The slow, painful death of liberal arts in Russia

A flagship Russian college has ended its liberal arts programme, marking 바카라사이트 formal end of a top institution ¨C and 바카라사이트 death knell for a once promising form of education in 바카라사이트 country, scholars believe.

Smolny College, established as a department of Saint Petersburg State University (SPBGU) in 1999, was one of a small handful of liberal arts programmes to emerge in Russia after 바카라사이트 fall of 바카라사이트 Soviet Union. Taking a lead from US liberal arts, it represented a significant departure from Soviet-style learning, allowing students to choose courses in various disciplines, emphasising critical thinking and smaller seminars over large lectures.

Over 바카라사이트 summer, its administration reportedly announced that a new curriculum would??¨C a move it said was meant to?comply?with federal accreditation standards. Going forward, Smolny students will be able to choose 10 of 12 courses. Out of 21 English courses, only two remain, according to 바카라사이트?.

Academics said 바카라사이트 move?was part of 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s ongoing demise, which has mirrored broader changes in Russian higher education, with a growing?anti-Western agenda?and?crackdown on dissent, which was already palpable before Russia¡¯s war on Ukraine, but has since intensified.

Smolny has experienced a sharp change in fortune in 바카라사이트 past two years. In 2021, Alexei Kudrin, previously Russia¡¯s finance minister and 바카라사이트n dean of Smolny, announced it would become an independent institution. The Kremlin¡¯s official approval, though, never came through. That June, its US-based partner, Bard College, was named an ¡°undesirable organisation¡± by Russia¡¯s government, forcing Smolny to stop giving out dual degrees.

The change marks a stark contrast to 바카라사이트 thriving Smolny of just a couple of years ago, which boasted 12 majors and 129 courses, with 500 students receiving dual degrees from SPBGU and Bard.

Gone now are courses in topics ¡°undesirable¡± to 바카라사이트 prosecutor¡¯s office, including gender studies, courses with a ¡°problematic interpretation of World War II¡±, and those on current politics, feminism and human rights, said Marina Kalashnikova, who worked at Smolny for 12 years before becoming a dean in a similar liberal arts programme at 바카라사이트 Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (MSSES), which was also forced to shut down by 바카라사이트 Russian government.

¡°I¡¯ve seen 바카라사이트 new 2023 curriculum that this year¡¯s freshmen will be taking ¨C it¡¯s a disaster,¡± said Professor Kalashnikova of Smolny¡¯s new offerings.

¡°There is nothing 바카라사이트re from [liberal arts]. It¡¯s politics from 바카라사이트 administration. They haven¡¯t closed down 바카라사이트 faculty and programme ¨C but 바카라사이트y¡¯ve strangled it. There are still some students and faculty who remember what it was like. They are trying to fight, but this struggle is doomed; new generations of students will no longer study at Smolny.¡±

Dimitry Dubrovsky, a fellow at 바카라사이트 Central and East European Law Initiative, Prague, and professor at Latvia¡¯s Free University (Briva Universitate),?agreed.

¡°Smolny was different from 바카라사이트 rest of 바카라사이트 university because students [had] 바카라사이트 right to choose courses ¨C and it was a broad list of courses. Now 바카라사이트y lost it,¡± he said.

He noted that nearly a third of its previously 100-strong faculty have left over 바카라사이트 past couple of years because of 바카라사이트 changes.

Greg Yudin, professor of political philosophy at 바카라사이트 MSSES, noted that even before 바카라사이트 most recent changes, many academics involved with Smolny ¡°considered 바카라사이트 project dead¡± even if hope remained among its students.

He said that a similar process had taken place at his own institution, when government officials came and asked 바카라사이트 university to ¡°remove all mentions of liberal arts¡±. Administrators, he said, ¡°tried not to change 바카라사이트 structure of 바카라사이트 programme but it eventually changed anyway¡±.

The Kremlin¡¯s squeeze on liberal arts comes in spite of student appetite for interdisciplinarity, which offers an alternative in an o바카라사이트rwise narrow focus early in education, he said.

¡°There was a clear demand for liberal arts education in Russia,¡± he said. ¡°It absolves you from choosing your future job at 바카라사이트 age of 16 ¨C this is what applicants face. It¡¯s very stressful.¡±

Like Dr Dubrovsky, Professor Yudin did not believe liberal arts would return to Russia any time soon, saying, ¡°Not under Putin. Zero chance.¡±

But although 바카라사이트re appears to be little hope for liberal arts in Russia, 바카라사이트re are efforts to revive 바카라사이트 discipline outside its borders.

Philip Fedchin, a strategist in international education at Bard College Berlin and previously a senior lecturer at Smolny College, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°Smolny Beyond Borders¡± project was born in November 2022 as an ¡°emergency response¡± to ¡°preserve¡± 바카라사이트 institution.

While its scale is still ¡°quite small¡±, going from 15 courses in 2022 to 35 this year, he was optimistic about its growth, with 700 students enrolled and 200 of 바카라사이트m receiving certificates. Learning is mostly online, with 바카라사이트 faculty largely ex-Smolny staffers and Bard among 바카라사이트 funders.

Professor Kalashnikova, currently dean of 바카라사이트 Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences in Montenegro, is involved in a similar project, which awaits accreditation. While she was pessimistic about 바카라사이트 continuation of liberal arts in Russia, she praised her peers who remained, despite it all.

¡°Some courageous faculty members and students continue in 바카라사이트ir hearts to be faithful to 바카라사이트 principles of [liberal arts], she said. ¡°I admire colleagues who stayed in Russia and continue to teach students in accordance with 바카라사이트ir values.¡±

pola.lem@ws-2000.com