SAS Highlights – 2023
Dear friends, colleagues, and SAS partners,
I would like to extend my warmest wishes for a Happy New Year to all of you!
As we embark upon the new year, I take this opportunity to reflect on the significant moments of 2023 and look forward to the opportunities that 2024 holds for us.
Artificial Intelligence
SAS is an innovative institution that has always been at the forefront of educational innovation. In 2023, there was a rapid expansion of AI that challenged key educational formats related to students' independent work. Naturally, SAS could not lag behind.
The priority of SAS and the University of Tyumen is to develop, test, and implement AI tools in the educational process. To achieve this, we organized a practicum on AI in higher education and created an incentive system for teachers who experiment with AI in their courses. Our aim is to create new educational formats and effectively prepare our students for a world with AI. We welcome anyone interested in this subject to join our team, either remotely or in-person.
New Faculty
In 2023, SAS welcomed six new professors from Spain, Australia, the USA, Mexico, Turkey, and Russia. Each of them brings their unique academic experience, professional knowledge, and teaching approach. Our students have already come to appreciate them — and we wish them success in the new year!
New BA Majors
This year, SAS introduced a new major, “International Relations under Uncertainty”. The absence of such a major had long seemed strange in the Russian most international BA program. In 2024, we plan to open a Philosophy major, which is logical for a School where many philosophers teach.
Most exciting is the opening of a joint program in social sciences with the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences (Shaninka) in 2024. This is a “2+2” program, where students will spend the first two years of their BA at SAS and the next two years at Shaninka, combining the two schools' strongest features: international, interdisciplinary, English-language education at our School and in-depth study of sociology at Shaninka.
New Core Program
In 2023, SAS made significant changes to the set of required courses for first and second-year students. As a result, our students will be even more informed, reflective, and well-rounded individuals by the time they choose a major at the end of their 2nd year. Additionally, starting in 2024, SAS students will be required to choose both a major and a minor. While previously an option, double specialization will become an essential characteristic of all our graduates.
Special Events
The year 2023 was full of events for different audiences. We organized the classic Summer School and Intensive for high school students, as well as a new format for us, Bootcamp, to prepare 11th graders for the unified state exam. In 2024, we will continue with the next educational Intensive, “You. University. Future,” which will be held on March 1-3.
The most significant event of the year was the “Critical Juncture” conference, organized by our students, which focused on the juncture between humanities and mathematics. The conference was combined with the finals of the “Russian Music 2.0” competition organized by the Aksenov Family Foundation. The conference was attended by faculty, scholars, and students from nine universities. The event concluded with a concert featuring premieres of works by composers who won the “Russian Music 2.0” competition, performed by the Moscow Ensemble of Contemporary Music.
Open Quarter for the Public
During the open quarter, 186 people visited SAS classes in November and December. The most popular course was 'Fashion and Philosophy' taught by Devin Wangert and Xindi Li. The course demonstrated how philosophical theories can be revealed through the study of fashion. After the new year, SAS plans to offer open classes on the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze, taught jointly by SAS faculty and students.
Future
Although 2023 was a very productive year, 2024 promises to be even more fruitful. Thank you for all your support and participation in our community. We hope that 2024 will bring you even more inspiration and opportunities for discovery.
Best wishes,
Andrey Shcherbenok, PhD
Director, School of Advanced Studies (SAS)