HSE’s School of Media Offers English-taught Courses

Last semester, journalism students and international exchange students were able to select two subjects taught in English: American Political Rhetoric and Journalism and International Environment. We decided to learn more about these courses from students and teachers.

What do politicians really talk about?

This question was one of the major motivators for students to enrol in the American Political Rhetoric course. Over two months, they analyzed the great speeches of famous Americans. Students identified oratorical techniques and figures of speech in the Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln and the speech “I Have a Dream”, by Martin Luther King. They produced a written analysis of the speeches and were able to use these techniques themselves in doing so.

Emily Magnus

Exchange student from Canada

I've chosen this course to get more insight into what American political rhetoric is, especially on a domestic level. In my studies, I focus on the Russian & Eurasian region, and we've read many articles written by American scholars which actually contain the kind of that logic and rhetoric that is found in American political speeches and official statements. I wanted to know more about the development of American political rhetoric in general in order to have a more critical approach.

Alessandro Bellantoni

Exchange student from Italy

I chose this course because I’ve always been interested in everything to do with America and I thought it would be a great opportunity to learn something more. I want to learn more about the US and I hope that this course will help me in the future.

Not only did the students analyze speeches by the American greats, they also gave their own. They put themselves in the shoes of politicians and delivered the talks as part of debates modelled on the British Parliament. They presented arguments for and against the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia and debated the problems of modern television.

As Anna Plisetskaya, one of the course teachers, explains, international students have a tendency to perceive information differently from Russian students. After watching video of debates of Kennedy and Romney, the majority of the international students were of the opinion that Romney was more convincing, while many of the Russians felt that Kennedy was the clear winner.

Anna Plisetskaya

PhD in Russian Language

This is the fourth year that I have been teaching this course at our faculty. It is important because it provides students with the opportunity to study good examples of rhetoric- material that can be used to explore effective speech interaction and even the role of mass-media. In addition, it touches on the values of a relatively young country, the process of its formation, and how these values are being used. It’s also, quite simply, a good opportunity to practice English. The students all get involved in debates on actual political topics. This year, I have seen a very high level of involvement by all our students and I am grateful to them for such active participation.

Diving into International Journalism

‘Journalism and International Environment’ two-module course gives students the opportunity to discover the main features of journalism in the USA, Europe and other areas of the world. Students prepare presentations describing one aspect of foreign media. They find out about what news drivers are, the standards that news producers have to meet, and how to define a target audience. 

Edgem Savas

Exchange student from Turkey

I am interested in Journalism and international events all around the world and thought that this course would be interesting for me. All the topics are interesting and I think that the professor should continue to teach the subject in this way. The course is important because it helps students to perceive the world and cultures from different perspectives, and it explains what the international journalism is.

Oleg Dmitriev, the teacher of the course, explains that it has been taught for the first time this year, and that students have been supportive of his initiative to continue it: 

Oleg Dmitriev

Professor at HSE’s School of Media, PhD in Russian Language

I think it’s very important for future journalists to continue to update their knowledge of international journalism and to keep up with the latest trends in the media. It’s even challenging for me as a teacher to do so. This course is a unique chance for the students to stay up-to-date with all the innovations in the media sphere and I am very pleased that our international students from Bulgaria and Turkey attend it with so much enthusiasm. They have already because an integral part of it.

Prepared by Tatyana Beluyga, Yulia Drevova, and Max Spirin