Russian and East European Studies
Lecturer
MA, History, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London
BA, Russian and East European Studies, University of Pennsylvania
Ryan Hardy was born in Baltimore, Maryland. In addition to over a decade teaching in Russian-language classrooms and translating, he has extensive experience living and studying across Central-East Europe and Eurasia.
Ryan graduated with an MA in History from University College London's School of Slavonic and East European Studies in 2026, where his work concentrated on 20th-century Czechoslovak history. His research examines grassroots internationalism among migrants and foreign visitors to the USSR that pushed back against narratives of Soviet-style sociopolitical development as the sole model for global socialism.
Beyond his work at Penn, Ryan currently serves as Director of Communications at Central Eurasian Studies Society.
Office Hours
Thursdays 10 - 11am
Research Interests
Transnational Soviet history, memory studies, nostalgia, post-Soviet ethnonational identity, Central Asia, labor and migration in the USSR, translation
Courses Taught
Fall 2026 Courses:
CZCH 0100: Czech I
RUSS 0100: Elementary Russian I
