Polydialogue. The University-wide Open Days

The Belarusian State University arranged Open Days for applicants. Open Days provide excellent opportunities to learn about the University, and particularly about the History Faculty. Read the conversation and note down the reasons to choose the History Faculty. Act out the conversation.

The Dean: One of the most important decisions you will take in your life is the choice of university at which to pursue your education. My advice is to consider all the options open to you and to identify the “best” department in terms of what’s best for you. I hope that you will find our talk helpful and informative when making your choice.

An Applicant: Is competition for entry the History Department strong?

The Dean: I should say that the standard of applicants at our Department is high.

An Applicant: Do the students at your Department have opportunity to choose the modules which will develop their interests?

The Dean: The History Department offers a wide range of modular courses form the Palaeolithic to the present day. You may take up Ancient and Medieval History, the History of Slavs, the History of the Republic of Belarus, Archaeology, Archives, Museology, Records Management, Modern History and Politics. Therefore you will have every opportunity to choose the modules which will develop your particular strength and interests.

An Applicant: Does the University have good facilities for research work?

The Dean: Teaching at university is research-led, ensuring that our students are exposed to leading-edge innovation and thinking. Our staff are regularly engaged in supervising the work of research students within their particular specialities. The University has links with many European Universities. Our Department is successful in foreign programmes. It has received high assessment of research work. The Department holds an increasing number of international scientific conferences.

A 3-rd year student: Our students benefit it from excellent library facilities. The latest information technology is available. A computer room is used for teaching of computer modules. You are expected to do a great deal of reading by yourself, and you are given book lists at all stages to guide you in this.

The Dean: I’d like to add that research work at our Department is carried out by individuals rather than by group.

The teacher of Archaeology: But in archaeology there is a natural tendency for research programmes to develop around particular excavations and the materials which they produce.

An Archaeology Student: Archaeology is an exciting discipline. If you study archaeology, you will have the opportunity of working in purpose-built laboratories, and have access to a range of photographic and drawing facilities. Excavations and surveys are and integral part of the archaeology course.

A museology Student: If you have an interest in applied science, enjoy the arts and like practical work, the course in conservation of objects in museums may be the ideal scheme to suit your needs. The Department provides training in the techniques of investigative conservation, work on a broad range of artifacts. Dating from prehistory to the present day. Together, our Department provides a balanced blend of theory and practice.

An applicant: What are employment prospects after graduating from the university?

The Dean: Close interaction with a wide range of professional bodies and other organizations, external to the University, ensures that schemes provide you with the skills needed by employers. Some of our students go on to careers which make direct use of the subjects they have studied: for example, many archaeology students find careers as professional archaeologists or in museums, and others (particularly historians) become teachers or lecturers.

A post-graduate student: It is important to realize, however, that a humanities degree is a qualification for a very wide variety of jobs in industry and business, the Civil Service and local government and elsewhere. Not all jobs require specific disciplines or skills, and very many employers (perhaps the majority) are looking for people who, in addition to a good educational achievements, are articulate, capable of thinking for themselves and able to tackle problems intelligently. In this sense, the degree schemes offered at the University are an excellent preparation for a wide range of interesting and rewarding careers.

A 5^th year student: I believe that Minsk with all the facilities of a capital city is one of the finest places in which to study in our country.

The Dean: As you study the events, the places, the people, I hope you will ask many questions. Some questions may be about history: “What caused these people to make decisions they did?” or “How do we know about these events?” Most of all, I hope you will catch the excitement of thinking, questioning and discovering answers about the world.

I wish you every success in your future studies.