Siberia also lies at the intersection between Buddhism, shamanism, Islam and Orthodoxy, providing opportunities for comparative religious research. Republics within the region such as diamond-rich Sakha are now growing in confidence and poitical maturity, reversing centuries of Russian colonial domination. Reindeer herders in the Yamel challenge oil companies whoe actions threaten ruin to fragile tundra ecosystems. Environmental groups strive to save the world site of Lake Baikal, the 'pearl of Siberia' as tourism develops there and in the Altai, 'Siberia's Switzerland'. A research methods module teaches basic investigatives techniques for the electronc era.
Students also develop their personal interest in the region in depth as they prepare a dissertation.
The M.A. is coordinated and mainly taught by Dr David N. Collins, who has had published numerous articles on Siberia and the Russian Far East. A good command of Russian would be an advantage . The use of material from Russian language sources is encouraged in the preparation of the dissertation.