The Department of Culturology as a special department 0f the Faculty of Philosophy was founded in 1993
This department provides students with the opportunity to explore a number of subjects sometimes in areas students may not have known about before coming to the university.
In the curriculum of the department there are a number of fundamental academic subjects such as history of world culture, history of Russian culture, politology, and social psychology that are to form the qualities of a future specialist. These subjects focus on the course of students so that student could graduate with a thorough knowledge of the chosen discipline.
In close relation with the major subjects, the department offers a number of supporting and optional courses. They broaden the students’ mind and, thus, take them well beyond the general introductory level. The curriculum is not limited by narrow specialization. As a result, one can find such additional courses as logic, history of religion, design and the like which offer students a chance to explore the field much better.
All the traditional areas such as comparative culturologyorhistory of culture are covered by the scholars of the department in the lectures and also in their publications.
During the academic year, the students are given lectures and seminars. The curriculum also includes practicals in foreign languages. In the course of study, students acquire command both of English grammar and spoken English. Through the teaching of English, the lessons strive to deepen the students’ knowledge in contemporary culture of the English speaking countries and their national cultural heritage and traditions.
By the end of the academic year, students are to write a project paper on the problem they are interested in. Students’ projects focus on a variety of problems, some of them are interdisciplinary and include topics in philosophy, comparative culture, history of culture, modern literature, social sciences and psychology.
All the students of the department have an opportunity to know their profession through practical experience. This experience can give students valuable assistance in making a career choices.
Education at the Culturology Department provides students with the opportunities to explore the subject of culture as deeply and effectively as possible. This training may lead to a number of careers in different cultural institutions, businesses or to future research as postgraduates.
Sociology
The name sociology was first suggested in the 1830s by the French philosopher Auguste Comte, but for many years it remained only a suggestion. Comte urged others to study sociology.
It was not until late in the 19th century that we can identify people who called themselves sociologists and whose work contributed to the development of the field. Among these were Herbert Spencer in England who published the first of his three-volume “Principles of Sociology” in 1876and Ferdinand Tönnies in Germany. A decade later, Emile Durkheim published “Suicide.” The first sociologists studied moral statistics. Their work proved so popular that it led to the rapid expansion of census questions. However, sociology as an academic speciality was imported from Germany. The progressive uncovering of social causes of individual behaviour - in response to the questions raised by moral statistics - produced the field called sociology.
Sociology is one of the related fields known as the social sciences. They share the same subject matter: human behaviour. But sociology is the study of social relations, and its primary subject matter is thegroup, not the individual.
There is a close connection between sociology and other disciplines such as psychology, economy, anthropology, criminology, political science,andhistory. But sociologists differ from psychologists because they are not concerned exclusively with the individual, they are interested in what goes on between people. They differ from economists by being less interested in commercial exchanges; they are interested in the exchange of intangibles such as love and affection. Sociologists differ from anthropologists primarily because the latter specialize in the study of preliterate and primitive human groups, while sociologists are interested in modern industrial societies. Criminologists specialize in illegal behaviour, while sociologists are concerned with the whole range of human behaviour. Similarly, political scientists focus on political organization and activity, while sociologists survey all social organizations. Finally, sociologists share with historians an interest in the past but are equally interested in the present and the future.
Sociology is a broader discipline than the other social sciences. In a sense, the purpose of sociologists is, in general, to find the connections that unite various social sciences into a comprehensive, integrated science of society.
Sociology consists of two major fields of knowledge: micro sociology andmacro sociology. Micro sociologists study the patterns and processes of face-to-face interaction between humans. Macro sociologists attempt to explain the fundamental patterns and processes of large-scale social relations. They concentrate on larger groups, even on whole societies.
Sociologists attempt to use research to discover if certain statements about social life are correct. The basic tools of their researchare tests, questionaires, interviews, surveys, andpublic opinion polls.
Defining Politics
Politics, in its broadest sense, is the activity through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live. Politics is also an academic subject, or more exactly, the study of this activity.
