psuhistory

PSU Students Win PolitPRpro’2023

10.04.2023 / , , ,

The Optimum Pareto team won the 14th PolitPRo International Student Competition in political communications (30-31 March, St. Petersburg, Russia). In the finals, the Pareto Optimum competed with student teams from the Higher School of Economics, Saint Petersburg State University and Volgograd State University. Upon the final contest, including the public debates, the Pareto Optimum were granted an internship placement at the Nikkolo M Agency for Strategic Communications.

The Pareto Optimum team consists of four female students in Political Science, International Relations and Public Administration, studying at the Faculty of History and Political Science, PSU.

“Everything was just brilliant, you could see it in the eye of the jury members during the last stage of competition – the debates. The team’s performance produced a dramatic heart-piercing effect by the arguments given. Following the task, the roles played were so intentionally cynical, that no one stayed indifferent. That speaks of the contestants as a strong, well-built and professional team,” says Igor Mintusov, chairman of the Competition Jury, founder and chairman of the board of directors at Niccolo M Agency for Strategic Communications, member of the Board of the Russian Association of Political Consultants.

The PolitPRpro is an international competition of student projects in political communications, where future professionals compete and communicate with masters and experts in the field of political consulting, PR and GR. The founder and organizer of the competition is the Institute “Higher School of Journalism and Mass Communications” at St. Petersburg State University.

“PolitPRpro has become a synonym for a real strength test. We did participate with no intention to prove something or amuse anyone. By reaching the finals, outperforming teams from the country’s leading universities, building our own brand, we have shown that politics can have a female face. We are thankful to the Faculty of History and Political Science at PSU, our coach Dmitry Korovin and our fellow Perm team POLITYFIX, whose support and help helped us win the finals,” says Valeria Yurtova, captain of the Optimum Pareto team.

In 2023, 135 teams from Russia and CIS countries took part in the Competition. The largest number of applications came from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Perm, Tomsk and Vladivostok. According to the results of the correspondence stage, nine teams went to the semi-finals of the competition, including two student teams from Perm – the Pareto Optimum and the POLITYFIX.

“Our participation in a competition of such a rank is surely an experience to be remembered for a lifetime. Although our team remained half a step away from the finals, at the end we did feel like real winners! We are very happy for our female team, they did deserve the victory achieved in the political technology tests. Being just freshmen, our team is ready to move on – setting more ambitious goals for ourselves,” admits Alexey Zenkov, captain of the POLITYFIX team.

Held at St. Petersburg State University, aimed at sustainable educational and professional interaction, the PolitPRpro is a platform that attracts students, experts, academic specialists and practicing professionals  in political communications from all over Russia and abroad. The competition was initiated in 2010 by the Department of Public Relations in Politics and Public Administration of St. Petersburg State University. In 2019, the PolitPRpro was received a high praise by the expert community and became the winner of the XX International Communications PROBA Awards.

PolitPRpro‘s partners include the Russian Association of Political Consultants (RAPC) and the European Association of Political Consultants (EAPC). Since 2019, the competition has been held with the support of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. The permanent general partner of PolitPRpro is the Niccolo M strategic communications agency.

PSU Scholars in History Discuss Innovations in Humanities, Joined by Colleagues from Australia 

22.12.2022 / , , , ,

The Faculty of History and Political Science, PSU, has hosted for an International Symposium “New Concepts and Research Technologies in Interdisciplinary Areas of History and Culture”. The Symposium was held under a wing of the university-wide Forum “Science and Global Challenges in the 21th Century”. The event was organized by the Scientific and Educational Center for Digital Humanities, PSU.

This year, the event took place in both on- and offline format, attended by scholars from Moscow, Kaliningrad, Omsk, Perm and other cities of Russia, as well as international partners.

Professor Paul Arthur from Edith Cowan University (Perth, Australia) presented his report “Open Research in the Humanities” at the plenary session. The Australian scholar spoke about current trends in open science based on open data, including free access to the research process and its outcomes. Professor Arthur mentioned open educational resources, showed trends within the growing amount of digital formats, tools, standards and effective research infrastructure.

