Helps students see the bigger picture.
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Dr. Suzanne Ament is a Professor of History in the Department of History at Radford University, where she is the department's Russianist. She earned her Ph.D. in Russian history from Indiana University in 1996, with minors in East European history, voice performance, and cultural anthropology. Prior degrees include an M.A. from Georgetown University and a B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Ament teaches Russian history, East European history, world history, and a survey of Chinese history. She is an accomplished singer and guitarist specializing in Russian music.
Ament's research specializations encompass the history of Russian revolutionary songs, the role of popular song in Soviet society during World War II, the 1980s Russian music duo Ivashenko and Vasiliev, and the methodology of oral history. Her scholarship explores music's connections to society in Russia and the Soviet Union, with publications including journal articles, book chapters, and presentations. Notable works include her book Sing to Victory: Song in Soviet Society during World War II (Academic Studies Press, 2020), the article 'Russian Bard Music in Transition—A Case Study' (2004), and book reviews such as Most Secret Agent of Empire: Reginald Teague-Jones (2015) and Bolshoi Confidential. Ament received the Melvin Jones Award from Lions Club International for outstanding service. Her career at Radford University spans from assistant professor to full professor. She has presented public lectures, including 'Sing to Victory' at McConnell Library (2020), contributed to the department's World War II series, and mentored undergraduate research, for example, on Soviet ballet during the Great Patriotic War. Having lived and traveled in the USSR and Russia for two years total, studied in the former Yugoslavia, and visited China, Turkey, Romania, Israel, Mexico, and Western Europe, Ament views the world through a global lens, encapsulated in her favorite quotation: 'The Earth is but one country and mankind its citizens.'
