University of Washington

The University of Washington at Seattle established its Baltic Studies Program in 1994.  The program is housed in the Department of Scandinavian Studies, and supported also by the Ellison Center for Russian, East European and Central Asian Studies. The Kazickas Family Endowed Professorship in Baltic Studies was established in 2009 to enhance University's ability to attract and retain distinguished faculty in Baltic Studies, with a preference for those whose first field of teaching and scholarship is centered on Lithuania.

In 2013, Prof. Guntis Šmidchens was appointed as holder of the Kazickas Family Endowed Professorship. Šmidchens, a graduate of Indiana University, helped establish the program and continues to direct it today. Šmidchens studies the culture and history of Lithuania; his 2010 article, “Herder and Lithuanian Folksongs,” was published in Lituanus: Lithuanian Quarterly Journal of Arts and Sciences. He wrote an introduction, “Fighting for Liberty in Lithuania,” to The Diary of a Partisan (Vilnius: Genocide and Resistance Research Centre of Lithuania, 2008). His book, The Power of Song: Nonviolent National Culture in the Baltic Singing Revolution, was published by the University of Washington Press in the summer of 2013.

Over the past two decades, about one hundred students have studied Lithuanian language, and many more have learned about Lithuania in courses taught in English about Baltic history, cultures and societies. Students may earn a minor in Lithuanian studies, or specialize in Lithuanian as a part of their bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degrees. The core of the Baltic Studies Program is language instruction, complemented with courses about history, culture and society.  Lithuanian language is taught today  by a Visiting Lecturer from Vilnius University. Courses taught in English include “Lithuanian Literary and Cultural History,” “Baltic History,” “Baltic States and Scandinavia,” “Baltic Cultures,” and “Baltic since 1991.” The University of Washington hosts guest lectures by prominent North American scholars such as Alfred Erich Senn, Saulius Sužiedelis, Violeta Kelertas. In 2000, the University of Washington Press published the autobiography of Vytautas Landsbergis, Lithuania: Independent Again.

Here is the latest update from prof. Guntis Šmidchens at the University of Washington Baltic Studies 2018

"Dear Jurate,

The Kazickas Family Endowed Professorship has dramatically impacted my time at UW, funding my research-related travel and also enhancing the courses I teach. So much of this work would not have been possible without your generous support.

In my book, The Power of Song, I surveyed the history of Baltic singing traditions from the 18th century to the successful end of the Singing Revolution in 1991. I am now working on a sequel, tracing out developments in Baltic singing traditions over the past 25 years of independence.

This fall here in Seattle, I am teaching a seminar about current Baltic politics and societies. Thanks to money from the Kazickas Professorship, I will able to bring in guest lecturers. Among them are three young Lithuanian scholars who will “come to class” via Skype, presenting their views on the Lithuanian Seimas elections before, during and after the elections.

Lithuanian courses at the UW are continuing strong. This fall, our new lecturer, Eglė Žūrauskaite, has six students in her first-year Lithuanian language class. Students at UW study Lithuanian for a variety of reasons, from exploring their own ethnic roots to broadening their areas of specialization. We are proud that one of last year’s Lithuanian language students, a PhD candidate in the Linguistics Department, was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship and is currently on exchange in Vilnius.

I’ll close by saying that all of the wonderful developments—guest lecturers, expanded language offerings, growing numbers of students—revolve around the fact that the Scandinavian Department now has a tenured professor in Baltic Studies. And that professorship became a reality thanks to your generous gift.

Thank you.

Guntis Šmidchens

Associate Professor Kazickas Family Endowed Professor in Baltic Studies"