Samara State University

Pre-Reading task: What do you know about your alma mater?

Samara State University is a classical multi-faculty university and a leading educational institution of higher education in Samara Oblast, Russia. There are twelve public and thirteen commercial institutions of higher education on its territory.

Higher educational institutions train specialists in many areas. These specialists can handle urgent problems of the country’s economy, for example, the creation of new financial and economic structures, power- and resource-saving technologies, advanced technologies in medicine and others. Samara State University as well as Technical, Medical and AerospaceUniversities, are the largest scientific technopolises.

Samara State University is a higher educational institution that provides a comprehensive five-year course of study. First degrees and certificates are awarded to the graduates.

SSU traces back to August 1918. Great Russian psychologist professor Nechaev became the first Rector of our University. In 1927 the University was closed down, and it was reopened in 1969.

At present the University has following faculties or divisions (BrE), or schools (AmE): Mechanics and Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Sociology, History, Law, Economy and Management, Psychology and Philology (Liberal Arts faculty). Besides there is a Research Centre and a Computer Centre. The University has full-time department, part-time department and correspondence department.

SSU has its own newspaper, a regularly printed academic journal, as well as journals for students publications.

The University provides good conditions for study. The University staff consists of well-qualified teachers with a high expertise, famous for their research works. All the departments of the University comprise about 5 thousand students. It is traditionally considered to be the most prestigious University in Samara and the area, especially with its highly competitive and demanded programmes in the English Language, Law, Sociology and Political Science, International Relations, Psychology.

VOCABULARY

full-time department – отделение дневного обучения

part-time department – отд. вечернего обучения, correspondence department - отд. заочного обучения

to comprise = to include - включать, состоять.

fee-paying department – платное отделение

maintained department – бюджетное отделение

first degree – диплом о в/о (то же, что степень бакалавра [bachelor's degree]

to trace back – восходить к…

faculties, divisions (BrE), schools (AmE) – факультет

programme (AmE) - факультетское отделение

department/chair – отделение или кафедра

Liberal Arts - гуманитарные науки

1. Say if these statements are right or wrong:

1. Samara Region is one of the largest centres of education in the Urals Region.
2. These specialists can handle urgent problems of the country’s politics, for example, the creation of new political structures, some new election technologies.
3. Great Russian psychologist professor Nechaev became the next Rector of our University.
4. Samara State University (SSU) is a higher educational institution that provides a full five-year professional course of studies.
5. At present the University has following faculties, or divisions, or schools: Mechanics and Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Sociology, History, Law, Economy and Management, Psychology and Philology.
6. The University has a part-time department and a correspondence department.
7. The departments of the University comprise about three thousand students.
8. I am a student of the History Department.
9. Samara State University is a traditional multi-faculty university.

2. Answer the questions:

1. How many state higher educational institutions are there in the Volga Region?
2. Samara State University, technical, medical and aerospace universities, are the largest scientific technopolises, aren’t they?
3. When did the University have to stop its activities?
4. When did the University reopen?
5. Does the University provide good conditions for study or does it provide good conditions for rest?
6. Is the University staffed with fully qualified teachers or with unskilled teachers?
7. What is research work, in your opinion? How do you understand it?
8. What faculties/schools does the University have?
9. How many students does the University comprise?