News

21 октября 2023 года

School of Oriental Studies for Young Scholars (MGIMO – IOS RAS)

 
On Saturday, October 21, the " School of Oriental Studies for Young Scholars ", organized by the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in cooperation with the MGIMO-University as part of the Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership Program consortium, began its work.

The School of Oriental Studies for Young Scholars is a brand new joint project aimed at a wide audience of undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students, as well as young scholars and practitioners studying and/or working in the fields of Oriental and African Studies, Foreign Regional Studies, International Relations, Political Science, Sociology.

In 2023, the School will be realized for the first time as a pilot project within the consortium of the IOS RAS and MGIMO. It is designed to inform young researchers and specialists about various opportunities and activities realized in the leading institutions in Russia, to introduce existing approaches and practices of fundamental and applied research, as well as to help build horizontal ties within the community of young orientalists.

During five weeks within two training modules, each of which includes face-to-face lectures, master classes and practical training at the IOS RAS and MGIMO, participants will learn and hone their skills in preparing academic publications, organizing research and managing research projects. 

The School attracted attention from the moment of its announcement. It caused a great excitement when in just two weeks more than 230 applications were submitted not only from undergraduate and postgraduate students representing leading universities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok, Ulan-Ude, but also from active researchers of academic institutions, employees of ministries and Russian government agencies abroad, representatives of commercial structures whose business interests are focused on Asian and African countries. According to the results of the screening and expert evaluation of applications, 50 candidates were selected and started to master the educational program of the “School of Oriental Studies for Young Scholars”.

During the first training module, the School's classes are held at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. During the opening ceremony, Vasily Kuznetsov, Deputy Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Scientific Director of the joint creative team of the consortium of the IOS RAS and MGIMO, made a welcoming speech to the participants. He urged young orientalists to fully realize the rich potential of the School and use all the opportunities provided by it to build new connections and acquaintances, learn new knowledge and skills, as well as to participate in existing and create new joint projects.

On the first academic day, the School participants attended a lecture by Grigoriy Lukyanov, who is a research fellow at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the IOS RAS. It was devoted to the role of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS in promoting Russia's Track II diplomacy in the Middle East and North Africa. After the participants discussed the main trends and peculiarities of Russian Oriental Studies development in the new international reality with Vasily Kuznetsov. As a part of the practical sessions, the representatives from GAUGN, MGIMO, MSLU, Moscow City University, Lomonosov Moscow State University, National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, Russian State University for the Humanities, National University of Oil and Gas «Gubkin University», presented and discussed their individual trajectories in the field of Oriental Studies.

On October 28, the School will continue at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the RAS, and in November the second training module will begin, when the MGIMO-University will open its doors to the participants. Upon completion of the program, the students will receive certificates of advanced training from MGIMO, and master's and postgraduate students will receive certificates of advanced training.