"A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, inside an Enigma": Teaching Post-Socialist Transformation to UK Students in Moscow

In the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, teaching post-socialist transition to undergraduate students has become increasingly challenging. This paper relates the development, planning and operation of a fieldwork module in Moscow, for Year Three geography undergraduates. It argues that �...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of geography in higher education Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 265 - 282
Main Authors Moran, Dominique, Round, John
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Oxford Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2010
Routledge
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Subjects
College students
Consciousness Raising
Cultural Differences
Field Experience Programs
Fieldwork, experiential learning, post-socialist transformation, linking research and teaching, reflection
Foreign Countries
Geography
Geography Instruction
Historic Sites
Indigenous Knowledge
Linguistics
Police Community Relationship
Political Campaigns
Program Development
Program Implementation
Proximity
Russia (Moscow)
Socialism
Theory Practice Relationship
Time Perspective
Undergraduate Students
United Kingdom
Russia (Moscow)
United Kingdom
Moscow Russia
Russia
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:In the 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, teaching post-socialist transition to undergraduate students has become increasingly challenging. This paper relates the development, planning and operation of a fieldwork module in Moscow, for Year Three geography undergraduates. It argues that 'on-street' teaching and imaginative use of visual sources can partially overcome the linguistic drawbacks of fieldwork in this context. It supports the utility of fieldwork for teaching post-socialist transformation, but stresses the need for local knowledge and contacts, linguistic ability on the part of module staff, and careful planning, to overcome anticipated and unexpected challenges.
ISSN:0309-8265
1466-1845
DOI:10.1080/03098260903502687