As part of the English section regarding new concepts and technologies in interdisciplinary domains of history and culture, Daria Vershinina, Associate Professor at the Department of History and Archeology , PSU, presented reports on women’s agenda in political protests and social portraits of female parliamentaries. Viktor Vakhoneev, Head of the Scientific and Educational Center “Archaeological Research” at Sevastopol State University demoed the opportunities of innovative geophysical technologies used at building geographic information systems of underwater archaeological sites. Anna Kosmovskaya, Associate Professor at the Department of Interdisciplinary Historical Research, PSU, regarded the issue of poll tax debts of local provincial offices across the Kama territory (Urals, Russia) in the 18th century. Alina Ekhlakova, Assistant at the Department of Interdisciplinary Historical Research, PSU, shared the results of her research of the Siberian army image formed in periodical press.

The scholars paid special attention to the problems associated with the use of new technologies and innovations in the humanities, the preservation of historical and cultural heritage in the digital age and the digital transformation of education. Likewise, the report by Professor Oleg Syromyatnikov, Department of Russian Literature, PSU was devoted to fideistics and confessional literary criticism. Mikhail Pereskokov, Director of the “Kama Archaeological Expedition” Research Center, PSU, shared his experience of integrated use of statistical methods and GIS tools-spatial analysis at studying archaeological ceramics. Nadezhda Povroznik, Deputy Dean for Science, Head of the Scientific and Educational Center for Digital Humanities, PSU, spoke about the use of digital cultural heritage in science, education and creative industries.

“Academic communication is the key condition of any successful research. The Symposium raised multiple discussions on the progress of humanitie, and related application of information technologies. This year, the event was held in a hybrid format, which made it possible to combine the advantages of on- and offline interaction, the opportunity of remote participation and the joy of human communication,” admits Nadezhda Povroznik.

The expected result is a collection of papers, published and indexed in the Russian Research Citation Index (RSCI). Those reports presented in English language will be included in the “Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems” series by Springer, indexed in Scopus. For the Symposium reports, please see here.

PSU Students Participate International Archeological School

13.09.2022 / , , , ,

Five students of the Department of History and Archeology, PSU – Maria Shmyrina, Andrey Smertin, Pavel Smertin, Anastasia Smertina and Artyom Nazarov took part in the 9th International Archaeological School on site of historical and architectural reserve in Bolgar, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

Throughout the School program, participants learnt to identify items found during excavation, trace ethnic and cultural influences, restore knowledge of old crafts, master methods of investigation, including nano-chemistry analysis, and train field conservation of archaeological objects.

Three students participated in the section “Restoration of Archaeological Objects”, and two students in “Paleoanthropology”, presenting following reports at the final Conference:

  • “Bone Hygiene Items from the Materials of Settlement Monuments in the Inva River Basin” by Maria Shmyrina;
  • “The Key Features of the Eneolithic cultures of the Forest Zone of Eastern Europe” by Anastasia Smertina;  
  • “Blacksmithing in the Upper Kama Territory (based on the materials of the medieval settlement and burial ground of Anyushkar)” by Andrey Smertin;
  • “The Peter and Paul Necropolis of the City of Perm: on the Issue of Paleontological Study of the Remains of the 2nd quarter of the 18th century” by Pavel Smertin.

“Not did we only manage to gain valuable knowledge and exciting practical experience, but also got acquainted with participants from different parts of Russia and abroad. If the study schedule allows, I would undertake such a trip again, especially in new areas of training within the School framework,”

admits Andrey Smertin.

“Under the guidance of experienced staff, we were entrusted to restore various bronze and lead objects, as well as ceramic vessels. We managed to eliminate traces of corrosion that distort the appearance of the object, as well as prevent their further active destruction,”

Maria Shmyrina shares her archaeological experience.

