The Tbilisi, Georgia program will not be offered in 2025.
The Harvard Summer Program in Tbilisi provides you with a hands-on experience living and studying in the capital of the Republic of Georgia, along with a full course in intermediate Russian language meeting daily. Additional lectures with regional experts on Russian and Georgian culture, literature, film, history, and politics. These program elements will provide a larger context for Georgia-US relations, as well as Georgia-Russia relations and will make use of Tbilisi as a laboratory, including meetings with writers, politicians, and NGOs. Topics will be brought to life in excursions and trips within Tbilisi and throughout Georgia. Pre-departure introduction to the Georgian language and alphabet for participants. Language classes, along with many excursions, events, museum tours, etc., will be conducted in Russian.
You will travel extensively within Georgia—to Adjara (Shekvetili & Batumi), Kaheti (Signagi), Svaneti and Kartli (Kazbegi) — to gain a deeper understanding of the Georgian nation and its regional context.
Program Structure
Your studies include intermediate-Russian language courses every weekday along with additional conversation practice with local conversation partners, excursions, museum visits, and lectures on Russian and Georgian culture, history, literature, and film.
RUSS S-BG counts as one full-year course (8 credits) of degree credit and also counts as two 4-credit courses towards the language citation.
RUSS S-BG Study Abroad in Tbilisi, Georgia: Intermediate Russian (CANCELLED)
Veronika Egorova, PhD, Senior Preceptor in Slavic Languages and Literatures, Harvard University
8 credits
UN, GR Limited enrollment.
The Harvard Summer Program in Tbilisi, Georgia, provides students with a full course in intermediate-level Russian language instruction. Language study tracks the content of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences Russian B-level courses (equivalent to Russian Ba-Bb or Bab), preparing students to continue in Advanced Russian/Third-Year (Russian 101-103); the program includes 140 hours of language instruction. Our unique situation in Tbilisi also allows us to explore Georgian culture, history, literature, and film, including Georgia’s cultural and political relationship with Russia. The ancient capital city of Tbilisi, which is rapidly developing itself for the twenty-first century, offers a distinctive and fascinating site for urban studies and a guiding theme for Russian-language learning. We undertake small-group fieldwork projects that allow us greater contact with the city and its residents and opportunities to use Russian in real-world situations.
Prerequisite: One year of college-level Russian or placement into the course through an exam or consultation with the instructor.
Where You'll Live and Study
Tbilisi is an ideal city to immerse yourself in the Russian language and study Georgia’s complex, diverse history, cultures, and artistic legacy.
Accommodations
You stay in double rooms at a small hotel convenient to the historical center of Tbilisi. The hotel is also a short walk from the museum and arts district and offers numerous shopping and restaurant opportunities nearby. All hotel rooms and the classrooms have air conditioning. Wifi is available at both the hotel and the university.
Daily breakfast and lunch will be provided at the hotel’s restaurant. You are responsible for dinners except for special program events. Georgian cuisine is a highlight of this program, and you have ample opportunity to explore Tbilisi’s restaurants and cafes, which feature truly amazing food at very reasonable prices.
Additional Information
- Questions? Contact Steven Clancy at sClancy@fas.Harvard.edu or Veronika Egorova at Egorova@fas.Harvard.edu
