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Sergei 
Akopov

PhD Political Science

lecturer

Hello

Here's who I am & what I do

This web site is a landing point into my current research in political philosophy and critical IR theory. It boils down to three themes: ‘politics of loneliness’, ‘demasculinisation of sovereignty’, transnational modes of overcoming nationalism driven images of ‘the enemy’.

It builds on my previous analysis of symbolic politics, ontological security and other existential aspects of Russia’s identity in world politics, including its visual representations in cinema, art etc.

Thank you for interest in my work. 

Dr. Sergei Akopov

Curriculum Vitae

WORK EXPERIENCE

June 2016 – September 2022  Professor, Department of Political Science and IR

June 2017 – June 2019  Academic Director, Master's in “Business and Politics in Modern Asia”

November 2013 – June 2016 Associate professor, Department of Political Science and IR National Research University Higher School of Economics (Campus St. Petersburg). Teaching BA and MA courses (‘Contemporary Political Theory’, ‘History of Political Ideas’, ‘Identity, Loneliness and Friendship in IR’, ‘Qualitative Research Methods’, ‘Russia’s Identity in World Politics’. ‘Russian Civilization’ for USA students CIEE groups); (all in English) Supervising MA, BA and PHD. research projects. Academic Director of HSE 2015, 2020, 2021 Summer Schoolsin 'Russian Studies'

September 2006 – November 2013  Associate professor; Vice Head (2012) of the Department of Political Science Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Campus St. Petersburg). ▪ Teaching BA and MA courses ‘Introduction to Political Science’, ‘The War and Peace Studies (Conflict resolution)’, ‘Political Anthropology and Communication’ (Russian and English) ▪ Supervising PhD project in Political theory & philosophy (“I.Ilyin as a political philosopher”)

December 2006 – September 2009 The Head Coordinator of the Students Scientific Society ▪ Coordinating scientific research, organizing conferences, editing publications ▪ Member of the Board of Young Academics Council: responsible for international cooperation

September 2002 – September 2006  Associate (2004) & assistant professor, Department of Law Theory ▪ Teaching courses ‘The Theory of Law’, ‘The History of Law and State Institutions in Russia’, ‘The History of the Political and Legal Ideas’ (in Russian)

June – July 2015  Invited Lecturer, (by CIEE Study Abroad Center in St.Petersburg State University) Teaching US students 45 hour course ‘The arts of St. Petersburg” (in English) 

September 2008 – June 2010  Fellow Senior Lecturer, Department of Comparative Sociology ▪ Teaching MA students ‘Political Anthropology and Ethnic Problems in а Multicultural World’ (English)

September 2001 – June 2009 Fellow Senior Lecturer, Centre of Russian Language and Culture (in 2008 turned into the Department of Political Science) ▪ Teaching courses ‘The Highlights of Russian Political History” (semester course - 28 lectures), ‘Anthropology of Russian Asia’, ‘The Political System of Russia’ for mixed foreign students’ groups as well as separate Universities (Stanford, Arizona, Duke, Miami, Pepperdine, Oxford School of Business, Full Bright Program Scholars etc.) (in English)

September 1999- January 2001  Assistant professor, Department of Philosophy and Cultural Studies St.-Petersburg Institute of Fridge and Biotechnologies. ▪ Teaching BA courses ‘Philosophy’ and ‘Cultural Studies’ (in Russian)

EDUCATION AND CERTIFIED TRAINING

September 24, 2015  Ph.D. (Doctor) in Political Theory & Philosophy (‘Transnational model of Individual Identification with Macropolitical Communities: Metatheoretical Analysis’) Institute of Philosophy, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 

September 1998 – December 2001 Ph.D. candidate in Political Theory (‘Semen Frank as a Political Thinker’)

September 1993 – June 1998  Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Campus St. Petersburg) B.Sc. and M.Sc. ‘State & Municipal Management’, Diploma with Excellence Russian Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (Campus St. Petersburg) Principal subjects covered: Public Administration, Law, Political Science

February 11 – 19, 2012  Course Innovation Session ‘Qualitative Research Methods: New Developments’ Central European University, Hungary, Budapest, Curriculum Resource Centre, Department of Political Sciences

November 25 – December 1, 2007  Open Session ‘Political Sciences’ Central European University, Hungary, Budapest, Curriculum Resource Centre, Department of Political Sciences

June 30 – July 14, 2007  The Visby Program Summer University Course ‘Communication in an International Context’ Gotland University, Sweden

June, 3 – 16, 2006 The Visby Program Summer University Courses ‘Utopia and its Critics’, ‘The Epistemology of Journalism’, ‘Intergroup Conflict, Diversity Management, and Globalization’ Lund University, Sweden

August - December, 2003  Scholarship Program for Russian Civil Servants ‘The Economical and Legal Aspects of the Integration in the European Union’ Aarhus University Business School, Denmark

PERSONAL SKILLS

Language

English   C2      ELTS (2009): proficient

French    C1      Diplôme L’institut français à Saint-Pétersbourg, niveau 9 (2011)

Russian             Mother tongue​

Communication skills

▪ Good cross-cultural communication skills gained through experience as AFS exchange student in Canada (11 month, 1992) and semester at Aarhus University, MA student in Denmark (2003), France and Corsica (1 month, 2014); certified training in Hungary & Sweden

▪ Excellent contact skills with foreign guests of St. Petersburg gained through 22 years experience as a licensed guide (for companies “Isram”, “Pan Tours”, “Marlis”, “Patriarshii Dom”, “Palladium”, etc.)

