Faculty of Philology and Cross-cultural Communication of Volgograd State University

March 2010Special English Issue No.1

Current affairs

Learn English inthe UK!A new international program hasbeen launched at the Chair ofEnglish Philology.

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A Romantic TribeStudents of the Faculty of Philologyand Cross-cultural Communicationtalk about their dreams, goals andplans for the future.

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Top story

A touch ofoptimismmultiplied byconfidenceOn February 28, 2010 TranslationTheory and Practice Chaircelebrated its 15th anniversary.

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Study guide

UniUniGuideOur Unique Guide to VolSU: theeasiest tips on how to navigatearound the university!

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Some people goGoogle. Someothers go MoodleA smart web-based system fordistant learning. What makes it sospecial?

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Gallery

From England with Laugh» page 8

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News-in-Brief

Keep on top of the latest and yet upcomingevents at the faculty. There is always somethingto be proud of!

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Eastbourne School of English, UK, nowoffers our students a variety of languageprogrammes of 2 weeks’ to 2 months’duration in a most picturesque historicalarea – «1066 country» in East Sussex, thecounty on the eastern coast of the EnglishChannel. A group of 7 students are nowtaking an intensive English language coursein Eastbourne, as well as going throughtough cultural experience living on theirown in English host families without a wordof Russian spoken around. They are alsoenjoying wonderful train and bus tripsaround the area – to London, Hastings,Brighton and Rye.

As the group leader, Olga Safonova, ourchair assistant prof. reports fromEastbourne, the weather leaves a bit ofwarmth to be desired, still some sun spillslet them admire the sights of Westminster,Buck palace and Tower Bridge last Sunday.They are planning Brighton and Windsor forthis week, students feel excited about theirstay and seem to be enjoying themselves alot. They’ve made friends at school withother students from Emirates, Prague andChina and have fun speaking only Englishat all times and all days long!

The School teachers, who are,actually, certified professionals andnative speakers of British English withremarkable RP, say they like Russianstudents for their nice manners anddiligence, also marking their commandof English as very high compared toother students at school. Rebecca, theSchool marketing manager, says thatshe would be happy to arrange morecourses for students from VolSUthroughout the academic year andduring summer holidays, especially nowthat the School director Graham Whiteand VolSU rector Oleg Inshakov havesigned the Agreement on Cooperationbetween the institutions.

Now a new group will be soon formingfor this summer trip to Eastbourne, as wellas for the new programmes in Brighton andCambridge that are to be launched as soonas Agreements with language schools aredue. If you be interested in the EnglishLanguage courses in UK please feel free toapply. Application deadline for Augustcourses is April, 20. For more informationcall the Chair or the International AffairsDepartment, tel: 405536.

Learn English in the UK!A new international program has been launched at theChair of English Philology.

text: Vilena Bryleva,

Current affairs

March, 17, 2010 was marked by extending the professionalqualification of the Faculty. The Scientific CommitteeД 212.029.05 awarded the candidate degree in Philology tofive research associates of the faculty. Luiza Kulkina, AlinaTsivileva, Tatjana Baturina, Ekaterina Stepanova, LijaKravchenko reported usefully on their research projects.Our congratulations!

A new English student textbook is issued by the English Chair –“Английский язык : Лингвистика. Переводоведение.Межкультурная коммуникация» (Волгоград: Изд-воВолГУ, 2009). The authors (L.G. Fomichenko, E.A. Pelikh,L.A. Kochetova, V.A. Bryleva, N.Yu. Sorokoletova,T.N. Tsinkerman) hopes that the course directed at the seniorstudents of Linguistics department training will develop majorcommunicative skill and abilities and contribute significantlyinto formation of bi-language cognitive-communicative basisof translators-to-be. May be requested at:english_philolog@mail.ru.

The Theory and Practice Translation Chair announces atraining program Communicative competence of the 21century specialist targeted at mastering professional skillsin sequential and simultaneous translation. The dead-line isMarch, 29. The entrance testing day – March, 31.For more information contact the Chair – 40-25-55.

March, 10, 2010 the Theory and Practice Translation Chairjoined the Russian Translation Union as its associatemember. It will offer wide range of academic and practicalopportunities for the Chair.