“At School, I met wonderful people from other cities and countries, too. It’s been quite a rewarding cultural exchange. Now I know a few words in Turkish and ways to cook Arabic desserts. I am also excited about the idea of going to the Chimgan Mountains, Uzbekistan. Next year, I’d like to spend much more time gaining skills for my research,”

says Artyom Nazarov.

About the Faculty of History and Political Science

The Faculty of History and Political Science at PSU was born in 1960, initially as a joint with other University departments. In Soviet Russia, the Faculty was the first to switch to simultaneous study of both the world and national history. In 1996, the Faculty was transformed into the Faculty of History and Political Science, becoming the first one in the Russian history to prepare specialists in political science.

Among the first in the world, the Faculty opened a scientific and educational center for digital humanities, using IT tools to create virtual museums, preserving historical and cultural heritage. The Faculty has extended links abroad, primarily due the Center for Comparative Historical and Political Studies, founded in 2012.  

Throughout years of research activity, several hundred archaeological sites of various cultures were found in Ural region, covering all stages of the development of the material culture of the ancient population from the Paleolithic to modern times.

Since 2008, the Faculty hosts annual scientific forums aimed at young researchers – the Russian Assembly of Young Political Scientists and the All-Russian Conference of Young Scientists, Graduate and Post-Graduate Students “Russia and the World in late XIX – early XX century.”

The Faculty of History and Political Sciences is the only university department in Russia to publish three specialized academic journals included into the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles list.

PSU Celebrates International Mother Language Day

22.02.2022 / , , ,

PSU experts in history and humanities discussed languages spoken in Russia, comprising its culture and serving its overall diversity.

Of all the languages of Russia, Russian, the most widely spoken language, is the only official language at the national level. There are 35 languages which are considered official languages in various regions of Russia, along with Russian. There are over 100 minority languages spoken in Russia today.

Dr. Nadezhda Borisova, Researcher in Language Policy, and Dean of the Faculty of History and Political Science, Perm State University, spoke about the state of languages in the new edition of the ScienceCast University broadcast.

“The legislation regulating languages exists in almost all national republics within Russia – allowing regional authorities to support the languages of ethnic minorities. In Tatarstan, for instance,  there are conditions exist for learning Mari or Udmurt, besides Russian and Tatar,”

comments Dr. Borisova.

In the broadcast, Dr. Nadezhda Borisova focused on the importance of comprehending native languages along their preservation. Besides most obvious values of such an activity, she also mentioned its contribution to the overall positive national image, as well as the practical use of learning.

Speaking about the improvement of Russian as a state language, Dr. Nadezhda Borisova says, the overall historical background should be taken into consideration – like recent amendments to the Russian Constitution in 2020. At the same time, ethnic minority languages still depend on regional legislation.

 “A language lives as long as it is being used. One should enjoy the opportunity to apply to the court or authorities or be able to read “Harry Potter”, using one’s native language. All this requires dictionaries, textbooks and even keyboards. Supporting language is a timeless job,”

said Dr. Nadezhda Borisova.

International Mother Language Day is a worldwide annual observance held on 21 February to promote awareness of Linguistic diversity and cultural diversity and to promote multilingualism. First announced by UNESCO in 1999, it was formally recognized by the United Nations General Assembly in 2002.

Mother Language Day is part of a broader initiative “to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world”. The idea to celebrate International Mother Language Day was the initiative of Bangladesh, fighting for recognition of their  Bangla language since 1948.

Expert in Politics Appears Guest on New PSU Podcast, Shares Inspiration in Science

03.02.2022 / , , , , ,

Mikhail Grabevnik, senior lecturer at the Department of Political Science, Perm State University has become the first guest of the Voice of Science podcast. Run previously in a video format, the podcast allows now to listen to scientists and researchers while on the move.  

Although Mikhail looked forward to study law after graduating school, by fortune, he became a student of the Faculty of History and Political Science. There, he discovered a broader variety of disciplines and became interested in political processes and institutions.

“I grew passion for research while preparing my graduation thesis, which incorporated comparative analysis of the Churches of Russia and Ukraine stepping into politics. I enjoyed working with data, and I liked the fact my analysis led to particular results. Although my student thesis showed little scientific novelty on a global scale, it did stimulate me for a further research,”

recollects Mikhail Grabevnik.