Any attempt to clarify the meaning of “politics” must address two major problems. The first is the mass of associations that the word has when used in everyday language, in other words, politics is a “loaded” term. The second is that even respected authorities cannot agree what the subject is about. Politics is defined in such different ways: as the exercise of power, the exercise of authority, the making of collective decisions, the allocation of scarce resources, the practice of deception and manipulation, and so on.
Whether we are dealing with rival concepts or alternative conceptions, the debate about “What is politics?” is worth pursuing because it exposes some of the deepest intellectual and ideological disagreements in the academic study of the subject. The different views of politics are as follows:
· politics as the art of government;
· politics as public affairs;
· politics as compromise and consensus;
· politics as power and the distribution of resources.
According to chancellor Bismarck “politics is not a science but an art.” Bismarck understood the art as the art of government. This is the classical definition of politics developed from the original meaning of the term in Ancient Greece. However, what is striking about this definition is that it offers a highly restricted view of politics. Politics is what takes place within a system of social organization centred upon the machinery of government, that is in cabinet rooms, legislative chambers, government departments and the like; it is practiced by a limited and specific group of people: politicians, civil servants, and lobbists. On the one hand, it means that most people, most institutions and social activities can be regarded as being “outside” politics. By the same token, to portray politics as an essentially state-bounded activity is to ignore the increasingly important international or global influences upon modern life. On the other hand, in popular mind politics is closely associated with the activities of politicians. Politics is considered as a self-serving, two faced and unprincipal activity. The task is not to abolish politicians and bring politics to an end, but rather to ensure that politics is conducted within a framework of checks and constraints so that governmental power is not abused.
A second and broader conception of politics is thought of as “public life” or “public affairs.” Such a view of politics is often traced back to the work of the famous Greek philosopher Aristotle. This view of politics has generated both positive and negative images. For example, it is portrayed as a form of unwanted inteference.
The third conception of politics is related to the way in which decisions are made. Politics is seen as a particular means of resolving conflicts by compromise, conciliation and negotiation, rather than through force and naked power. In this view, the key to politics is therefore a wide dispersal of power. This view of politics has a positive character. Politics can be seen as a civilized and civilizing force.
The fourth definition of politics as power is both the broadest and the most radical. At its broadest, politics concerns the production, distribution and use of resources in the course of social existence. Politics is, in essence, power: the ability to achieve a desired outcome through whatever means. Politics can be seen as a struggle, and power can be seen as the means through which the struggle is conducted. Advocates of this view of power include feminists and marxists. Views such as these portray politics in largely negative terms.
Disagreement about the nature of political activity is matched by controversy about the nature of politics as an academic discipline. One of the most ancient spheres of intellectual inquiry, politics was seen as an arm of philosophy, history or law. From the late 19thcentury onwards, this philosophical emphasis was displaced by an attempt to turn politics into a scientific discipline. The high point of this development was reached in the 1950s and 1960s. Today, the resulting discipline is more fertile and more exciting, because it embraces a range of theoretical approaches and variety of schools and analysis.
Social Work
What makes a good social worker? Many things. Paramount in the make-up of a social worker is a deep and genuine interest in good people, bad people, famous people, humble people, rich people, poor people, young people and all people. People of every type.
A person, who doesn’t have this interest in other people will never make a good social worker. If you are not interested in other people, if you think that most people are a bit of a nuisance, if you prefer not to have anything more to do with others than is necessary, then social work is not for you.
Hand in hand with this interest in people should go the qualities of sympathy, open-mindedness and an inquiring mind. These traits allow you to get to the bottom of the problem you are trying to resolve. The social worker spends most of his time talking or listening to other people. These are the basic qualities for a social worker, but the required qualifications are very different.
Obviously he must be well educated. He must be a real psychologist who understands the inner world, mental state and feelings of a person.
