Sklyarova Tatiana

Theological education and research in Russia from 1993 to 2015: documents, events, facts

Abstract

This article describes the development of theological education and research in Russia from the emergence in 1993 of the fi rst state standard in the educational discipline “Theology” to the introduction in 2015 of the passport of the academic specialisation “Theology” into the classifi er of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation. The article records the chronology of introducing the four generations of educational standards in theology, describes the main documents that illustrate the dynamics of the development of theology in the sphere of education and research, lists the key facts that show the specifi c geatures of this phenomenon in the landscape of the present-day education in Russia. The article continues the study of the educational activity of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period of 1990–2015 and is designed to characterise the entirety of precesses in religious education, educational initiatives, institutions and conditions of education, administrative and managementrelated decisions implemented by representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church in the sphere of research and higher education in the period in question. In this study, the domain of implementing religious education of the Russian Orthodox Church includes the experience of establishing and operating theological seminaries and academies, Orthodox institutes and universities as well as departments of theology and/ or other departments in state and private educational institutions that run educational programmes in theology. As for the educational initiatives of the Russian Orthodox Church, the article examines suggestions of offi cial representatives of the churchrelated community in the sphere of theology in higher education and academic community. Organisational and pedagogical conditions of theological education and research are compared with educational initiatives of the church and in accordance with regulatory and legislative documents of the state. The administrative decisions of the Russian Orthodox Church are examined in the context of the documents adopted by the Patriarch and the Holy Synod as to the development of religious education and theological education and research. Drawing on the analysis of educational standards, orders of the Ministry of Education and Science, resolutions of academic conferences, the article considers such specifi c facts as openings of departments of theology, activities of the Educational and Methodological Unit in theology, offi cial statements of supporters and opponents of theology, publication of study materials in theology in the period in question, licensing and accreditation of educational institutions in the sphere of theology, opening of dissertation councils and establishing the expert council in theology at the Higher Attestation Commission.

Keywords

religious education, theological education, theology, history of education, educational initiatives, educational activities of the Russian Orthodox Church

References

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Information about the author

Sklyarova Tatiana

Academic Degree: Doctor of Sciences* in Education;
Academic Rank: Professor;
Place of work: St. Tikhon’s Orthodox University for the Humanities; 407, 9/2, Jlovaiskaya str., 109651, Moscow, Russian Federation;
Post: Senior Lecturer;
ORCID: 0000-0002-1169-5624;
Email: tsklyarova@mail.ru.

*According to ISCED 2011, a post-doctoral degree called Doctor of Sciences (D.Sc.) is given to reflect second advanced research qualifications or higher doctorates.

Acknowledgments

The reported study was funded by RFBR according to the research project № 19-013-00228.