Gradually, the scholar switched his research interest to European regionalism, addressing the issues of subjectivity of European regionalist parties, and the development of separatist movements in modern Europe. Today, Mikhail is engaged in the study of subnational regionalism.

“I am thrilled to generate patterns from a large array of data, being the first one to see what others do not see. It surely involves some kind of competitive potential. I find it a boost to my research activity, otherwise I would not have enough strength or time to do science,”

says Mikhail Grabevnik.

In 2020, Mikhail Grabevnik, defended his PhD (Candidate of Political Science) thesis exploring the phenomenon of regionalist parties, using the example of the Scottish National Party (SNP). The scholar analyzed the dynamics of the SNP political strategies throughout the devolutionary period in Scotland (1997-2019).

The Faculty of History and Political Sciences at PSU offers various disciplines for future careers in politics, government, public and international relations. The Faculty publishes 3 dedicated academic journals included into the State Commission for Academic Degrees and Titles list. The Faculty graduates are listed among most successful alumni both on regional and national levels.

Studying in Russia? Learn History, Meet Friends, Build Collaborations!

13.01.2022 / , , ,

Are you a foreign student studying in Russia? Looking for new friends or research collaborations? Interested in Russian culture and history? Students from Perm State University, as elsewhere across Russia are welcome to take part in 2nd International Winter School of History ’2022.

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Russian Historical Society, the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Tula Region and the Tula State University invite Russian and foreign students to participate in the 2nd International Winter School of History ‘2022.

Students of all undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate courses may take part. The School will be held from 21 to 25 March, 2022. Applications are due to 25 January, 2022.

The School will cover the following theme tracks:

  • history of Russian economy and industry;
  • history of Russian literature;
  • history of Ancient Russia and the Moscow kingdom;
  • history of the Great Patriotic War (WWII);
  • history of the Russian Empire.

The School Committee covers costs of travel, accommodation and meals for the School participants. A prerequisite for participation are: certificate of vaccination against coronavirus infection; certificate of contraindications to vaccination, or a previous illness. Applications are accepted in two categories: international students studying at Russian universities, and Russian students.

Applicants must fill out an electronic form, and send a motivation letter indicating personal information and preferred track (no more than 2,000 characters). For international students, required is a letter in Russian, for the Russian students the one in English.

Please, see related links in the comments below:

2nd International Winter School of History ’2022: https://tsu.tula.ru/winter-history-school-2
Application form: http://tsu.tula.ru/download/Formazayvky.pdf
Information Letter: http://www.psu.ru/files/docs/news/!2022/01-11_3/infopismo_Tula.pdf
Further contacts: Olga E. Shumilova, hs-tula@mail.ru, tel: +7-910-940-76-24.

Scholarship Opportunity at PSU

08.11.2021 / , , , , ,

Planning to study at PSU, choosing faculties? Looking for scholarship opportunities?

Perm State University (PSU) has announced a start for a mini-grant scholarship in History and Politics. Eligible for the scholarship are 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students, MA and post-graduate students of the Faculty of History and Politics, PSU with distinguished academic performance. 

The mini-grant scholarship of RUB 30,000 ($ 400) comes as a one-off payment and is meant to provide additional support for research, collecting empirical data or public projects.

  • Application time: due to 2 December, 2021;
  • Location: Partnerships Department (PSU campus, building 8, room 321).
  • Questions, application and agreement to process personal data should be sent to: endowment@psu.ru  

The winners will be determined in accordance with the Scholarship regulations and approved by the Board of Trustees, Perm University Endowment Fund (@endowmentpsu). The link to original news, related links and application form is in the comments below the post.

Initiated in 2018 by PSU alumni, the scholarship commemorates late Dr. Oleg Podvintsev, a known public figure, researcher and teaching professor Faculty of History and Political Sciences, PSU (Историко-политологический факультет ПГНИУ) and aims to promote bright students in the mentioned subjects.

