Mile 20: Class Field Lab

Each course on Semester at Sea has to conduct one field work experience, called a field lab. For my only class, the Academic Writing Course, the field lab traveled to three locations in STP: the Peterhof Palace, the Church on Spilled Blood, and the House of Books (aka the Singer House). These were chosen to allow student engagement with the themes of the course so far: memory and history. We had discussed the nuances of memory (collective, narrative, material, personal) and its association with the ongoing memory wars in Russia (the youth, politicians, historians are all trying to rewrite Russian’s collective memory). Students read a number of articles and, during the field lab, were tasked with finding a sign, three quotes, artwork, 5 photographs, and a food item that all represented various aspects of memory to them (you can read more about field labs in general on Milepost 3).

Our guide, a young Russian woman named Katya, gave us a short history of the Peterhof on the hour-long journey to the palace. Leaving the city, we passed by lots of residential areas that were decidedly less extravagant than the monuments we had seen in the city. Students began to ask Katya some questions about her Russian experiences and we learned that most Russians live outside of the city in very sterile dorm-like (one student said prison-like) apartment buildings. She stated that younger Russians were very invested in looking forward instead of recalling the tumultuous past of Russia and thus did not discuss the Soviet Union, communism or social repression much at all. We were all very thankful for her candidness and proceeded to bombard her with many more questions. (I was pleasantly surprised to see students so engaged with the material and with the guide!)

Our first stop was the magnificent Peterhof Palace and Gardens, known as the Russian Versailles. The intricate yellow and gold design resembled the decorative style of the Hermitage. As the summer home of Peter the Great (and later his successors, such as Catherine the Great), it The interior was immeasurably large. The rooms inside told stories of card playing, formal dinner parties and ballrooms filled with well-dressed patrons. The Russian royals lived well, to say the least (sorry, no photos were allowed on the inside). This was a summer house? If the inside was opulent, the outside was pure beauty. The lower gardens of the palace were filled with water fountains, manicured flowerbeds, rows of tall trees, metal sculptures and the lush greenery that extended to the Bay of Finland. The lower gardens were the size of a small national park. And this belonged to ONE person?

We had lunch at a nearby Russian restaurant and then drove back into St. Petersburg for the rest of the lab. Students repeatedly told me that they were very glad to have gone to the Peterhof because the housing of Russian history and memory was very profound there. Catherine the Great had really uplifted the décor of the place on the inside, investing in expensive artwork (and lots of self-portraits!). On the ride back, I asked students to consider the nuances of memory in relation to the site they had seen. How did the material elements of the palace extend, negate, or complicate the collective memory of Russia? Why did Peter the Great build such a palace to commemorate himself?

Next, we went into the Church on Spilled Blood, by far my favorite monument in STP! The outside looks a lot like an ice cream cone with its colorful curved roofs and cone-like shape. This pinnacle of Russian-style architecture was commissioned by Alexander III to commemorate the passing of his father, who was assassinated on the exact location of the church. While it no longer functions as a church, there is a shrine inside dedicated to Alexander II. And speaking of the inside, it was beyond words (mindless!). I have never seen so many mouths open in awe simultaneously in my life. All of my students were dumbfounded for a good 15 minutes before they could even pull out their cameras to take a photo. Every inch of the interior walls of the Church are covered with ½ inch mosaic tiles depicting Christian religious images. Unreal. As a class, we discussed the rationale behind creating such an extravagant monument to commemorate death. Students debated the use of the word “church” in its title and noted that Stalin was “loony” for wanting to destroy it (luckily he did not succeed). Why were these materials used to house the legacy of Alexander II?

Our last stop was along Nevsky Prospekt at the famous Singer House, which once belonged to the Singer sewing company. Now, it stands as an extensive bookstore and students perused the aisles in search of quotes on Russian history and memory. Towards the end, we meandered over to the larger than life statue of Gogol and I let students run around the area to gather the rest of their scavenger hunt list (artwork, quotes, etc). Some students interviewed passersby about their understanding of Russian memory. Others hopped into restaurants and gathered menus or small samplings of traditional Russian food. Frankly, I was really thrilled with the students for remaining interested and active all of the activities of the day. More than the curriculum, I think being outside and on a fieldwork program really made the difference. If I can, I will incorporate such a thing in my curriculum at home – it seems a necessity really to have them practice what we teach. In short, it felt like my first field lab was a success. Now, students have to write an analytical paper on Russian monuments and memory.

On the ride back to the ship, students asked Katya about Russian meal times and past times. They inquired about her impressions of modern Russia and she seemed very optimistic about it. Although most Russians have a hard time moving past the Soviet Union (and rightly so), it was very informative to get Katya’s point of view. Her understanding of Russian history and memory made me think that Russia straddles many contradictions in its modern times: modern yet ancient, strong yet beaten, progressive yet cyclical, past and present. What will its memory be 100 years from now?

Verdict: Very Good Field Lab. A huge shout out to the Field Office Team who made it all happen and to our guide, Katya!