that all would stay in touch. Just drop me a line at mancosj@lr.edu to let me know how you are doing. I am very thankful for all of the students and staff who have helped me during my five months in Moscow. I would like them to know that their friendship is much appreciated.
I would like to wish the students continued success in their academic studies, and in the pursuit of a professional career afterwards. I would like all to know that if you visit the United States, please let me know and perhaps I can be of assistance to you as you were to me.
I wish all MSPU students and staff all the best in new 2016/2017 academic year!
Interviewed by Associate Professor, Deputy Director
Timur Miniazhev
