Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute

04/30/2026

We're delighted to share with you the following Fall 2026 courses, which will be taught by the Byrnes Institute's visiting 2026-2027 Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence, Professor Oleksandra Humenna.

REEI-R 301/500: Creative Economies and Cultural Diplomacy in Central and Eastern Europe (fulfills CASE S&H and GCC)

This course examines how creative industries--from fashion to digital art or IT--can serve as instruments of soft power, cultural diplomacy, and economic growth in a globalized world, with a dedicated focus on Eastern Europe as a dynamic site of cultural innovation, post-conflict diplomacy, and identity formation.

REEI-R301/500 Peacebuilding and Development in Central and Eastern Europe (fulfills CASE S&H and GCC)

This course helps students understand international development and peacebuilding projects, with a special focus on Ukraine and Eastern Europe as regions of high relevance for current development, post-conflict recovery, and peacebuilding practice.

04/24/2026

Join us for Hungary’s Changing Tides: A Roundtable on Hungarian Relations with Russia, Ukraine, and the United States, held virtually on Zoom on Friday May 1, 12:30-1:30 PM. During this event, regional experts will discuss how the state’s relationship with Russia, Ukraine, and the United States might change, and how Prime Minister Elect, Péter Magyar’s incoming cabinet will rework Hungarian institutions.

Registration is required. To register and for more information:

Please join us for a roundtable discussion on the results of the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary election. Regional experts will discuss how the state...

04/22/2026

Happy IU Day!

In honor of IU Day, we want to highlight The Polish Studies Center at Indiana University's work on their Annual Wiles Memorial Lecture, which is the centerpiece of the Polish Studies Center’s annual programming.

This year, the Polish Studies Center is fundraising for the Timothy J. Wiles Memorial Lectureship Fund, to allow the lecture to continue well into the future. To contribute and for more information, you can check out the crowdfunding page here: https://give.myiu.org/crowdfunding/I380012964-CF.html?&src=IUB_HLS_IUDay2026_PSC_SocialMedia

03/23/2026

We at the Byrnes Institute are delighted to share the program for the upcoming Seventh Annual Virtual 2026 Indiana University Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian Studies Conference, to be held at the end of this week (March 26 - 28, 2026). This is an annual interdisciplinary conference at Indiana University (IU) organized by the Ukrainian Studies Organization at Indiana University, the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, and the Byrnes Institute (REEI). More information and the program can be found here: https://events.iu.edu/event/2244500-seventh-annualvirtualtaras-shevchenko-ukrainian

Image: Alla Horska. Linocut “Angry Taras” (1962–1963).
Photograph by Nadiia Honcharenko, from the exhibition “Alla Horska: Boryviter”, Ukrainian House, March 14 – April 28, 2024.

03/20/2026

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: The Byrnes Institute is excited to partner with our colleagues at UW-Madison and around the country on the 2026-2027 Engaging Eurasia Teacher Fellowship!

📣 CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 2026-2027 Engaging Eurasia Teacher Fellowship

The EETF is a 9-month fellowship for high school and community college educators. Fellows participate in 8 content webinars, hearing from scholars with expertise on the fellowship topic: Science, Health, and Medicine in Eastern Europe and Eurasia. Each fellow will complete a final project by the end of the program.

For more information and to apply by April 17, see https://tinyurl.com/432ck9wz

03/02/2026

THIS WEEK! Join us for Harmony and Power: A Summit in Cultural Diplomacy, a joint event by the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studes and Jacobs School of Music on Saturday, March 7 at 9 am in Ferguson 421/423. We are extremely excited for this event, and we hope to see everyone there! Please see https://events.iu.edu/event/2216939-harmony-and-power-a-summit-on-cultural-diplomacy-pre for event details and more information.

Harmony and Power will explore how cultural diplomacy shapes power and global connections. Participants include renowned scholars, practitioners, p...

01/27/2026

Save the dates! The Byrnes Institute is excited to participate in the upcoming collaborative event with the Jacobs School of Music and Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies titled "Harmony and Power: A Summit on Cultural Diplomacy." This series of events will take place from March 7th-12th and will include individual events that range from lectures to concerts! We hope that you are able to attend what is shaping up to be a truly memorable summit on cultural diplomacy.

01/20/2026

Join us this Friday for A Life in Bells: Celebrating Arvo Pärt at 90!

At 6:00 pm, Jeffers Engelhardt will deliver a lecture on "Arvo Pärt at 90: Listening to His Worlds," which will be followed by a reception. At 8:00 pm NOTUS Contemporary Vocal Ensemble will perform a retrospective of Pärt's work, directed by Dominick DiOrio. We are also delighted to report that the Ambassador of Estonia in the United States will attend and introduce the events!

We hope to see you there!

11/10/2025

Congratulations to Kat Payne for participating in the Global and Area Perspectives Symposium Graduate Poster Session this past weekend! Kat presented on the versatility of Ukrainian libraries in the Russia-Ukraine War. Kat is a dual degree MA student in MLS and REEI.

11/10/2025

Meet our 2025 Exhibitors at the ASEEES Annual Convention Nov. 20-23 in Washington DC!
https://buff.ly/PIjDWal

Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute
Middlebury Language Schools