Russian universities continue to review thesis projects, and very soon new specialists will receive higher education diplomas. Graduation ceremony at the Russian State University for the Humanities will take place on July 9th. Historian, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, president of the Russian State University for the Humanities, member of the Council of the Russian Historical Society, Yefim Pivovar, told Vestnik Kavkazov about university’s education process when it comes to Eurasian integration projects.
- Tell us what kind of work is being done at the Institute of Post-Soviet and Regional Studies, established at the RSUH?
- Few years ago, Institute of Post-Soviet and Regional Studies was created within our university. It's designed to prepare specialists in the field of history of international relations, political science, and conflict studies in the post-Soviet space. This applies to specialists involved in integration processes in the post-Soviet space, bilateral relations, economic ties, humanitarian cooperation, joint educational programs, as well as cultural interaction, youth contacts, and contacts between specialists in specific industries. There's a huge field of activities.
- Why is it so important to pay attention to the history of post-Soviet countries at the universities' level?
- Of course, we have the basis for this, because for many decades or centuries our peoples existed within the framework of certain states. There's potential for this, there are all necessary tools, especially, Russian language as language of international communication. Study of Russia's languages among peoples who have gained independence is currently developing.
But in order to develop this sphere we have to prepare necessary people, and it's very important. On July 9, both bachelors and masters of this year will receive diplomas of the RSUH at our campus. Each graduate will receive diploma from the hands of rector and president of the university. It's our tradition. And there will be quite a lot of them. Among them, there are those who have received necessary qualifications I was talking about.
- What topics of graduation projects in this area were the most interesting this year?
- On June 18, six masters defended their theses, subjects they discussed are extremely relevant. First of all, there are two or three works related to integration processes in the Eurasian Union. There's comparative analysis of priorities of Belarus and Kazakhstan in the creation of the Eurasian Union. Some students discussed participation of Kyrgyzstan and Armenia in this process, as well as, Russia's participation, of course. They analyze all aspects of these processes.
Several works were dedicated to overall cooperation between Russia and the countries of the Black Sea and Mediterranean region, Russian-Serbian, Russian-Bulgarian relations.
Of course, works related to the history of cooperation and integration processes of the Eurasian Union and the Chinese project “One Belt - One Road” are of particular importance. I believe that people who have prepared such works will be in demand as experts and analytycians, as well as in government and educational segments. I hope that this is a great preparation of such specialists.
- Do students from post-soviet republics receive education at the RSUH?
- In general, the number of students from post-Soviet countries who study in Russia is growing. The number of our students from the CIS countries is also growing. So this process is underway. But there are still big reserves. For example, in some countries we have tens of thousands of students who study with us. And there are cases when this number reaches hundreds of students, in other words, everything is different everywhere. I think that this trend is on the rise, so I believe that this process will develop in the future.
