The thematic, Russian language course, "Pozner: the Journalist and His Russia," is based on installments of Vladimir Vladimirovich Pozner's personal talkshow. Students watch interviews from the show, "Pozner," with representatives of the political and artistic elite, as well as revered personalities of Russia. While working on each interview, students think over and develop analyses using the following categories of issues: timeless, topical, professional and personal. Students determine whether or not there is internal conflict between the interviewer and interviewee, which manifests verbally in the framework of those same categories: worldview, everyday life, personal (character) or professional (political). The political, social, cultural context of each interview is analyzed.

Students will also have the opportunity to meet with Mr. Pozner after the end of this module to ask questions and discuss his work with him in person. After Mr. Pozner's module is complete, students will have four weeks to conduct their own research projects and prepare to present them as the final deliverable for the class. Several leading Russian journalists will make presentations to class throughout the semester, in addition to Mr. Pozner himself, to present their analyses of contemporary Russian media, social networks and the relations between Russian state and the media.