Course Description: The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992 resulted in ethnic conflict, flows of international migrants, religious revivals, and the opening up of a vast stretch of the planet that had previously been largely closed to outside influences. Eurasia is home to a wide variety of different ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups. This course will introduce you to a sampling of these diverse groups, focusing on Armenians, Georgians, Kyrgyz and Turkmen. What do their daily lives look like? What religious traditions do they practice? What challenges and conflicts do they face? Join us for a quick "trip" to a fascinating region of the world.

Course Instructor: Erin Hofmann is an Assistant Professor of Sociology. She holds an M.A. in Russian Studies from Georgetown University, and a PhD from the University of Texas at Austin. She made her first trip to the former Soviet Union in 1995, and has been studying and traveling in the region ever since. She has published research on Russia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, on topics ranging from economic development to women's labor migration to bride kidnapping.
erin.hofmann@usu.edu