The University of Montana History department's Lockridge Workshop - faculty and graduate students gather around a table to discuss a work-in-progress by faculty or grad students.

History

Spring 2023 Newsletter Feature

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 has lent new urgency to the evergreen topics of Russian, Soviet, and East European history. Thanks to UM professor (and alum!) Lily Scott, current students have had many opportunities to engage with these topics over the past year.

HSTR 358 flyer

In “Russia Since 1881: The Soviet Experiment” (Fall 2022), Dr. Scott and her students contextualized current events in Ukraine by learning about the influence of 19th-century Russian nationalist and Slavophile ideology, the complex history of relations between the Soviet Socialist Republics, and the traumatic decade that followed the abrupt breakup of the Soviet Union. In "Communist and Post-Communist Worlds of Eastern Europe" (Spring 2023), they are exploring the immense diversity of Eastern Europe and considering the shared historical experiences that unite the region. 

For Canyon Lock, a student in Russia Since 1881, highlights of the class included the Russian Revolution, the Second World War, and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He particularly appreciated that the class offers insight into some of the most important moments of the last century while also strengthening his perspective with regards to modern global politics.