Nowadays, social work is at an important stage in its development. All professions must be responsible for changing social and economic conditions. Social workers can make contribution to the well-being of our society. In fact, every social worker is in a position to solve a variety of problems: Children at risk, violent families, or even the seriously handicapped.
Family therapy has proved to be a creative method of problem solving for social workers. In family therapy, attention should be paid to single parent families, step families and foster families. That’s why social workers are required, more often than other professionals, to help families who are in different stages of fragmentation.
Sources of knowledge for such work are derived both from clinical experience and clinical literature. They are also evolved from a close familiarity with family studies which helps to develop the professional eye so as to be able to know which families are most vulnerable.
The main methods of a social worker are: interviews, inquiries and surveys. These methods enable the worker to understand the needs of a particular family more sensitively and accurately. Understanding enables introduction of appropriae and novel tools for helping the family evolve a satisfying pattern of group life.
How can the social worker learn to help a family discover their own resources? By being in a position where the social worker can ask questions that only the outsider can ask. A high proportion of first interviews takes place within the family’s own home. There may also be an agency interview. In the first case preliminary courtesies are part of therapeutic work.
There can be variations on handing of family interviews. Here are some of them:
· We like to see all the members of the family.
· Fathers as heads of the family are very important in all kinds of interviews.
· In families everybody has a point of view and these are not always the same. In our experience it is very important to hear what everybody has to say.
· We often find other people in the family have ideas about how to deal with the trouble that’s going on. A chance to talk about it together produces a much better plan for changing the situation in the family for the better.
THE FACULTY OF PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology as a science studies mental activity and human behaviour. Psychologists study basic functions such as learning, memory, language, thinking, emotionsand motives. They investigate development throughout the life span from birth to death. They are involved in mental and physical health care. Also phsychologists treat people who are emotionally distressed.
Psychology occupies a strategic position between natural and social sciences on the one hand, and between sciences and humanities, on the other.
Diagram
The following diagram illustrates the place of psychology among the sciences and humanities
1. Physics Chemistry Pharmacology Mathematics
II. Social Sciences Anthropology Sociology Economics Political Science Linguistics | Zoology Neurophysiology and Anatomy Psychology | III. Humanities Philosophy Literature History of Art Religion IV. Applications Education Law and Criminology Management Medicine Psychiatry |
Natural SciencesEach of the subjects listed in the four groups has its own relationship with psychology. For example, a knowledge of physics and chemistry is necessary to provide a scientific basis for experimental psychology. Psychology is also closely linked to sociology. But whereas sociologists direct their attention to groups, group processes, and social forces, social psychologists focus on group and social influences on individuals. Psychology and biology are also closely connected. Physiological psychologists investigate the role of the brain and the nervous system in such functions as memory, language, sleep, attention, movement, perception, hunger, anger and joy. On the other hand, psychologists took much from the theory of knowledge, logic and philosophy of science..
The word “psychology” is derived from the Greek word meaning “study of the mind or soul.” So in the definition of psychology there are three basic words:“science,” “behaviour,” “mental processes.”
“Science” means rational investigation of processes and phenomena. By “behaviour” psychologists mean everything that people and animals do: actions, emotions, ways of communication, and developmental processes. “Mental processes” characterize the work of the mind and the nervous system.
