TOMSK, February 28. /TASS/. In 2023, all Russian higher educational institutions will offer a course on the fundamentals of Russian statehood to first-year students, scientific supervisor of the DNA of Russia project Andrey Polosin told reporters at a conference at Tomsk Polytechnic University.

“According to the president's instructions, the course will be introduced in all Russian higher educational institutions on September 1, 2023, only for first-year students. <…> We would like to thank Tomsk Polytechnic University for hosting the first conference this year. There will be ten more conferences held across the nation. All suggestions from teachers attending these conferences will serve as the foundation for the content of this discipline,” Polosin said.

The course will help develop an idea of the nation and an individual as the creative beginning of statehood, he said. “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood” will become an interdisciplinary course that incorporates aspects of history, sociology, psychology, political science, philosophy, economics, and geography – all of which are part of the professional social and humanitarian training cycle.

In his turn, Dmitry Sednev, rector of Tomsk Polytechnic University, the worldview of engineers cannot be formed without two things. The first is systemic worldview training, which is carried out within the framework of educational activities in accordance with the "peer-to-peer" concept; the second is consideration of basic engineering education from the point of view of social and humanitarian sciences.

“We believe that we need not only external content, credits, and so on, although this is also important. Internal approaches, didactics, and teaching methodology are also essential considerations. We are convinced that by implementing these new methods - discussion clubs, systematic practical training within the framework of seminars - we will train critical thinking, which is an essential component of engineering activity. Of course, it is also necessary to develop the ability to work in a team, this is essential,” Sednev added.

About the course

In late January, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Ministry of Education and Science to develop the course and include it in higher education programs, with the regulatory framework already in place, including amendments to the Russian Constitution and a decree outlining Russia's national development goals until 2030.

Launched last year, the DNA of Russia initiative aims to involve the academic community in providing educational, methodological, and research support for state policy in the areas of education, higher education, and youth policy. As part of the project, scientists are identifying the key worldview landmarks of modern Russians and developing the "Fundamentals of Russian Statehood" course for higher education institutions based on national and interdisciplinary discourse.