Working Group: The Other Europe

The Other Europe is an ORIAS working group for middle and high school history-social science teachers.

World History textbooks and courses often focus on Western European events and perspectives in historical narratives about Europe. This hinders student understanding of major historical processes: the end of the Roman Empire, the Protestant Reformation, the rise of liberalism, imperialism, and the Cold War, just to name a few. And, as we see now, it means students are missing necessary background to contextualize and make sense of current developments like Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The goal of The Other Europe is to re-examine a number of core topics in World History from a Russian/Eastern European perspective. ORIAS will convene a team of 5 middle and high school teachers, plus a scholar-expert, to form a learning community to meet along the following schedule:
  • November 2022 - May 2023: Seven 2-hour meetings with scholar-experts. Participants will be asked to do ~90 minutes of preparatory reading before each meeting.
  • June - August 2022: Participants work independently to create a lesson appropriate to their own teaching context.
  • October 2023: Participants will convene to share and discuss lessons
Each teacher-participant will receive a stipend of $1150 for their work.
Participation via Zoom is possible.
Preference will be given to local Bay Area teachers.
Applications closed.

Readings & Meetings

Meeting 1

December 17, 12:30 - 2:30 PM

Presenter: Elizabeth McGuire

Prep: 

  • "Alexander Radishchev Excoriates Russia's Social System, 1790" pp 213-215

  • "Childbirth, Christening, and Wife Beating," Village Life in Late Tsarist Russia, pp 6-22

  • Isaac Babel, "The Life of Matvey," pp 253-258

  • "Arina's Children" (In the Shadow of Revolution) pp 219-234

Meeting 2

When: January 21, 2023, 12:30 - 2:30 PM

Presenter: Blaze Joel

Prep: 

  •  “The Expulsion of the Ottoman Empire from Europe” from The Establishment of the Balkan National States, 1804-1920, by Barbara and Charles Jelavich
  • "Survival and Autonomy: Lessons of the Balkan Wars and the First World War" from Muslims and the Making of Modern Europe by Emily Greble
  • "The Failure of National Self-Determination" from From Peoples into Nations by John Connelly

Meeting 3

When: Spring 2023, exact date TBD

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Meeting 4

When: Spring 2023, exact date TBD

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Meeting 5

When: March 25, 2023

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Meeting 6

When: April 22, 2023

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Meeting 7

When: May 20, 2023

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Meeting 8

When: September 23, 2023

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