For the course “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” prepared two textbooks and one manual

On Thursday, on the basis of the RANEPA, within the framework of the “DNA of Russia” project, the final conference of teachers of the new course “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” was held. In September, 80% of first-year students will begin to study it, for which two textbooks and one study guide have been prepared. During the presentation, the authorities explained that the new subject would help resist the West in the “struggle for the future”, explain why Russia cannot be like Finland, return the value-worldview component to education and form a system of principles. The students themselves say that it would be interesting for them to listen to something like that, but without “excessive patriotism.”

At the part of the conference open to journalists, the speakers did not discuss any problematic or essential issues of the course. Instead, the invited representatives of the authorities directly and frankly explained what exactly the new educational and methodological complex should change in the minds of young people.

“What you are doing is also the front line, because it is a struggle for the future,” Sergei Kiriyenko, the first deputy head of the presidential administration, proclaimed. The West forced Russia to get involved in this struggle, which is why we needed a defensive weapon in the form of the “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”. “Is it possible (to change the consciousness of future generations.— “b”)?” Mr. Kiriyenko wondered, and he himself answered in the affirmative. Earlier, according to his confession, he believed that it was impossible to raise “fascists and Nazis” from the grandchildren of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, but this became possible in Ukraine. And all this is the result of work 10 years ago with young people aged 13-14, the Kremlin spokesman emphasized. Therefore, “the fight for what the next generation will believe in is the longest and, if you like, the most important,” he summed up.

“I don’t see anything bad in the concepts of “ideology” and “propaganda”. But what we are doing is not propaganda, it is much more,” Valery Fadeev, head of the Presidential Council for Human Rights, picked up the baton.

In his opinion, the teachers of the new course will be engaged in what is called in Chinese philosophy “correction of names.” As proof of the importance of such work, Mr. Fadeev told how some students asked him why Russia cannot be such a peaceful and prosperous country as Sweden or Finland. But for such a “huge, complex country” this is impossible, and such reflections at one time led to the collapse of the USSR and the suffering of millions, the human rights activist was indignant: “Religion, culture, geography, climate … Civilization, finally, is one of the key concepts of our course ! It’s all passing by!” He also recalled how Western concepts alien to Russia were “exported” to Russia, defined sovereignty as “freedom from external oppression” and explained that “the sign of a free person is duty.”

Tatyana Moskalkova, Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, found it important that the new course is a tool for shaping understanding and knowledge about the state, statehood and worldview: “It forms a system of principles. Principles are the fundamental principle on which everything is strung.” And the head of the State Duma Committee on Science and Higher Education, Sergei Kabyshev, said that the new subject marks the beginning of “the process of reviving the classical value component of Russian education.” In his speech, he went over liberal values ​​in general and tolerance in particular. “What it is? Harmless tolerance or destructive indifference? – the deputy asked a seemingly rhetorical question, but he himself answered it with a story about US Supreme Court Judge Ruth Ginsburg, who, before her death, regretted that she had voted for the legalization of same-sex marriages. “I realized that this is destroying our society,” Mr. Kabyshev quoted. True, Kommersant could not find this statement in open sources, but the parliamentarian assured that he had seen the interview of the judge on American television and even used these quotes in his article.

After the conference, Andrey Polosin, scientific director of the DNA of Russia project, explained to journalists that in September 80% of students will start studying the new course. The preparation of teachers for it takes 72 hours, and about 6 thousand people have already completed it. The course will be inherent in variability, and each teacher will be able to bring something of his own into it, Mr. Polosin assured. And at the end of the course, each student will determine what task he can help the state in solving: “The final is the definition and formation of self-determination regarding the challenges that the global future poses to us.”

According to Kommersant’s information, the course also solves a political problem – its introduction is connected with the upcoming presidential elections.

“The people of Russia overwhelmingly support the goal-setting guidelines declared by the President of the Russian Federation, which is confirmed by the election results and sociological survey data,” one of the chapters of the textbook says, in particular. But to Kommersant’s question whether the creation of the course was connected with the upcoming campaign, Mr. Polosin did not answer: “I will ignore it because I don’t know anything about it.”

At the end of June, the Ministry of Education and Science reported “Kommersant”, that the textbooks on the new subject were not ready, and the universities assured that they would be able to teach the “Fundamentals” without them. But by September, they still managed to publish a textbook, even two: separately for “humanities” (thicker) and “techies” (thinner). The third book (the thinnest) was the educational and methodological complex for teachers. All three editions were presented to the participants of the conference who had sat to the end. At the same time, the set was distributed “by surname” under the warnings of volunteers that it was impossible to exchange textbooks, since “all three books at the same time” are important.

All sections from the draft concept have been preserved in the books. The title of each of them includes five main blocks:

• “What is Russia”
• “Russian state-civilization”,
• “Russian worldview and values ​​of Russian civilization”,
• “The political structure of Russia”
• and “Challenges of the future and development of the country”.

But the content for “techies” and “humanities” is served differently. For example, in the section on worldview, the first one is told “the concept of “pentabasis” as a systemic model”, and the second one is told about “the family as the social foundation of Russian statehood”.

A Kommersant correspondent also managed to get a complete set of textbooks, who was soon surrounded by student volunteers who wanted to get acquainted with the books. “Probably, I would be interested to listen, but more in the context of history and without excessive patriotism. I know applicants who do not like the appearance of the course in the plans. Patriotism to them and at the “Lessons about the important” (at school.— “b”) enough,” one of the third-year students of the RANEPA told Kommersant, leafing through the textbook. However, the new subject, at least for the time being, will not affect undergraduates. Yes, and freshmen will not have to take the exam on the “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”: the test will be enough to pass it.

Andrey Vinokurov, Polina Yachmennikova