The Endless Future and Human Limitations Summer School
The School of Advanced Studies (SAS) welcomes 8th, 9th, and 10th-grade students to join its fee-based summer school, Endless Futures and Human Limitations, taking place from June 16 to 20, 2025.
summer school theme
Nostalgia is a mode of relating to time, where the past is remembered or imagined in response to alienation or disconnection in the present. This phenomenon often involves a romanticization of the past, shaped by cultural and societal forces. While nostalgia risks creating illusions that distance individuals from authentic engagement with the present, it also reflects a desire for meaning, grounding, or belonging, as individuals seek to reconnect with imagined origins or lost communities. Yet, this longing for the past can obscure the opportunity to engage authentically with the present, transforming what could be a site of renewal into a missed moment of existential possibility.
The SAS summer school will center on exploring nostalgia as a complex phenomenon, inviting high school students to critically examine its role in shaping personal identity, cultural memory, and societal dynamics. The program will challenge participants to investigate the tension between nostalgia’s power to foster belonging and its potential to create illusions.
what we are offering
As part of an intellectually engaging and immersive experience, the week-long Summer School invites high school students to explore nostalgia as a powerful yet ambivalent force shaping personal identity, cultural memory, and societal dynamics. Participants will critically examine how nostalgia can offer a sense of belonging and meaning while also distorting perceptions of the past and limiting engagement with the present. The Ultimate goal of the SAS Summer School is have high schoolers accept nostalgia as an enterprise of science, a method to study human phenomena.
Guided by professors from diverse academic backgrounds—many of whom earned their PhDs from world-leading universities—students will navigate this theme through multiple academic disciplinary lenses. The Summer School is an opportunity to experience a world-class higher education environment, engaging in thought-provoking discussions while enhancing English language skills.
Participants will engage with the theme through a variety of educational formats, including seminars, workshops, project-based inquiries, morning discussions, tours in Tyumen, and creative exercises. These activities will encourage them to question, analyze, and even reimagine the role of nostalgia in their own lives and communities.
The entire Summer School program is conducted in English, and a strong command of the language is necessary for meaningful participation.
Outstanding participants at the Summer School will be awarded a bonus of 10 points to their state exam results should they choose to apply to SAS.
Topics may include:
How Our Memories Work;
Digital Memory and Archive;
The Education of Nostalgia;
Photography and Memory Making.
Information in this section might be updated.
09:30−10:00 | Registration
10:00−11:00 | Lecture, Why Nostalgia at SAS
11:00−12:30 | Lecture, How Our Visual Memory Work
12:30−13:30 | Lunch
13:30−15:00 | Team Building
15:00−16:00 | Trivia
16:00−16:30 | Coffee Break
16:30−18:00 | Trivia
18:00−19:00 | Dinner
19:00−20:30 | First Reading Session, Human Memory
10:00−11:00 | Discussion, Digital Memory and Archive
11:00−12:30 | Lecture, Lost Forms of Writings
12:30−13:30 | Lunch
13:30−15:00 | Seminars with SAS Professors
15:00−16:00 | Group Task
16:00−16:30 | Coffee Break
16:30−18:00 | Collaging, Anemoia vs. Nostalgia
18:00−19:00 | Dinner
19:00−20:30 | Film Screening
10:00−11:00 | Lecture, Good Old Days Education
11:00−12:30 | Laboratory, Photography and the Visual
12:30−13:30 | Lunch
13:30−16:00 | Tyumen City Stories
16:00−16:30 | Coffee Break
16:30−18:00 | Workshops with SAS Students
18:00−19:00 | Dinner
19:00−20:30 | The Art of Storytelling
10:00−11:00 | Individual Reflection Task
11:00−12:30 | Group Task
12:30−13:30 | Lunch
13:30−15:00 | Seminars with SAS Professors
15:00−16:00 | Memory Lane Collage
16:00−16:30 | Coffee Break
16:30−18:00 | Group Presentations
18:00−19:00 | Dinner
19:00−20:30 | 2nd Reading Session, Cultural Nostalgia
10:00−11:00 | Final Reading Session, Critical Nostalgia
11:00−12:30 | Reflection, A Love Letter to the Future
12:30−13:30 | Lunch
13:30−16:00 | Mini-Zine
16:00−16:30 | Coffee Break
19:30–20:30 | Summer School Closing
who is delivering
The Summer School is a collective endeavor of the SAS community — our international faculty, students, and management team—who come together to create a dynamic and thought-provoking experience. Through a range of carefully designed activities, they invite you to explore how nostalgia shapes our understanding of the past, present, and future. Rather than simply looking back, this program challenges you to critically engage with memory, longing, and the narratives that connect generations.
The Summer School Creative Director is Ahmed Elghandour, SAS Associate Director for Education.
how to apply
We are delighted to invite school students graduating either from 8th, 9th, or 10th grade in 2025.
In order to apply, students should successfully submit their application and registration form.
The Summer School fee is 10,000 rubles, which covers the full academic program and meals. Accommodation is not included in this fee. Participants coming from outside Tyumen are responsible for arranging their own lodging. The organizers are happy to offer recommendations and advice on nearby hotels.
All Participants will receive a certificate confirming their successful completion of the extra-curricular educational program.
instruction
Please fill in the registration form here by June 1, 23:59 (Tyumen Time).
You should provide your working phone number because we will contact you to discuss your participation.
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Additionally, you will need to submit a 1–3 minute video in English answering the following question:
Imagine you could bring back one thing from the past — an idea, a way of life, a feeling, or a tradition — to help people today. What would you choose, and why? Explain what this “something from the past” is, and reflect on what makes it valuable in today’s world. Do you think bringing it back would truly help us — or are we sometimes mistaken about the past?
When you get selected, you will receive an email regarding the following steps in order to become part of the SAS Summer School.
Introduce yourself.
Answer the question, highlighting your main point within the first 10-15 seconds.
Choose an appropriate background and avoid reading from a script to ensure a natural delivery.
Cite any sources if you reference others’ work.
Upload your video to Yandex Disk and share the link with us via: sas-summerschool@utmn.ru.
where it is happening
The Summer School takes place in the building of the School for Advanced Studies, a distinctive space designed for deep intellectual engagement. Its blend of openness and intimacy creates an environment where ideas flow freely, fostering both connection and personal reflection. More than just a setting for classes, the building cultivates a vibrant atmosphere where diverse perspectives and discussions come to life.
SAS is located in the heart of Tyumen’s charming historical center, surrounded by cafés, restaurants—an ideal backdrop for both contemplation and lively conversation.
Q&A
How to pay for participation in SAS Summer School?
After receiving the participants' video applications and making a selection, we will send invitations for participation in the Summer School to the email addresses given in the applications. We will ask you to fill in the form and write the data of the participant's parent (legal representative) in it in order to fill in the contract. After the contract is signed, we will send an invoice for payment for participation in the Summer School. Payment deadline: at least 5 days before the Summer School.
Are there any discounts for participation?
No. But a parent (legal representative) can make a tax refund for the education of a child – participant of the event. SAS Summer School is an additional general education program and we will provide all documents necessary for the deduction upon request to sas-summerschool@utmn.ru.
Who is available to participate?
We are waiting for applications from students who graduated from 8th, 9th and 10th grades in 2025.
If I am a 7th grader, can I apply?
Yes, but we will consider your application subject to availability.
Is accommodation provided for out-of-town participants?
No, but we can recommend comfortable hotels or hostels.
contacts
If you still have any questions, please contact us by email or phone:
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+7 (3452) 59-74-00, ext. 19128 — Ekaterina Tkacheva, SAS Manager.