Central Asian Studies guides students through the politics, geography, and history of a dynamic region while providing immersive Russian language study.

The five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan offer the ability to study nomadic and settled societies, as well as colonization, communism, and early independence. Each country is a rich tapestry of ethnicities, religions, and linguistic groups. With its diverse set of local conditions and ever-shifting regional and global relations, Central Asia serves as a prime case study for issues that countries all over the world are grappling with today.

Based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, this program includes guided study trips to Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, allowing us to compare and contrast these diverse countries’ cultural, historical, political, and economic systems.

There is no Russian language prerequisite for this program.

If you are interested in a summer program in this region, click here.

[su_accordion ][su_spoiler title="Semester Courses (Spring/Fall) & Syllabi"]

RUSS 193/293/393/493 Russian as a Second Language
Russian is a lingua franca for politics and business in Central Asia and thus forms the foundation for Central Asian Studies. Small, intensive classes focus on reading, writing, grammar, speaking, comprehension, and phonetics.12 credits

History of Modern Central Asian States
This is a contemporary history course that critically surveys modern Central Asian political development, beginning with a brief excursus into the XIX century history of the region’s colonization by the Russian Empire, going on to the Soviet period, and focusing mostly on the post-Soviet independence from 1991 to the present. The course approaches the subject from the perspective of state-building, critically reflecting upon the concept of state-building and a set of other related concepts, such as modernization, colonialism and post-colonialism, development, the modern state, and democratization. 3 credits

The New Great Game
The course kicks off with a quick recap of what the popular “Great Game” is about in terms of understanding Central Asia, and then moves to question it, expand beyond it and complicate the subject of Central Asian international affairs and geopolitics. Conceptual issues such as sovereignty, great powers and small states, theoretical debates over international agency, dependency and regional cooperation, practical themes of connectivity, energy politics and security – these and other substantive focal topics comprise the scope of the course. 3 credits

Click here for course syllabi.[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Other Language Electives"] You may choose to replace one of the Central Asian studies courses (in English) with another language elective.

Russian Language Electives
If you choose to take one of the following electives, it would replace one of the courses in English. Note the prerequisites, which are indicated as typical number of semesters of study for easy reference.

Phonetics through Soviet Cartoons. Prereq - none
Kyrgyz Culture. Prereq of at least 2 semesters of Russian
The Golden Age of Russian Literature. Prereq of at least 4 semesters of Russian
Literature and Film of Central Asia. Prereq of at least 5 semesters of Russian
Politics and Economy of Central Asia. Prereq of at least 6 semesters of Russian
Advanced Phonetics and Phraseology. Prereq of at least 6 semesters of Russian
Kyrgyz History. Prereq of at least 6 semesters of Russian
Kyrgyz Language. No prereq, but not advised to take both Kyrgyz and Russian at beginning level.
Other languages (Kazakh, Uzbek, Arabic, Tajik). Per availability of instructor, all levels, not advised to take in parallel with beginning Russian.

Click here for course syllabi.[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Travel and Cultural Program"]Travel: This program includes two weeks of travel to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. This travel is designed to compliment your course work, showing you the major sites, but also the culture and how locals live.

Local Culture: On this fully integrated cultural program, you will be given extensive background information on each event, encouraged to make notes or recordings, and will discuss the excursions afterwards in class and with your peer tutors. Gain more real-world experience from which to hear and absorb vocabulary, grammatical structures, and cultural information. Excursions have included:

Weekend trip to a Kyrgyz village for a yurt building ceremony
Walking tour of the city
Ata-Beiit Memorial to the Stalinist purges
Burana Tower (ruins of the medieval Karakhanid city of Balasagun)
Manas Ordo (memorial park to Manas, a Kyrgyz national hero)
Master classes (traditional crafts and/or cooking)
Seminars in understanding Central Asia (various locations and topics)
Ala-Archa National Park
Museum of Fine Arts
Historical Museum (ancient to modern local history)
Barskoon Waterfall (local landmark and nature)[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Housing and Location"]

--Housing

Dormitories: The dorm is next to the building where you will have classes.

