News and Opinions
GHEA21 Human Rights Certificate Program Info Session
June 4, Thursday, 16:00 CET (Berlin)
Smolny Associate Degree Online Program: Q&A Session
Thursday, May 28, 19:30 CET
Registration for Fall Semester 2026 Courses Is Now Open
Application deadline: Aug 21
Ilya Kalinin to Speak at Roundtable on Russian-Language Publishing in Europe
Russian-language Book Fair Berlin Bebelplatz, May 1, 2026
Degree Program: Apply by June 10
Smolny Associate Degree Online Program
The Smolny Associate Degree is a two-year online program that represents the first stage of higher education. Upon successful completion, graduates are awarded the Associate of Arts degree from Bard College.
Courses
Certificate Programs
Main Methods in Philosophy
This graduate-level certificate program is designed to develop a comprehensive understanding of philosophy and to train the “technical” skills required to practice this challenging discipline.
Human Rights
Certificate in Human Rights, available through GHEA21, provides a structured path for students interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of human rights in theory and practice.RIMA Certificate “Data Science for Social Good”
This certificate program is designed to support researchers and educators who use the Russian Independent Media Archive (RIMA) in their work.
Chronicle of Historical Politics during the Russian-Ukrainian War
7 March, 16:30 CET Presentation by Yurii Latysh and Sergei...
The Feminization of History in 19th-Century Culture: Russian Art and the Polish Vector
Book Presentation: Maria Chernysheva at NYU Jordan Center
Feminization of History in the Culture of the 19th century
June, 6, 2024, 7:00 pm – Presentation at the Reforum...
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About
Smolny Beyond Borders (SBB) is a courageous initiative, born from the collaborative spirit of former Smolny College. Smolny College was the first Russian liberal arts college, previously located in St. Petersburg, Russia, as well as Bard College’s first international dual degree partnership. The goal of SBB is to continue a tradition of liberal arts education in the liberally-minded, internationally-oriented Russian language community, especially for those students in Russia and countries of Eurasia whose education has been interrupted by the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the declining educational situation in those countries.
About Smolny College
Smolny College was a long-term collaboration between St. Petersburg State University and Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. After its founding in 1997, it became both the largest liberal arts program in Russia and the most robust Russian-American partnership in the higher education sphere. In the summer of 2021, the Prosecutor’s Office of the Russian Federation declared that Bard College is an undesirable organization, the first college or university to be so named. This began the dismantling of Smolny, which has since undergone the loss of faculty and curricular changes that have rejected the very idea of liberal arts and sciences education.
The Gagarin Center for the Study of Civil Society and Human Rights (Gagarin Center at Bard College) allows Russian scholars forced to leave Russia as a result of the war on Ukraine, and risks of political persecution, continue to pursue research and educational activities focused on contemporary social, economic, and human rights issues in Russia. Previously, the Gagarin Center, supported by the Gagarin Trust, was a core component of Smolny College. The Center and its fellows offered courses, prepared research on vital issues, offered public programming, and served as a venue for the critical exchange of ideas.