The monograph “Language and speech: dynamic aspects”is planned to be issued by May, 2010 to honor the 30thanniversary of Volgograd State university.The book presents the spectrum of linguistic study results ofthe researchers working in VolSU. The collective work givesthe panoramic view on the language life as includingprocesses of language units change and development invarious discourse environment.The target audience for the monograph may be professionalsinterested in semiotics, pragmatic, discourse issues andphonetic methods of language study and experimentalapplication. May be requested at: english_philolog@mail.ru.

Candidates for 2010 Admission are invited for the springOpen Doors Day held on 28, March from 10.00 a.m. For moreinformation contact the faculties on: www.volsu.ru.

March 23, 2010 the annual competition Miss Linguistics –2010 is due to take place. The most active and creativestudents of the faculty participated in preparations for theevent. The most talented girls are going to compete for theprestigious title. It is going to be a very special show!Feel free to come: Tuesday, 4 p.m. hall 4–29Г.

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Context 01(01) March 2010 3

A Romantic TribeMeet the students of the Philological and Cross-cultural Communication faculty! They are Positive andSociable! They Believe in Friendship!

text: Christina Kopyisova

86%English

10%Japanese

22%Italian

41%German

43%Spanish

67%French

10%Arabic

And there is good news – they seem to beunselfish and if they could afford it theywould like to lead an altruistic lifestyleparticipating in volunteering or inorganization of shows, traveling andlearning some exotic philosophy andoriental culture was the next frequentchoice. There were various questionsabout academic success and preparationfor career, about their opinion on readingbooks and creative activity. And now we’lldwell on the questions one after another.

Almost half of the respondents state thatthey are satisfied with the choice of thefaculty (59% - fully satisfied, 30% - almostsatisfied). Ten people out of 100 favorpersonal freedom which they gained afterentering the university.

It might seem funny, but they value theopportunity to socialize (39%), to studyon their own (25%) more than lecturesand seminars (17%). Perhaps, we havethe most conscientious and hard workingstudents as they mention that they don’thave any troubles in coping with newmaterial and studies (almost 79%).

Our people do not live in a shell, theyare interested in the life around:watch news on TV and listen to theradio (44%), read newspapers andmagazines (6%), but much many ofthem prefer Internet (69%). And morethan that – they still read books! Theteachers would grumble that we are alost generation for reading, but thequestionnaire results tell that only11% of us do not care, whereas 71%prefer to read a paper version, not thee-book (18%).

Almost half of the students who took part in the questionnaire (obviouslymost of them are girls) noted that they would like to live the 17-19thcenturies (41%). We may only guess why, perhaps the fancy dress code ofprevious centuries influenced the choice.

Some questions were about the opinionon communicative proficiency in foreignlanguages. We asked what languages andhow many the students would like toknow. The answers were surprisinglyvarious! Two the thirds are dreaming offluent mastery of English (86 of 100), ofFrench (67), German (41), Spanish (43),Italian (22), Japanese (10), Arabic (10).Some students said that they would liketo learn Turkish, Finnish, Serbian,Estonian, Czech, Polish, Swedish, and evenLatin! Who and with whom would speakLatin?! Perhaps, during spiritistic sessionsat the magician!

The reality turned out to be more dull andcommonplace. The students, when theysaid they would like to know two, three orfour foreign languages were crying for themoon. In reality they hardly know two,and the assortment is rather modest –English (86 out of 100), German (42),French (27), Spanish (7), Italian (3).

The above results may be soothed by thefact that knowing one foreign language isconsidered to be a must as our studentsthink that they hold a proper level oflanguage competence, quite enough totake a job at an internationalenvironment (almost 70%). One languagebut to the best!

The choice of genres is tremendous anda list of authors is impressing! Classicsof the World literature – L. Tolstoy,F. Dostoevsky, Ch. Dickens,R.L. Stevenson, O. Wilde, I. Show,A. Remark, E. Hemingway, popularM. Frei, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Dan Brown,Richard D. Bach, A. Clark, L. Ulitskaya,P. Sanaev, V. Pelevin, etc.

There was one question the answer towhich was the most astonishing of all.“Which job would you never take or do inthe future?” – a DENTIST, a LIBRARIAN, anECONOMIST, a SPY, a SECRETARY, a STREETSELLER. One respondent surprised usmentioning that the worst thing of all is tobecome a tramp.

