International Scientific and Practical conference through postgraduate students’ eyes

Ksenia Makarova

 

First year postgraduate student of the Department of Foreign Languages of the HSE

 

 

Volunteering is a unique opportunity to feel like being a ‘multifunctional’ person. It’s volunteer work that allows you to assess the significance of the event, it’s time when you can look at the situation from a completely different perspective, to watch it from the sidelines, while being a part of it. You see how many different people have come to the event. Some visitors come to share their experience and others — to get it. To make the long story short, I can say that it was just an intensive exchange of ideas, experience and emotions.

Anastasia Gulevataya

First year postgraduate student of the Department of Foreign Languages of the HSE

The first two winter days at the Higher School of Economics were dedicated to the second International Scientific and Practical Conference ‘Strategies of Intercultural Communication in the Modern World: Culture, Education, politics’. The participants were scientists: research doctorates in Linguistics and Pedagogy and PhDs. Should postgraduates visit such an event? And what for? After two days spent listening to presentations and discussions of various scientific issues, there’s no more space for doubt: yes, they should, and there’s a number of compelling reasons for it.

It is worth mentioning that we had an opportunity to participate in the Scientific and Practical Conference both as volunteers and listeners. Everyone had a choice, and those who were especially active were able to combine these two forms of participation. There is no doubt that the volunteer-organizational part is a huge responsibility. One’s willingness to take a part of responsibility was generously awarded (that we are not talking about tasty pies!). Those who had chosen to visit the conference as a listener had many other privileges. Which ones?

• Whilst being a vast amount of work coupled with stress for the organizers and speakers, the conference is a gala day for the listeners. And this day promised intellectual and aesthetic pleasure from brilliant presentations, talented speakers and vital discussions that expand one’s cognitive horizons. Could we miss such a chance?
• A vast scale of conference topics, which were multidimensional and non-trivial, and the speakers who were self-sufficient and unique in their presentation manner, made the listeners face a problem (I wish everyone had such problems!) — which section to visit? Having a plenary meeting is a good thing — it solves the problem of choice, at least for a couple of hours in the morning.
• This is the opportunity to see new perspectives, and not for our future research only. The conference gives new insight into current scientific problems of philology, linguistics and teaching as a whole: something you had only an indistinct notion of, turns into a clear and vivid picture. If you have a proactive life stance, are able to observe the reality with great attention and take any life experience with gratitude, taking advantage of it, the participation in the conference will have a prolonged energizing effect on you. I admit honestly: now I have a desire to discover a third new role for myself — to become a speaker at a conference. I believe I am not the only one to have received some amount of vivacity and motivation for future scientific accomplishments in the winter time which lacks sun and vitamins so much.
• All the above mentioned would not have any value without competently created atmosphere that includes scientific discussions, new acquaintances, informal communication and even… lively dances! The concert that had been held in the end of the first day’s meetings, allowed the students to see our favourite professors from the new and unexpected creative side.
• Having studied at the university for a while, you know a thing or two about Practical and Scientific Conference, including the fact that it is a form of professional communication (and it’s always good when you have something to compare it with). The HSE conference, namely the conference held by the Department of the Foreign Languages, turns the trivial understanding of the scientific meetings over. Say no to routine school day, welcome new scientific and academic insights!