Usable Pasts
In 2015, the international MA in English will launch, called Applied and Interdisciplinary History 'Usable Pasts'. The programme is headed by Associate Professor at the School of History, Julia Lajus, who told us about it.
— How is this programme different from other history MAs?
— This is the first MA programme on our campus, and the first English-language programme HSE has ever offered.
Our programme is distinguished by its applied nature, as it will give not only academic but also practical knowledge, which is in ever more demand in the post-industrial society: the ability to analyze the connections between current and past events, and to write analytical notes, work with the media and tourist firms, and more.
The programme’s international nature is a significant advantage: we are planning to attract not only international students, but also tutors from other countries, and also to offer internships for students in European, and possibly U.S. universities, which are key to the programme's success.
Applied (or as it is called in the U.S. – public) history is a discipline that has been somewhat neglected in our country, and was mainly considered an ancillary product of academic historical research and education. We are trying to change this, which is why we have built a study course based on the finest examples of applied history as taught in the world's leading universities.
As an interdisciplinary course, a significant amount of attention is given to technological and environmental history – the history of the interaction between man and nature, history of law, economic history, and the dialogue with social sciences, which is vital to any examination of the creation and functioning of historical memory.
— What special features are there in how this course is taught? What role does academic research play?
— It is important to stress that a significant focus will be placed on the history of Russia and St. Petersburg – a city that is included in the UNESCO cultural heritage site list, which, with its unique and diverse monuments and listed buildings in the city outskirts offers unparalleled opportunities for practical studies in applied history. This will undoubtedly interest international students.
We are broadly positioning the programme among the other areas of research in transnational history. After all, it is impossible to study history without considering the movement of different peoples, changing borders, and economic and cultural ties, not to mention the extent to which the history of these lands is woven into the broader history of the Baltic. But the history of the Baltic region will just be one of three 'geographical' tracks in the programme. The other two are focused on the history and heritage of the polar north, including the arctic region, and the global south.
In addition to writing an MA dissertation, MA students will complete periods of work experience in museums, natural parks, tourist firms and so on. We are currently actively working to conclude partnership agreements on these arrangements.
— What kind of students do you expect to attract? Will the programme be open to students whose undergraduate degree is not in history?
— Ideally, we would like to see graduates of Russian and international BA courses enroll, no knowledge of the Russian language is required, but a certain interest in Russian culture would help. However, we hope that, longer term, we will attract students who have a clear interest in applied history. This kind of programme is essentially quite a new development in Europe (the United States has a longer tradition of teaching public history), it is a fast-developing area, which means that the demand is there and that there will be demand for our course.
As for fundamental education, one of the advantages of our programme is that we plan to accept BA students from a variety of different educational disciplines, who are fluent in English. We welcome applications from motivated BA graduates from the humanities, social sciences, economics or management, and also those who studied geography, ecology, economics, and engineering sciences at undergraduate level. Those students will be offered courses in history.
See also:
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Ten: 'Number, Please?'
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The final episode of the series recounts how men were unable to cope with telephone operator jobs and were replaced by tall and polite young women. However, as telephone networks expanded, the role of the intermediary became unproductive, eventually rendering the switchboard operator profession obsolete due to automation—not the first nor the last time such a thing has happened. As for Alexander Graham Bell, he used the earnings from inventing the telephone to promote science, educate people about the world around us, and pursue new inventions.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Nine: Big Connections
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The ninth episode of the series explores the development of the first long-distance, interstate, and transatlantic telephone lines, which suddenly made people thousands of kilometres away feel as close as if they were in the same room together.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Eight: The Russian Field of Experiments
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The eighth episode of the series recounts how Russia first adapted the telephone for military and logistical purposes, created a shell company headed by a nominal executive for reselling the rights to Western competitors, and intensively developed communication infrastructure in the country's two capitals, making such progress that Vladimir Lenin insisted on capturing and maintaining control of telephone exchanges at all costs.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Seven: German Efficiency
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The seventh episode in the series recounts the story of German bureaucrats, who proved to be the most astute in Europe by ensuring effective telephony first for themselves and subsequently for all major cities in Germany. However, even there, the government's dominant role over the free market slowed down the adoption of the new technology.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Six: The Telephone's Misadventures in France
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The sixth episode of the series recounts events in France when the private owner of the telephone network was compelled to sell it to the government at a knockdown price, and the impact it had on the development of communications in the country. Spoiler alert: the impact, naturally, was detrimental.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Five: From the US Free Market to Conservative Britain
In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The fifth episode of the series chronicles the early experiences of the telegraph and telephone in Great Britain, shedding light on the challenges they faced, and explores the adverse impact of excessive government regulation and nationalisation on the evolution of telecommunications.
Peacocks, Pepper, and Petrol: The Early History of Imports from Asia
Petroleum for equine care, wood oil for lighting, sandalwood for Easter celebrations, and lemons and olives for entertaining unexpected guests. Russian monasteries often used these and other eastern goods in the period leading up to and during the reign of Peter the Great. Analysing their account books leads to a revision of the traditional assumptions about the primary consumers of oriental goods in Russia. These consumers, in addition to the royal and aristocratic circles, included monastery estates, as discussed in the paper ‘“Three altyns worth of petroleum…”: Oriental goods in Russia at the second half of the 17th and early 18th century’ by historian Arthur Mustafin of HSE University. Based on his paper, IQ.HSE explores the types of goods that were shipped from the East to Russia in the latter half of the 17th to the early 18th century, including the routes and purposes of these shipments.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Four: David the Start-up Versus the Corporate Goliath
The history of the invention of telephony reads like a captivating detective novel, but even more intriguing are the events that contributed to the worldwide adoption of this technology. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The fourth episode of the series recounts the story of the fledgling start-up's confrontation with hordes of patent trolls and its subsequent victory in a full-blown corporate war against the largest telecommunications company of the late 19th century.
‘In Search of the Key to the Past’: Students of HSE Art and Design School in Nizhny Novgorod Develop Collection of Souvenirs
The HSE Art and Design School in Nizhny Novgorod, together with the ‘Protected Quarters’ project to revive Nizhny Novgorod’s historical territories, have carried out the ‘Timeless’ creative project, which included a design laboratory and an educational programme. As a result of the creative workshop, students made concepts for souvenir products based on the local identity.
How the Telephone Conquered the World. Episode Three: Connecting People
Today, we can make a telephone call to anyone, anywhere in the world—but this was not always the case. In this series of columns on IQ.HSE, Anton Basov, HSE Faculty of Computer Science editor, discusses how telephones have become an integral part of our everyday life. The third episode focuses on the evolution of telephone connections, the first subscribers, and the history of the telephone directory.