When asked on creative activities somehesitated, others seemed to be lost inthoughts. “What would you call the topcreative achievements of yours?” weinquired. Half of our girls rememberedthey going to music schools or visitingdance classes in their green years. Fewremembered about their success inorganizing or participating in fashionshows or receptions. Several stated thatthey once or twice took up handcraftand made some unique presents totheir friends. It looks that we all needto cheer up! Why don’t you shake offthe dust from your hobbies and amuseyour friends and yourselves withsomething existing?

Everyone wants to be fluent in English

How do we learn about it? We carried out a survey and the results uncovered avery romantic soul of our students. We asked a hundred students of the Facultyof Philology and Cross-cultural Communication about their dreams, goals andplans for the future. We wanted to learn about their attitudes to their studiesand what they usually do outside the university.

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A touch of optimismmultiplied by confidenceOn February 28, 2010 Translation Theory and Practice Chair invited the facultystaff and the students to celebrate its 15th anniversary.

text: Olga Volkova

On the one hand, getting one’s teens mightseem not quite a significant date and onecould think that it’s too early to sum up. Onthe other hand, being a teenager resembles apeculiar state of mind – the age urges beingeager to head for something new, to run, to flyanywhere in order to be the first or to learnmost interesting things. The prospects areexciting and it’s only up to you to decide onthe direction. Translation Theory and PracticeChair made up their mind 15 years ago nowadvancing to the goal.

“Over the last 15 years, that were really hardand demanding, so many events haveoccurred that no stogy European universitymight have experienced over a hundred years.Transformation period was not just the fieldfor innovation, it’s become our lifestyle” –head of Chair, prof. Vera Mitjagina said.“Modern standards regard a 15 year term as afair period for demonstrating staff talents andachievements”. Meeting the challenges of the

epoch, the chair took its place among VolSUacademic subdepartments. It ensures a ratherhigh professional attainment level whichprovides a student with an opportunity tomake a successful career of interpreter in thefield of cross-cultural communication.

The early yearsOur university has always been prepared tomeet new challenges. It was set up during thehistorical epoch change – in the latest 1970sand now it is progressing actively, integratinginto the world collegiate community inaccordance with a modern globalizationtrend. The instructors of the department note,it is exactly due to desire to get incorporatedinto the community, that their cooperationwith foreign institutions extended andambition to master students’ translation skillsincreased.

In 1993 VolSU and Institute of Theory andApplied Translation, Gratz University (Austria)

signed Cooperation agreement, thusTranslation Theory and Practice Chair wasestablished. With Austrian colleges’ support(the director of the Institute prof. ErichPrunch in particular) VolSU got the chance tojoin a TEMPUS program of the EU Commissionand received a grant that assisted thefoundation of translation department atVolSU. The university received 40 thousandECU intended for teaching aids, interpreterstraining equipment, foreign in-depth studycourses for the instructors of the chair. Thefirst curricula were worked out in closecooperation with the foreign colleges, whoadvised on translation theory andmethodology of translation teaching.On January 5, 1995 the newly establishedTranslation Theory and Practice Chair was thenew place of employment for a number ofinstructors of English, German and RomanicPhilology Chairs who had some experience ofworking with the senior students. Thus thefirst unconventional subdepartment was

organized at VolSU. It incorporatedspecialists in three European languageswhose main target was translation and cross-cultural competence formation.

Team spirit and clear objectivesThe first head of the Chair was Nikolay L.Shamney, who had had much experience inperforming the duties of InternationalAffairs Vice-Rector of VolSU and was wellinformed on TEMPUS projectimplementation. The new chairestablishment proceeded logically from themultinational project. The first instructors ofthe Chair (V.A. Mitjagina, O.I. Popova, S.A.Korolkova, A.N. Usacheva, S.R. Khairova,etc.) shared the conviction that onlycooperation could give sufficient result.Step by step their dream was coming true.Training courses for instructors and studentswere organized, foreign colleagues – invited,books and teaching aids from various funds– received, audio- and video materials –

Top story

Context 01(01) March 2010 5

supplied, satellite antenna, the DeutscheWelle present – installed. “This all haspositively indulged us and taught to wishand to dream” – V.A. Mitjagina said. “But it’sonly team work and cross-chair cooperationthat made it possible to create a uniquespecial education and training system whichhas resulted in developing a moderntranslation centre at VolSU”.

