Abstract:

Patriotism, the inspiring love for a country, plays an important role in making good citizens, fostering a sense of solidarity, support and obligation to perform civic duties and responsibilities.

Currently, in the Russian Federation there are the following state programs related to patriotic education: "Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation for 2016–2020" (2015) and the "Strategy for Education Development in the Russian Federation for 2015-2025" (2015).

The Faculty of Ecology of RUDN University enrolls candidates for Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree educational programs. Graduates become those experts who can deal with the environmental impact assessment and monitoring of the environment, calculation of the risks of the impact of various economic activities on nature, industrial development of the territory, creation of environmental protection schemes, development of systems of waste storage, processing and disposal, eco-economic analysis of the activity of an enterprise.

Therefore, the great need exists for ecologists to be socially committed and socially responsible, i.e. work in ways that are not harmful to the society or the environment. They ought to carefully consider the ethical aspects and the overall consequences of their work, to be aware of the effect that technology, industry, economic expansion have on the environment of the country, to have a vested interest in protecting our environment, in ensuring that this unique country is for generations to come.
The paper aims at providing the initial report of the mental reactions of Ecological Faculty students to the concept of patriotism. The term “patriotism” is used to refer to love of a country as well as to an ideology, which holds that one’s primary allegiance should be to one’s country and its citizens’ needs. Patriotism is considered as a virtue and environmentalism – as one of its important manifestations.

The subjects for the present study were Bachelor’s students of Ecological Faculty of RUDN University. The survey was conducted in September-October 2020. The participants completed a self‐administered questionnaire. The results were assessed and the conclusions related to the current stage of the study were made.

Keywords:

Values, patriotism, ecologists, Bachelor’s students, case study.