doi:10.7916/a4va-jb06Oral history interview with Alexander Cooley, 2017Cooley, Alexander, 1972-oral historiesmixed materialCollege teachersHuman rights--Russia (Federation)Russia (Federation) Study and teachingRussia (Federation) Relations United StatesUnited States Relations Russia (Federation)Cooley, Alexander, 1972-Von Hagen, Mark, 1954-Nepomnyashchy, Catharine TheimerHarriman InstituteIn the first session, Cooley explains how his father's career as a foreign correspondent inspired his own early interest in international affairs. He then describes his time at the Harriman Institute, gives an overview of his doctoral dissertation, details the academic atmosphere at Harriman, and discusses his interactions with former Institute Director Mark von Hagen. He discusses the various projects and research areas he has engaged over the course of his career and the complexities of policymaking influence in academia. He describes the impact on the Harriman Institute of former Institute Director Catherine Nepomnyashchy, the Directors since her death, and his own efforts and experiences in the role. In the second session, Cooley discusses the recent history and broad trends in attitudes towards human rights in the countries of the former Soviet Union, and the place of human rights studies at the Harriman Institute. He speaks to the rise of anti-Western and anti-liberal attitudes in Russia and many former Soviet republics, and the effect of the current climate of US-Russia relations on Harriman's work and function. Cooley outlines some projects and populations he would like to see taken up for study by Harriman in the future and discusses Harriman's partnership with the EurasiaNet blog. He then talks about continuing tension between functional studies and regional studies in Harriman's work, and Harriman's efforts to increase the relevance of its curriculum to the current institutional climate, such as including new methodologies in social sciences training. Cooley then reflects on his own experience as Harriman Institute director and the upcoming merger of the East Central Europe Center into Harriman