Vol 12, No 1 (2023)

The mammal fauna of Nagorno Karabakh has 6 orders and 101 species. The three-dimensional location, geographical location and temperate climate characteristic of the mountainous country contributed to the formation of such diversity. For the first time this paper presents the distribution and dynamics of the number of bezoar goats (Capra aegagrus Erxleben, 1777), an ancient inhabitant of the northern, central and southern parts of Nagorno Karabakh, which is an important component of mountain ecosystems, in the Mrav mountain range. As a result of our long-term observations, we have found out the distribution areas of these animals in the Mrav mountain range, the reasons for their distribution in the mountains and their seasonality. We have found out that male and Bemale bezoar goats have their own preferences for slope curvatures, so females prefer to stay at 47° curvatures in winter, while males prefer to stay at 50–55° slopes. Meanwhile, the opposite phenomenon is recorded in summer. We have also studied the distribution of different sexes in the southern, eastern and northern slopes in winter and summer. We have registered the specifics of distribution above the sea level with vertical zoning. As a result of our observations, we have found out the changes and dynamics of the number of bezoar goats in the Mrav mountains, identified some reasons that negatively affect the growth and development of these animals.

This paper deals with the spatial placement of the marmot in the Pervomaisky District of the Orenburg Region within the steppe zone of the Southern Urals. The spatial structure of steppe marmot settlements is characterized by a typical ravine-girder (ribbon) type of territorial distribution of family groups and is determined mainly by the presence of habitable areas. The settlements of marmots on this territory are located mainly along ravines and gullies of small rivers and streams, and to a lesser extent on agricultural land. It has been revealed that marmots prefer to settle on the gentle slopes of the southern exposure mainly in the middle part of the gullies occupied by fescue-feather grass steppe, sagebrush-grass steppe and mixed grass communities used as pastures. The results of the research show that the burrow mound of the marmot, located in different parts of the studied territory and having different degrees of anthropogenic load, differ both in height and diameter of the burrows, and the distance between the burrows. At the same time, there is a clear, direct dependence of the degree of anthropogenic impact on the aggregation of marmot settlements. A significant factor in the distribution of marmot settlements and its spatial structure of populations is the degree of impact on the territory of the anthropogenic press.

Forest fires are increasingly becoming the cause of the destruction of a particular ecosystem or landscape, the restoration of which takes quite a long time. Research on pyrogenic succession is one of the urgent tasks in modern science. In the course of this work, an analysis of vegetation restoration on the territory of the Barguzin Nature Reserve was carried out. After a grass-roots fire on the ecological trails of the Shumilikha River valley and on the Davshinsky pillars, the course of pyrogenic succession was monitored from 2016 to 2019. The study of the progress of vegetation restoration was carried out on the laid test sites on each of the trails. In the course of the work, geobotanical descriptions were made, an abundance of species diversity was revealed, and the total projective cover was also taken into account. In the first year after the fire, such species as Chamerion angustifolium L., Calamagrostis korotkyi L., Bergenia crassifolia (L.) Fritsch., Calamagrostis obtusata Trin., etc. were found on trial sites. During the first three years of succession, it was revealed that the species composition and wealth were not constant and changed every year. At the same time, there was an increase in the projective coverage during the first three years (from 10 to 30% in the valley of the Shumilikha River, from 15 to 45% on the Davshinsky pillars). An increase in the total projective coverage in the studied areas indicates a general restoration of the landscape.

