Programme

Intensive courses

Intensive courses form the core of the FRRESH network activities. These two- to three-day intensive courses are dedicated to specific methodological and theoretical questions in Russian and Eurasian studies. They also address issues around argumentation, academic writing and project management skills. The Finnish-Russian intensive courses include lectures and workshops. The lectures will discuss methodological and theoretical approaches from various perspectives. Courses aimed at improving research skills will incorporate practical examples from research projects.

In the workshops, students will discuss their research from these perspectives. PhD students prepare papers for the workshop, and receive comments on their papers from other PhD students and researchers. In this way, the multidisciplinary and cross-boundary network offers an opportunity for its members to gain wider perspectives on and different approaches to their research.

Summer schools

The FRRESH network and its partners organise annual summer schools, which bring together PhD students from Finland, Russia and other countries. The summer school follows the idea of the North American Graduate School, where research training is seen as not only developing postgraduate students’ research skills but also widening PhD students’ knowledge and intellectual scope. Therefore, the topics of the annual summer schools will vary from year to year.

The FRRESH network and its partners have organised annual summer schools in Orilampi, Finland, which have brought together PhD students from Finland, Russia and other countries. The programme consists of lectures given by specialists as well as of workshop sessions that give the students an opportunity to present their ongoing research. Topics of the summer schools in 2016-2019:

2016: Conflicts

August 26-31

  • 18 PhD students from the European University at St. Petersburg (EUSP), University of Helsinki (UH), University of Lapland (ULA), and University of Eastern Finland (UEF)  
  • 8 professors and senior researchers UH, MGIMO, UEF, EUSP    

2017: Governance

August 26-30 

  • 18 students from UH, EUSP, Higher School of Economics (HSE), UBRE, ULA, UEF  
  • 8 specialists: EUSP, UH, University of Bremen UBRE, University of Glasgow, University of Tampere UTA  

2018: Migration

August 21-25

  • 18 students from UH, EUSP, UBRE, UEF  
  • 10 instructors from EUSP, UH, UBRE  

2019: Identity

August 26-30, upcoming event (24 students and 9 specialists registered)  

Separate workshops are dedicated to questions of theoretical formation, methodology, data gathering and area expertise. The supervisors of the summer school workshops include both invited speakers and lecturers and senior researchers from the network itself.

For more specific information about the programmes see Past Events

Teaching and project management skills

In addition, the network’s postgraduate students are also offered a chance to develop their teaching skills, as they will teach, lecture and supervise MA students on both the Aleksanteri Institute’s and the EUSP’s MA programmes. Lectures and supervision are designed and conducted alongside senior researchers.

The FRRESH network devotes a special intensive course to teaching argumentation and academic writing for PhD students. Through this, it aims to improve the quality of academic writing and research proposals, both essential skills for future researchers. The FRRESH network integrates research training, area expertise and societal influence in a flexible way, so that the members of the network can be active in all of these fields.