In the year of 2000 the chair developed andintroduced an advanced vocational trainingprogram “Professional CommunicationTranslator/Interpreter” (supervisingprofessor – R.L. Kovalevsky). The programenabled lots of students to achieve theirdream and obtain an extra specialization inthe field of foreign language translationtechniques, it is aimed at helping ourgraduates be more competitive on thelabour-market. The chair also implementsPresidential Program of advanced vocationaltraining for management and administrativestaff (since 1998), which forms a vital linkwith regional enterprises, extends didacticgoals in practical training of interpreters-to-be and assists our graduates in employment.The implementation of all the projects hasbeen supervised by Rostislav LeonidovitchKovalevsky. This is a very significant namefor the history of the faculty and thedepartment of linguistics. The first dean ofHumanitarian (since 1980) and Philologicaldepartment, head of Translation theory andpractice chair (since 1996) – R. Kovalevskyis an experienced teacher, capable manager,recognized scientist, skillful interpretercontributed to the achievement of thechair’s new ambitious goals and objectives.

Being determined to bring up highlyprofessional specialists and master theirproficiency, the instructors of the Chair teachsimultaneous and consecutive translationusing modern equipment; in closecooperation with Polish colleagues theinstructors implement XTRF project(Translation management Systems) aimed attranslation agencies management teaching.

Unity in diversityScientific and methodological projectTEMPUS participation stimulated the staff tothe development of educational program andrequirements universal for three languagestaught here. Diverse experience in the field oftranslation training, extended scientific andmethodological work as well as theopportunity to consult with leading Russianexpert in translation study prof.

I.S. Alekseeva made it possible to work out anoriginal model of a textbook for translationthat satisfies the requirements of Bologneseagreement on foreign language teaching. Theauthors are proud of the three versions(English, German and French) of the textbook:‘Translation’ (English) by Usavheva, Khairova,Seropegina; ‘Translation’ (Deutsch) byKovalevsky, Novikova, Makhortova;‘Traduction’ (Francais) by Korolkova,Boulkina.The textbook was approved by the Ministry ofEducation and Science of the RussianFederation. It is used in teaching practice notonly at VolSU but also at over 30 institutionsof Russia and Kazakhstan. The developmentand approbation of the three versions of thetextbook on interpretation training is beingcompleted at the moment.

Professional and scientific unionmembership (including Germanist Union ofRussia, Russian-German forum, nonprofitorganization French Alliance) provides theChair with new opportunities. Long-lastingcooperation with education and cultureattache as well as the French languageattache to the embassy of France in Russiacontributed to the establishment of theFrench language resource centre at VolSU.The centre is headed by associate professorOlga Iljinichna Popova. It has the reputationof a most competent in Russia and holdsDELF and DALF certificate examinationswithout Moscow office mediation. Theembassy of France arranges at the centrethematic seminars involving leading expertsin French teaching.

The instructors of the Chair have a clear visionthat success of a team makes the basis ofpersonal initiative while personal gains give riseto mutual progress. Despite its young age theChair has witnessed a number of importantevents. The staff now consists of 19 instructors,including 13 candidates of sciences and 1doctor of sciences. Our graduates make goodcareer and instructors feel proud of themlikewise of their ex-colleagues masteringprofessional skills at a new level, for instanceSvetlana R. Khairova teaches at Moscow StateUniversity; doctor of sciences Victorija V. Zhuraheads the Foreign languages chair at VolgogradState Medical University. Another brilliantgraduate of the chair – Vera A. Mitjaginaobtained in 2009 an academic degree – a Doctorof Philology, and was elected head of chair. Thusone of VolSU staff policies principle wasimplemented: a student should rise from therank of school-leaver to professor at university.

Left to right: E.Yu. Novikova, A.N. Usacheva, T.V. Maximova, R.L. Kovalevsky,V.A. Mitjagina, O.I. Popova.

Meet Albert Mukeljan – a researcher associatefor a Master Degree in Translation and a personwith a lot of complimentary skills. Likewiseother Jacks-of-all-trades he is good at variousactivities, learning or teaching, engaginghimself in translation or advertising – he wouldalways strive towards mastery.

European culture and languages havealways been his greatest passion. But hecould hardly imagine that one day he wouldbe invited to the reception of theRepresentative Head of the EuropeanCommission Agency in Russia.