▪ Lectures for USA Groups: ‘Russian-America Relations’, ‘The Romanov’s’; “Russia in the Mirror of Russian Art”, organized byAHI Travel’, ‘Grand Circle Co.’, 'The Nation' (in English)

Organisational / managerial skills
 
Good organisational and team-leading skills gained as university level Head Coordinator of the Students Scientific Society (2006-2009), Vice Head (2012-2013) of the Department of Political Science and an Academic Director organising HSE Summer School for foreign students - 'Russian Studies: Russian Culture and Identity” (august 2015), and HSE Winter School ‘Russian Politics and IR’(March 2020) https://spb.hse.ru/io/researchschool/politics

Job-related skill

▪ Knowledge of St. Petersburg public sector (Law consulting of NGO, research in sphere of charity legislation, registration paperwork (Charitable Fond “Interlegal” (“Tasis” project), February 1996 - June 1997) with O.V. Starovoitova as a Chair of the Fond)

▪ English language mentoring skills (as English teacher & interpreter for Casino ‘Conti’, May 1995 - July 1997)

▪ Labour contracts & royalties’ competence (ZAO ‘Compozitor (SPb.)’, Drafts of labour contracts and royalties with St. Petersburg composers for pieces of classical music (in English), drafting of regulations and changes in the Charter etc., (September 2000 –August 2001)

▪ Cultural integration skills (Letter of Appreciation for cultural integration of cadets from Chechnya and Ingush republic at The Admiral S.Makarov State Sea Academy, 2010)

▪ Interviewing skills (“Kelly Services” recruiter, interviewing & recruiting for jobs (1998)

Honours and awards

▪ ‘Best Teacher at HSE University’, Special Teaching Award and 2021-2020 Stipend (all teaching in English)

▪ Acknowledgement from the HSE Saint-Petersburg Director (2019) ▪ Award “For the contribution to the academic reputation of the Higher School of Economics” (2016)

▪ Associate Professor (Docent) Title, April 2008

▪ Denmark, Aarhus School of Business; Belgium, Brussels, Scholarship Program Grant for Russian Civil Servants ‘The Economic and Legal Aspects of the Integration in the European Union’, Certificate of Special Honour, 2003

▪ President of Russia Special Excellence Award (Grant) for the Ph.D. Students, 2000

▪ AFS Exchange Program (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada), August 1991 - July 1992, Honour Roll

Memberships (past and present)

▪ International Studies Association (ISA),

▪ British International Studies Association (BISA)

▪ Russian Association of Political Science (RAPN),

▪ International Political Science Association (IPSA),

▪ American Political Science Association (APSA),

▪ European Consortium for Political Research (ECPR)

INVITED SPEAKER

February – March 2022  Tartu University (Estonia), ERASMUS + International Credit Mobility for Teaching at the Johan Skytte Institute, Faculty of Social Sciences

October 25, 2019  Jilin University (China), Upbringing the Patriotic Identity: From Theoretical Definitions to Contemporary Practices

November 8 – 12, 2019  Inmedio (Berlin), Trilateral Russian-Ukrainian-German dialogue, ‘Gaps and Overlaps: Navigating through contested German-Russian-Ukrainian narratives’(2020)

November 8, 2016  University of Barcelona, Department of Social Theory & TRAMOD "The Moral Debt: Historicizing Europe's Relations with Russia (Transnational Perspective)" (English)

March 7-9, 2015 SciencePo Aix-en Provence (France), France, lecture “Russian Political System and Culture after 2012 Presidential Elections” (in English); conference paper presentation «Minorités nationales et identités transnationales en Fédération de Russie (le cas de diaspora arménienne)» (in French)

May 8, 2012  The Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities, Oslo, Norway, Seminar ‘The Russian Socio-cultural Environment after The 2011-2012 Federal Elections’; Lecture: ‘New Identity Framed within The Old Political Landscape’ (in English)

May 3-4, 2012  University of Uppsala (Sweden),Centre for Russian Studies Conference ‘Multiculturalism in Russia’; Lecture: ‘Multinationalism, Mononationalism or Transnationalism in Russia?’ (in English)

November 13, 2012  Tulane University (New Orleans, USA), Department of Political Science, lecture “Squaring Russia’s Monoculturalism with Multinationalism: Is Transnationalism the Solution? (cases of St.Petersburg Armenian and Jewish Diaspora)”

July 7-11, 2009  University of Helsinki (Finland), Parallel session ‘The Evolution of the Theory and Political Practice of Ethnicity in Russian State’ during IIAS (International Institute of Administrative Science) 5th International Specialized Conference 'History and Future of Nation Building’ (in English)

October 9, 2003  Aarhus University (Denmark), The Slavic Department, Lecture ‘Russia - Baltic States Foreign Relations’

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