Students of the programme in the State Duma of the Russian Federation

Students visited the plenary session of State Duma as part of the course “Theory and Practice of Public Administration”. Two study tours to the Lower House of the Federal Assembly of Russia were organized for the “Population and Development” master’s students. Consolidating received knowledge and an understanding of the applied competences of a public servant in Russia were the main objectives of these educational tours.

During the excursions, students had a chance to see the work of the deputies from the guest balcony in the Great Hall of the plenary sessions, visit the parties’ offices, stroll through the history museum of the highest legislative bodies in Russia and look into the famous dining room. During the excursions, the students were accompanied by lecturers of the course “Theory and Practice of Public Administration” Tim Jaekel and Valeriya Utkina. Throughout the visit, a simultaneous translation was provided by the NRU Higher School of Economics. The curricula for international graduate students envisage a number of state-legal disciplines aimed at familiarizing students with the order of functioning and the powers of the federal authorities in administration, including the Russian Parliament. Practice-oriented study tours to the lower chamber of the country's highest legislative body significantly contribute to the consolidation of the material studied and the acquisition of applied competencies. It was for special interest for students to visit the museum of the State Duma, which presents the entire history of the highest legislative bodies in Russia. Students learned some new facts about the history of Russian parliamentarism, the pitfalls of the procedure for passing bills, and also had a chance to ask the guide some questions about the system of legislation of the state, and about the secrets stored in a historic building on Okhotny Ryad. 

Actually, everything happening in the State Duma is well organized, right from the security checkpoint at the entrance. The tour guide also gave us the best information we were supposed to know and again the idea of welcoming all nationalities into the Duma State is highly recommendable

Andrews Yeboah
first-year student

    A visit to the offices of the parliamentary fractions (United Russia, Fair Russia, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia) allowed students to see the working places of the well-known deputies and to learn the insights about the work parliamentary parties. (for more details, visit the official website of the State Duma). 

On 15-01-2019 we visited Russian Federation State Duma, Moscow under the Supervision of Professor Valeriya Utkina. It was a great experience. It was full of learning, historical exploration, enlightenment about Russian political set up, the insight of Parliamentary Proceedings and elite decorum of Political norms. I shall cherish this memory for my whole life that I got this opportunity to visit Russian Federation State Duma

Noel Alter
first-year student

     At the end of the visit, the students looked into the famous Duma canteen, dispelling well-known myths about the prices and the menu first-hand. The students who visited the study tours agreed that events of this kind are very interesting and insightful since they provide an opportunity to get a clear presentation of the authorities’ work from the inside. Thus, according to the participants themselves, they managed to learn a lot about key historical events, as well as about the peculiarities of the Russian political structure and parliamentary processes. The students also noted the high level of organization of the State Duma’s work and the positive influence of the idea of welcoming all nationalities in the highest legislative body of the country. This experience was truly unique and unforgettable for international students.