200 A McGowan
Email Address
avassilieva@miis.edu
Phone Number
831.647.3546
Language(s)
Русский
Anna Vassilieva
Professor
Professor Vassilieva is a teacher, author, translator, and editor. She appears regularly as a commentator on various national and international television and radio programs, such as Jim Lehrer’s Newshour and CNN International. Her published works include articles in the Soviet Environmental Watch, Environmental Resources and Problems in the Former Soviet Union, Nature, Moscow News, Los Angeles Times, International Herald Tribune, and Asahi Shimbun. She regularly contributes her analysis of Russian and Eurasian politics to Brazilian Jornal do Brasil. She is a research associate of the Monterey Institute of International Studies Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies and the Center for East Asian Studies.
Professor Vassilieva authored The Russian Émigré Press on Democracy in Russia, 80s-90s. In cooperation with Dr. Nikolai Sokov she has completed an extensive study on the influence of Russian culture on Russian negotiating style. She has published extensively on Russian political and environmental issues in Russian and English.
She translated from English into Russian “The Road to Home” by Vartan Gregorian, which was published in Eksmo Publishing House, Moscow, Russia in 2008, and “Colors of Jazz” by Katya Shkolnik, published in Moscow in 2010.
Her other publications include: “Images In Tinted Mirrors: Japanese-Russian Perceptions in Provincial Japan” (with Prof. Tsuneo Akaha) in Japan and Russia: Three Centuries of Mutual Images; "Crossing National Borders: Human Migration Issues in North East Asia, Tokyo": United Nations University Press, 2005 (co-editor and contributor); "The Russian Presence in Hokkaido: Accommodation and Resistance among Local Communities," Japanese Society, Vol. 6 (2002/2003); "Ikoshakai ni okeru Kankyo Ishiki: Saharin Oki Sekiyu Gasu Kaihatsu ni kansuru Shimin no Ishiki Chosa" (Environmental consciousness in a transition society: A survey of citizens' opinions regarding the development of Sakhalin offshore oil and gas), in Takashi Murakami, ed., Saharin Tairikudana Sekiyu-Gasu Kaihatsu to Kankyo Hozen (Sakhalin offshore oil and gas development and environmental protection),Sapporo: Hokkaido University Press, 2003; "Roshia Sieji Hendo to Tainichi Kankei eno Eikyo" (Political changes in Russia and implications for relations with Japan), in Shigeaki Uno and Yuji Masuda, eds., Hokuto-ajia Chiiki Kenkyu Josetsu (An introduction to the study of the northeast Asian region), Tokyo: Kokusai Shoin, 2000.
Expertise
Contemporary Russian politics, Russian politics in Central Asia, Russian culture and society, Siberia, Russians in Japan.
Dr. Vassilieva interviewed on PBS's NewHour
Education
Ph.D., History, Russian Diplomatic Academy; BA, MA, Irkutsk State Linguistic University
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
RULA 8321 - Current Social&Politicl Issues
Students will be working with authentic Russian language materials from electronic sources in Russia and CIS. The course work has two distinct goals: (1) to expand the vocabulary related to politics, sociology, and security, as well as the ability to read, translate, and analyze primary information sources; and (2) to introduce the variety of interpretations of current political, social, and security trends in the Russian media and government discourse on contemporary subjects. Students will engage in vocabulary-expanding exercises, review of advanced grammar rules, individual and group presentations, writing and speaking assignments related to the most acute issues facing Russian society today.
Fall 2012 - MIIS
RULA 8332 - SociologicalOvrviewModrnRussia
RULA 8342 - Politics&SocietyInModernRussia
The goal of this course is to develop students’ familiarity with vocabulary and discourse specific to the area of public, political and sociological situation in contemporary Russia. The events of the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 are of particular interest to Russia watchers because of the broad civic discontent displayed in Russian public life during the period after the parliamentary elections and before the presidential elections. Students will read, translate and discuss sociological studies and journalistic accounts reporting Russian domestic politics, presidential candidates’ platforms, electoral forecasts and results. Students will make presentations reflecting political platforms of different presidential candidates, watch TV programs and follow media discourse related to the pre-electoral and post-electoral developments in Russia.
Spring 2012 - MIIS
RULA 8399 - Traditnl/HumanSecurityInRussia
RULA 8440 - Comprhnding Terrorist Websites
The goal of this course is to examine historical, political and religious context of Jihad in Russian Federation’s republics of Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia. Students will read documents and texts explaining the goals of Jihad in Russia and penetrate its semantic and cultural rhetoric. Students will watch and analyze documentaries dedicated to Russian jihad and numerous terrorist attacks on Russian soil in recent history. Students will learn about the networks, tactics and general appeal of electronic media among the young Muslim population in the region as well as role of women in Russian jihad.
Spring 2011 - MIIS
RULA 8442 - NonproliferatnIssues in Russia
The goal of this course is to develop students’ familiarity with vocabulary and discourse specific to the area of nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction in Russian academic, political and journalistic discourse. Students will read, translate texts explaining Russia’s politics of nonproliferation, its relations with the United States, and its history of cooperation with Iran among other issues. Students will have an opportunity to listen to distinguished guest speakers from Russia and the New East European countries and practice discussing nonproliferation issues in Russian with the experts.
Spring 2011 - MIIS
RULA 8452 - VladimrPutin:Russia&ItsPrsidnt ▲
RULA 8491 - Pol/Soc in Post-Comunist Wrld
The goals of this course is to study the Russian language electronic media discourse on the most acute issues of politics and society in the post-Communist states. Students will read and translated journalistic, analytical, and sociological overviews of such issues as ethnic conflicts, state-society relations and perceptions, US-Russia relations, NATO-Russia relations, national identity, corruption, and evolution of post-Soviet societies. Students will hone their presentation skills, expand their vocabulary, and analytical writing skills. An effort will be made to improve students’ understanding of cultural and historical factors driving political changes in modern Eurasia.
Fall 2010 - MIIS
RULA 8492 - Russian Pol/Society XXICentury
RULA 8493 - Politcs&Scurity-MultipolarWrld
This course will be a part of a larger Monterey Model curriculum arrangement, which will consist of three groups of students specializing in Arabic, Chinese and Russian languages and Area studies. The Monterey Model curriculum will be devised in a way that would allow students from different language groups and areas of expertise to come together several times during the semester in order to exchange their views and acquired knowledge pertinent to selected themes. Students, professors and invited distinguished experts will be discussing differences in public, media and governmental views related to important international events and role of languages in regional politics. An effort will be made to integrate various approaches to better understand domestic politics and foreign relations through cultural, historical and political discourse. Students will watch jointly news broadcasts in Arabic, Chinese and Russian in order to better grasp the role of mass media in China, Russia and Middle East. Students will acquire practical skills of working with interpreters and will prepare their own presentations for some plenary sessions where they will have to rely on assistance of interpreters to generate the discussion of their topics. The joint coordinated curriculum will consist of the following topics:
1. Overview. Ethnic groups and minorities. Concepts of territory, geography, security.
2. Islam in country specific case studies. Political movements rooted in Islam. Religion and State in country specific case studies.
3. Security. Terrorism. Border Issues.
4. Language specific themes, for example: Arab Spring: media coverage, History and Present of Russian-Chinese diplomatic collaboration, Mutual perceptions : case studies of Chinese business and China’s economic presence in Northern Africa, Role of Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese, Russian, Arabic media strategies covering several key political events, Differences and similarities in patterns of civil unrest and political/economic consequences in China, Russia and Arabic speaking countries.
Spring 2012 - MIIS
