Half a century ago, Alexander Solzhenitsyn published the Goulog Archipelago,

bringing the world's attention to the Soviet Union's internment camps.

Now that the camps are gone, now that the Soviet Union is gone,

how bad was the Goulog, really?

Professor Sergei Khan of Dartmouth College addresses that question.

Uncommon knowledge now.

Welcome to Uncommon Knowledge, I'm Peter Robinson.

Born in the Soviet Union, just a few months after the death of Stalin,

Sergei Khan came to the United States in 1974 at the age of 21.

He received his undergraduate degree from Boston University and his doctorate

in anthropology from the University of Chicago.

Noted for his field work with the Tlingit people,

did I pronounce that correctly?

Yes.

The Tlingit people of Alaska, Dr. Khan is a member of the faculty here at Dartmouth College,

where we're shooting today, where he teaches courses on the native peoples of Alaska,

on the Jewish diaspora and on Russia.

Next year, the 50th anniversary of the publication of the Goulog Archipelago,

Dr. Khan will teach a course titled, Red Terror,

the history and culture of the Stalin labor camps.

Dr. Khan has been kind enough to give me an advanced copy of his syllabus.

So what you're about to witness is a seminar between a masterful professor and a very slow student.

...