News

Welcome to the 1st ISN Culture Café of 2023 which was devoted to beautiful Azerbaijan! Whether you were at our meeting on January 25 or not, now you have the opportunity to review and learn some interesting facts about this splendid land. We would also like to thank the Azerbaijani students who shared with us fascinating information about their country.

This New Year, according to the Asian calendar, arrived on January 22nd. On this day, HSE Cultural Centre brought together Chinese, Korean, and Japanese cultures. To the sounds of Asian songs and Korean drums, the guests tried their hand at calligraphy, studied jianzhi and origami, played Ttakji and Go, ate traditional cookies and expelled evil spirits. The Lunar New Year at the university was organized by the School of Asian Studies and the HSE Chinese Club.

We invite all HSE students and alumni from India to join our Indian programme as part of the Asia Festival at HSE University.

How to cope with the new culture? What activities and events does HSE University offer its international students? How to deal with rules and paperwork? Students from different countries and educational programmes at HSE University-St Petersburg shared their memories about life at the university in 2022.

HSE University strives to be part of the international academic community, follow world educational standards, and provide students with ample opportunities. Students of HSE University-St Petersburg have well-developed cross-cultural communication skills thanks to international educational programmes, participation in international academic mobility and double-degree programmes, and daily interaction with students from all over the world. The International Office reports on the results of international activity in 2022.

On December 23, students of the HSE Preparatory Year got together for a festive Russian speaking club. They expanded their vocabulary and cultural outlook by immersing themselves in Russian winter holiday traditions and even played the role of Ded Moroz—the Russian Santa.

HSE University is home to international students from all over the world, many of whom will be celebrating the New Year in Russia for the first time. They shared their plans for the festive season with the HSE News Service and spoke about holiday traditions and dishes in their home countries of China, Ecuador, Pakistan, Ghana, Indonesia, Nigeria, Guatemala, and India.

International Students Network HSE is back to you with the events that help Russian and international students learn more about cultures around the world. In November and December 2022, we ran two events where Mohammad Mahdi Mohammadnejad Neshely (or just Misha), our volunteer from Iran, told us about his country and its culture.

In December, HSE Preparatory Year students travelled to Tula to attend an international student festival. They got to know the ancient Russian city, presented their cultures at the festival, and participated in a student concert. Students from Macedonia, Syria and China shared their impressions about the event with the HSE News Service, while Russian teacher Anastasiya Zinchenko spoke about how such trips broaden the students’ outlook on the country and make them a better team.

Traditionally, humans have imagined monsters as the exact opposite of themselves: huge, violent, or invisible and soulless beasts. This is apparent in many examples in cinema. However, the image of monsters on the screen transforms with time. A group of Critical Media Studies master’s students organised an event covering the topic of how this transformation takes place at the ‘Playing with Fear: New Image of Monsters in Horror Films’ round table on December 10th.