“I first learned about the Euroschool inspring 2009 when by chance I got aquestionnaire based on the facts of the EUhistory. I didn’t think seriously about it, butI filled in the form that claimed a selectionto a Euroschool seminar”, Albert Mukeljansays. “To my surprise within two weeks Ireceived a letter with the words ofcongratulation and an invitation forparticipation!”

The Euroschool is a project under theaegis of the European Commission. It istargeted at introducing and promotingmodern ideas on European development inCIS, and Russian in particular.

Albert says that he got curious on thesyllabus but when he set off for it he feltsome doubt – What must be done to attractand keep interest of forty young people forfive days? From his personal experience heknew how much effort one should put intothe activity to seduce young people. Theskeptical attitude vanished the very firstmorning he attended lectures and intensivesthat were conducted by noted professorsfrom Moscow State University, Moscow State

The following sites may turn useful for those who would like to join us:http://www.delrus.ec.europa.eu/ru/ – an official site of the EuropeanCommittee Agency in Russia;http://europlanet.ru/ru/ – “to young people about Europe” (information aboutconcerts, round-table discussions, clubs, seminars, language courses, digests ofEuropean newspapers and magazines);http://www.euro-pulse.ru/ – information about education in the EU countries.

Institute of International Relations, RussianUniversity of Peoples’ Friendship. Theopportunity to ask questions and exchangeideas with them and with Paul Vandoren (anacting Representative Head of the EuropeanCommission), Thomas Bertelman (Ambassadorof Sweden in Russia), Denis Daniilidis (Head ofPR and Information department of theEuropean Commission Agency in Russia) was achallenge and pleasure.

The students from Russia, Germany,Austria, the UK were busy day and night –trainings, presentations of projects,discussions of current and hot events. “Wewere given many tasks and offered role plays,asked to study some political or economiccases and find an efficient approach to theirsolution. After the lectures we could discusshot issues, exchange opinions and clear upuncertain points. Our projects were evaluatedand some students were invited to visit thefinal seminar “Euroschool” in Moscow. To mygreat surprise I was among them!”

The final session in Moscow turned to be veryfruitful. In September 2009 we all met – youngpeople from Kazan, Voronezh, Sochi, NizhnyNovgorod and people from Europe. The EuropeanCommittee Agency helped us find like-mindedpeople and gave the opportunity to exchangeideas, to design new projects which may help todraw together our cultures. We decided to set up“Euroclubs” in our universities and promote theslogan of the EU – Unity in diversity!” I am surethat we share common ideas about freedom andliberation of personality, we are all Europeans andgeneral simplification of political affairs in Europeshould be followed by the increase of face-to-facemeetings of Europeans and Russians. It’s time tolearn more about each other.

Euroschool holds outa helping handOne of VolSU students takes part in the Euroschoolproject aimed at promoting European values in CISand Russia in particular.

text: Anastasia Gavrilova

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It will not be easy for a freshman or guest totake his or her bearings within our universitybuildings since there are 4 and two times 1/3buildings inside. We don’t mean that thelayout of VolSU resembles Hogwarts with ahundred and forty-two staircases “some thatled somewhere different on a Friday, somewith a vanishing step halfway up that you hadto remember to jump”), but if you wish to beon time and not to miss your class you’dbetter remember the algorithm that has beendeveloped by the students. A strange phrase«Англичане Бреют-де Головы Вечерами»American Boys Enjoy Driving Coupe is handeddown from one generation to the next, andthe first letters (marked in bold) denote theindexes that mark all VolSU buildingsclockwise.

The Layout of VolSU BuildingsLet’s begin a tour about the university fromthe A building. Do you know why it wasmarked A? There is a legend. It tells that thefirst building of the university had to bemarked as Ah. When its foundation was laid inthe 1970-s one big man came to visit theconstruction site. He got to the top of thehill, looked around and exclaimed inamazement “Aaah-h!” And anyone would!You could hardly bridle your emotions if youget to the top and look around. You would seethe unforgettable landscape – a beautifulwinding of the Volga far beneath andpanoramic scenery of the city. To make a longstory short we should say that the big manfrom Moscow was deeply struck, so the A-building still faces the Volga river and we allcan enjoy the view twenty four hours a day!

The A-building is a sacred place with anadministrative block on the second floor.Ninety nine percent of the students mightnever happen to open any of the doors herebut you’d better remember about the Rectorand Vice Rectors offices, just in case. It is easyto find the entrance to the Office of Rector,because it is marked with a large mail box. It issaid that any student or a faculty member canaddress his or her offers, complaints or sensibleproposals to our rector.

performances! And you’ll rise to fameovernight!

