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Biography

Originally from Moscow, Russia, Diana Stanislavovna Avdeeva is pursuing an MA in Russian, Ukrainian, and Belarusian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a B.A. in Linguistics and Teaching English and Italian Languages and Cultures from the Moscow State Linguistic University, a Master's degree in Russian as a Foreign Language from the Higher School of Economics in Moscow, and another Master’s degree in Russian and East European Studies from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include nineteenth-century Russian literature, national identity, ethnic diversity in Russia and the global Russophone community, and modern Russian history and politics.

 

Diana is a seasoned instructor of Russian language and culture, both in-person and online. She favors the communicative teaching method and has taught first-year and second-year Russian language courses and a course on Russian and East European cinema; Diana has also assisted in teaching a course on Russian folklore.

Education

University of Arizona

M.A. Russian and East European Studies (2022–2024)

 

National Research University Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Russia

M.A. Russian as a Foreign Language in Cross-Linguistic and Cross-Cultural Perspective (2019–2021)

 

Moscow State Linguistic University, Moscow, Russia

B.A. Linguistics, English and Italian (2015–2019), with distinction.

Certificate in Russian-English/English-Russian Translation (2019)

Awards and Honors

2024    Distinguished Graduate Fellowship in the Humanities & Arts, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign 2024     GPSC Completion Grant, University of Arizona

2024    Alexander and Mary Tsien Dunkel Award for Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona

2023    AWSS Travel Grant for ASEEES 2023 in Philadelphia, PA

2023    Jarosewycz Family Scholarship, University of Kansas

2023    Catharine Nepomnyashchy Graduate Student Travel Grant, ASEEES

2023    Graduate College Fellowship, University of Arizona

2023    Alexander and Mary Tsien Dunkel Award for Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona

2023    Valentine and Evgenia Dunkel Award for Russian and Slavic Studies, University of Arizona

2022    Weinel Award, University of Arizona

2022    Graduate College Fellowship, University of Arizona

Courses Taught

Spring 2024        RSSS 212 Mythic Russia: Russian Fairy Tales and Folklore

Spring 2024        RSSS 102 Second-semester Russian

Fall 2023   STARTALK Project, University of Texas at Arlington, Lesson Designer

Fall 2023   RSSS 330 How Ukraine Was Tempered: Culture, Politics, and Identity

Fall 2023   RSSS 101 First-semester Russian

Spring 2023        RSSS 315 Werewolves and Vampires in Slavic Folklore

Spring 2023        RSSS 102 Second-semester Russian (asynchronous)

Spring 2023        RSSS 102 Second-semester Russian

Fall 2022   RSSS 315 Werewolves and Vampires in Slavic Folklore

Fall 2022   RSSS 201 Third-semester Russian

Summer 2022     RSSS 105 Russian and East European Cinema

Spring 2022        RSSS 315 Werewolves and Vampires in Slavic Folklore

Spring 2022        RSSS 202 Forth-semester Russian

Recent Publications

Oct. 2024       “Sister Cities” by Ekaterina Ulitina, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition Arts Review)

Sept. 2024.     “I Feel as if We’ve Won a Million in the Lottery,” Helpdesk Media in English

Aug. 2024      “Not Every Day, but I Manage to Do Good,” Helpdesk Media in English

Feb. 2024       “Oyster Anatomy” by Roman Leibov, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition Arts Review)

Nov. 2023      “Cannibals” by Polina Barskova, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition Arts Review)

Nov. 2023      “Uneasily along the main hall floors” by Maria Mosievich, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition

                       Arts Review)

Aug. 2023      “Is it the weight of life…” by Maria Sher, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition Arts Review)

Aug. 2023      “KULICH” by Yulia Nemirovskaya, ROAR (Resistance and Opposition Arts Review)