- 25.04.2026 12:26
Conference that unites
From April 22 to 24, Tula State University hosted the 35th All-Russian Conference of Students, Postgraduates, and Young Scientists with International Participation “The 21st Century: Humanities and Socioeconomic Sciences”, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Institute of Humanities.
The scientific event was traditionally organised by the Department of Sociology and Political Science. However, the platforms for exchanging experiences brought together not only representatives of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences. Young researchers from the Institute of Law and Management, the Institute of Pedagogy, Physical Education, Sports, and Tourism, the Institute of International Education, the Medical Institute, and the Institute of Construction and Architecture were also involved in this exciting process. All of this emphasized the special role of humanities knowledge in fostering a holistic worldview and providing a link between various aspects of human activity and cultural context.
The anniversary Conference was impressive in its scale. Over 800 applications were received for participation in the Conference. Papers were prepared by authors from 29 regions of the Russian Federation, the People's Republic of China, as well as Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. The scientific event was held in 18 sections and 25 subsections.
Participants discussed political processes in the modern world, discussed communication strategies in the age of creative technologies, touched on current legal issues, and shared their thoughts on Orthodox theology, design, fine and applied arts, and architecture. They also addressed the linguistic and pragmatic aspects of communication and foreign language teaching, reflected on the prospects for the development of the hospitality industry, pondered economic efficiency and well-being, and creatively expressed themselves during roundtable discussions in English, French, and Latin.
It is a common fact that students at the Institute of Medicine have a particularly special, one might even say reverent, attitude toward the Latin language. Divided into teams, future doctors skillfully performed skits in front of an impartial panel of experts.
Ethnic melodies were played in the Pedagogy section. This surprise was presented by Yevdokia Vasilyeva, a fourth-year student at the Institute of Languages and Culture of the Peoples of the North of the Northeastern Federal University named after M.K. Ammosov, and her scientific supervisor, Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Teaching the Yakut Language, Literature and National Culture, Mikhnas Mikhailovna Atlasova.
— This is the first time we have participated in the Conference held at Tula State University, but this is not my first visit to Tula - said the Professor. Before that, I had already attended events organized by the Tula Institute for Advanced Training of Teachers. We learned about your Conference from the social media, it seemed interesting and we decided to come.
Yevdokia prepared the report “Learning through the image of a khomus and the native (Yakut) language.”
The khomus (vargan), the girl explained, is a folk Yakut musical reed, plucked instrument. It is more than five thousand years old. It is popular among the peoples of Yakutia, Asia, Japan and some European countries.
It is made of metal, mammoth bones and wood. The instrument fits in the palm of a person's hand, but has a wide range of sounds. Khomus transmits birdsong, rain, wind, and even the sound of the horses' hooves clatter.
The instrument has healing properties, calms the nervous system, and relieves stress.
Since 2011, November 30th has been celebrated in the Sakha Republic as a national holiday - Khomus Day.
"The core message of my work is the need to pass on the centuries-old traditions of my people to the younger generation. Khomus lessons are held at our institute and in schools across Yakutia. Almost every schoolchild and student has their own instrument," Yevdokia shared. “The lesson becomes a creative process, helping students develop fine motor skills, train their memory, and improve their concentration and, of course, they're struck by creative inspiration. I'll definitely use this method in my teaching.”
“Participating in the April Readings is a chance to connect and share experiences with colleagues”, the guests said. “It's gratifying to realize that both your students and ours have so much in common. We are all citizens of one large country - multinational Russia!"
On the final day of the Conference there was a plenary session dedicated to the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Marina Olegovna Panferova, PhD in Economics and Vice Rector for Academic Affairs, opened the event.
In her welcoming speech, she noted the significance of the April readings for the university, the Tula region, and the entire country.
Our common goal, the Vice-Rector emphasized, is to stand together and remain loyal to our Fatherland.
Marina Olegovna expressed confidence that the knowledge gained by the participants at the Conference will help them become good specialists.
Irina Aleksandrovna Batanina, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, and Head of the Department of Sociology and Political Science, said the readings demonstrated the young researchers' interest in the humanities and social sciences and their desire to rethink civilizational decisions.
“This isn't my first time participating in Conferences held by the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at Tula State University. Together with Irina Aleksandrovna Batanina, we work in the Higher Attestation Commission (HAC) expert council for political science. I am well acquainted with her students who work in Moscow”, said Igor Ivanovich Kuznetsov, Doctor of Political Science, Professor in the Department of History and Political Theory in the Faculty of Political Science at Lomonosov Moscow State University, and Executive Director of the Russian Society of Political Scientists. “Irina Aleksandrovna is a renowned political scientist. Thanks to her, a worthy academic school of political scientists was created in Tula. And it is a great honor for me to collaborate with such a respected scholar!”
The Moscow guest devoted his speech to the image of the future in the minds of Russian youth. These ideas about the future, he explained, largely determine the vector of social demand, as well as personal and professional strategies.
“For me, the walls of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences are my home. I was a postgraduate and doctoral student at Tula State University. Irina Aleksandrovna Batanina is my eternal teacher! And I am always happy to return to where my research began!” proudly declared Anna Yuryevna Dombrovskaya, Doctor of Sociology, Director of the Center for Political Research, and Professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. “My report is devoted to the problems of strengthening interethnic harmony in Russia. Educational environment plays a special role here. Schools and universities must create special conditions for harmonious interethnic communication. An interethnic society is our Russian competitive advantage!”
Alexander Olegovich Voikov, a member of the Assembly of Deputies of the Plavsk Municipal District in the Tula Region, is a 2013 graduate of the Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences.
"Participating in the April Conference is an opportunity to share my municipality's experience in implementing state national policy and gain knowledge that will help improve work at the municipal level”, he said. “It is a great honor for me to perform at my home university! Immersing myself in the university environment was a tremendous intellectual pleasure!”
We are confident that all participants of the Conference had an intellectual pleasure and a lot of unforgettable impressions.
Tatyana Krikunkova
Photographs by Mikhail Gindin and Diana Kvach
