Department of the History of Southern and Western Slavs: Key Achievements and Development Prospects

The article is devoted to an exposition of the activities of the Department of the History of Southern and Western Slavs at the Faculty of History of Moscow State University. It traces the early stages of Slavic studies in Russia, beginning during the reign of Nicholas I. The authors examine the revival of this interdisciplinary field in the interwar Soviet Union, driven largely by foreign policy considerations. The article delineates the primary phases in the development of the department, which was founded on the eve of the Great Patriotic War through the eff orts of the eminent Slavist V.I. Picheta. The subsequent sections focus on the department’s evolution during the second half of the twentieth and the early twenty fi rst century, assessing its role and signifi cance in shaping both Soviet and post-Soviet Slavic studies. The authors emphasize the department’s guiding principles in training researchers of Slavic history, underscoring the signifi cance of a meticulously structured curriculum and an individualized approach to working with students, graduate students and doctoral candidates. It is vital to note the particular focus that has been placed on the department’s trajectory in the wake of the Bologna system’s implementation. The article sets forth a thorough examination of the reform, its implications for the training of historians specializing in Slavic countries, and the outcomes and consequences thereof, which are predominantly negative. It delineates the specifi c measures that the department has initiated with the objective of optimizing the benefi ts of the two-tier higher education model, while concomitantly seeking to minimize its adverse eff ects. The article also presents recent innovations in the department’s curriculum, off ering insights into newly introduced courses. Moreover, the authors address the challenges currently aff ecting both the educational process, including the training of young scholars, and the scholarly and teaching activities of the department’s staff. The article refl ects on the recent generational renewal of faculty members, which the authors of the article view as being crucial for the preservation of academic traditions and scholarly schools. Among the department’s recent major publishing initiatives, particular mention is made of the new three-volume textbook History of the Southern and Western Slavs and the Historians-Slavists of Moscow State University series. The article concludes with refl ections on the future of Slavic studies teaching at the Faculty of History of Moscow State University.