ExpREES graduates will be awarded a separate ExpREES certificate in addition to the Master's degree certificate from their home university. They will have competencies and skills to work both in the public and private sector as well as in the field of research.
ExpREES is a multidisciplinary programme with teachers and courses from different fields of study in 12 Finnish universities - members of the university network in Russian and East European Studies (REES network). ExpREES is therefore able to offer a comprehensive and unique package of courses focusing on different actors and phenomena in Russia, other parts of Eurasia and Eastern Europe available for ExpREES students only. No one university in Finland would be able to offer such a curriculum on its own.
ExpREES studies make up a substantial part of the Master's degree. Please note that the Aleksanteri Institute does not award degrees to ExpREES students, but students continue as degree students of their home university and will obtain their Master's degree there. Therefore, only students who already have got the right to study towards a Master's degree in a university of the REES network are eligible for applying to the ExpREES.
Language of teaching: Our curriculum offers courses both in Finnish and in English, each academic year approximately 60-70 courses in total. Please note that the compulsory courses (the ExpREES summer school, the ExpREES thesis seminar, the ExpREES multimodal course) are given in Finnish. We will find other courses given in English to those students whose Finnish for academic purposes is not yet at such a level that they may take courses taught in Finnish.
Please register to courses in advance. The three methods of registration depend on which university organises the course. Please note that regardless of the organising university, all courses must be added to your personal study plan in Sisu of the University of Helsinki (UH). Read Sisu instructions below.
Please use the online registration form to register to courses by the deadline. The deadlines for registration for the autumn semester are as follows:
Deadlines for the spring semester are as follows:
As a rule, you should register by the deadline of the month preceding the month when the course will start, i.e. if the course starts in September you should register by 26 August. In some cases, the registration is required several weeks before the beginning of the course. Please take this into account when planning your studies and check the required deadlines.
The ExpREES coordinator will forward the registration information submitted via the online registration form to the host university’s contact person or the teachers of the course. After this, the teachers will contact the registered students of other universities. However, there are exceptions to this rule: sometimes the teachers do not contact the students in advance but they may just start attending the lectures on-site or online after their registration. Some universities may also ask for some additional information to register the students to their own systems. In these cases, the ExpREES coordinator will ask the students to fill in a separate form in addition to the registration.
Please note that if the number of students enrolled to a course is not sufficient, the course might be cancelled. So please remember to register to courses, and to cancel your registration if you are for some reason unable to participate.
In some cases, the faculties might ask the students to register via JOO-agreements. However, this is not necessary because ExpREES students’ right to take courses listed in the ExpREES Study Guide is based on bilateral agreements between the Aleksanteri Institute and REES network universities. Other students’ ability to take part in ExpREES courses is dictated by the terms of their own study programs and possibly JOO-studies.
To complete the ExpREES programme you will need at least 25 credits of ExpREES studies, of which 15 credits are comprised of mandatory courses. In addition to the mandatory courses, you may choose as many optional courses from the ExpREES curriculum as you wish. Please remember also that in order to receive the ExpREES certificate, you should write your Master's thesis on a topic somehow related with Russia, Eurasia or Eastern Europe.
All ExpREEs students have the right to pursue non-degree studies in the University of Helsinki. ExpREES courses need to be included under the ExpREES study module in your personal Sisu study plan.
First, all ExpREES students have to create their own study plan and include in it the ExpREES study module. Read more detailed instructions on creating a new study plan here.
From now on, include all of your ExpREES courses under the ExpREEs study module. If you complete a course that is not present in UH’s Sisu, add an Optional ExpREES study unit instead, one for each completed course.
You can register to UH’s courses only after including the course to your Sisu study plan. Read more detailed instructions on course registration here.
As an ExpREES student you should acquire a minimum of 25 credits of ExpREES courses in order to complete the ExpREES programme. 25 credits consist of compulsory courses and optional courses. In addition to the given 25 credits from ExpREES courses, you should also write a thesis on a topic related to Russia, Eurasia or Eastern Europe.
You should complete a minimum of 25 credits of ExpREES courses in order to complete the ExpREES programme. There are three compulsory courses (15 credits in total):
Please note that the three compulsory courses are mainly given in Finnish, i.e. in order to be able to participate in these courses, you should be able to follow lectures and seminars taught in Finnish as well as to give comments on students' papers written in Finnish and to participate in preparing a student conference presentation given in Finnish. We will find alternative courses given in English for all those student not able to take the compulsory courses listed above.
In addition to compulsory courses, as an ExpREES student you may freely choose other courses from the ExpREES curriculum according to your own study plan and interests. You should take the minimum of 10 credits of ExpREES optional studies. There is no upper limit.