Cloakrooms«Theatre begins at the cloakroom» (quotingStanislavsky), and our university is not theexception. The cloakrooms meet you and seeyou to the exit doors! It’s not easy to findsome of them, and there are no skeletons intheir cupboards but there are some musts anddon’ts every student should follow.If you decide to leave your overall in thecloakroom you may find three of them withsome nice ladies that adore crackingcrosswords and worship «loyal customers».Once you’ve chosen a cloakroom, never dareto betray it! Besides there are two morethings that are under no circumstanceswelcomed – don’t lose the tag and neverleave your cell phone in the pocket! If thefirst blunder may be forgiven after multitudeof excuses and a bar of chocolate that cansweeten the bitterness over lost, the peskytune that had been teasing and torturing anice lady all day long will be not!

An Exit and an ever open door to a life longeducationAre you tired of our talking blue streak anddraggling around? Calm down! There is anexit that has appeared in the distance! In thephysical sense there are two exits guided bysecurity and revolving-doors. But in themoral sense there are many more exits thatcan lead you outside – to the realprofessional world! This is a BachelorCertificate and a Master Certificate inEconomy, Ecology, Law, Psychology andSocial work, in Philology, Journalism,Linguistics and Cross- cultural relations, inPhilosophy, History, International Relationsand Social Technologies, in Mathematical andComputer Sciences, in Physics and evenAstrophysics! Would you like to have someromantic people as friends who can read theMilky Way as easy as you can read your mail?Just Join Us At The Entrance To The PortalThat Opens The Road To The Future! Everyyear, on September, 1st we meet new comersand enjoy their company!

You will be surprised but it is not the A-building, but the B-building that is the oldestof all. In September 1983 when theconstruction of this building was over it wasthe first to house the Faculty of Philologyand the Faculty of History.

Many events have happened since that timebut the two faculties are still their. However,in accordance with the innovativerestructuring policy of the university theyhave been transferred into the Faculty ofPhilology and Intercultural Communicationand the Faculty of Philosophy, History,International Relations and SocialTechnologies. The C-building houses theFaculty of World Economy and Finances, theFaculty of Management and RegionalEconomy, the Faculty of Law.

Internet accessIn the C-building there is another attraction –the Internet Centre. It used to be the startingpoint of academic modernization in theuniversity, but today Internet access isavailable throughout VolSU. The owners ofsmart phones, PC and laptops know that ifthere are troubles with Wi-Fi in the halls youmay surely catch it in the reading hall. To tellthe truth, there is no need to have a PC on yourlaps every day as every faculty has someInternet classes which may be used both forclass work and for individual studies. However,it is forbidden to sit in social nets there.

LibrariesHonestly, there is one library in VolSU. Butthe departments are scattered within theuniversity, and only senior students knowwhich door should be asked politely andwhich place on it should be tickled if youwant to get a book. Otherwise you will knockat the door which isn’t really a door at all, butsolid wall just pretended. It is not easy toremember where anything is, but you’d betterremember four – a reading hall anddepartments of textbooks, academic books,fiction. The department of fiction is the mostliberal and secretive place. If you are luckyand find the desired sign you will be

positively surprised by the assortment of it.One can hardly find the title or the authorthat is lacking here. Besides it’s the onlyplace where you can borrow thick books like“The Quiet Don” for a longer period.

The department of textbooks is visited bystudents mostly once or twice a semester. Butwe wouldn’t advice you to hurry to come here.Smart students don’t go there until a full listof books in need is clarified. And be preparedto spend some time standing in a queue witha neatly written list of books and authors!Otherwise you may be exposed by thelibrarians to shame!

The department of academic publications isthe most weird office in the library. No bookcan be borrowed from here unless you producefull information on the book you need!Moreover no late return of the book may beexcused! An infringer is sentences to harshpunishment – to be banned from the servicefor a semester! And then you are in trouble!

From the horrors of the university regulationsand day stresses students often hide in thereading halls, where you may request anelectronic catalogue, get to e-libraries, readyour friend’s notes on lectures you missed orjust bury yourself from the world – miss thelecture and have a nice talk with the mates.And feel safe – the lecturers don’t come hereoften, if do they will never notice you in thecrowd of brethrens striving for knowledge.

