The Long-awaited Meeting
Applicants Meet the Faculty at the Open Day
On Sunday, May 26, the Higher School of Economics hosted another Open Day for the international programme "International Relations and Global Studies". At the event, prospective students and their parents had the opportunity to interact with the programme's management as well as current students. They discussed the specifics of the 2024 admissions process, available specializations, and the potential challenges of studying in a foreign language. This was accompanied by the talk of faculty members, Ian Ferguson, Olesya Kondrakhina, and Irina Yakusheva which came as a pleasant surprise for the audience.
Iain Ferguson recently returned to the programme with his course "Introduction to International Relations". Initially, he gave an exclusive interview to our press center, and now he openly shares his teaching experience and observations with prospective students:
"Current students are very interesting and incredibly smart individuals. Recently, we had a lecture on power politics, and a seemingly trivial question: 'Is Russia a global power?' sparked a genuine discussion that was not only emotional but also well-founded. All arguments were supported by facts, various theories, and methods of studying world politics. This is very important: research in international relations is largely born out of well-substantiated discussions. Our students successfully demonstrate this."
Starting in 2024, the programme will offer three specializations to choose from: "International Business and Finance," "Strategic Communications Management," and a new one, "Public Policy." At the Open Day, the faculty briefly presented their fields and expanded the guests' understanding of studying at the IRGS programme.
The next intake will be special: starting from their second year, future students will be able to continue their studies in a brand new specialization - "Public Policy". The academic supervisor of the programme, Oleg Vladimirovich Korneev, explains:
"Until recently, we had not fully taken advantage of the 'dual-core' nature of the programme and did not pay enough attention to the topic of public policy and social sciences. Therefore, we decided to create a specialization that meets the new requirements for professionals in various fields. I worked for some time in the Department of International and Regional Relations of the Tomsk Region Administration and, from my own experience, I can say that public service is becoming increasingly integrated into the international context. At the same time, international relations are increasingly relying on public service. This interconnection affects all sectors, from business to political activity, and our task is to graduate students ready for this."
For those more interested in economics, international management, and finance, the "International Business and Finance" specialization is available. Olesya Sergeevna Kondrakhina, senior lecturer in accounting, notes:
"There is a simple truth: it is impossible to study economic activity without understanding accounting and being able to apply it in practice. Many students tell me that this course is the most useful in their entire university education, something like 'studied and immediately went to work.' Although this is my first year teaching here (at IRGS - ed.), I already understand that the programme is really great and strong. I am a mother myself, in a few years, my children will be entering university. Therefore, I look at IRGS not only as a teacher but also as a parent. And everything seems very promising to me!"
Nicole Vitalievna Bodishteanu, the deputy academic supervisor, has been handling PR for the educational programme for more than five years, so strategic communications management is more than just a specialization for her.
"This specialization is for those who love to communicate competently, clearly, and 'ecologically.' For those who want to engage in promotion and establish connections at various levels, from private to governmental. GR and lobbying, the media landscape, global communications, and much more, that is what is awaiting students in this specialization."
In addition to the specialization presentations and meeting the faculty, prospective students and their parents were addressed by Irina Vladimirovna Yakusheva, a professor at the School of Foreign Languages and the head of the Foreign Languages and English section. The linguistic aspect of the IRGS educational programme is her merit and the result of her tremendous work. Irina Vladimirovna spoke about the approach to learning foreign languages, shared her own experience, and explained why students should not be afraid of studying in English:
"My principle has always been, and will remain, that professional language should be learned, so the program is structured in this way. In the first year, students are taught two English courses: General English, to refine the language and prepare for international exams, and English for Special Purposes - professional English. During the preparation of the latter course, we all became specialists in world politics: constant analysis of news, articles, and videos, choosing interesting topics and vocabulary for discussion with students - all this is truly interesting not only for the learners, but also for the teachers. I can confidently say that by the end of the first year, none of the students will have problems understanding the material in lectures and seminars, as well as reading academic texts. A foreign language is your eternal competitive advantage, so it is necessary to focus on it."
The organization of the Open Day would have been impossible without students from the "Studaktiv" organization, who assisted in holding the event at all stages. The management of the IRGS expresses the gratitude to Edward Brooks, Mikhail Kirnos, Veronika Lyamtseva, Timofey Petrov, Stefania Khokhlova, Kirill Shurakov, and the student project leader Matvey Demidov. We also acknowledge the significant role of Maria Tarasova and Daria Krivina and thank them for the visual support of the event.
The report was prepared by T. Petrov, a first-year student of the international programme "International Relations and Global Studies" within the project "Press Centre of the International Relations and Global Studies".