Prospects for Liberal Arts Education Development in Russian Universities

Abstract

In this paper, we analyze the model of liberal arts (“liberal arts and sciences education”, in the Russian tradition), one of the most popular versions of the comprehensive academic reform designed to solve a number of problems in higher education: overcome the disciplinary specialization crisis, increase the demand for university graduates in the labor market, develop the sense of civic consciousness among graduates and transform the genome of “homo sovieticus” into that of “homo economicus”. We discuss the proceedings of the 2012 international conference devoted to liberal arts and sciences education in Russia and the world, identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the model in the Russian educational context. Finally, we analyze the expected outcomes of introducing the liberal arts education, the forms and methods of such introduction, and viability of the model in the Russian context.