A new Faculty of Foreign Languages at SPbU
March 27, the Academic Council has announced its decision to support a proposal to open a new Faculty of Foreign Languages.
Since October 2016, the University has had open discussions between the departments of foreign languages concerning opening a new faculty which would incorporate all those departments in Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Law, Economics, History and others. In March, most of the departments of foreign languages submitted notes from the minutes of the department meetings to support an initiative to open a new faculty.
In mid-March, Dean of the Faculty of Philology L.A. Verbitskaia met on her own initiative with the heads of the departments of foreign languages and SPbU Rector Nikolay Kropachev. The departments discussed a wide range of academic and administration issues that they were facing: education, methodological issues, research; entrance and final examinations in foreign languages; administration and information support; how the departments are represented in the Academic Council, Methodological and Research Commissions of the Faculty of Philology; openness and transparency.
March 20, the Academic Council of the Faculty of Philology unanimously agreed to open a new faculty that would bring together academic staff of those departments, with support of standing commission on research and methodological issues at SPbU. March27, SPbU Academic Council voted openly, with only two members abstaining from a vote, to support a proposal to open a new faculty.
— Students are eager to study English for Specific Purposes, General English is not enough. Our instructors are developing English for Chemistry, Economics, Mathematics, Law, and Psychology to name but a few, as well as the courses in professional translation, —said Acting Dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Head of the Department of English Language for Law and Economics S.Iu. Rubtsova. — Moreover, the University is going to develop international testing systems in foreign languages: English, German, French, Spain and others. To that end, the University has signed an agreement with the University of Cambridge and is planning to start collaboration with other world’s testing centres. The tests will be administered by our accredited instructors, with many of them accredited by the Cambridge International Examinations and others.
Moreover, the departments will be represented in the Methodological and Research Commissions and Academic Councils to discuss education, methodological, research and administration issues.