Dr. Ekaterina Zarutckaia, or ‘Kate,’ a senior lecturer from St. Petersburg University in Russia, has joined the Honors College during the fall semester as a Fulbright Faculty Development grantee.
Zarutckaia will study critical thinking courses, especially those that help students foster development of critical thinking skills and dispositions. While in the U.S., Zarutckaia will gather theoretical resources, linguistic materials and cultural resources with the hope of taking what she learns back to students and teachers in Russia.
“As an educator and researcher, I understand how important it is to be curious about other people’s teaching experiences, how refreshing it could be to discuss and exchange ideas with colleagues, and how necessary it is afterward to critically revise your teaching practices,” Zarutckaia said. “I am very hopeful to be able to do that all here at Marshall and share these new ideas upon return to my home country with my colleagues there who may never have had a chance to visit the United States.”
“We are delighted that Dr. Zarutckaia is visiting Marshall University and excited that this program will enhance our academic curricula in the Honors College from an international scholar,” said Dr. Avi Mukherjee. “In return, Dr. Zarutckaia will learn about our faculty’s innovative practices and theoretical approaches to curriculum development. This exclusive and important program is a great fit for Marshall due to our commitment to making a positive global social impact.”
Zarutckaia has taught undergraduate courses related to communications for the past 12 years in Russia, including “English for Academic Communication,” “English for Business Communication” and “Ethics in Communication.”
Interim Dean of the Honors College Dr. Brian Hoey says they’re enthusiastic to have Zarutckaia on campus.
“The Honors College is pleased to have Dr. Zarutckaia join us to complete her exciting Fulbright Faculty Development Grant project,” Hoey said. “I personally benefited as a Fulbright scholar during a year of transformative ethnographic fieldwork in the Republic of Indonesia. The many different Fulbright programs are essential parts of our effort as scholars from across all the varied fields of higher education to humanize international relations. Thus it is a true honor for me to support the Institute for International Education’s goals of improving intercultural relations and competence by serving as a host to Dr. Zarukchaia and other Fulbright scholars from around the world.”
The Fulbright Faculty Development program is designed for junior faculty and hopes to introduce participants to best practices and theoretical approaches to curriculum development in the United States. The hope is that while in the U.S. Zarutckaia and others will develop strategies to develop courses that can be offered in their home countries.
The Fulbright Scholarship is one of the most exclusive and important scholarships offered by the U.S. Government to academics. The recruitment of candidates for the Fulbright Faculty Development program is based on an open competition. For more on the Fulbright programs visit fulbrightscholars.org.