Samara district is one of the districts allocated by S.M. Razumovsky in the scheme of botanical and geographical zoning. This area geographically delineates the area of the successional system of broad-leaved forests with key species Tilia cordata, Quercus robur, Acer platanoides, Ulmus glabra. S.M. Razumovsky outlined the boundaries of the district on a small-scale scheme and provided a list of guiding species. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief description of the area, outline its boundaries and identify the features of the territorial structure of vegetation cover. The material was scientific publications on the structure of the vegetation cover of the territory under consideration. The Samara Region covers the eastern part of the East European Plain to the east of the Volga River, including the Volga region and the Urals, as well as the western slope of the Southern Urals. The territorial structure of the succession system can be represented in the form of two structural parts – the core and the periphery. The core of the system is shifted to the northeast, occupies the space of the forest zone and the northern part of the forest-steppe. The periphery covers the space of the forest-steppe zone and the northern part of the steppe zone. In the core of the succession system, zonal vegetation is formed by associations of shade broad-leaved forests with linden as an edifier, on the periphery there are associations of light broad-leaved (oak) forests.

The paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the flora of the natural monument «Sestrinskie okamenelosti», located in the Bolshechernigovsky District of the Samara Region. The taxonomic analysis has revealed the growth of 255 species of vascular plants from 49 families within the boundaries of a specially protected natural area. Biomorphological and ecological-coenotic analyses have been used to assess the degree of preservation of the natural steppe communities of the studied territory. The ecologic-geographical characteristics of the natural monument are made in accordance with the classifications of T.I. Plaksina and A.P. Laktionov. The result of the two classifications correlation is the analysis of common types of habitats – pluriregional, Holarctic, Euro-Siberian, European. The study of the natural monument «Sestrinskie okamenelosti» phytodiversity has revealed its unique physiognomic features associated with the dominance of a number of steppe plant species. The results of the analysis allow us to recommend this territory for use as a reference zone (polygon) that provides processing of remote sensing materials obtained using satellite images and UAV. The use of a series of multi-season images will allow us to establish the location and visual characteristics of the dominant steppe species reference zone in order to build classifiers and then use the results for remote identification of the most valuable areas of natural steppes in the Samara Region and adjacent territories. Remote sensing methods allow to monitor the state of virgin steppe areas continuously. Similar work has already begun on other protected areas of the region; the first results have been obtained.

The paper presents the results of a study of the mycobiota of the control soil and the rhizosphere of 11 vegetable and 6 flower-ornamental plant species. Flower cultures are represented by Gauston ageratum, double-feathered cosmea, erect marigolds and thin-leaved marigolds, hybrid petunia and brilliant sage. Closed-ground vegetable crops are cucumber, tomato, hot pepper and Bulgarian pepper; open-ground vegetable crops are seed peas, radish, garlic, potatoes, sorrel, dill and curly parsley. During the year of the research, fertilizers were not introduced into the soil. Most vegetable crops were grown continuously for several years, flower crops – during the year. In the mycocoenoses of the rhizosphere of most vegetable crops, toxin-forming species of the genus Penicillium are abundant: P. citrinum, P. citreonigrum and P. polonicum. The toxin-forming agent P. citrinum was found in the mycobiota of the control soil and the rhizosphere of most vegetable and flower-ornamental crops. In the structure of the mycobiota of the control soil, mycocoenoses of the rhizosphere of some vegetable crops such as seed peas, curly parsley, Bulgarian pepper and in the mycobiota of the rhizosphere of flower-ornamental crops, saprotrophic micromycetes with a noticeable abundance of cosmopolite Aspergillus phoenicis (from the A. niger group) are abundant in mycocoenoses of the rhizosphere of the double-feathered cosmea, hybrid petunia, marigolds erect and Bulgarian pepper. According to the research results, it can be concluded that the formation of the species composition of the mycobiota of the rhizosphere of vegetable and flower-ornamental crops is influenced by the type of plant, conditions and duration of cultivation. In the future the author is going to study the species composition of the mycobiota of the rhizosphere depending on the duration of plant cultivation, the expansion of their assortment, as well as the effect of fertilizers on the species composition of the soil mycobiota.