ExpREES Summer School (5 cr) (course code VIE-501)
The ExpREES Summer School will be organized at the Lammi Biological Station 21-26 August 2023. For the summer school students will write an idea paper (DL tbc) or a research plan for their Masters' thesis. The purpose of the idea paper is to help you to get started with writing your Master’s thesis. It serves as a great opportunity to get feedback on your ideas from other students as well as experts in the field. In addition to the paper, you will conduct an interview of an expert in the field (DL tbc) , and familiarize yourself with the required pre-readings for the lectures (DL tbc). N.B. The language of the teaching is Finnish.
Registration for the Summer School will be opened in late May- early June.
ExpREES Multimodal course: Perspectives on Russia, Eurasia, and Eastern Europe (5 cr) (course code VIE-502)
Perspectives on Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe is a multidisciplinary, partly phenomenon-based, Master's level introductory course in which various issues, themes and related problems as well as models for their explanation and understanding are presented. The course introduces the diversity of area studies and different approaches in area studies. The course consists of three face-to-face teaching days and seven distance learning modules in Moodle. Each module consists of different ways of teaching and reading to be offered regarding Russia, other countries/regions in the former territory of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Several teachers and experts are taking part in the course. The course is meant for students of ExpREES and ECEBB. The language of the course is Finnish.
After completing the course, the student understands the diversity of phenomena and approaches (theoretical and methodological models) in area studies, especially in Russian, Eurasian and Eastern European studies. The student can apply some of these models to her/his own areas of interest in the context of Russia, Eurasia and Eastern Europe. The student will practice both independent and group work skills and develop critical thinking as well as analytical and argumentation skills. The student will be able to search for relevant research and other information related to the area as well as to complete oral and written presentations.
The face-to-face teaching days of the course will be held as intensive lecture days in Helsinki 4 November 2022, 20 January 2023 and 3 March 2023. In addition, the student will independently produce an intermediate assignment. Also, each distance learning module consists of a small-scale assignment that must be completed in order to advance on the course.
ExpREES Master's Thesis Seminar (5 cr) (course code VIE-503)
The ExpREES thesis seminar is recommended for all ExpREES students. It provides an opportunity to engage with peers in multi/interdisciplinary discussions about one’s research topic. In addition to providing a venue for student-led discussion, the seminar also offers you supervision by experts on Russia, other parts of Eurasia, and Eastern Europe. The ExpREES thesis seminar does not replace the thesis seminars offered by the home university in your field of study.
In the ExpREES seminar student will present their research plans, and drafts of thesis chapters (at least three papers in addition to the research plan) while simultaneously providing constructive feedback/peer review on their peers' papers. The seminar requires active participation from all students.
There are two groups: one takes place in the premises of the Aleksanteri Institute, another one in Zoom, approximately once a month on Thursdays (on-site) and Fridays (online).
On Aleksanteri Institute’s webpages and through mailing list you will find information on interesting lectures and seminars connected to Russia, Central Asia and Eastern European regions. It is desired that also ExpREES students attend these events.
By attending eight lectures and writing 10 pages long learning diary a student can get 3 cr. Lecture is an event which lasts for at least 1,5 hour. Student needs a signature from lecturer or event organizer to his/her lecture pass or alternatively he/she can enclose seminar’s programme with lecture diary.
In lecture diary a student discusses and analyses issues learned in the lecture. Lecture diary is not only notes from the lecture. Analysis can be based for example on student’s master’s thesis or more generally on a question setting in your field of science. If one has work experience relevantly related to the lecture, one can reflect on the lecture also in relation to it.
Below one can print lecture pass. A student needs to submit filled in lecture pass and lecture diary to the coordinator for approval. Technical instructions for lecture diary: spacing 1,5; font Times New Roman 12; all margins 2,5 cm.
ExpREES provides you with excellent working life skills. In our courses and study trips you will develop your analytical and argumentation skills as well your skills in giving presentations and in team work. In addition our alumni take part in our summer school and provide you with more information on the skills required in the working life. You will also have an excellent opportunity to create networks with students and teachers/researchers of different fields of study and different Finnish universities.
"Caucasus Studies includes a range of area courses with a focus on the Caucasus region. All courses are offered exclusively online with instruction in English. There are no mandatory seminars or lectures on campus.” Caucasus studies credits can be transferred to the ExpREES studies.
Caucasus studies I
Includes the following four course modules:
Caucasus Studies II
Includes the following four course modules:
You can find more information here: Caucasus Field and Case Studies
ExpREES students have many possibilities for internationalization, gaining international experience, such as study trips abroad, international summer and autumn schools and student exchange offered by their home universities.
The Moodle page of ExpREES also has a list of different courses and summer schools taking place abroad: https://moodle.helsinki.fi/mod/forum/view.php?id=6041
ExpREES encourages students to apply to student exchanges in Eastern Europe/Caucasus/Central Asia through their home universities. Study abroad periods support ExpREES student's expertise in the field. If you want courses taken in your exchange to recognized as part of your ExpREES studies, please contact us before the exchange. The courses to be recognized as part of your ExpREES studies should focus Russia, Eurasia and/or Eastern Europe.