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Monday 24 May 2021

Presentation of Master's Program "Expert-Analytical Oriental Studies. Arab World in World Politics"

Presentation of Master's Program Presentation of Master's Program "Expert-Analytical Oriental Studies. Arab World in World Politics"

 
The master's program "Expert-Analytical Oriental Studies. Arab World in the World Politics" is implemented by the Oriental Studies Faculty of the Humanities State Academic University at the Institute of Oriental Studies (the Russian Academy of Sciences) and in cooperation with the Russian International Affairs Council.

V.V. Naukmin, Academician, Scientific Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, addressed the future applicants with a welcoming speech to those who were present (including those who joined online). He spoke about the changing and constantly growing role of the Arab World. Then Mr. Naumkin stressed that it was very important to train young specialists who might analyze and understand the processes happening in the region of the Arab East. The Scientific Director noted that the present generation of future Arabists was really lucky, since the modern technological development and digitalization opened up new opportunities for them to study the region.

Vasiliy Kuznetsov, the Head of the Center of Arab and Islamic Studies, also noted that the present Arab World was becoming much more complex and at the same time much more interesting. He spoke of the changes that the Arab studies had undergone over the past decade, about new directions and new forms of knowledge production. According to Mr. Kuznetsov, one of the priorities of the master's program would be involving future undergraduates in team academic projects “in order to use the strengths and merits of everyone for getting qualitatively new results.”

Ruslan Mamedov, Program Manager of the Russian International Affairs Council, told the future students about the Middle East contemporary political analytics. Then he informed of the existing analytical centers, within which the opinion of the expert community was being formed. He also added how future undergraduates, who would be interested in expert and analytical activities, would be involved in the work of the Russian International Affairs Council.

Andrey Kudelin, Associate Professor of the Humanities State Academic University spoke of the teaching possibilities after graduation. He told what was new in the presented master's program and how it would merge with the existing system of higher education.

Igor Matveev, the senior researcher of the Center of Arab and Islamic Studies, noted that nowadays it was very important to find a niche in the labor market. He stressed that at the present stage in a very difficult international environment, it was vital and important to look at the East. He added that the national business was also beginning to turn to the East. Therefore, he drew attention to the fact that the demand had risen for people with expert knowledge of the Arab East, who understood the region and the ethics of the Arab World business communication and possessed information on the institutional and legal framework of doing business in the Arab countries.

Marianna Belenkaya, observer of “Kommersant”, addressed the future applicants. She spoke of the journalism types, about the possibilities of working in this area for future orientalists-arabists. She separately noted that the Arab World was so complex that people with the knowledge of this region were in great demand in the journalism sphere.

She also specified that along with the change of the women’s role in the Arab World, the role of women in all the spheres of the Russian Arab Studies, including journalism, was also transforming.