The plants of Hedysarum alpinum L. in the North are characterized by a long pregenerative period, the laboriousness of seed propagation, low field germination of seeds, rare self-sowing, and the impossibility of vegetative propagation. In connection with this, it seemed relevant to introduce this rare species (included in the Red Book of the Komi Republic) into aseptic culture to preserve and maintain the gene pool, as well as to further develop the technology of its cultivation to obtain medicinal raw materials. The morphogenesis was studied, and the peculiarities of the regeneration of adventitious shoots of Hedysarum alpinum in in vitro culture were revealed. During three subcultivations, the influence of two cytokinin growth regulators, 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and kinetin (KIN), at concentrations from 0,5 to 1,0 mg/l, on the regeneration potential of different explants of Hedysarum alpinum in in vitro culture was determined on the WPM environment. A high frequency of regeneration of shoots from single-node segments and cotyledon nodes was obtained – 79% and 65%, respectively. In the second and third passages, there was an increase in the regenerative activity of the cotyledon node explants and an increase in the multiplication factor to 5 shoots per explant. It was shown that relatively high concentrations (1,0 mg/l) of BAP and CIN increase the number of shoots per explant but inhibit their growth and development. For the reproduction stage proper, the medium containing BAP 0,5 + CIN 0,5 + IAA 0,1 mg/l is optimal. It was shown that the initiation of rhizogenesis actively took place on the WPM medium supplemented with IAA 0,5 and IBA 0,5 mg/l, on which the proportion of rhizogene explants was 77%. The maximum values for the length and number of roots were obtained on the medium with IAA 1,0 mg/l and with the combined use of two auxins (IAA with IBA at 0,5 mg/l). The regenerated plants were transplanted into non-sterile conditions, and their survival rate under ex vitro conditions was 50%.

This paper examines the impact of anthropogenic activity on the heat resistance and condition of green spaces in the Central and Kirovsky Districts of Volgograd. The method of the analyzed diagnostics of the state of green spaces used in the experiment is described – the determination of heat resistance by the degree of damage to chlorophyll-bearing tissues according to F.F. Matskov. The role of the impact of motor transport on the degree of endurance by green spaces of high atmospheric temperatures is considered. The paper presents the results of a study of the heat resistance and state of trees under conditions of various levels of anthropogenic load. The study of the negative human impact on the state and degree of resistance to the action of high temperatures was carried out in the Central and Kirovsky Districts of the city of Volgograd. The studied territories belonged to a residential or park area, as well as transport. The experiments have shown that the indicators of the stability of tree plantations located near the highway and the residential area differ in terms of indicators. Exhaust gases from vehicles reduce the heat resistance of vegetation and their productivity. The obtained materials can serve as a basis for further monitoring of the state of green spaces in Volgograd and carrying out further measures of greening the city.

Works on vibration communication for Orthoptera and Hemiptera are widely known in Russian literature. Basically, the piezoelectric adapter GZK-661 or the electromagnetic transducer GZM-105 are used for recording this communication. The use of these devices does not give satisfactory results when recording insects smaller than 1 cm. In this paper we consider a comparative characteristic of recording devices based on the piezoelectric transducer GZK-661, electromagnetic transducer GZM-105 and electrodynamic head eas15s02m when recording vibration communication of near-water rigid-winged Heterocerus fenestratus (Thunberg, 1784) (Coleoptera: Heteroceridae). A comparative analysis of the efficiency of the three transducers considered in this paper shows that the transducer based on the electrodynamic loudspeaker head used as a signal source (reverse mode of operation) has the best characteristics. In addition, the shielded magnetic system of the dynamic head provides high magnetic induction in the working gap and insensitivity to inductions from external electromagnetic fields. 176 stress signals were recorded for males and 189 for females. The range of dominant frequencies ranged from 857,29 to 1002,01 Hz for males and from 898,04 to 1189,12 Hz for females.

