DeLand, FL – Stetson University’s Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (SPREES) program is inviting the public to attend a lecture on Russian politics and life hosted by Washington Post journalist David Filipov.
The lecture, “Reporting Russian Truths in the Era of Fake News: Lecture at Stetson University,” is set to begin at 5:30 PM on Thursday, February 22 in Stetson University’s duPont-Ball Library, room 25L. The street address is 134 East Minnesota Ave., DeLand, Florida 32723.
Filipov will offer his perspective an insight, gained from serving as the Washington Post’s Moscow Bureau chief, on the upcoming Russian presidential election and the hot-button issue of Russian meddling in the U.S. 2016 presidential election. As a journalist, Filipov covered the Russian reaction to the election of President Donald Trump and the deterioration U.S.-Russian relations into what Filipov calls a new Cold War.
Filipov seeks to educate on the personal and human aspects of Russia and what used to be the Soviet Union. He believes that “getting Russia right” has been difficult in times of propaganda, fake news, and “Cold War-style suspicions.”
“You can’t turn on the news these days and not hear about Russia,” said assistant professor of history and director of SPREES, Mayhill C. Fowler. “But it’s hard to figure out what’s really going on because of political agendas on both sides. So, we’re pleased to bring David Filipov to campus to share his knowledge of today’s Russia.”
From 1994 to 2004, Filipov covered Russia and the former Soviet Union for The Boston Globe. In past years, Filipov has also extensively covered Boris Yeltsin administration, civil wars in Chechnya, unrest in what used to be the Soviet Union, Vladimir Putin, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Filipov’s accolades include being a member of The Boston Globe’s team of reporters that won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for their coverage of the Boston Marathon bombing. He won the Overseas Press Club award in 1999 for his coverage the civil wars in Chechnya and the James Aronson Social Justice award along with his Boston Globe team who reported on the epidemic of deaths due to curable diseases. Filipov has a B.A in Russian studies from Brown University and an M.A. in Russian language and literature from Bryn Mawr College.
This lecture coincides with the 60th anniversary of Russian studies at Stetson University. The Russian Studies program, now called SPREES, educates students on the territory, people, history, language, and cultural practices of Eurasia. Students also learn about the history, geography, politics, economics, and culture of countries previously in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union.
The program focuses on the diversity of the region and Russia’s place in the world’s politics, economics, and culture. SPREES students study Russian and study abroad in Russian-speaking counties such as Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine.
Dr. Mayhill Fowler and Dr. Katya Kudryavtseva have also curated an exhibit on the history of the program. In March, Alumni will meet to discuss the impact of studying Russia on their careers and the student Russian Club will put on a folk music concert.
Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.
