Results of HSE St Petersburg Summer School 2023
In August, the HSE University-St Petersburg Summer School came to an end. The participants attended courses in political science, Russian, and finance given by professors of HSE University-St Petersburg, got to know the city, and saw the sights as part of the cultural programme. The summer school hosted students from nine countries: China, Vietnam, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Germany, Uzbekistan and Russia.
This year, the summer school was divided into three thematic blocks: 'Russian Language and Literature', 'Political Science and International Relations', and 'Economics and Finance'. The studies were held both in English and Russian. More than 90% of the summer school students came from abroad.
The 'Political Science' section included the course 'Public Administration in the Post-Soviet Space' delivered by Andrey Starodubtsev. The lectures were attended by students from China, Japan and Uzbekistan. The course was devoted to political processes in the post-Soviet space, the societies of these countries, and state structures.
Huhongsheng He, China
For me, taking part in the course delivered in Russian was a real challenge, but also a unique experience at the same time. I learnt a lot of new things about the politics of former Soviet countries. I also liked that even though I was the only attendee who did not speak Russian, the professor and other students were always ready to discuss everything with me in English. The summer school truly impressed me thanks to the highly competent professors and staff, who were passionate about their work and showed kindness and great spiritual qualities which are reflected, in my opinion, in St Petersburg itself. After sixteen days here, I realised that it is the best city I have ever been to. I am sincerely grateful to HSE University-St Petersburg for this opportunity. As an ambassador of Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, I am looking forward to new exchange programmes and cooperation between HSE University and XJTLU.
Andrey Starodubtsev, Professor of the course 'Public Administration in the Post-Soviet Space'
During the summer school, I taught 'Public Administration in the Post-Soviet Space' for students from three countries: Uzbekistan, Japan and China. For two weeks, I had an opportunity to talk about what I am interested in with people who came to Russia to study this course in particular. The chance to get an audience with such a level of motivation is rare, but the HSE University-St Petersburg Summer School gave me this unique opportunity. In particular, I want to thank the students from the Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, who were a real driver of the whole course by asking questions and talking about social processes in Central Asian countries.
This year, the course 'Modern Russia: Language and Culture' was held in two sessions from July 3–28. The participants were divided into several groups according to their Russian language proficiency—from elementary to advanced. During the studies, the students were not only introduced to the grammar, phonetics and vocabulary of the Russian language, but also learned more about literature and art.
Alevtina Iagodova, Professor of the course 'Modern Russia: Language and Culture'
I am very grateful to the HSE-St Petersburg International Office for the opportunity to meet students from different parts of the world who are united by the desire to study Russian in a classroom again after a long break. Thanks to the well-organised summer school course 'Modern Russia: Language and Culture', the students and I enjoyed discussing lots of topics ranging from cuisine to space, learnt a lot of interesting things about each other and ourselves, and agreed to meet in St Petersburg more often to continue our conversations about the beautiful and eternal.
Marco De Martini, Italy
I really liked the professionalism of Nadezhda Osipova, curator of the summer school, who was always available and ready to help in various situations. As for the course 'Modern Russia: Language and Culture', it turned out to be outstanding. I would like to highlight the work of our amazing professors—Evgeniya Dobrenko and Alevtina Iagodova. The format of the classes also suited the summer vacation perfectly—it was pleasant and not too intense. I am definitely interested in participating in further winter and summer schools. I rate it 10/10.
The course 'Finance, Corporations and Sustainability' was held online and was attended by students from China, Japan and Russia. The classes were taught by professors from the departments of Finance and Management: Varvara Nazarova, Victor Krakovich, Vasilisa Makarova, Iya Churakova and Liudmila Veselova.
Anton Shestakov, Russia
The course was very useful to me, and the professors delivered a lot of material in the form of intensive classes perfectly. I think that the most valuable material was that on risk management with the use of time series in R. It was very difficult, but at the same time extremely interesting in terms of practical application.
Varvara Nazarova, Professor of the course 'Finance, Corporations and Sustainability'
In the course 'Finance, Corporations and Sustainability', students from different countries got to know the key trends in the market of corporate finance, learned about the main categories of a company's financial health, and assessed the prospects of leading world corporations. In 'Experimental Models in Finance', the students built models, forecasted the profitability and risks of the financial assets, built portfolios, and learnt how to maximise their capital. The course 'Building an Effective Strategy for Risk-Management' introduced them to the use of specialised programmes for risk-analysis modelling and choosing the most important tools for mitigating the consequences of risks. In the course on intercultural communication in business, the students learnt the main principles of cross-cultural communication and discussed the unique features of Asian business culture as illustrated by China and India. In the final module, the students immersed themselves in financial analysis of a company and learned additional tools for financial management. The attendees also learned the principles of lean accounting for financial experts. The studies finished with 'Points of Transformation', a business simulation in which the students could put all their new knowledge into practice.
In addition, there was a cultural programme for participants of the HSE St-Petersburg Summer School, including a excursion to the Hermitage, a trip to Peterhof, a boat trip along St Petersburg's rivers and canals, and much more—all of which left the students with warm memories.
Nguyen Do, Vietnam
The HSE St Petersburg Summer School exceeded all my expectations and left a huge impression on me. The whole course was taught by devoted, supportive professors who consistently showed their comprehensive knowledge and practical methods of teaching. All of this helped me to learn the basics of the Russian language and appreciate its beauty. HSE University also organised an unforgettable cultural programme thanks to which I saw the extraordinary fountains in Peterhof and enjoyed a boat trip along the Neva River with my international friends from the summer school. Every corner of St Petersburg mesmerised and deeply impressed me. I am incredibly grateful for the valuable time spent at HSE University this summer. The wonderful memories and knowledge gained during the HSE St Petersburg Summer School will keep inspiring me in countless ways.
At the end of the Summer School, the participants received certificates, as well as ECTS credits which are valid at foreign universities. This means that ECTS credits received for the course can be added to those gained at other universities. In addition, participation in the summer school grants extra points for the admissions portfolio required to enrol in master's programmes at HSE University-St Petersburg.