One of the important elements included in the ecological framework of the city is city squares. The square of Glory of Novosibirsk is a unique, multifunctional object. On the territory of the square there is Memorial Ensemble dedicated to the feat of the Siberians in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, which is an integral part of patriotic education. Along with the social, transit and architectural and decorative functions, the square of Glory, due to the large area of green spaces, performs a medium-improving function. 89 species of woody plants grow on the territory. The studied plants belong to 25 botanical families. Of the conifers, the largest is the Pinaceae family – 7 species, and of the deciduous Rosaceae family – 28 species of trees and shrubs. Lianes are isolated: Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., Clematis terniflora L. The largest number of woody plants belong to mesophytes – 84,0%, while 16% belong to xerophytes. There are several areas with elements of natural landscapes of the Novosibirsk Region. 38 species of wild-growing species of herbaceous plants, representatives of 16 families, grow on the territory of the park. It has been concluded that the square of Glory is an important element in the system of ecological spaces of the city.

The tradition of mixing asbestos into pottery clay originated near the deposits of this mineral on the lake Saimaa (Finland) in the 5^th millennium BC. By the second half of the 4^th millennium BC its area reached the Arkhangelsk and Vologda Regions of Russia in the east. The aim of the work is to review the «functional» hypothesis, according to which the widespread use of asbestos as an admixture is due to its advantages over other additives – facilitating the process of molding and drying, preventing flaws during firing, making the vessel durable and easy to use. According to the results of our experiments on the making of vessels and model samples with asbestos it turned out that the used asbestos of the Chevzhavara deposit (tremolite-ferroactinolite) does not have such advantages. The most important problem was the dissociation of asbestos at temperatures above +700°C. After such firing, the vessels were destroyed, and the asbestos itself became brittle. It can be assumed that in order to minimize losses during the firing, the ancient potters could beforehand hold the asbestos at a high temperature so that it would lose the main amount of water but keep its stability. It can be preliminarily concluded that asbestos admixture at an early stage of use did not have clear advantages over other additives. The reasons for the initial interest in asbestos as an additive could be other, e.g. socio-cultural. A special developed technology for processing asbestos, which made it possible to use its advantages, spread around the beginning of the Bronze Age and may be associated with the beginning of metalworking.

The paper substantiates the chronological affiliation of the Liventsovka-Karataevo fortress located in the lower reaches of the Don River. The fortification consists of two parts, situated on two promontories separated by a ravine, and is a single settlement complex. The period of its existence is defined by a boundary between the Middle and Late Bronze Age. The first researches of the fortress date back to the 1960s, conducted under the supervision of S.N. Bratchenko. The initial comparison of the material obtained allowed the scientist to draw the lines of synchronization between the Lower Don fortress and North Caucasian monuments as well as to determine the time of existence within the framework of the Late Stage North Caucasian culture. Further research showed that the final stage in the life of the fortress was connected with its military defeat. The relative date of the event was determined as the second stage of the Baba culture. At the present stage of the development of scientific thought, various versions of the reconstruction of the fortress as a ruin exist; however, there is no summary work to establish the chronology of the complex in the light of the new discoveries. Contemporary archaeological studies of monuments in the North Caucasus and on the Northeast Black Sea coast have made it possible to consider both the formation of the fortress and its final existence from a different angle.

The following paper reveals the role of the regional imperial authority in creating and functioning of the Orenburg department of the Imperial Russian Geographical Society. The decisive role of the Orenburg Governor-General Nikolay Andreevich Kryzhanovsky was shown not only in founding the Orenburg department, but also in creating a research program. One of the key areas of the program was a comprehensive study of Central and Middle Asia in order to produce reliable knowledge which was necessary for an effective policy implementation in the named region. The content study from 1870 to 1881 shows the uneven proportions of publications devoted to Central and Middle Asia. Therefore, in the first years of the organizational activity, the Orenburg Department devoted 60% of its publications to Central and Middle Asia, which corresponded both to the historical situation and to the interests of the regional imperial authorities in many aspects. A decrease in researchers’ interest from 1875 to 1881 is thoroughly explained by the fact that after the annexation of new territories, the Orenburg Region turned into an internal province of the Russian Empire.

