From Homer to Jefferson: Justice and Religious Liberty in Classical Culture and American Democracy.

In coordination with the Dutch-Russian Intl. Center, Harvard University'sCenter for Hellenic Studies, the First Amendment Center of the Freedom Forum and several academic and community leaders in the Washington, D.C. area, the Washington Arts Group developed a research program for St. Petersburg State University student Ilya Ivanov on classical culture and religious liberty in American democracy. Ilya conducted his research from January 12 - March 23 in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Arts Group designed this program with the conviction that the best way to nourish the arts in Russia is to help young intellectuals like Ilya understand the roots of democratic culture in the classics and theology. Rather than using a traditional lecture format, Ilya's program formed a fluid balance between four elements:

1. Research (in English) guided by professors and experts through scholarly resources and regular discussion sections.
   

2. Weekly lessons in English grammar, idioms and American culture.
   

3. Meetings with groups working to promote democracy and religious liberty.
   

4. Practical application of his study through written reports, interviews of American academicians and Anacostia (Washington, D.C.) community leaders, and exploration of Washington, D.C.'s contemporary culture and life.

A. Research Topics & Discussions:

A gifted classical philosophy and theology student with an impressive background in Russian theology (a field which is currently of great interest to Western scholars) Ilya hopes to acquire the skills he will need to positively impact Russia's intellectual and cultural fabric by continuing his studies at the University of Virginia in Jan. 2003.

Ilya began his program as a translator for Dr. Konstantin Ivanov, Dean of Theology at Dietrich Bonhoeffer University (St. Petersburg, Russia), during the Jan. 19, 2002 Arts Group seminar Jumping Out of the Self-Referential Box on religious liberty and contemporary culture at St. Philip's Episcopal Church in Anacostia (Washington, D.C.).

On Feb. 1 Ilya commenced his research on heroism and justice in the Odyssey and Iliad with Dr. Gregory Nagy, Director of Harvard University's Center for Hellenic Studies (CHS) in Washington, D.C. Each week Ilya studied in the CHS' world renowned library and met with Dr. Nagy and his assistant director, Dr. Douglas Frame, every Friday to discuss his findings. At the CHS Ilya shared meals and discussions with classical scholars from around the world, including: Germany, Greece, France and the United States.

Ilya engaged in special topical discussion sections with other experts and professors, including: two three-hour tutorials covering guided research on "Religious Liberty In The American Constitution and Contemporary Democracy" with Dr. Charles C. Haynes, Senior Scholar of the First Amendment Center (Freedom Forum), and Mr. Sam Chaltain, Coordinator of the Center's First Amendment Schools Project, and "The Role of Media in American Democracy" with Mr. Richard Westfall of the Leadership Institute's Center for Print and Media Broadcasting.

Ilya also interviewed Ms. Hilary Johnson of Friends of the Children, an inner city youth worker in Anacostia (Washington, D.C.), about the relationship of American democracy to inner city youth, and Mr. Aire van der Vlies, Manager of Integral WaterQuality for Holland's Water Authority Warden, about the role of water conservation in civil society.

To improve his English proficiency, Ilya received private tutoring from educator Susanne Carson and attended weekly idiom classes at Columbia Baptist Church's ESL program.

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B. Participation in Democratic Process:

Throughout his study program, Ilya participated in meetings about human rights and democracy, including: a four-day National Student Leadership Forum on the spiritual principles of servant leadership directed by Congressmen and other leaders in business and government that included a National Leadership luncheon with 1,500 Senators, Representatives and student leaders, a World Youth Alliance meeting on international justice, a discussion on promoting civil society through culture with the Potomac Heritage Partnership, the Arts Group and the Dutch-Russian International Center, an International Republican Institute reception for international leaders of democracy and freedom, and a summit with leaders of persecuted Sudanese religious groups through the Institute on Religion and Democracy.

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C. Looking Ahead:

A policy reversal by St. Petersburg State University (without advance notice) cut Ilya's stay one month short.

Consequently, the Arts Group was forced to cancel Ilya's appointments with a wide array of academic and cultural leaders, including interviews with: the Librarian of Congress Dr. James Billington about the Library's Russian Leadership Program and local classical architect Daniel Lee about the federal architecture of Washington, D.C. Furthermore, Ilya could not complete his research on the Iliad with Dr. Gregory Nagy and Dr. Douglas Frame. His early departure also prevented him from writing a final paper about the results of his studies.

Despite this setback, Ilya utilized his last time in the United States for a fruitful introduction to the American academic system. In addition to a day in meetings with University of Virginia admissions officials and Religious Studies professors, Ilya interviewed Dorothy Taft, Deputy Chief of Staff for the Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe, about the possibility of studying in the United States. He also spoke about his situation to CHS fellows, who offered their support and recommendation to his plan to study in America.

This program was a powerful step in that direction, and we will follow up Ilya's visit by inviting him to participate in a seminar on the Russian Orthodox and Anglican confessions at Dietrich Bonhoeffer University (St. Petersburg, Russia) in June 2003.

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