Students’ Trade unionYou want to ask why we tell you about theStudents’ Union, don’t you? You are surprised,why you might need it at all, aren’t you? Ifyou feel like joining any student’s club orsociety, if you wish to participate as avolunteer in any social project – that’s theplace for you. Besides, this is a place where(hash-hash!) you may get a pass to some seastudent camp or a ticket for a tour! Just don’tbe lazy and you will be rewarded! Talents andcreativity will be estimate at its true worth –take part in student concerts and find yourrole in faculty clubs of jolly and smart

UniUniGuideUnique University Guide

text Alexander AKULINICHEV

photo Alexander MIKHALEV

Study guide

Context 01(01) March 2010 7

MOODLE stands for Module Object OrientedDidactic Learning Environment. Soundseven scarier, eh? Well, it is all about distanteducation, moreover, web-based distanteducation. It is a virtual learningenvironment, a system, or, in simple words, aweb-based application that provides studentsand teachers with an opportunity to sharematerials, communicate, test and assess. Withits system of interactive modules, e.g. forumsand chats, it helps create online communityof learners and in a way compensate the lackof natural language environment, which is soimportant when you learn a language.

It opens the oceans of possibilities forteachers, as they can upload texts, media stuffand tasks, create tests, surveys and lessons,assess the participation of the students withstatistics module and grade the students’ work.

A whole bunch of specialists all over theworld volunteer to work on this free and opencode system to improve its functionality andsecurity.Thousands of educational sites are setand now function on the platform of Moodleand more teachers pour in to join themoodle.org club. Some find it challenging andcomplicated, others seem to have fun plunginginto the wilds and jungles of its innards (phpcode), but all users of the Moodle say it is theanswer to their teaching needs.

In VolSU Moodle has been on for 6 yearsby now. «We were looking for an e-tool toupload tasksheets for some of our practicecourses, so that students could access themfrom home and labs at any time and to storethem for later usage too, when a friend fromUS sent me a link for Open Sourcemoodle.org» the moodle.volsu.ruadministrator, V. Bryleva looks back.

The Moodle as an educationalenvironment was planned and developed byan Australian sociologist Martin Dougiamas aspart of his academic research.

«He is just a genius to have done this, heis!» she says. Initially, it did not seemextremely easy to install and operate, so VolSUInternet Centre specialists helped to set and

launch our first courses. The students of EFLteachers training department were the first tobe the guinea-pigs for the Moodle experimentsand soon new ideas popped up when moreopportunities of the system opened up. «Withthe help of forums within the Moodle we couldparticipate in an international project withAmerican students from Mansfield and this wasan unforgettable experience for us who hadnot communicated with native speakers beforeon such regular basis!», says Tatiana, the ISPparticipant, then a student, now a languageinstructor herself. «Now I use it for mystudents. It used to be challenging andexciting in the times of my studies, but now itis just a part of working routine».

Prof. Elena Ilinova was among the first torealize the wide opportunities the Moodleoffers a language teacher. She says «Six yearsago, when we knew nothing about smart-phones, i-Pod and other gadgets and vidgestsand social nets, it was a miracle! When Idiscovered Moodle it didn’t take much time tolearn how to use it. And it was for the mutualadvantage of both – my students and me. Imight guess how much they were angry withme at first! Students like to make tricks like“Sorry, I didn’t know the task as I was notpresent last time”. There is no excuse sincethen. The task is safe and sound in Moodle”.

Nowadays http://moodle.volsu.ru seemsto be integral part of the teaching-learningprocess at the Chair of English Philology.There are about 20 courses - languagepractice and linguistic theory courses forvarious specialties and departments, BusinessEnglish courses, a couple of virtual librariesstoring e-books, lectures and articles. Thereare also courses for Teachers’ practice andtrial courses of postgraduate students takingtheir master degree in TEFL: they work withMoodle as part of their training in TeachingTechnologies. As for students - they now feelin Moodle at home. Applied Linguisticstudents learn to Moodle as soon as they starttheir first year: their grading depends on howfast they understand its ins and outs.