The paper is devoted to the final period of charitable and social activities of the famous public figure of the Armenian city of Nakhichevan-on-Don Grigory Khristoforovich Chalkhushyan (1861–1939). Chalkhushyan’s activities were truly multifaceted. As a member of the city Duma, he actively participated in solving city affairs. His activities covered issues of charity, education of the younger generation. However, after the outbreak of the First World War and the genocide of the population of Western Armenia, they acquired other features. When the flows of refugees poured into the South of Russia, he had to deal with the settlement of refugees, which included their resettlement, provision of clothing, medicines, and even their employment. He repeatedly happened to travel to the Caucasus, and on the spot to solve urgent issues of saving refugees. From the pages of the periodical press, he appealed to the feelings of those in power, urging them to donate funds in the name of saving the destitute. With his active participation, Armenian refugees who ended up in the South of Russia returned to the liberated regions of Armenia. For a short period of time, he served as the Consul of the Armenian Republic in Nakhichevan-on-Don. He became an active member of the Red Cross Society, helping the Armenian refugees in Romania. In the last years of his life, he returned to his native Nakhichevan-on-Don, where he took up advocacy.

This study analyzes the influence of the ideologeme «socialist emulation» on the anti-religious struggle in the late 1920s in terms of the campaign to close the Roman catholic temple in the city of Samara. The main source of the study is official regulations, business documentation and press materials. The author has shown that the campaign to close the catholic temple began as part of the socialist emulation between German and Polish-origin activists after the closure of the Lutheran temple. The closure of the Samara temple took place with the active participation of the Poles-workers, who, within the framework of the Soviet ideology, opposed the Poles-believers. The usage of the ideologeme «socialist emulation» in this campaign shows that, having initially emerged in the sphere of labor relations to encourage labor activity, «socialist emulation» penetrated into other spheres of public life. The author assumes that the soviet authorities indoctrinated most important elements of ideology in order to manipulate the consciousness of the population. Thus, the ideologeme «socialist emulation» contributed to the intensification of the struggle against religious associations of believers in the framework of public work. At the same time, while in production it was easy to determine the winner of the socialist competition, within the framework of the antireligious struggle, it was not so much victory that was important as participation. Otherwise, the refusal to compete could become the basis for accusations of counter-revolutionary actions.

The period of the 1960s and 1970s in the United States of America was saturated with rallies, murders and terror on racial grounds. The Ku Klux Klan, a national terrorist organization that has been reborn in the United States more than once, is most responsible for this. The national security of the United States was under threat, the FBI, the CIA and the government, interacting with each other, tried their best to stop such incidents. The paper examines the activities of the FBI, its director John Edgar Hoover, in the United States to counter the Ku Klux Klan from the moment of their third revival in 1960 to the end of the 1970s, when the activities of the Klan had already been discontinued: thanks to FBI agents who infiltrated the headquarters of the key figures of the Klan, which, in particular subsequently, for years were introduced into large groups of the Klan, it was possible to eliminate one of the largest problems that violated the security of citizens of the United States of America in this period of time. The paper also examines specifics of the interaction between the FBI and the government, which largely affected the activities of the former in the fight against the Ku Klux Klan, where the shift in emphasis of domestic policy and the confrontation between the cabinets «untied the hands» of the Klan members.

The twentieth century in the history of mankind is rightfully considered to be the epoch of the beginning of an intense negative anthropogenic impact on nature. During this period, awareness of environmental education of the population becomes particularly relevant. They were beginning to pay special attention to it in the educational system. This paper discusses the general state policy of the Soviet leadership in the development of school environmental education. Using the example of the Kuybyshev Region, the analysis of various approaches and methods to environmental knowledge popularization among students in the 80s of the 20^th century is given. The choice of such a short time interval is explained by a special attention of state bodies to environmental culture improvement. The paper describes the role of outstanding teachers in the development of school programs on ecology. The author pays special attention to periodicals and journals of bioecological content, which were a worthy help for environmental literacy development among students. The publication is based on archival materials from the funds of the Central State Archive of the Samara Region that most reveal the problems of the study. The information presented in the paper is aimed at studying some issues of the environmental education formation in the Samara Region. The materials obtained can serve as a basis for further study of the issues under consideration.