Major Spesialists in Psychology
| SPECIALIST | PRIMARY ACTIVITIES |
| Clinical psychologist | Assesses and treats people with psychological Problems; conducts research |
| Counseling psychologist | Counsels people with adjustment problems and promotes achievement in educational and work settings; combines research, consultation and treatment |
| Industrial (organizational) psychologist | Combines research, consultation, and program development to enhance morale and efficiency on the job |
| Educational psychologist | Develops, designs and evaluates materials and procedures for educational programs |
| Social psychologist | Studies how people influence one another |
| Developmental psychologist | Studies change in behaviour with age |
| Experimental psychologist | Conducts research |
| School psychologist | Establishes programs, consults, treats youngsters’ problems, and does research in the school setting |
| Cognitive psychologist | Studies mental processes |
| Community psychologist | Treats distressed people within the community; initiates community action and develops community programs to enhance mental health |
| Engineering psychologist | Designs and evaluates environments, machinery, training devices, programs, and systems to improve relationships between people and environment |
| Personality psychologist | Studies how and why people differ from one another and how those differences can be assessed |
| Physiological psychologist | Studies the physical bases of behaviour and cognition |
| Psychometric (quantitative) psychologist | Develops and evaluates tests; designs research to measure psychological functions |
THE FACULTY OF HISTORY
Rostov State University’s Faculty of Historyoffers a wide variety of courses and majors in the humanities. Originally, the History Department was included in the Philology Department. Now, the two departments are separate and the History Department ranks among the largest in the University.
Since its inception, the History Department has been one of the most active and respected faculties in the University. The Department’s first Chairpersonwas a world famous historian, Professor Pokrovsky. The department has produced many outstanding innovators, researchers and teachers of historical science. Current enrolment in the department is 75students with an additional 15 students studying on commercial terms.
The department provides the following specialties: world history, history of social movements and political parties, archaeologyandregional studies.
Thecurriculum consists of the following areas of study:
1. Subjects within the major: the history of primitive society, ancient history, the history of the middle ages, modern and contemporary history, local history, historiography, resource studies, the science of bibliography, the history of native cultures, the history of world religion and the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.
2. Subjects in the humanities and socio-economic disciplines: philosophy, educational methodology, sociology, politics, and economics.
3. Subjects in the natural sciences: computer technology, environmental planning studies and so forth.
The History Department is broken up into seven sub-departments:
· the Department of Russian History of Feudalism and Special Historical Disciplines;
· the Department of 19th and Early 20th Century Russian History;
· the Department of Contemporary Russian History;
· the Department of Social Movements and History of Political Parties in Russia;
· the Department of Ancient and Medieval History;
· the Department of Modern and Contemporary History;
· the Department of Political History.
Three of these have a common research area; Russian History. This field deals with a broad range of topics including the history of the Don River region and the people of the Northern Caucasus which track the history of this rich region from the time of feudal lords to modern times. TheDepartment of Ancient and Medieval History devotes itself to
the study of the spiritual and economical culture of the Don region during the Middle Ages concentrating on the link between the people of this region and the social and political development of Western Europe.
The Department of Modern and Contemporary History is concerned with the social and political history of modern Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
The professors and instructors of these departments rank among the leading experts in historical research. Recently, the historical sciences have experienced an exciting phase of development. New approaches, new techniques and new areas of interest have allowed many documents and artifacts to be reinterpreted. This has made history a more appealing subject to study.
Graduates of Rostov State University’s History Department are sought by a wide range of employers. After finishing their course work and graduating, students often become civil servants, politicians, librarians, museum curators, archive managers, tour guidesorbusiness people. Young specialists also work as teachers in secondary schools and universities.
THE FACULTY OF LAW
Rostov State University divides its law training into two parts: the first three years are devoted to basic education of a rather general and fundamental nature, and the lasttwo years to specific research work, together with the preparation of a diploma paper. The Faculty of Lawtries, moreover, to give its students a civic and social formation which will enable them to be aware of the problems facing the society and have a wish to solve them.
Law is a system of norms, binding the community as a whole, which are prescribed by the state. Law protects and directs the actions of all people equally. The sphere in which law operates is quite extensive and so the study of law embraces variouslegal branches. For example, State Law and Administrative Law fix the norms of administration and the constitutional system. They determine the legal status of citizens and the activity of the state mechanism. Civil LawandLabour Law fix existing property relations and regulate the distribution of labour and its products between the members of the society. Criminal Law lays down the measures for combating encroachment on the state system and the existing order of social relations. There exist some other branches of law regulating social relationships and dealing with economic, political and cultural development of the state. It is quite natural that Russia needs a lot of law specialists to ensure the proper performance of legal work in all theses spheres.
