Abstract:

Project “Learn Russian in the European Union”, implemented by Daugavpils University (Latvia) in cooperation with Training Center LatInSoft, provides Russian language study programmes for foreigners, including the university students from Europe and the USA. Most of the students express a desire to study regional issues simultaneously with the language disciplines. Latgale (the south-eastern part of the republic) is traditionally inhabited by people of different ethnicities: Latvians, Russians, Poles, Belarusians, Lithuanians. The natural multicultural environment gives foreigners ample opportunities to immerse themselves in the Balto-Slavic communication context. Study trip is one of the most effective forms of integrated education that allows for developing linguistic competencies and expanding knowledge in the field of regional studies. Study trip is included in the training system and is an important part of the educational process.

The themes of the study trips were developed considering the general programme chosen by a particular group and the preferences of the students. The present paper is based on the assessment questionnaires by 124 students. The greatest demand is for the study trips devoted to the history of Latvia in different periods and the art of those times (a part of the Russian Empire, the period of the First Republic, the period of occupation, the post-Soviet stage). The next thematic group is the religious confessions of the region and associated sacred and artistic objects (Old Believers, Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism, Judaism). The study trip routes dedicated to the local traditional and everyday culture are of great interest. Natural and ecological routes follow. The routes are often elaborated as complex ones, e.g., Daugavpils (Dvinskaya) fortress, built at the beginning of the 19th century, is interesting as a historical object that had different functions in different eras; at present, it attracts tourists also by Mark Rothko Art Centre that is located there. Additionally, the students are offered several study trips to the neighbouring Baltic countries (Lithuania and Estonia), which allows them to introduce the received ideas into a broader regional context.

A study trip involves preliminary classroom training (study of factual material and vocabulary work on the topic, fulfilment of assignments). The forms of the study trips can be varied: lecture with elements of discussion, quest, collection of practical material for a little research, communication with the local residents, exchange of impressions, etc. After the study trip, a generalizing class follows to fix the linguistic component and to discuss the obtained information.

Keywords:

The Russian language, study trip, regional studies, cultural context.