A round table called "Strelka, MARSH, VSHU: intersections of educational fields" was held as part of the exhibition of master's works by graduates of the Higher School of Urbanism "City:". Curators of Moscow postgraduate programs in architecture and urban space management met to discuss common ground and prospects for the development of urban education. Director of the Strelka educational program Yuri Grigoryan, Dean of the School of Higher School of Economics Alexander Vysokovsky and MARSH professor Oskar Mamleev answered questions from Alexey Muratov, editor-in-chief of Project Russia magazine, who acted as a moderator of the round table.
This discussion became not just a meaningful conversation of talented professionals, but a moment of reflection: the answers to the questions were sounded: "What are we all (and not each one individually) doing?" and "Where are we going?" The speakers discussed the value of the issued diplomas and the benefits of education, student motivation, social capital within the walls of the alma mater, the political coloring of educational activities and possible prospects for changes in the architectural and urban planning system.
The story about the programs unfolded as if in a spiral: several circles - and all three educational institutions were in full view of the audience. Strelka had three graduates, the Higher School of Economics - one, and the first undergraduates of MARSH will receive their diplomas only next year. Representatives of programs with a state and international diploma, as well as their own certificate, highlight accents in different ways. Alexander Vysokovsky introduces the "urban planner" to the list of specialties, Yuri Grigoryan talks about the possibility of non-institutional penetration into the profession, and Oscar Mamleev reveals the meaning of the new bar, which is set by modern world educational standards (in particular, the London Metropolitan University standard).
On the one hand, all three schools belong to a single area, and on the other hand, clear boundaries are drawn between them, therefore there is no rivalry. For bachelors-architects who want to improve their skills, the doors of the paid Moscow Architectural School are open. Those who think of themselves as a planner and / or a classical researcher in an interdisciplinary environment are invited to the Graduate School of Urbanism, where you can study at both budgetary and paid places. The Strelka Institute, as Yuri Grigoryan noted, “hunts for more mature students”: for those who are ready to work outside the traditional system, participating in media projects and “falling out” of the academic framework.
The problem of "retraining", which Aleksey Muratov reminded of, is that in the West, for a number of reasons, it is difficult to hire those who have studied for a long time - neither Strelka, nor MARSH, nor VSU are intimidated. Everyone is sure that there is and will be demand for education. Oskar Mamleev sees the mission of the School traditionally: to deepen the knowledge of students. But the approach to teaching itself is qualitatively different: the student is no longer a "container" for knowledge, teaching is structured in such a way that the teacher is their "translator", and the student is the "search engine". For Alexander Vysokovsky, the main value of the master's degree in the direction of "Managing the spatial development of cities" is the formation of special optics: students, mastering special tools, learn to see professional problems at different levels - in the smallest detail and close-up. Given the composition of student groups, parallel tasks arise: architects - to teach writing, and geographers and sociologists - to project thinking.
Compressing the two-year program into one year, Strelka is engaged in the first six months of eliminating gaps in the education of its students, with special attention paid to the training of communication techniques, and the second half of the year is devoted to project activities. All this gives the student the opportunity to reach a qualitatively new level, which allows him to competently maneuver in the international professional environment. One of the main goals of Strelka is to teach critical thinking.
An important issue of motivation is solved in MARSH by itself: all applicants pay for their education, and this moment turns out to be decisive. At the Higher School of Economics, where there are free places, the dean has to compete for the attention of students to learning with the employers of students. He explains that in the course of work you learn best, but often in the field they teach "the old way", so it is important to convey the essence of things to the students. Strelka learned through trial and error to select motivated students, because there is no financial incentive at all: they study for free and receive a scholarship.
Relying on professional integration is not the last point when choosing a university. At MARSH and VSHU, experienced specialists are invited to lectures and seminars, in addition, VSHU students can participate in the project activities of teachers. Strelka has four platforms aimed at creating social capital: educational, publishing, design and research.
At the exit, each of the newly minted specialists is free to choose what he likes best: project activities, consulting or work in government agencies - the resulting base will help to be realized in any case. Also, the Russian branch of the international competition of diploma works Archiprix should help architects and urbanists in self-realization: in addition to the competition itself, its head Oscar Mamleev plans to conduct master classes and lecture programs at regional architecture universities with the participation of leading Russian and foreign professionals, as well as invite students to Moscow for summer schools and other educational activities. Professor Mamleev spoke about this initiative in more detail in an interview with Archi.ru.
You can get acquainted with the full version of the round table by watching the video:
