Professor from France Suggests Launching Master Courses Jointly with ASU

Prof. Charlotte Lenoir from Artois University (Arras, France) has come to Astrakhan State University to give a cycle of lectures in intercultural management. On May 22, she met Dr. Konstantin Markelov, our Acting Rector, to discuss further cooperation.

Partnership between the two universities began in 2014. Thanks to it, the two parties carry out joint research and educational projects; Russian students go to study in France; professors of the two countries take part in academic mobility programs.

Prof. Lenoir shared her impressions of her initial lecture, which she gave at our University. She appreciated our students’ being attentive and open. Even though she gives her lectures in English, our students have no problems in perception of information. Her audience includes students of two Departments – our Department of Foreign Languages and our Department of World Economy & Management. For each of the young people, the sphere in intercultural communications is most likely to pay a considerable role in their further careers.

Nowadays, in the epoch of globalization and broad international contacts, specialists who are able to get in touch with other countries are becoming of higher demand than ever. Prof. Lenoir supervises the master courses “Languages & Intercultural Management”. She discussed prospects of launching a similar course at ASU with Dr. Markelov. That master course could train specialists who speak several foreign languages and who are able to launch, develop, and supervise international projects considering with their partners’ national and cultural specific features. The program could be of special interest for people of both Astrakhan and the neighboring countries.

The suggested master program is already being implemented jointly with the University of Porto (Portugal) and the Kore University of Enna (Sicily, Italy). Prof. Lenoir pointed out that a network educational program is also possible; a student could study at several EU and Russian universities. ASU could become one of the sites for those master courses; its people could study in France, Italy, or Portugal.

Dr. Markelov remarked that this field of activities is great interest for our University. Export of education is one of the major activities at the federal level; ASU ought to use any opportunity to initiate international cooperation and exchange experience.