In an opportunity to explore a form of art not often studied in Athens, Dmitri Nikulin, of The New School For Social Research, will be joining Dr. Vladimir Marchenkov in a discussion titled “Dostoevsky and Nietzsche.”
Presented through the School of Interdisciplinary Arts, Nikulin will be instructing during the weekly seminar “Russian Arts and Philosophy in Global Dialogues,” which Marchenkov instructs in “a team-taught style,” meaning the whole faculty of the college has a chance to come in and teach during the course. Though the seminar can be taken for credit, anyone is welcome to attend.
“The interdisciplinary seminars are the backbone of the InterArts curriculum,” Marchenkov said. “They are the designated place for people studying various arts-related disciplines to engage in a dialogue, clarify their ideas about interdisciplinary approaches to research in the arts and do team-work together combining knowledge and experience developed in different areas.”
Nikulin, who teaches philosophy, earned his Ph.D. from the Institute for Philosophy of the Academy of Sciences in Moscow. He has held visiting positions at various universities around the world, including universities in Germany, Norway, France, and Iceland.
“The focus of the seminar is not only on Russian culture per se, but also on its bilateral connections with other cultures around the globe,” said Marchenkov. “I want the students to reflect on how a country absorbs external impulses from other cultures, how it transforms these impulses into its own unique features and how it then shares its own riches with others.”
Charles Buchanan, interim director of the School of Interdisciplinary Arts, said he has high hopes for this seminar.
“(I hope it) expands the boundaries of conventional knowledge exponentially, and thus should be considered at the forefront of academic inquiry,” he said.
Although the seminar is set to begin at 3 p.m., Nikulin revealed that he would be meeting with students one-on-one beforehand from 10 a.m.- noon.
“It is a complex, dynamic process with many players involved, and I certainly wish to impress on our students the complexities of the world we live in and study,” said Marchenkov. “That is why the seminar is called ‘Russian Art and Philosophy in Global Dialogues.’ It is as much about giving as it is about receiving. These insights can be applied virtually to all cultures in the world. It is my deeply held conviction that cultural production is at its most intensive on the boundaries among cultures.”
wa054010@ohiou.edu
If You Go:
What: “Dostoevsky and Nietzsche” Presented by Dr. Dmitri Nikulin
When: 3 p.m. Thursday
Where: 31 S. Court Street
Admission: Free
