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CSEES Continues Development of Online REEE Modules

August 6, 2020

CSEES Continues Development of Online REEE Modules

Student studying online at computer

In the autumn of 2019, the Center for Slavic and East European Studies released its first call for proposals for Ohio State faculty and graduate students to create online modules about Eastern Europe and Eurasia. The modules are envisioned as online, open access resources for use by anyone interested in learning more about these regions, but in particular, by secondary school teachers and students, and community college educators who may be looking to increase the global content of courses and/or find supplemental resources to incorporate into their courses. As we previously reported, the first group of modules selected will focus on the culture and history of the Baltic countries and forced migration in 20th century Eastern Europe.

Fast forward to late spring 2020, and in the midst of a global pandemic, CSEES realized that our plans for online modules were more timely than we had ever anticipated! In May, we released a second call for proposals to accelerate the development of up to three more modules over summer 2020. The three modules selected for funding are:

Medical and Healthcare Innovation in Estonia – this module by Professor Lorraine Wallace and Steven Mousetes will compare and contrast the leading causes of illness and mortality and access to medical care in the U.S. and Estonia, a country that has striven to provide access to high-quality, government-run medical care for all citizens.

Youth Culture in Post-Communist Romania -  this module by Dr. Adela Lechintan-Siefer will focus on youth identity formation since 1989 in Romania, in particular through music, film, theatre, and pop culture. The interactive module will provide users with many primary source examples and visuals and in particular, will allow American youth to think about and compare their own culture.

Introduction to Uzbekistan – Henry Misa, a history PhD student, will prepare this module to give students at the high school level a basic overview of Uzbekistan and its history and culture, a country often overlooked in high school curricula. Components may focus on history, contemporary Uzbekistan, Uzbek culinary traditions, and/or basics of the Uzbek language.

The modules selected for development both in autumn 2019 and spring 2020 are currently in development, with the goal of being launched and available in August and September 2020. Through its many years of work with K12 teachers and school districts, CSEES will advertise the modules to its outreach network over the late summer and fall. Thus CSEES has started not only an exciting new sphere of activity in its outreach work, but can meaningfully support Ohio K12 teachers and students in these unparalleled times by providing free, online access to quality educational content about Eastern Europe and Eurasia produced by Ohio State experts.