The date of celebration of the International Graduate Day is associated with the publication of the documents of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR regulating the system of training future academics. These documents were "Regulations on scientific workers of universities" and "Instructions on the procedure for training scientists at research institutes and universities in applied, exact and natural sciences". Both documents were published on January 21, 1925.
How did you make the decision to go to graduate school?
— I have always considered graduate school a natural continuation of education, the third stage of education. Therefore, I had no doubts that I needed to go further and gain knowledge in the field of my academic interests. In addition, it is always a pleasure to return to the walls of your alma mater.
What is your area of academic interest? What will your dissertation be about?
— Starting with reports and undergraduate term papers, the topic of perpetuating the memory of the Great Patriotic War has been the main channel of my interests. In my dissertation, I decided not to deviate from the intended course and continue to develop this topic. In this work, I plan to address the topic of memorialization from the point of view of the activities of search organizations.
What is it like to study in graduate school? How is it different from getting a Master's or Bachelor's degree?
— I can’t say that the learning process is radically different. It is the same class format, same tests and exams. However, teachers no longer treat you as a student, but as a colleague. But besides the pleasant sense of inclusion in the academic environment, this also carries a great responsibility.
What are the benefits of graduate studies for a young scholar?
— When you interact directly with the faculty, it provides incredible benefits in the context of gaining valuable experience, as well as promptly obtaining information about conferences and round tables. There is no better opportunity for professional growth. In addition, graduate studies offer a number of disciplines that are aimed directly at your specialization.
Do you manage to combine your graduate studies with work?
“Fortunately, the classes are held in the evenings, so it is not difficult to attend them after work. On the other hand, you need to understand that if you decide to dedicate your life to academic activities, then this will take up a certain part of your personal time.
You are a participant of the project “Archivists – Participants of the Great Patriotic War”. How did the idea for this project come about? What was your goal when you started working on the project?
- The idea to collect information about the participants of the Great Patriotic War among the students and teachers of the Institute of History and Archives had been around for several years. This was a fairly natural desire, since the data was scattered, which prompted us to start reconstructing the fate of the soldiers piece by piece. However, this idea was brought to fruition only now, thanks to the initiative of Ms. Oksana Antonova, who suggested we take part in the competition of student projects.
How was the process of collecting information about the heroes of your research organized?
It was a very long and arduous process. It all started with a search through lists of names engraved on a memorial plaque in the building of the Institute of History and Archives. Another important step was the study of the works of our teachers on the history of the Institute, which gave ground for further research. Memoirs, archival documents, photographs were studied, we even managed to communicate with the relatives of one of the soldiers! Our team tried to approach this search comprehensively.
Where and how is the information collected within the project applied? Do you plan to continue working on it?
The work is definitely not over. It will take a long time to refine, supplement and verify the data we obtained. However, at this stage, the collection in which the information was published is a good start, because it means we have laid the groundwork, thanks to which those who are interested will be able to learn about the soldiers without looking for bits of information here and there.
What recommendations can you give to students who plan to dedicate their lives to academia?
The main thing is to understand what you want to do. If you are interested in your topic, then it will always be only a joy to deal with it, because each new fact collected in the course of research is a great treasure, especially if it was obtained with difficulty.
The training of future academics at RSUH (until 1991 - Moscow State Institute of History and Archives) has amassed a great deal of experience and developed its own traditions. The graduate school of the Institute has existed since 1932. At present, the University's graduate school offers programs in 13 areas and 30 tracks for future academics. 18 specialties are offered at the postdoc level.
