Over the past 20 years more than 2,000 specialists and students of Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes on linguistics and translation, theory and methods of teaching foreign languages, applied linguistics and philology, regional studies, and international relations have graduated from the SUSU Institute of Linguistics and International Communications.
“The best of the best study here,” said Director of the SUSU Institute of Linguistics and International Communications Elena Yaroslavova, complimenting her students. “Graduates from ILIC are unique specialists who are competitive and in-demand in the labour market. We do not only train highly professional translators, we also train specialists of rare specialties at the crossroads of applied linguistics and information technologies, experts in foreign regional studies, international relations, teachers, and political scientists. Language training is one of the most important facets of practically all of the academic programmes at South Ural State University. Studying a language is a colossal hard work, which definitely bears its fruits. ILIC graduates easily integrate into any sphere of human activity and find work in Russia and abroad.”
Training World-class Professionals
Linguistics and philology, international relations, regional studies, political science, and management – these are just a few of the most popular degree programmes at the SUSU Institute of Linguistics and International Communications. The ILIC trains Bachelor’s and Master’s students in linguistics and translation; theory and methods of teaching a foreign language; applied linguists and philology; regional studies; international relations; political science; and management. International students can apply for the Bachelor’s programmes in Regional Studies (Russia and Neighbouring Regions); Education. Teaching Philological Disciplines (Russian as a Foreign Language); Philology (Russian as a Foreign Language); and also for the Philology (Theory and Application of English) Master’s programme, taught in English. In 2019, several new academic programmes will be opened.
Students of the Political Science programme will master the following skills: complete a political analysis; provide analytical services; and manage political processes at the municipal, regional, and national levels. Applicants may also join the specialization in public relations and management of government bodies.
“The political science field is very important and promising,” said Head of the Department of International Relations, Political Science, and Regional Studies Lyudmila Shestakova. “Surely, you can see how political processes at the regional, state, and international levels affect all of us. Improving the political literacy and activity of the population is a task for the near future. We reformed the Political Science programme to awaken young peoples’ interest in significant social and political processes, so that our graduates can take an active position in life and master in-demand forms of work.”
Graduates of one other new Bachelor’s programme, “Education (Russian and English)” will be able to teach English and Russian not only to their fellow Russians, but also to foreigners.
“In the Russian labour market, there is a demand for IT specialists, managers, political scientists, engineers, and many other specialists who speak foreign languages fluently. The ILIC works actively with employers. Graduates of the Institute are in demand not only in the Russian labour market, but around the world as well,” comments Director of the Institute of Linguistics and International Communications, Candidate of Sciences (Pedagogy), Associate Professor Elena Yaroslavova.
ILIC: Polylingual Environment and Academic Mobility
The institute is praised for the international characteristics of education and academic mobility. Enrolling at SUSU, all ILIC students are instantly immersed into a multinational environment. Russian students are taught in combined groups with students from China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and other countries from around the world, which is especially important for experts in regional studies and future specialists in international communications.
The academic mobility service of the SUSU Institute of Linguistics and International Communications organises numerous internships in leading international companies and academic centres. Each year, students complete internships in Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Columbia, and other countries around the world. Students of the Fundamental and Applied Linguistics programme and of the Regional Studies programme study Chinese for one year at leading Chinese universities.
Additional Possibilities for Talented Students
ILIC offers elite training programmes for students with high achievements, where each of them is given a chance to obtain additional theoretical knowledge and practical skills. One of such programmes is the Honours School of Linguistics and Translation Studies in the Department of Linguistics and Translation. In addition to the development of traditional, general language skills, the academic programme of elite training develops special professional skills and also forms new management and leadership qualities, helps students find and fulfil their talents, skills, and aspirations. The elite training system allows Bachelor’s students to earn a degree in their chosen field at a new level of quality and be in-demand and competitive in the labour market. The Centre for Elite Training invites students who are ready to work hard right now to have a successful start for their career and the near future.
Project-based Learning
One of ILIC’s strategic decisions is its students’ participation in project-based learning. The goal of this is to prepare students for their future profession by forming the skills necessary for scientific and practical tasks. At this moment, students in the Department of Linguistics and Translation are releasing a promising academic service Linguistic Support of Industrial Processes jointly with Russian Electric Motors company. In this project, the student group is working on creating a Russian-Italian dictionary based on the material they have studied and conversations with specialists. The developed dictionary is intended for workers of the Russian Electric Motors company who will be able to understand technical instructions for operating equipment without trouble.
