SXU's Christine Fojtik to teach new History of the Soviet Union course

Saint Xavier University's (SXU) Department of History and Political Science Assistant Professor Christine Fojtik received a Course Development Stipend from the U.S. Department of Education to design a new class she'll teach in spring 2017 called "History of the Soviet Union" (HIST 251). The grant program, funded by the Higher Education Act and administered by Ohio State University and five other Title VI National Resource Centers around the country, is intended to encourage further study in the fields of Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian area studies. This program will award stipends to faculty at minority-serving institutions and community colleges. The total cost of Dr. Fojtik's course development project was $1,052 and was funded 100% with federal funds. Dr. Fojtik used the funds to purchase materials and to conduct research at the regional resource center at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind.

The course will present a broad introduction to the Soviet state, with particular attention paid to the development of the Eastern Bloc and the relationship between the state/Party apparatus and the non-Russian populations. The course will prepare students to assess how the legacy of the Soviet Union has shaped politics and international relations in present-day Eastern Europe, Russia, and central Asia.

In addition to Eastern Europe and Russia, Dr. Fojtik also specializes in German history. She is the managing editor of H-German, a daily Internet discussion forum focused on scholarly topics in German history and is a podcaster for New Books in German Studies.

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