Alexander J. Motyl
Alexander J. Motyl (Ph.D., Columbia University, 1984) is professor of political science at Rutgers University-Newark. He served as associate director of the Harriman Institute at Columbia University in 1992-1998. A specialist on Ukraine, Russia, and the USSR, he is the author of Pidsumky imperii, 2009; Puti imperii, 2004; Imperial Ends: The Decay, Collapse, and Revival of Empires, 2001; Revolutions, Nations, Empires: Conceptual Limits and Theoretical Possibilities, 1999; Dilemmas of Independence: Ukraine after Totalitarianism, 1993; Sovietology, Rationality, Nationality: Coming to Grips with Nationalism in the USSR, 1990; Will the Non Russians Rebel?; State, Ethnicity, and Stability in the USSR, 1987; The Turn to the Right: The Ideological Origins and Development of Ukrainian Nationalism, 1919 1929, 1980, and the editor of over ten volumes, including The Encyclopedia of Nationalism, 2000. He is currently compiling The Holodomor Reader: An Anthology of Documents on the Ukrainian Genocide, 1932-1933. His novels include Whiskey Priest, 2005; Who Killed Andrei Warhol, 2007; Flippancy, 2009; and The Jew Who Was Ukrainian, 2011. His paintings are on view at www.artsicle.com. Alexander will lead the May 14 departure.
Hugh Agnew
Hugh Agnew has been fascinated by Czech history and the Czech lands since first arriving in Prague as a graduate student in 1977. Now Professor of History and International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington, D.C., he has taught courses and published books and numerous articles about the Habsburg Empire, the Czech national identity, and Czech heritage and history. His insightful talks on past Smithsonian journeys through the Bohemian countryside, on the Elbe and Danube Rivers, and in Prague at Christmastime have made him a favorite with Smithsonian travelers. Hugh will be on the September 7 departure.
Carol Reynolds
Dr. Carol Reynolds weaves high energy, humor, and history into everything she does. After a career in Music History at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, “Professor Carol” and husband Hank began designing multi-media Fine Arts curricula. Her unprecedented Discovering Music: 300 Years of Interaction in Western Music, Arts, History, and Culture (2009) has reached students across the world. In 2011 she released a cross-discipline course called Exploring America’s Musical Heritage. She is now creating a curriculum on the history of sacred music from Jewish Liturgy to 1600. Her research interests include German Romanticism and the musical court of Frederick the Great. She is fluent in German and Russian and maintains a home in Weimar. Dr. Reynolds is a staunch advocate of Arts Education at every stage of life and speaks regularly at educational conferences across the US. A pianist and organist, she is a popular speaker for organizations like The Dallas Symphony, Van Cliburn Concerts, The Dallas Opera, Tulsa Symphony, Kimball Museum, Fort Worth Opera, San Francisco Wagner Society, The Davidson Institute. Carol will lead the April 27 and September 28 departures.
