History of the Faculty

Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications (Faculty of Liberal Education before March 9th, 2015) of Belarusian State University was established on March 11th, 2004.  Regular classes at the faculty began on October 1, 2004, so this date is considered its birthday, celebrated every year by academic staff and students alike.

Although the faculty is relatively new, its history is one of a dynamic institution that strives to keep up with contemporary trends and provides its students with innovative specializations that are currently in demand in our society. “Design” and “International Relations” were the first specialisations offered, and the faculty consisted of only two departments – the Department of Design and General Scientific Disciplines, which brought together teachers of foreign languages and teachers of social and humanitarian disciplines (as of March 9, 2015, it became known as the Department of Computational Linguistics and Linguodidactics). The faculty underwent extensive development and reorganisation during the ensuing years.

In 2005, the Department of General and Clinical Psychology and the Department of Psychophysiology were added to the faculty. The Department of Information Technology was established the next year, in 2006. In 2007, the Department of Management and Healthcare Organisation was transferred to the faculty (from March 9, 2015, – known as the Department of Management and Economics of the Social Sphere). The Department of Human Ecology was established in 2008 as a result of the merger of the University-wide Department of Health and the Faculty of Humanities’ Department of Psychophysiology. Additionally, the Department of Cultural Studies was included into the faculty in 2009 as part of the Faculty of International Relations’ reorganisation. The Department of Foreign Languages served as the foundation for the creation of the Department of Theory and Practice of Translation the same year. In 2013, the Department of German Language was transferred to the faculty. The Department of Fashion Design, as well as the Department of Art and Environmental Design, were added to the faculty in 2018 as part of the State Institute of Management and Social Technologies’ restructuring. In 2018, two departments within the Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications were reorganised: Department of Social Management and Economics was relocated to the Faculty of Economics, and the Department of General and Clinical Psychology was relocated to the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences.

Faculty Specifics

Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications is the newest and unquestionably one of BSU’s most promising faculties, which offers exceptionally high-quality professional training at an unprecedented level. As the role of computers and technological tools in organising the work of any professional is currently as important as ever before, students of all specialities are becoming proficient in computer technologies. The faculty is equipped with a state-of-the-art media library and a language lab. The processes of globalisation and the need to intensify collaboration with foreign partners determine the great attention the Faculty pays to the study of foreign languages.

Teaching provided at the Faculty is in line with modern educational standards. A comprehensive set of sciences constitutes humanitarian knowledge. Students acquire fundamental theoretical knowledge as well as scientific and practical research skills, using professional software, among other things. Practical experience is an essential part of our specialists’ education.

The faculty has developed its own special school of training qualified specialists, the basis of which is the involvement of young people in scientific research, practical developments, social life, including student volunteering. University education is characterised by its comprehensiveness, allowing graduates of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications to be competent and freely navigate all aspects of modern life.

Graduates can continue their studies at the Faculty’s scientific Master’s programme in Art History, Media Design, and Cultural Studies. Admission to the Master’s programme is carried out on a competitive basis. Graduates of the Master’s program who have demonstrated an enthusiasm for research can pursue postgraduate program of the Department of Cultural Studies.

Extensive theoretical training as well as the active practical and research work under the direction of lecturers makes the graduates of the faculty competitive in the current job market. Numerous options for employment are varied and extensive, including positions in the public sector, state-owned companies, industrial corporations, IT companies, banks, travel agencies, mass media, research organisations, and academic institutions.

Teaching provided at the Faculty is in line with modern educational standards. A comprehensive set of sciences constitutes humanitarian knowledge. Students acquire fundamental theoretical knowledge as well as scientific and practical research skills, using professional software, among other things. Hands-on experience is an essential part of our specialists’ education.

Students’ active participation in research and practical development at the Faculty serves as the foundation for the Faculty’s own school of educated specialists, which is a fundamental aspect of the University. University education is characterised by its comprehensiveness, allowing graduates of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications to be competent and freely navigate all aspects of modern life.

Public and Student Activity of the Faculty

An active social life is one of the advantages of being a student of the Faculty. Our students are among the volunteers at world championships, as well as participants of international festivals and forums. As well as the university’s and the faculty’s concerts & creative activities. Many are laureates of various festivals and TV projects.

The Student Self-Governance Council of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Communications is made up of the heads of the following youth organisations: Belarusian Republican Youth Union (BRYU), BSU Student Union, Student Council for Quality Education, Council of Student Group Monitors, editorial board of the newspaper “Gumka”. The faculty has designated a separate room (#709), which will help to create the necessary conditions for these youth organisations to function. Information on the activities of the organisations is presented on the info stands of the Faculty and on the Internet.

The committee’s project “Share the warmth of your soul” started the volunteer movement. Students frequently work with children in unstable homes in the Moskovsky district of Minsk, in addition to visiting orphanages and organising charitable activities. They also support the implementation of programmes designed to aid in the early recovery of children with mental health issues.

The Department of Translation Theory and Practice initiated its volunteer activity in 2009. In September 2009 Brest Rowing Canal hosted the European Rowing Championships. It was the first time our students took part in the preparation and organisation of such a large international event. The soon-to-be interpreters were given the chance to fully demonstrate the skills and expertise that they had acquired over the years. Following the championship, our students were invited to assist with the planning and execution of the World Rowing Championship for athletes under the age of twenty-three, demonstrating their capability as all-around experts capable of offering professional assistance in all spheres of international activity. This offer was the best reward for their diligence and quality work.

Additionally, in 2013, the faculty’s students competed in the European Junior Rowing Championship, European Junior Boxing Championship, European Junior Triathlon Championship, Open Championship of the Republic of Belarus in Pentathlon, and the Olympic wrestling cup, all of which were held for prizes provided by the Olympic champion Alexander Medved’.

The Department of Translation Theory and Practice is currently setting ambitious objectives for its international initiatives.

The Faculty frequently hosts Days of Psychology, History and Law. Students of the Faculty of Sociocultural Communications take an active part in the year-round BSU Spartakiade in the following sports: women’s volleyball, men’s basketball, university cross-country, women’s karate, arm wrestling, mini football, table tennis. Students of the Faculty are provided with their own rooms in the Dormitory No. 10 on 8 Kurchatov Street in Minsk.

The main objective of the joint educational endeavours of the Student Self-Governance Council and the Dean’s Office is to establish the conditions essential for the nurture of a morally developed, intellectually and physically mature student personality. This personality is inherent in social activity, civic responsibility and patriotism, commitment to university traditions and values, readiness for professional self-improvement, and active participation in the nation’s sociocultural and economic life.