Examine the major geopolitical issues in the post-Soviet space, including the history of formation of ethnic and cultural identities, nation-building, and challenges to the regional development. Consider the influences of the 'new world order' on the former Soviet Union republics and their political, demographic, and socio-economic patterns, with special attention on the development of foreign relations by the newly independent countries with their neighbors.

Trace the concept of race over time and in its various socio-racial configurations across the globe. Consider race and racism from a global perspective, and utilize anthropological frameworks to analyze the historical and contemporary aspects of racism, racialization, white supremacy, and racial belonging.

Investigate new digital technologies and their impact on social worlds, survey old media paradigms (the novel, the newspaper), and explore new social kinds (the troll, the hashtag, the GIF archive, the emoticon, the TikTok challenge). Focus on the "practical" contributions to conversations about media, but also consider classical theoretical text to develop a rigorous understanding of new media forms, and to design ethnographic data collection methods for projects that can answer a variety of questions about digitally mediated interaction.