“With the help of the scholarship, we were able to implement a ‘New Look’ city student project, aimed to teach and support those who wish to create high-quality pop-science content. The Podvintsev Scholarship is a great opportunity to fulfil your ideas and desires. I was extremely happy to participate in the competition, along with many talented candidates” ,

Natalya Subbotina, a scholarship holder ‘2020, MA in History, comments.

The scholarship is available to both Russian and international scholars. Recently, 13 students from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Haiti, Indonesia, Iraq, Nigeria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are studying at the Faculty of History and Political Science at Perm State University. The Faculty successfully operates, regularly hosting for international and national academic events, providing academic mobility for students and teaching staff.

Know more about the scholarship and application here.

Far From Politics? Closer Than You Think!

02.11.2021 / , , , , ,

How often do you choose to vote, and why? Have you ever thought which factors shape your voice? Or, you are not interested in politics, at all? Political machines use various tools to reach their results, so it is reasonable to understand their impact. Researchers from Perm State University offer a fresher look on the election instruments in their new article:

Eleanora Minaeva and Pyotr Panov, PSU scholars from the Centre for Comparative History and Politics (CCHP), PSU, have published their article “Dense Networks, Ethnic Minorities, and Electoral Mobilization in Contemporary Russia” in the Problems of Post-Communism Journal, published by Routledge. The article by PSU scholars regards the phenomenon of dense networks, aimed to mobilize the electorate.

According to the researchers, the sustainability of the Russian electoral regime is based largely on non-programmatic electoral mobilization, ensuring a high level of electoral turnout and voting for the incumbent party. In spite of the state’s efforts to build an integrated comprehensive political machine, its segments, specifically in subnational units, demonstrate different results in electoral mobilization.

PSU scholars have studied characteristics of local communities that facilitate their emergence: countryside, settlement’s small size, and “segregated” type of ethnic groups’ localization – and their effect upon each other. Based on Duma elections’2016, an original set incorporating local-level data and GIS techniques has beenformed, showing the importance of dense networks in electoral mobilization.  

The regression models by the article authors have demonstrated that all predictors – the share of minorities in the population, countryside, small size of settlements, and segregated spatial localization of ethnic minorities in relation to each other and Russians – influence both turnout and voting for UR positively. Much more importantly, in combination, their effects are enhanced.

Political machines use the density of social networks in numerous ways and means. They rely on heads of administration as a part of ‘power vertical’, lower level ‘bosses’, NGO leaders, clergymen, and informal leaders like elders, celebrities or sportsmen, etc. The range of strategies and instruments of electoral mobilization force ordinary people to vote in what they believe is better for their community.

For Reference:

The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies at Perm State University focuses on interdisciplinary and comparative studies in social sciences, history and anthropology. The Center evolves cooperation with academic community across the globe – enabling dialogue between young scholars, creating a competitive academic environment, promoting the ‘circulation of minds’.

“Dense Networks, Ethnic Minorities, and Electoral Mobilization in Contemporary Russia” in the Problems of Post-Communism Journal. Read more about The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies here.

PSU and University of Helsinki Will Cooperate in Student Mobility

28.10.2021 / , , ,

PSU and University of Helsinki Will Cooperate in Student Mobility 

The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies at Perm State University became a member of the project “Finnish-Russian Network on Area Studies and Methodologies”, funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education.

The project is aimed at developing cooperation in education – creating joint training courses and support for student mobility. Other participants in the project are University of Helsinki, Higher School of Economics, the European University at Saint Petersburg, as well as National Research Tomsk State University. The project will last till the end of 2023.

The Center for Comparative History and Political Studies (CCHPS) at Perm State University (PSU) is a team of researchers from different regions and countries, employed by the Faculty of History and Politics (Историко-политологический факультет – ИПФ ПГНИУ).

Established in 2012 by a group of PSU and the European University at Saint Petersburg graduates, the Center for Comparative History and Political Studies focuses on interdisciplinary and comparative studies in the field of social sciences, history, and anthropology, open to cooperation with the academic community across the globe. The Center programs enable dialogue between young scholars, creating a competitive academic environment, promoting the “circulation of minds”.