The Faculty of Law at Rostov State University trains highly qualified lawyers for the needs of state administration and the national economy. It is composed of nine departments:
· the Department of Theory and History State and Law;
· the Department of International and State Law;
· the Department of Civil Law;
· the Department of Civil Procedure;
· the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology;
· the Department of Municipal Law;
· the Department of the Foundations of State and Law;
· the Department of Economic Law.
In the senior years, students specialize in legal studies. They are provided with special courses, thus, considerable deepening their knowledge for their future work in accordance with the chosen specialization.
Senior students are engaged in practical training at various state bodies. For example, they work as investigators in the Prosecurator’s Office. They are present during the examination of witnesses. They also attend the presentation of the indictment against the accused, when the accused is being presented with the ruling on his crime and is handed his punishment. They are required to investigate actions on their own: they have to read the experts’ findings and give their opinion on the validity of these findings. Sometimes they are asked to prepare questions to be put to witnesses during the trial. They take part in the search for evidence. Instructors also require students to describe some details of the crime under investigation.
Graduates can work in various state and private bodies such as:
· the Court and Prosecurator’s Office;
· the organs of internal affairs;
· the legal departments of industrial, supplies-sale and trade organizations;
· the Bar Association;
· military tribunals and the military Prosecurator’s Office.
In no country, regardless of its political or economic system, has the problem of crime been solved, nevertheless people and their governments continue to search for ways to create a safe and more just society. One thing is certain, whatever is done to try to decrease criminal activity, it will be done within the strict rules provided by the Constitution and watched over carefully by the system of courts.
THE FACULTY OF ECONOMICS
The history of the Economics Faculty dates back to 1965, when the Faculty of Economics and Philosophy was founded. In 1970it was split into two independent faculties: the Economics Faculty and the Philosophy Faculty.
Training is provided in the following specializations:
· theory of economics;
· mathematical methods and operations research in economics;
· management.
There are seven departments:
· Department of Political Economy and Economic Policy:The Russian market economy;
· Department of Market Theory: Transition of Russian economy to a market economy;
· Department of the Theory of Economics: Reforming the Russian Economy;
· Department of Economic Cybernetics: Analysis of the tax system in Russia and ways for its improvement;
· Department of Economics and Management: Management of science and education;
· Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship:Economic methods of management and the system of free enterprise.
· Department of History of Economic Theory: History of economics and national models of economy.
Post-graduate courses are available in the five areas:
n political economy;
n regional economy:
n economy, organization, management and planning of the national economy;
n mathematical methods and operations research in economics;
n economy of natural resourses and environment protection.
The teaching staff includes 14 Doctors of Science and 55 Candidates of Science. More than 6,000 specialists have been trained since the foundation of the Faculty.
Economic Theory
Economic theory, usually referred to as simply “Economics”, is a social science concerned with the analysis of commercial activities, with how goods and services are produced, and how they are distributed. It is the study of how societies use scarce resources to produce valuable commodities and distribute them among different people. The scope of economics is indicated by the facts with which it deals. These consist mainly of data on output, income, employment, expenditure, interest rates and related magnitudes associated with activities of production, consumption, transportation and trade.
Owing to the complexity of modern society, economics has been subdivided into several specialized areas, such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, consumer economics, labour economics, international economics, banking and finance, econometrics and others.
Macroeconomics is that part of economics which examines a complete economic system rather than individual sectors. It uses agregate data for large groups of persons or products, such as gross national product, national income, total employment or money supply. This field looks at the relationships between these important economic indicators and attempts to explain the changes that have taken place over a long-term period. With this information available to them, economists are then able to make predictions about what will happen if certain economic decisions are taken.
