News

For the first time, the American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) has funded an academic exchange between Georgian and American universities. The first successful partner professors are Anthropology Professor Ketevan Gurchiani, representing Ilia State University, and Professor Maria C. Taylor, a historian and theorist of landscape design, environmental relations, and international urban planning at Cornell University.

As part of this collaboration, Professor Ketevan Gurchiani will conduct lectures and presentations at Cornell University. The first event of this exchange is scheduled for November 12th, when Ketevan Gurchiani has a public lecture on the urban greenspace of Tbilisi as part of the department lecture series.

Ilia State University will host Professor Maria C. Taylor in the spring semester of 2025. In addition to lectures and presentations, there will be opportunities for collaboration among PhD students and faculty from both universities.

This exchange is designed to support curriculum development, introduce new methodologies, and foster research connections in anthropology, architecture, urban studies, and history.

Funding for this fellowship is provided by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) through a grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC). The knowledge generated by this collaborative project aims to build networks between U.S. and South Caucasus scholars, enriching the learning experience for students.

2024