Home stays are anywhere from 15-50 minutes commute from class, but this commute itself can provide an opportunity for learning. More than in other SRAS locations, host families in Bishkek are larger, with more children and, at times, extended family living under one roof, meaning you have more extensive opportunities for language practice and cultural interaction.

The home stay supplemental cost in Bishkek, inclusive of breakfast and supper, is $1,600.

--Partner School

The London School of Languages and Cultures is a well-established private language school founded in 1998. The school has worked with the UNDP, the US Embassy, and various USAID projects. On campus, foreigners studying Russian and Central Asian languages mix with locals learning English. Centrally located, the school is surrounded by cafes, museums, shopping, theatres, churches, mosques, and more.

The London School prides itself on its regional and local connections and ability to immerse students in the surrounding culture and community. They offer an extensive multi-language audio-visual library, 30+ modern classrooms, and an international staff from across Central Asia.

--Location

Central Asia is landlocked and sparsely populated. Yet, the area has been strategic for the powerful states that surround it for trade routes (such as the old and new Silk Roads) or as military buffer zones, attack routes, or supply lines (from the Mongols to the modern Middle East and Afghan conflicts). Despite diverse influences, parts of Central Asia were some of the last places on Earth to develop settled societies and even today, modern nomads and traditional lifestyles are not uncommon. Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with its proud traditional culture, long history, and convenient travel routes to other Central Asian states, provides an excellent vantage for the study of this fascinating region.

Click here to read a short history of Bishkek up to the present day from GeoHistory.
Click here for a fuller discription of Central Asia from GeoHistory.
Click here to read more about what our students do while in Bishkek.[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Research and Volunteering"]SRAS supports focused research and projects, such as for a capstone project or graduate studies. Support may be in the form of advising sessions, assistance navigating archives or other resources. In many cases this is at no additional cost, but eligibility requires submission of a research or project proposal, and expectations are that output or a modified version/extract of it will be in a form available for publishing in the SRAS Family of Sites. Minimum stay of 8 weeks required.

Informal volunteer opportunities are also possible if you want to be more involved with your local community abroad. We can connect you with opportunities to pursue independently at no cost.[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Transcripts and Credit Transfer"]This program is hosted by The London School of Languages and Cultures (LSLC) in Bishkek in cooperation with SRAS. LSLC was founded in 1998 and has a strong, internationally-recognized reputation. The School of Record for this program is University of Montana (Montana, USA).

Credit transfer to your home institution is usually possible. Additionally, a US School of Record means that your program is supported by and documented by an accredited US university. The School of Record will issue an American transcript, making credit transfer relatively routine.

Click here for detailed information about what will appear on your transcript, as well as syllabi.[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Scholarships and Grants"]SRAS Home and Abroad Scholars can receive up to $10,000 toward fall and spring sessions of this program.

SRAS Grants are stackable grants that can provide up to $3,500 toward this program.

SRAS Online Courses will earn you SRAS Learning Credits and help you hit the ground running with your language skills!

Other, non-SRAS funding sources may also be applicable to this program. SRAS provides a wide list of possible outside funding sources. [/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Budget"]Budget Breakdown (semester)

Budget Breakdown (academic year)

SRAS Guide to Living in Bishkek (w/ weekly living expenses, etc.)[/su_spoiler]

[su_spoiler title="Getting Started"]The first step is to complete our application (click the Apply now button to create your SRAS account - you will be able to return to the application later). If you are currently a student you should inquire with your home university about next steps for study abroad. This will help ensure that all goes smoothly with credit transfer and financial aid, plus some universities have deadlines for study abroad that are much earlier than SRAS deadlines. They may also be able to point you to additional funding sources. In short, involve your home university's study abroad office in the process as early as possible!

You will find important information about academics, health and safety, and more on our Getting Started pages.

If you are still unsure this is the right program for you, feel free to schedule an advising session with us to discuss your goals and needs![/su_spoiler]

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