Students Celebrate Russian Studies Day

Undergraduates presented their senior theses, and watched dramatic performances and film during a "Russian Day" yesterday sponsored by the Davis Center for Russian Studies.

Students described their theses to an audience of professors and other academics at Boylston Auditorium between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., and then watched a group of Russian language students perform excerpts from Gogol's play "The Inspector General."

The "Russian Day" ended with the showing of the Russian film "Bed and Sofa with Music" at 9:30 p.m. in the Carpenter Center.

Although the event was titled "Russian Day," seniors studying a wide variety of Slavic cultures demonstrated the breadth of their knowledge.

Levin Professor of Literature Donald L. Fanger said the organizers were striving for student presentations which would complement one another.

To this end, four of the nine students spoke on literary subjects, while the other five focused on politics and international affairs.

Harvard students were joined by students from Wellesley and Wheaton Colleges to explain and describe their senior theses, which ranged from "Time and Narrative in Gogol" by Yvonne Saenger '96 to "Political Risk and Foreign Investment in Russia" by Sara Su Jones '96.

"It was nice to talk about your thesis without the pressure of being graded on it," Saenger said afterwards.

The event was created and organized by Diana Spencer, a grant evaluator for the Davis Center, who said she thinks every department should host a similar interdisciplinary forum.

Spencer said her goal in organizing the event was to allow students in programs at different colleges to learn about each others' work.

"Russian studies here is really an important part of Harvard," Spencer said, adding that bringing students from different colleges together should be encouraged more

Spencer said her goal in organizing the event was to allow students in programs at different colleges to learn about each others' work.

"Russian studies here is really an important part of Harvard," Spencer said, adding that bringing students from different colleges together should be encouraged more