A microeconomic study is different. It looks at an individual sector of the economy and the influences on it. It analyses a particular market in terms of a product, firm, industry or individual, such as the demand for automobiles, or employment for dock workers, or average household income. A key objective of a microeconomic study is to find out how the decisions and activities of the consumers, companies or other units being examined, affect the prices of particular goods or services. Because of its emphasis on price in the market system, microeconomics is also known as price theory. Microeconomics focuses on identifying various outcomes which result from the distribution of resources and, in turn, considers such variables as supply and demand.
One of the major sources of economic theory comes from observing economic affairs. History and facts are central to an empirical science like economic theory, but to these we must add economic analysis, for only by developing and testing economic theories can we organize the jumble of data and facts into a coherent view of reality. Economic analysis is an approach that starts with a set of assumptions and then deduces logically certain predictions about the economic behaviour of people, firms, or the overall economy. A complete understanding of economic activity relies upon the use of economic data and statistical analysis. Economists are turning also to laboratory and other controlled experiments to study economic phenomena. These four techniques - observation, economic analysis, statistical analysisandexperiments - form the approach by which economic science progresses.
Economic theory provides the basis for other economic sciences, such as applied economic science in national economic planning, finance and various sectional economic sciences. Economic theory is also the methodological basis for sciences like the history of economics, international economic relations and the economics of developing countries. It is closely bound up with a new economic discipline known as economic policy.
Economic theory improves knowledge of crucial national issues. It plays two distinct roles in promoting the analysis of national economic issues. It first helps to understand our society - to describe, explain and predict economic behaviour, for example, the causes of poverty. But for many people the pay off comes when economic knowledge is applied to help design policies that will build a better society. This distinction between description and prescription is central to modern economics.
Economists have, in recent years, become the counsellors of presidents and prime ministers. Any political agenda is full of economic issues: should we raise taxes to curb the budget deficit? Should the minimum wage be raised? Should the government regulate banks more closely? Political leaders need economic advisers to help them understand these complex questions.
Increasingly, international aspects of economic activity concern policymakers. Heads of governments must constantly make vital decisions that involve economics. National leaders should have advisers who were schooled in the major economic issues and can propose solutions to the problems of the day.
Management
The speciality called “Economics and Management” has a wide horizon of applications because a manageris one of the key figures in every organization.
An organization consists of two or more people deliberately working together to attain a set of goals (for example, to produce goods and services). Any large organization will have managers, employees who set the goals for the organization and devise a plan to reach these goals.
Managers make up a social class which has become very important in the second half of the 20th century. There’s simple explanation to this statement. There are some huge corporations that possess such enormous financial, production and scientific potential that they may be compared with countries. That’s why the decisions of their managers may affect lives of millions of people, or even whole economic regions.
Management is the process of achieving organizational goals through engaging in the four main functions of planning, organizing, motivatingand controlling. All these functions are necessary to reach the organizational goals.
There are four main types of management as a form of activity in directing people: production, marketing, finance and innovation. Some people add information management and personnel management into the group.
The term “management” can also refer to a field of study. As a science it has its own subject, object, internal and external laws and a short, though very rich, history.
Management, as a scientific and organizational phenomenon, came into being in 1911 after the issuing of Frederich Taylor’s book “Principles of Scientific Management.” In it, Taylor expressed the idea that the most important thing one should do in any organization is to set up a system of special people called organizers or managers. This idea was received by some other scientists and businessmen.
In 1926, the Rockfeller Fund (at Harvard University) started researching the problems of organization or management. The world famous company of that time, “Western Electric Co.” spent lots of money on the research in that field.
Various famous specialists and scientists continued working or exploring
managerial problems and their application in practice. Those were: Henry Ford, Peter Drake, James Mooney, Alan Keiley and others.
The period of the fastest development in the managerial science covered the 1950s and 60s. A lot of interesting and highly useful methods were transferred from military sciences into the civilian production of goods and services.
The following are the most important principles of managerial science in the90s:
· A return to the ideas of the technological and material component of production.
· The development of democratic power and general decentralization.
· The increase of the international aspect of management.