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PSU Scholar Shares her Vision of Digital Humanities

17.08.2021 / , , , ,

What will future historians study? Nadezhda Povroznik, Head of the Center for Digital Humanities at Perm State University shares her passion to virtual museums, unveils understanding of digital humanities, recollects international opportunities in this direction and shares hints on writing the first textbook on web history, nationally!

“What is digital humanities?” – Nadezhda sets the story pace. “This is the question which still raises much debate in the scientific community, and there is no single answer to it. In a broad sense, digital humanities is the use of information technology in relation to humanities, with a different and broader attitude”.

“My colleague Andrey Volodin, associate professor at Moscow State University, once defined digital humanities a love marriage between these two words. Dr. Manfred Thaler, Professor of Computer Science for the Humanities, University of Cologne also said: “It doesn’t matter the way you call it, yet it is passion you put in it, which matters. I do believe it’s true,” comments Nadezhda Povroznik.

At the present moment, Nadezhda is writing a first textbook on web history in Russia, as part of a grant from the Vladimir Potanin Charitable Foundation, developing a new course for a master’s degree in web history.

“Unfortunately, the only large web archiving project in Russia is connected with the preservation of official data by government bodies. Obviously, this is not enough. The historians of today need to understand what they will have to keep for the future. The Internet data is quite vulnerable: if it is not saved, then it is irretrievably lost,” says Nadezhda. To answer the question, she has initiated a new master’s course “Web History of Society and its Institutions”, for the academic year 2022/2023.

Nadezhda Povroznik’s favorite area of activity is the research in virtual museums, encouraged and acclaimed by the European scientific community. Since 2017, Nadezhda has been actively working to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the collections of the Museum of History of Perm University. She was also invited as an expert to a large international project of Virtual Multimodal Museum.

“One of the main advantages of a digital museum vs a real museum is the possibility of an exposition extension and expansion of geographical limits. In addition, any interested visitor may enjoy the opportunity of viewing the exhibit close and from all sides. This is probably the most appealing charm of an electronic collections over a virtual one”.

In 2019, Nadezhda Povroznik completed an internship as a visiting specialist at the C2DH Center for Contemporary and Digital History, University of Luxembourg. There, she researched the digital history of virtual museums – the way they grow, change content, increase functionality and resolve task. As a result, she created a project website, dedicated to her research.

As a result, an Nadezhda was invited to the editorial board of the Journal of Digital History, published by one of the largest academic publishing houses in Western Europe, De Gruyter. Most recently, at a meeting of the Advisory Board, Nadezhda Povroznik was unanimously elected as a co-chairman of Centernet, an organization that unites DH centers globally, as a part of the Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations (ADHO).

Nadezhda Povroznik was running research in digital humanities, since 2003. While still a student, she took a course in historical informatics and decided to participate in the International Conference by the History and Computer Russian Association. She won the first place in the competition for young scientists and decided to keep on going in that direction.

“I was quite a modest student, back in the days. Yet, when I realized I could attend international conferences for a symbolic student fee, without thinking twice, I found myself on a bus from Moscow to Netherlands,” says Nadezhda Povroznik. “That particular trip gave me the opportunity to build a network of professional connections. I met wonderful, fantastic people, to mention Dr. Manfred Thaler, professor at the University of Cologne, or Dr. Ingo Kropach, the star of historical information science. Furthermore and on, I was lucky to fruitfully collaborate with them”. Today, Nadezhda Povroznik holds the position of a Deputy Dean for Science at the Faculty of History and Political Science, Perm State University (PSU), an associate professor of the Department of Interdisciplinary Historical Research, as well as runs the Center for Digital Humanities and the Laboratory of Historical and Political Informatics, PSU. “Now, as we are living in the age of inter-, trans- and cross-disciplinary research, and the most amazing things happen at its borders and beyond,” Nasezhda sums up.
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