For the first time at Varna Free University "Chernorizets Hrabar", students from the The State Academic University for the Humanities (GAUGN) - Moscow, Russia do a training course.
In 2019, a cooperation and joint activity agreement was signed between the two universities. GAUGN at the Russian Academy of Sciences combines the traditions of Russian science with the modern requirements for achieving high results in higher education. The teaching staff includes world-renowned scholars - academics and corresponding members.
Since the beginning of March, Natalia Ivanova, Diana Vecher and Taisiya Semyonova - students of International Regional Studies have been doing their training with us for three months in a row. The training course is online, conducted remotely in Russian. Leading lecturers are Prof. Rumyana Mihneva, D.Sc. and Prof. Ivo Hristov, Dr. Sc.. The students listened to the introductory lectures on 4 topics: "Bulgarian-Russian diplomatic relations", "Social transformation in Bulgaria after 1989", "Geopolitics and the ideas of "Russkiy Mir" and "Russian emigration in the history of Bulgaria after 1918" and had contact hours with their leading lecturers. Discussions, joint discussion of videos, test assignments and defence of term papers - the training course is being carried out in a dynamic and friendly atmosphere.
The experienced Bulgarian lecturers have the ambition after completing the training the three students to see differently the complex Balkan region and Bulgaria's place in it, to understand the historical origin of its conflicts and the role of external forces in what is happening here, to "see" the millennial civilizational community in the Black Sea region. And so that it shouldn’t be too traditional and left only to the imagination, the images are complemented by masterfully shot videos - the "flight" over Bulgaria, Sinemorets and Varna Free University, which allows Natalia, Diana and Taisiya not only to listen to but also "see" what is being said and have to study and understand for the first time. The list of literature provided to the trainees is carefully selected and designed to further enrich knowledge and self study.
The training is on an exchange basis, the inclusion of students from Varna Free University is forthcoming and we hope that it will become a good practice and will continue to be held in the future.