On the turn of 1920–1930s the Eurasian movement was experiencing a crisis. Clamart Schism and financial problems hindered the ability to publish new books and attract new supporters. For various reasons many notable figures such as N.S. Trubetskoy, L.P. Karsavin, P.P. Suvchinsky, were distancing themselves from the movement. Eurasianism lasted until the second half of 1930s, largely due to the vigorous activity of P.N. Savitsky, and his associates in the Eurasian Group in Prague. During financial and personnel crises, one of the most important tasks was to preserve the publishing activities of the movement. It was in such conditions, in the early 1930s, that the book by Georgy Nikolaevich Polkovnikov, called «Dialectics of History» appeared. In it, the author made an attempt to describe a complex vision of the evolution of human society and its patterns in the West and in the East. Extensive attention was given to the problem of determining the place and role of Russia in the world community of nations and polities. Suffice to say that even the people who supported the movement had contradictory responses to the book. In 1930s only a few works of this volume were produced by Eurasian Publications, but in modern historiography it remains virtually unexplored and not inscribed in the history of the movement. The paper examines the role of the book and its significance in the evolution of the ideology of the Eurasian Movement.

The image of a bird is of great importance in the traditional worldview of the Bashkirs. The most revered Bashkirs in their mythological and ritual traditions are the crow, the magpie, the eagle, the cuckoo, the dove, the crane, the duck, and the swan. In the cult of birds among the Bashkirs, one can find various stages in the development of social consciousness. The earliest period includes mythological and ritual plots reflecting the survivals of totemic representations. Their remnants appear in the identification of man and bird, in endowing birds with human qualities. In the tribal nomenclature of the Bashkirs, relics of faith in the origin of their individual tribal groups from birds have been preserved. In folklore, rituals and customs of the Bashkirs, revered birds act as totemic ancestors, patrons and helpers of people, family and marriage relations, women in labor and children. In the religious and magical practice of the Bashkirs, totem birds and their individual parts have miraculous, healing powers. In everyday rituals, folklore and ethnographic sources, there are arguments proving that the Bashkirs used to have holidays in honor of certain totem birds in the past. The remnants of religious and mythological beliefs about birds today form an organic part of the national tradition of the Bashkirs.

Currently, the training of doctors to provide primary health care is one of the priority areas of medical education. In the paper, from the standpoint of the requirements of the continuity principle, the results of the analysis of the academic courses programs content are presented. They ensure the development of students’ skills to perform labor functions in the preventive activities of a doctor. They are implemented at the faculties where the major is 31.05.01 «General Medicine» and 31.08.49 «Therapy» in medical universities subordinate to the Ministry of Health of Russia, included in the top 20 best medical universities, according to the RAEX ranking (March 2022). A comparative analysis was carried out between the content of academic courses and the content of the labor functions of doctors: «Conducting medical, preventive medical examinations, medical examinations, dispensary observation of patients with diseases and (or) conditions in the "therapy" and monitoring the effectiveness of dispensary observation measures» and «Carrying out measures for the prevention and formation of a healthy lifestyle and sanitary and hygienic education of the population». The criteria for assessing the compliance of the content of the programs with the requirements of the above-mentioned labor functions of the professional standard «Therapist» were: 1) the presence in the curriculum of the courses that provide training of students to perform the specified labor functions; 2) the presence in the content of academic courses of knowledge that ensures the development of the necessary skills of a doctor in the performance of these labor functions; 3) the structure and content of the programs for preparing students for preventive activities are developed in accordance with the requirements of the principle of continuity. According to the results of the study, it has been revealed that general theoretical knowledge of prevention, as a set of measures aimed at maintaining and strengthening the health of the population, promoting a healthy lifestyle and preventing the occurrence and (or) spread of diseases, are included in the training programs for doctors majoring in 31.05.01 General Medicine. However, the development of students’ skills in performing the above labor functions is unsystematic, which leads to a violation of the continuity of different levels of medical education in preparing doctors for primary health care.

