From September 1, universities will teach “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”

From September 1, 2023, all Russian universities must introduce a new subject, “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”, into the schedule of first-year students. The decision was made last summer. There are less than two months left until the new school year, but there are still no Fundamentals teaching aids. Kommersant asked Russian universities if they were ready to introduce a course “aimed at developing a developed sense of citizenship and patriotism” of the course.

As Kommersant reported, last summer the presidential administration discussed with the Ministry of Education and Science and specialized experts a project to revise the humanitarian block of university disciplines. Among other things, it was decided to create the course “Fundamentals of Russian Civilization”. Its goal was stated as “arranging the worldview aspects of students.” Critics of the initiative called the course “ideological” and compared it with the Soviet “History of the CPSU”. In January 2023, President Vladimir Putin instructed the Ministry of Education and Science to develop and include the “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” module in general education programs. Russian students will start studying it from the next academic year.

According to the draft concept of the educational and methodological complex (the EMC includes not only the content and structure of the new discipline, but also recommendations for teachers), “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” is aimed at “forming a system of knowledge, skills and competencies among students, as well as values, rules and norms of behavior associated with the awareness of belonging to Russian society, the development of a sense of patriotism and citizenship. The new module includes five sections:

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

The Fundamentals will be taught to all undergraduate and specialist students in the first semester of the first year.

In the spring, Alexander Rusakov, a member of the interdepartmental working group on the development of teaching materials for the Fundamentals under the Ministry of Education and Science, told Kommersant that a textbook had already been published for the course, but the material for teachers was “under discussion and refinement.” In April, the ministry released the draft teaching materials, but there was no official information about the readiness of the training materials. At the end of June, the Ministry of Education and Science told Kommersant that the textbooks for the course were not yet ready. “Teaching aids for the module are currently being created by three teams: the State Academic University for the Humanities, the Yaroslavl State University. PG Demidov and National Research Nuclear University MEPhI. The completion of work on textbooks, the passage of the necessary examinations and coordination are scheduled for the end of July, ”the press service of the ministry explained.

“Kommersant” turned to several universities with a request to tell how they are preparing to teach a new discipline.

Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Yaroslavl State University Victoria Marasanova believes that the higher school will have time to prepare for the launch of the Foundations. According to her, the concept of the course, developed as part of the DNA of Russia project by the presidential administration together with the Ministry of Education and Science, has already been sent to universities. Officials expect not only to “define” and instill in students values ​​that correspond to national interests, but also to carry out a reform of higher humanitarian education, part of which is the introduction of the discipline “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”. On the basis of the mentioned concept, the working programs of the discipline have already been prepared, says Mrs. Marasanova. Also, the training of university personnel is carried out using the RANEPA digital platform and full-time education in 28 flagship universities.

Rector Russian State University for the Humanities Alexander Bezborodov told Kommersant that the Russian State Humanitarian University is one of the key universities for training future teachers of the Fundamentals: “In May-June, teachers from dozens of universities at our base underwent advanced training so that they could teach this course from September 1, 2023 of the year”. According to Mr. Bezborodov, the preparation process was initiated and controlled by the Ministry of Education and Science: “I think we are ready now (higher school.— “b”) very good. There were master classes, complex topics were discussed, plots related to educational modeling of a particular situation and answers to tricky questions of students were passed.

At the same time, the rector of the Russian State University for the Humanities confirmed that the textbooks for the Fundamentals are not yet ready: “The textbooks are only being prepared. In the final form, we probably will not see them in the near future. There is evidence that they are being actively written. Less than two months are left for the examination, approval and actual printing of benefits, however, Mr. Bezborodov is sure that the Ministry of Education and Science will meet before September 1: “We have no other choice. It is necessary to prepare and launch them into the educational process through libraries. Everything will be OK”.

IN Moscow City Pedagogical University confirmed that the teaching staff has already been trained in flagship universities. “The work programs have been developed on the basis of the concept of the teaching materials Foundations of Russian Statehood, the workload for the new academic year has been distributed,” says Elena Alekseycheva, professor at the Institute for the Humanities of the Moscow State Pedagogical University. “Regarding the textbook: the concept proposes a list of basic and additional literature. Also, each university has its own fund of research results in this area, which allows expanding the proposed list. This is a normal practice of teaching and methodological support in the system of higher education.”

Rector Moscow State Law University. O. E. Kutafina Victor Blazheev: “For the successful teaching of the new discipline, the university has carried out serious preparations – it has made changes to the educational programs, developed educational and methodological materials, and the teachers have undergone advanced training. The university employs experienced teachers who have sufficient competencies to reveal the foundations of Russian statehood and interest students in this discipline. So the university will meet the academic year ready for the implementation of a new, but, of course, important discipline for the modern training of students.”

Emilia Gabdullina