Some people go Google.Some others go MoodleGoogle for Moodle and you will discover a world outthere: a community of crazy educationalists,programmers and students, working daily with it, in it,on it. So, what does this mysterious word stand for?

text: Vilena Bryleva

Young prefessionals believe it is absolutely necessery today to speakat least one foreign language to make a good career. They are quiteright in thinking so, as applicants for prestigious jobs are usuallyexpected to have a good command of a foreign language. Elena Yu.Ilyinova, Prof. of the English Chair, elucidates that learninglanguages helps to develop mental abilities – memory,concentration, decision making ability. “Choosing the best graduatecandidate is a very dramatic moment. Employers think that if aperson could cope and learn a foreign language it tells about his orher intellectual abilities and stamina. Hard intellectual practice ingreen years – both in the family and at school – justifies the effortsand hopes in the future. Intellectual levels decline modestly by yourmiddle age, but change little over the working life”. It explains whyteachers are so strict to the students giving loads of tasks andchecking the students’ progress daily.

Students majoring in English develop speaking and writing skillswhich help them communicate their ideas effectively. Besides thereis a number of extra-curriculum programs in English available inVolSU: English and Cross-cultural Communication for Translation;English for Business; Training for TOEFL, IELT; Training for LCCICertification. These programs certainly require quite a lot of effortfrom the trainees – classes begin late in the afternoon and usuallylast for several hours. Many organizations and universities recognizethe certificates given at the end of these courses as a secure, validand reliable indicator of true-to-life ability to communicate inEnglish for education, immigration and professional accreditation.

Vera A. Mityagina, PhD, Head of the Translation Theory and PracticeChair, told us about international contacts and German languageprograms. “According to the EU conception on support of multilingualenvironment in modern Europe, educational institutions arerecommended to teach two or more languages spoken in Europe.Following the call of the times the Chair members target at rising ofacademic mobility of our students. Our students participate innumerous exchange programs. Regularly they go for a semester andstudy at universities of Germany, Austria, Belgium, at the same timegroups of foreign students arrive to our university to improve theirskills in Russian. The professors of the Chair visit and participate ininternational conferences under the guidance of DAAD”.

Olga I. Popova, Associate Prof. of the Translation Theory andPractice Chair, believes that there may be many reasons why peoplewant to learn French. Firstly, the students need to continue andmaster French for academic and professional purposes. Besides,they need to be competitive in the new market environment. Sothey need to prove their language qualification and get aninternational certificate. At the moment there is a DELF/DALFRecourse Centre at the faculty that is licensed to hold Europeancertification exam in French.

DELF is a certificate that confirms basic or advanced level oflanguage proficiency, whereas DALF diploma certifies fluency inFrench that is the ability to communicate in a francophonecommunity. If a graduate wants tofind a job in a French-speakingcountry or in a Russian branch of a French company the diplomagives them an advantage over the rivals. Besides, it is a life-longcertification of the language proficiency.

The Eastern Languages Centre was founded just a few years agoand it has already gained a significant popularity. The reason for thisis the growing economies of the Eastern countries. Many studentsare interested in learning Chinese and Korean. There are businesspeople among the trainees who have partners in Asian countries, sothey have to learn languages for practical business purposes.Alexander E. Varlamov, the Director of the Centre, says, “Ourgraduates are welcome in the business environment. Employershighly appreciate a job applicant if they are ready to learn Chinese,Korean or Arabic.”

It’ s never to late to start learning a language and it always proves tobe worth the effort. So make up your mind and apply for a languagecourse at our university!

We do not live by English alone…

Many people want to speak foreign languagestoday and VolSU is the right place to make theirdreams come true.

text: Christina Kosova

8 Gallery

From England with LaughA group of seven VolSU students spent two weeks inEngland, doing London and East Sussex county. Theyshare with you the fun they had.

photos: Vilena Bryleva, Olga Safonova

Editor-in-chief: Irina RetsCorrespondents: Alexander Akulinichev, Vilena Bryleva,

Olga Volkova, Christina Kopyisova

Translators: Anastasia Gavrilova, Julia Okopnaya

Designer: Catherine Dmitriyeva

Photographers: Vilena Bryleva, Alexander Mikhalev,

Olga Safonova

Reproduction of editorial is strictly prohibited without

prior permission from publishers.

Edition: 100 copies

Price: free

March 2010

Special English Issue No.1

Editor�s office: Faculty of Philology and Cross-cultural

Communication of Volgograd State University

400062, Volgograd, Universitetsky Prospect, 100

E-mail: kontekst-volsu@mail.ru