Currently, the problem of ecological culture is becoming generally recognized. The ecological direction in the system of higher professional education in the process of prospective teachers’ ecological culture formation is a noticeable factor. There is a need to systematize ecological and natural science pedagogical education: there is a change of axiological systems, cultural norms and values among the modern younger generation, the issues of ecological culture formation among students of pedagogical universities are not fully considered. The state educational standard of higher professional pedagogical education emphasizes the primary task – to form the teacher’s personality with a high ecological culture, striving for harmonious interaction with the natural environment, a personality that is distinguished by the presence of attitudes, beliefs, and the need for activities to preserve and improve nature. There is a need for the dominant role and responsibility of prospective teachers in solving the issues of ecological culture formation among young people who are able to form a personality that is distinguished by the presence of beliefs of a conscious, careful, responsible attitude to the natural environment. In this regard, the need to increase attention to ecological culture formation among students of pedagogical universities becomes significant at the socio-pedagogical level. Ecological culture is not a specific type, but an integral part and level of human culture as a whole. The priority role in ecological culture formation among students belongs to the natural sciences, which form the foundation of the scientific understanding of the world. At the stage of modern university education, the ecological culture of youth develops on the principles of unity of the historical relationship between the natural environment and society, the social conditionality of the individual’s relationship to nature, and the desire to harmonize these relations. The diversity of interaction between society and nature determines the complexity of environmental education, its main principles: a transdisciplinary approach to ecological culture formation, systematic and continuous study of scientific material, the unity of mental and emotional-volitional principles in the activities of students to study and improve the natural environment; the relationship of global and local environmental problems. This is emphasized by many scientists. The leading role in prospective teachers’ ecological culture formation is played by the educational environment of the university.

The practice of teaching humanities courses includes working with information as a meta-subject result of training. The purpose of the study is to find methodological ways to develop students’ information skills at humanities lessons. The subject of the study is methods and techniques for the development of skills for processing different types of information – verbal (textual), non-verbal (visual-graphic). The paper presents an analysis of the level of students’ information skills development based on the material of the control and measurement materials of the unified state exam at humanities lessons (Russian, foreign language, literature, history, social studies). Based on the analysis, the authors have developed tasks designed to develop students’ ability to determine the properties of information based on its properties: reliability (reliable/unreliable), sufficiency (excessive/insufficient), significance (primary or secondary). Using the example of the course «Russian language», tasks based on authentic verbal material, which is used in school teaching practice, are proposed. Authentic texts, a discussion in chat rooms, correspondence in messengers, a ticket to a performance and student essays are offered. The tasks reflect questions to determine the reliability, sufficiency of information, which can be similarly posed when analyzing verbal and nonverbal information in other humanities.

