My interest started in high school. I have always enjoyed history, but Byzantine history really took my fancy. An English teacher of mine introduced me to Will Durant and so began my skimming of countless histories. There were three other factors: my instructor of US history (who had turned it into a world history class) had given several lectures on Russia, I loved to play Russia in the Axis and Allies board game, and the other was the Cold War in Appalachia. My instructor had presented such a land with amazing sites and a people with a rich culture. I felt that I should continue my research in this area. The board game just gave me an emotional tie to the abstract notion of these people. I played the game as if I were Alexander Nevsky, at the time, one of the very few Russian historical figures I knew. As for the Cold War, people around me thought of Russia still as the "Evil Empire;" I thought not. Perhaps out of youthful rebellion, I felt Reagan painted a simple and sloppy picture. Of course, Reagan could have only put that to the government and not the people, but in my hometown, all the Russians were evil. I could not and did not accept that.
In college, I started off as a History major with a minor in Political Science. At the time of entering college, I had no inclination for taking Russian, let alone being a triple major. A friend of mine talked me into taking Russian when I enrolled at the University of Kentucky. At the community college there were no such options, but fall registration for UK was the moment of truth. I had already decided to focus on Russian history by this point, but was hoping to take German for the language requirements. My friend convinced me that was a silly path and I chose to learn the Russian language. While at UK, I found many wonder and exciting classes on Russia in one form or another. So, I took as many of them as I could. I soon became a double major in HIS and PS, then a double major with a minor in Russian and East European Studies, and finally in my fifth and last year, I became a triple major.
My interest in Estonia developed in my last year of college. Of course I already knew of Estonia by virtue of my early history classes. My first taste of Estonia came in a PS class dealing with the Post Soviet Successor States. I read my first article on Estonia while in my second year of Russian language. At the time, I found Estonia to be intriguing but could find nothing to study. When I studied a semester in St. Pete, I wanted to go to Estonia before I came back. Unfortunately, that couldn't be done with the funding I had. Still, even that was mere fascination with a country that I had no real desire to study. That changed however when an assignment came due in a class in my final term as an undergrad, I focused my paper on Estonia and Russia. There had been a dispute over bills and a town in this small country had turned off the water to a Russian town. I thought this country had great will power and frankly I laughed that a large power could be humbled like that. That is where my interest took off. It was the "funny" international incident that first propelled me into Russo-Estonian relations. And ever since, I have found the studies to be most intriguing, especially now that I know some Estonian. I see the issues from both sides and hopefully, I view it all with good neutral sight.
University of Kentucky: spring 97, post baccalaureate work
University of Kentucky: fall 92 to spring 96, BA in History, Political
Science, and Russian and East European Studies
Saint Petersburg University: fall 95, through exchange program with UK, studied Russian language
Somerset Community College (UK): spring 91 to summer 92
McCreary Central High School: fall 87 to spring 91
Language
Russian: St. Petersburg University, Year 4 UK credit
Russian: Business Russian at UM
Estonian: Year 1 at Baltic Studies Summer Institute (BALSSI) hosted by
Indiana University
History, Politics, and Culture
Intellectual and Cultural History of Russia from 1800 to Present: HIS 537
National Security Policy: PS 456G (Class covered the Cold War.)
Government and Politics of the Soviet Union: PS 429G
Survey of 19th Century Russian Literature: RAE 380
Russian and Soviet Culture of the 20th Century: RAE 280
Modern Russian Literature: RAE 390
Seminar REES IV: Literature and History: RAE 404
UM: PS Ethnicity and Politics: PS 643
UM: Analysis of Former USSR Societies: SOC 627
Readings in Russia to Peter I: HIS 645
20th Century Russia: HIS 547
UM: Special Course: Eastern Europe and Social Transitions: SOC 597
UM: Baltic Journal Readings: SOC 699
IU: Baltic Culture: U 501
Dean's List: UK, fall 95 and spring 96
New Horizons Grant: UK, fall 95
Dean's List: SCC, fall 91 and spring 92
Johnson Russia List #3095, 17 March 1999. Title of letter: Sexual Harassment and Cultural Imperialism. JRLemail:davidjohnson@erols.com
Johnson Russia List #3052, 12 February 1999. Title of letter: Reply to White On Soviet Barbarians
MCI Call Center, MicroSoft Network (MSN) saves division. August99-December99. 1025 By Pass Road Winchester, KY 40391. Took calls from MSN customers who wished to cancel their internet service. Received technical training on MSN and AOL's internet services.
University of Michigan Graduate Library, Acquisitions Dept. in spring 99. Hatcher Graduate Library North, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Extremely short term work receiving new shipments and cataloging them into computer file. Gained new language and referencing skills by working with Ukrainian, Belorussian, and Armenian books.
Red Lobster Ann Arbor, MI and Lexington, KY during fall 96-spring 98. Ann Arbor: 2420 Carpenter Road, 48104. Lexington: 2528 Nicholasville Road, 40503. Ann Arbor: Backup position; Lexington: Production position. Learned a great deal about seafood preparation and the dangers in cooking the various products.
Research Assistant for Dr. Daniel Rowland, History University of Kentucky during fall 96-spring 97. Dr. Daniel Rowland Patterson Office Tower 16th Floor Lexington, KY 40506. Increased my researching skills and gained more insight into the workings of academia.
Wallace's Book Store, Inc. in summer 96. 928 Nandino Boulevard PO Box 11039 Lexington, KY 40512. Position in Stock Department. Employment included tasks such as proper filing of new shipments and retrieval of books to fulfill orders.
"Homework Pal" in spring 95. Community service conducted through UK. Primarily tutored students after school at Winburn Middle in Lexington, KY. Gained experience in working with younger people and enjoyed performing community service.
Political Campaign Volunteer for Kentucky Secretary of State candidate Carol Palmore in 1995. Gained great experience in working with many people to effectively lobby on behalf of a candidate.
University of Michigan: fall 97 to present, working on MA in REES
Russian: Years 1-3 at UK
Intellectual and Cultural History of Russia to 1800: HIS 536
Foreign Language Area Studies Fellowship: IU, summer 98
Conference Paper at the University of Kansas, Lawrence 2-4 April 99: (Per)Forming Diasporas: Movement, Mediations, and Meaning. Paper title: Russian Identity Construction in Tartu: Home for These "Russian Souls"
"Listener and Roarer." November 99-to date. Weekly columns currently run in the McCreary County Record. Negotiations are presently underway for a regional newspaper and a local radio station. This serves as both a wonderful service project and as a great learning tool. I write on varying topics of my choice and challenge readers to think before believing one side to a story. Because I challenge a near reactionary community, I am learning how to challenge the system and still work within it.
