Students Gain Insight into Russian History, Culture and Social Challenges

August 31, 2004 -- The 2004 summer study abroad program, “Social Institutions in Russia,” was designed to explore the nature and extent of Russian social and criminal justice institutions. The program was jointly sponsored by the School of Social Work and Department of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies.

Through a combination of field trips and lectures, 20 UCF students and 10 alumni and faculty members learned about the variety of problems facing a newly democratized Russian society. Current social issues and concerns facing the society are related to crime and criminals, as well as to challenges in the administration of social welfare.

In July, the group traveled to Moscow and Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, and experienced first hand the current social problems by visiting orphanages, health-care facilities and correctional facilities. They also toured major historical and cultural sites that put the current social intuitions in context.

The photographs below show just a few of the sites visited by the group during the two-week-long program.

-- Sara Cooper