The paper presents the main results of the author’s research in the field of the history of the formation and development of the Russian pre-revolutionary secondary vocational school. The research was carried out on the materials of educational institutions of the Kazan Educational District. The historical reconstruction is carried out in the context of the specifics of modernization and the educational revolution that took place in the country. The basic method was a generalized historical and genetic description of the results of the author’s research, and the source was the totality of these studies. The role of secondary vocational schools in the educational system of the Kazan Educational District greatly increased at the turn of the 19–20 centuries. The secondary vocational school became a part of the educational revolution taking place in the Russian Empire, acted as a bearer of traditions and a conductor of innovations, a channel and an active participant in modernization changes. The development of secondary vocational education clearly reflected the modernization processes taking place in the country. The author reconstructs a picture of the initial stage in the history of secondary vocational education; reveals the attitudes and practices of state and public, private and state interaction in education; reveals social characteristics of students and teachers; restores the process of expanding the number and range of social agents of educational institutions; reveals the main directions of secondary vocational schools. Despite the serious problems caused by attempts to implement its development on a traditional basis, the vocational school, largely due to the partnership of the state and society, made a significant contribution to the education of qualified personnel for the economy of the region. The results of the study are to increase scientific knowledge about the development of education in late Imperial Russia. The research materials can be used for the subsequent scientific study of the problem, as well as in the theory and practice of secondary vocational education at the present stage.

The paper is devoted to the current problem of devolution of higher education among modern youth. The work analyzes the prerequisites for the development and dissemination of this tendency in education. First of all, these are new directions for the development of the market and modern professions that are based on the combination of various activities. New specialties and educational programs, which may appear in the next decade are considered. The study includes an analysis of the demographic statistics of the Russian young population for 2013–2021 and the student population dynamics enrolled in higher education programmes during this period. Scientific papers and articles devoted to the phenomenon of self-employment and factors influencing the choice of school graduates and university students were also analyzed. The study identified the causes of the devaluation of higher education among the youth. The following points were highlighted as the key ones: the low level of students’ knowledge and disadvantages in the rating system; the declining popularity for vocational education; the high cost of education in universities; the lack of relevance of educational programs. All of these factors have been substantiated and studied in detail, as each one is a problem of the modern educational system and requires the attention.

The paper is devoted to the description of the teaching process at the Foreign Language Faculty of Samara State University of Social Sciences and Education, concerning students of Linguistics, namely, the experience in teaching translation activities with the emphasis on the actual division of the sentence. The authors state the importance of taking into account the actual division of the sentence for correct rendering of the statement meaning in another language, relying on the experience of prominent scientists and specialists in the sphere of syntactic interference and syntactic calque, outline the existing common problem that arises in translation and teaching this subject, and point out the importance of paying attention to this complex aspect in a comprehensive manner, that is not only in translation classes, but also within both practical and theoretical grammar lessons. The authors present a number of exercises, which contribute to solving of the problem, provide examples of exercises aimed at the analysis and understanding of the thematic-rhemetic division of the sentence and, therefore, improving the quality of student translations. The paper also provides a number of typical translation models with different types of thematic division, using various morphological means and syntactic constructions, and analyzes students’ mistakes. The authors’ conception is based on authoritative sources in the spheres of linguistics, translation study, while the paper includes both the authors’ and authentic language material.

The present research deals with the problem of developing modern learning materials for students of higher education institutions. The authors emphasize that in the traditions of the Russian educational system, the pedagogical staff itself is charged with implementing this educational and methodological direction, that is why textbooks are often created intuitively, based on personal professional experience, sometimes with no scientific basis. This fact raises the question of the need for a deep analysis of scientific researches in this sphere to determine the principles in designing a particular educational publication and reasonably choose methodological bases. The authors have attempted to structure the revealed methodological bases (pedagogical approaches) depending on the idea and the functional strategic goal of education itself. Two groups of basic approaches and their derivatives are singled out and described: competence approach, aimed at the formation of a standard specialist in the professional sphere and implemented mainly through activity-based educational technologies – contextual approach, problem-based learning, task-based approach; and humanitarian and anthropological approach, aimed at personal growth of a student in his entirety (personality-oriented approach, andragogical approach), disclosure of his potential, his work with personal meanings (hermeneutic approach, euristic approach), formation of his own world picture, realization of his individual educational trajectory. In the end, the authors make a conclusion that it is necessary to combine the approaches of different nature in developing the concept of learning materials, as the exclusion of one of the components will significantly limit the potential opportunities in the personal and professional growth of students.