The Center for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (CSEEES) at The Ohio State University partnered with an Ohio State faculty member and graduate student to create an online module to introduce K-14 educators and their students to the culture and history of Siberia. 

Tales from Home: Two Siberians on Siberia’s History, Culture, and the Environment was created by Dr. Dima Arzyutov (Assistant Professor in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures) and Michelle Verbitskaya (PhD student in the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures). “Tales from Home" rests not only on the goal of providing learners with a snapshot of Siberia and its cultural, linguistic, historical, and environmental importance but also on the deep, personal desire to tell stories of the place Arzyutov and Verbitskaya call home. Throughout the different sections they introduce visitors to diverse literary and folklore traditions, Indigenous and local cultural practices, and multilingualism against the backdrop of a long history of exile, colonial governance, industrial development, and environmental disruption. The module explores Siberia's cultures and histories through dialogues between its residents and governmental projects. with the ultimate goal of bringing the region to the spotlight in East European and Eurasian studies.

These modules are part of a series of twelve modules that CSEEES has funded to date through a U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Center grant to CSEEES. Each module is meant to be a self-contained unit of instruction that K-14 students, K-14 teachers, undergraduate students, or other instructors can use either to educate themselves or to integrate into a unit that they are teaching. Stayed tuned for information on other modules that will be coming later this fall!