The Department of International Relations, Political Science, and Regional Studies is executing a project to develop a concept for Youth Forum of the SCO, the result of which, according to the authors, should be an international gathering of students in the Chelyabinsk Region.
“The goal of project-based learning is to give our students new skills and to improve their ability to work in a team,” notes head of the Department of International Relations and Regional Studies Lyudmila Shestakova. “The Youth Forum of the SCO is not just a speculative model of an event or business game, but a specific concept developed by the instruction of clients: the Office of Youth Affairs of the Chelyabinsk Region and the Office of International Cooperation of the Region. Over two years, our students will have to design this program carefully so that at the end, it can be recommended to the SCO secretariat.”
Future without Borders
Students of the SUSU Institute of Linguistics and International Communications are offered a chance to study in Chelyabinsk and take exams at Clark University in the USA or earn language experience with the best specialists in China. In other words, students are able to choose a country which is the home of SUSU partner-universities and study a language by speaking with native speakers. In this way, students have the chance to study for one year and work within their specialization abroad, and if they wish – choose a foreign company for permanent employment.
The ILIC offers 10-12 Double Degree Master’s programmes with universities from the USA, Europe, China, and Kazakhstan:
- Joint Master’s programmes with Clark University (USA) in management in Management in Informational Technologies or Marketing Communications profiles; Joint Bachelor’s exchange programmes with Chinese universities: Hehei University of Foreign Languages, Dalian University of Foreign Languages, and other universities in the Regional Studies programme and Philology with the Russian as a Foreign Language profile;
- Academic and scientific activities at the SCO network university with universities from China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, academic exchange with European universities with international grants in the Erasmus+ programme;
- Academic mobility programmes in 15 academic fields at SUSU with seven Chinese universities;
- Russian summer schools for international students.
All of SUSU’s partners for the Double Degree programmes are among the leading universities around the world according to international ratings.
Russian as a Foreign Language
SUSU students have the unique opportunity to communicate with native speakers of various languages, since an international youth community has formed – students from China, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Jordan, Columbia, Mexico, Laos, and Tunisia study within special programmes of the Institute of Linguistics and International Communication. These are young people from around the world interested in studying the economy and politics of Russia and countries of Central Eurasia.
As a rule, students from other countries choose the Regional Studies programme, which has two profiles: Asian and European studies. For international studies, these programmes are only offered in their country’s capital. In our region, SUSU is the only university at which international students can study in this programme. Students from 52 countries from around the world earn both language skills by studying Russian and learn about the cultural tradition of our country. The university celebrates national Russian holidays – New Years, Christmas, Maslenitsa, and more.
An Institute of Rare Professions
The Institute of Linguistics and International Communications is educating linguistic engineers capable of developing competent technical tasks for programmers while taking into account linguistic nuance. There are few places in the country where it is possible to earn an education in this rare, but very promising field, which is located at the crossroads of informational technologies and linguistics. In Russia, there are a few dozen universities that offer their students this unique programme, and in our region – only SUSU. The aim of this field is to develop software with a linguistic base used by machine translators, chat bots, and search engines.
“The development of informational technologies and international economic relations is difficult to imagine today without linguists. Mobile phones which can execute voice commands, cars which can be “ordered” to begin driving – all of this is being developed alongside linguistic engineers,” comments Elena Yaroslavova. “South Ural State University has been educating these specialists for many years and teaches foreign languages to everyone who needs them for their personal growth and career.”
A strong educational centre in linguo-informational technologies has been opened for SUSU students. The main employers of graduates in linguistic engineering are closed structures and bodies of internal affairs as well as IT companies in St. Petersburg and Moscow interested in creating mobile devices. For example, one of the ILIC graduates, Artem Lukanin, has been employed in the computer linguistics sector of the United Nations in the Netherlands. At the same time, the strong language training offered at our university allows young specialists to work as translators or teachers, if they choose.
“Graduates with a degree from SUSU have already proven themselves in the international labour market; many businesses send the Institute of Linguistics calls for new staff members,” says the ILIC Director Elena Yaroslavova. “The best commendation for us are the careers of our graduates. And today, they are working in big Ural, Russian, American, and European companies and teaching in foreign universities and government agencies in the Russian Federation.”