The university course “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” returns the value approach

At a presentation dedicated to the launch of a new discipline, a team of authors revealed the “causes and consequences” of the course. Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education Olga Petrova said that the work was carried out in accordance with the presidential decree of 2022, issued after the meeting of the State Council. And with the launch of such a project in higher education, “a new academic year in every sense, a reboot of socio-humanitarian knowledge” will begin.

In total, about 7,000 people worked on the creation of a new subject, 600 universities of the country were involved. Which in itself is a precedent. According to Andrey Polosin, Vice-Rector of the RANEPA, Head of the DNA of Russia project, such a collaboration in the scientific and university sphere is an impressive example of “science management”, that is, knowledge management.

“The sphere of organization of the scientific process has not been reproduced in our country for 20 years,” Polosin said. – There was no methodology for organizing state scientific activity.

But now, “a series of events after 2008, 2014 and 2021” has led the scientific and university community to some kind of rethinking and returning to the “national paradigm of the social sciences.” But “any foreign authors are not excluded, knowledge belongs to the whole world.” It was this approach, according to the vice-rector of the RANEPA, that led “scientists to understand our statehood.”

Sergey Perevezentsev, Professor of the Department of the History of Socio-Political Doctrines of the Faculty of Political Science of Moscow State University, told how and why the “terrible burden” of the association of “social scientists of the whole country” was overpowered.

The basis of the new course, according to him, was the research, articles and monographs “Russian Meaning”, “Russian Values”, “Russian World”: “books that” we already had and came out “before”. And a sociological study that the department conducted “among young people 14-35 years old.” And the survey showed that “the concepts of tradition and knowledge are very close” to young people. And that “youth have a request for paternalism, a strong state.”

The studies cited by the Moscow State University professor are based on the ideas of Russian conservatism according to Nikolai Danilevsky and Konstantin Leontiev (philosophers of the 19th century. – Auth.) “A significant proportion of colleagues look at our values ​​through the eyes of an Anglo-Saxon observer, our group looked through their own, Russian, or Russian eyes.” Although there was a time when such views were unpopular. Be that as it may, three manuals, each with 25 author’s sheets (in one such “sheet” there are 40 thousand characters. – Auth.) were compiled quickly – based on “a single methodology that already existed.”

The rumors and rumors that accompanied the release of benefits did not bypass the gathered attention. “Dirty stories with misrepresentation of the text of the textbook.” And they gave an example from social networks, where they wrote about the requirement from textbooks to abolish vegetarianism: “There is no such word at all.”

“Many (now) shy away from the word ideology, as if it were something terrible,” Valery Fadeev, chairman of the Human Rights Council, continued the presentation. And he cited alien ideological principles as an example: a “package” of LGBT and feminism, including euthanasia.” And ecologism is “an ideology no less radical than socialism.”

“All countries are permeated with ideology,” Fadeev said. – And our country since the mid-80s has been permeated with ideology, only erroneous, incorrect, as it is now considered.

The head of the HRC quoted the German sociologist Max Weber about the value approach, in defiance of the rational one: “Values ​​underlie people’s behavior, values ​​make history.” And here, too, according to Fadeev, the value approach should prevail over the mercantile one.

“Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” is a multidisciplinary subject – it contains elements of political science, sociology, history and social science. The course was created “at the junction of various subject fields,” said Dean of the Faculty of Political Science of Moscow State University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Andrey Shutov. From the point of view of social science, the current situation is “the return of values ​​based on our interests.”

The scientist recalled that sociology and political science in the late USSR were “only half allowed”, and the theory was historical materialism – the rest is prohibited.

– And “2/3 of social scientists continued to evaluate the state in the Marxist-Leninist ideology as an institution of suppression of the individual,” says Shutov. – Political science did not officially exist, “it developed conspiratorially.” Therefore, we have always broadcast “foreign experience – American, English textbooks on political science.”

And “statehood is an ideology, worldview and values,” he recalled. According to the academician, the new training course can have “not only an educational, but also a scientific perspective.” And ideally, “to build the beginning of a new stage in the development of public knowledge.”

The team of authors defined the goals of the task of the new subject as educating first-year students in scientific problem thinking and moving away from the introduced ultra-liberal dogmas. At the same time, the course “should not be propaganda: it is based on a scientific approach.” The student must “understand and realize – he is a Russian person, he is with his country.” And also: “to formulate what Russia is and what is its special civilizational path.” Such an approach to sociology and social science will help “in the national interest, to develop scientific schools, including in the regions.” And finally, the main task of the younger generation is “saving the fatherland, people and state.”

Vardan Baghdasaryan, Professor of the Department of Public Policy at the Faculty of Political Science of Moscow State University, recalled how the new subject for the 1st year of universities meets the decree on strengthening spiritual values. He believes that “Fundamentals …” can only be taught based on traditional values.

“Russia has a different anatomy,” Bagdasaryan cited American economist and statesman Jeffrey Sachs as saying. “Russia is a state-civilization”. And there are still no textbooks based on our civilizational approach.

In addition to the mentioned Danilevsky and Leontiev, the professor recalled the great teacher Konstantin Ushinsky, “who also said that the education system should be national.”

“Russia is the spiritual pole of the world, which has always provided an alternative concept,” Professor Baghdasaryan continued. Noting that “our values ​​are different from Western ones” and often “in antipodes”, he expressed confidence that our country will be able to “respond to challenges based on values.” “Our cause is just, victory will be ours!” – quoted the author of “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” slogan of 1941.

It is also known about the new subject that the manuals for freshmen contain 5 thematic blocks. The outcome of the course will be a credit with an assessment.