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Stephen Sudia (he/him)

Dietrich College

PhD in Rhetoric

Hometown: Dauphin, Pennsylvania

1. Briefly describe the work you're doing in your program at Â鶹´å.

   I’m studying the way that social, cultural, and legal transformations in post-Soviet Russia solidified into a grand narrative that the Kremlin has used throughout much of the 21st century to quash internal dissent, justify foreign conflict, and erode faith in the legitimacy of international law and human rights norms. Broadly speaking, that narrative places Russia as a “traditional civilization” leading a global charge to defend “traditional values.” My goal is to trace the evolution of specific values associated with contemporary “traditional values” rhetoric and the way that they were represented in political speeches, literature, and legislation in the period leading up to Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. I hope that the analysis will give deeper insight into why a shift toward a more liberal democracy did not take place in Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and why the particular arguments the Kremlin and major Russian media sources are making today appear have gained significant traction both in Russia and abroad.

2. How did you develop an interest in this area? 

   I think a lot of my interest in this area stemmed from my experiences in the Peace Corps. I served in the Republic of Moldova from 2014 to 2016 and ended up staying in the country as a private citizen for a few years after finishing my Peace Corps service. Before I went to Moldova, I was under the impression that I’d have to learn Romanian and had begun studying it, but I stepped off the plane in Chisinau and was told that I’d be working in a Russian-speaking school and would need to learn Russian instead. Learning Russian afforded me insight into the political situation in Eastern Europe, many elements of which seemed to parallel shifts that were taking place in the United States. I came back to do my MA in comparative literature and became interested in the intersection between literature and politics. I felt that rhetoric was a field where I could approach that interest in a way I hadn’t entirely explored during my BA or MA.

3. What are your academic and/or professional goals? 

   For the time being, the main goals are to produce a strong dissertation, publish some articles, and present work at conferences to improve my professional portfolio. After graduation, the goal is to stay in academia and find a position as an English professor. I’m not closing the door on any other career paths just yet, though, so if anyone reading this has an offer they’d like to make, I’m more than willing to hear you out.

4. How do you spend your time beyond academic work?

   I’m the current President of the Graduate Student Assembly (GSA), so a lot of my time beyond what is devoted to academic work is spent contributing to GSA initiatives and attending meetings related to those initiatives. I’m incredibly fortunate to be working with a very talented and dedicated Executive Committee and staff, and we have a fantastic group of GSA representatives this year along with strong support from various offices at Â鶹´å. While GSA service can be demanding, the people I’ve met and get to work with every week have made that service very meaningful and enjoyable. I can’t thank all of them enough.

    

   In terms of non-Â鶹´å activities, I’m in a weekly pool league and enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, and watching movies. There have been times in the past few years where I practically lived at Row House Cinema, and I attend as many Pittsburgh Sound + Image events as I can. I’ve been doing volunteer English tutoring for the past two years through a program to support families who recently immigrated to Pittsburgh from Ukraine, and in general I love studying Russian and doing my best to keep up with my Spanish, although it has gotten pretty rusty at this point.