International Cooperation Experience of the Historical
Departmentof PetrozavodskStateUniversity through
the Centre on Historical and Cultural Studies
of the Northern Europe of NEOU
L. Arinina, S. Verigin
PetrozavodskStateUniversity,
Petrozavodsk, Russia
Northern European Open University (NEOU) was established on the basis of PetrozavodskStateUniversity on September 12, 2000. Centre on Historical and Cultural Studies of the Northern Europe (based on the Historical Department) was set up in the framework of the NEOU in September 2000. The region of the Northern Europe includes the Scandinavian countries and Finland as well as republics and regions of the European North of the Russian Federation such as Republic of Karelia, Republic of Komi, Murmansk, Archangelsk, and Vologda regions.
The establishment of the Centre was caused by the necessity to provide joint training and research basis for integration processes of the universities and other research institutions in the sphere of training of highly qualified researchers on the history and culture of the Northern Europe. Livening up the joint research investigations of the northern territories was the other strong point.
Historical Department has widespread research relations with universities and research institutions of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Archangelsk, Murmansk and other towns of Russian European North. Moreover, it has relations with foreign partners, first of all, with those in the Nordic countries. The idea of the Centre establishing met with approval of the research community both in Russia and among foreign partners.
Universities of Finland (Joensuu and Helsinki) and Sweden (Umeo) became the main partners in the realization of the Centre establishment project. The scholars from these universities agreed to give lectures and seminars on history, languages and culture of the Scandinavian countries, help in selection essential research and study literature, head the probation periods and post-graduate school of the Historical Department of PetrSU.
The Presentation the Centre took place on September 14, 2000 during the days of celebration of the 60th Anniversary of PetrSU. The Centre got a room in the study building №1 of PetrSU (406 Anokhin street, 20), computers and other office equipment. Sergey Verigin, the Dean of the Historical Department, is the Director of the Centre. A salary of a Manager of the Centre was provided. At present time Liubov Arinina is the Manager of the Centre (she is a graduate of the Historical Department of PetrSU of 2004 and a post-graduate student now). Since 2003 Einar Laidinen has become a vice-director of the Centre.
Selection of the staff is an essential factor for the good activity of any organization. Thereupon the manager of the Centre is an important figure. To achieve set tasks the manager did preparatory courses, visited the courses of project managers, fundraising. Whatismore, Centre’s affiliation with the NEOU makes it easier for the Director, Vice-Director, and Manager of the Centre to communicate with colleagues working in adjacent research fields, to exchange information, experience, and opinions. One of the most important points that the Centre’s direction follows in its work is the idea of the necessity and importance to promote trans-border cooperation.
The work of the Centre involves a tight cooperation with many universities, colleges and research institutes including universities of Moscow, Saint-Petersburg, Archangelsk, Murmansk, Vologda, Siktivkar. The Centre has also foreign partners as Alexander Institute of Helsinki University, University of Joensuu, University of Oulu (all from Finland), South-StockholmUniversity, University of Umeo and Luleo University of Technology (all from Sweden).
Within the last five years the Centre organized 10 international conferences and seminars, of which the most important are «European North and NATO: the past and the present», «60th Anniversary of the End of WWII in the North-West of the USSR». It also hosted three international summer schools joint with the Universities of Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Centre is also involved in project activities like the project «Cross-Border University» (CBU) (duration 2004–2007) in-cooperation with the University of Helsinki. The mission of the CBU History pilot is to create a 2-year Master’s program on History. For this purpose each of the partner universities is creating in English study material and distance courses as well.
«International cooperation between nations in the Barents region» is also a very important project of the Centre. It is managed in cooperation with Luleo University of Technology (duration 2002–2006). The research part of the project is aimed at studying national resources, regions, ethnic groups, industrialization and urbanization processes in the Barents regions.
There was an international conference «The Use & Abuse of History» in the framework of the project at the Luleo University of Technology in October 2004. Then, this year the conference «Industrialization processes un the Barents region» are planned to hold at the PomorStateUniversity (Archangelsk). Finally, there will be a conference devoted to the issues of regional identity on the basis of the PetrSU next year.
The Centre has also its own web-site recenter.karelia.ru. Here visitors can get information concerning the structure of the Centre and its current activity.
Thus, within five years necessary material recourses were built up, promising programs of cooperation with foreign partners were determined, necessary information recourses were got, new research projects have been accomplished. Since 2003 the Centre works in terms of self-financing because of realization promising projects connected with the issues of history and culture of the Northern Europe. The Centre obtains international and russian funds (European Union, Nordic Council of Ministers, NorFA, est.). To have such a structure on the Historical Department let to keep an eye on all important events (conferences, seminars, projects) as well as inform teachers of the Department, contribute to preparing project suggestions and realize them.