Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies

The Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies serves as the focal point at the University of California, Berkeley for students and faculty who conduct research and teaching on the geographic region of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Currently the Institute has 45 core UCB faculty members and over 150 affiliated graduate students.

The original Center for Slavic and East European Studies was founded at Berkeley in 1957. In 1988, the Slavic Center became part of International and Area Studies (IAS). The Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ISEEES) was established in August 2000 and is the administering unit of the Berkeley Program in Eurasian and East European Studies (BPS), the Armenian Studies Program, the Hertelendy Graduate Fellowship in Hungarian Studies, and the Peter N. Kujachich Endowment in Serbian and Montenegrin Studies.

ISEEES's mission is to support research, graduate training, and a broad array of scholarly and public programs-such as conferences, lectures, faculty and graduate student seminars, and publications. ISEEES hosts numerous visiting scholars and public figures from around the world. As a rule, these visitors participate in ISEEES programs and are available to faculty and graduate students for consultation.

ISEEES is the US Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center for Russia, Eastern Europe, and Eurasia at Berkeley. Title VI funding allows ISEEES to support less commonly taught languages at Berkeley and to offer an active program of outreach.

Research Programs

• Founded in 1983, the Berkeley Program in Eurasian and East European Studies (BPS) is a leading center for graduate training and research on Eurasia and Eastern Europe. It helps train graduate students in cross-disciplinary social science methodology and theory, as well as the history, languages, and cultures of Eurasia and Eastern Europe.

• The Armenian Studies Program was founded in 1994 by two endowments: the William Saroyan Endowment for a Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies and the Krouzian Study Center Endowment. ISEEES administers the program and sits on the Advisory Committee.

• The Hertelendy Graduate Fellowship in Hungarian Studies was founded in 1996 and is administered by ISEEES.

• The Peter N. Kujachich Endowment for Serbian and Montenegrin Studies was founded in 1997. It supports visiting lecturers, fellowships, and grants with administrative assistance from ISEEES.

Publications

ISEEES publishes two newsletter issues a calendar year. The newsletter regularly contains articles from our affiliated graduate students, faculty, and visiting scholars; notes from the institute director; and institute news. The Berkeley Program in Eurasian and East European Studies publishes working papers by Berkeley faculty, graduate students, and visiting scholars.

Public Outreach

ISEEES is committed to serving K-14 schools and education professionals, the public, business and other professional groups, the US military, and the US government. To meet that mission, we offer a variety of outreach programs, including outreach to educators, a speakers bureau, and a variety of public events, all of which are open to the public.