In early December, the V International Conference of Students and Young Researchers "The Russian language in the context of an open dialogue of languages and Cultures" was held at the SfedU Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies. The co-organizers of the international conference, together with the Southern Federal University, were the universities of Kazakhstan and Belarus: L. N. Gumilev Eurasian National University and F. Gomel State University. Skoriny. Russian Russian University Vice Rector for Educational Activities and Information Technologies Pavel Makhno noted in his welcoming speech to the participants of the conference that for the fifth year in a row the conference continues to connect and unite representatives of different cultures and countries who love and study the Russian language, Russian culture and literature. Thanks to this, an open scientific dialogue and the movement of scientific knowledge forward becomes possible.

The event was attended by more than 150 young researchers from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Egypt, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, China, Iraq, Mongolia, Palestine, Ecuador, Turkey, Syria, Colombia, etc., who presented universities such as: SFedU, Moscow State University, A.S. Pushkin State University, RUDN, KFU, UrFU, Rostov Law Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Ufa University of Science and Technology, Uzbek State University of World Languages, Kokshetau University named after Sh. Ualikhanov, Gomel State University named after F. Skorina, Eurasian National University named after L. N. Gumilyov, Alfraganus University, etc.

The main areas of work of the conference were: current issues of language learning and intercultural communication; philological research in the context of cultural dialogue; media, multimedia and digital resources as an object of linguistics and linguodidactics; teaching Russian as a foreign language: the content and forms of organization of the educational process; means of expressing cultural identity at phrasal and supra-phrasal levels; language, text and cross-cultural communication: theoretical and methodological questions.

The conference also included the XV International Academic Internet readings "The Russian language in the context of an open dialogue of languages and cultures", where leading Russian scientists from Russia, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Belarus acted as lecturers: Professor of the Southern Federal University, Doctor of Philology L.B. Savenkova, Professor of the L.N. Eurasian National University Gumilyova (Kazakhstan), Doctor of Philology J. A. Dzhambayeva, Head of the Department of Russian Studies at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Professor Leite de Oliveira Diego, Professor of Gomel State University named after F. Skorina, Doctor of Philology O. A. Leshchinskaya.

The cycle of scientific and practical events continued with an international conference in Spanish. From December 8-9, the SFedU hosted a large-scale XXI All-Russian Scientific and Practical student conference with international participation "Language, Literature and Culture of Ibero-America".

The event was held in a hybrid format on the basis of the International Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies of the Southern Federal University, which organized the conference. The Spanish-Russian Center for Language and Culture of the Southern Federal University actively participated in the preparation and holding of the conference.

Natalia Karpovskaya, the plenipotentiary representative of the Rector of the SFedU in the countries of the Ibero-American area, Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies of the SFedU, opened the conference, noting the long history of the conference, which has been going back twenty-one years, and wishing all participants successful and productive work. Marina Semikova, head of the Ibero-American Department of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies, also addressed the participants of the event with a welcoming speech, stressing that the level of student reports is increasing every year, and the topics are becoming more diverse.

The main areas of work of the conference were: current issues of the theory and practice of the Spanish language; Spanish as a marker of ethnocultural identity; modern technologies in the process of teaching Spanish; history, culture and socio-political realities of the Ibero-American area; Spanish-language literature in the context of history and culture, etc.

The conference participants were particularly interested in the reports delivered at the plenary session by Margarita Wiesel Fajardo, a graduate student at Guantanamo University (Cuba), who is undergoing an internship program at SFedU "Internship in Russia – a step to success"; as well as graduate students of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies SFedU Irina Davtyants and Oksana Pilshchikova.

"It is certainly very important to develop intercultural communications today, because each culture is unique and interesting in its own way, building a dialogue between countries helps to unite the cultural heritage of different peoples. For example, Cuba and Russia have a lot in common, in particular, our countries worked especially closely together during the Soviet era, my parents studied in Russia and know a little Russian, and in our country it is very popular to call girls by the names Irina, Karina, and boys Vladimir, Mikhail," said Margarita Viel Fajardo.

Margarita also shared her impressions of visiting Russia and Rostov-on-Don.

The conference was attended by both students of SFedU and other Russian and foreign universities, among them: MSU, MGLU, MPSU, MGPU, RUDN, PSU, VSU, ZabGU, LGPU, Omsk State Pedagogical University, KFU, NCFU, Kosygin Russian State University, DSTU, Uzbek State University of World languages , etc . In total, about 200 people from Russia, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Ecuador, Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Argentina, Paraguay, Chile took part in the event. More than 150 students, undergraduates and young researchers from 25 Russian and foreign universities made presentations at the breakout sessions. It is worth noting that some students from other universities in Russia preferred full-time participation in the Spanish Language conference to the distance format, having arrived in Rostov-on-Don from Moscow, Pyatigorsk, Lugansk and other cities. Students of the SFedU Sub-faculty also showed great interest in the conference, who not only presented their reports, but also took an active part in the discussions. Spanish and Russian were used as the working languages of the conference.

Traditionally, the XVI International Academic Internet Readings were organized at the conference site as part of the implementation of the Virtual University "World without Borders" project, at which Omar Lobos, Professor at the University of Buenos Aires (75QS, Argentina), and Marta Isabel Canese, Professor at the University of del Norte (Paraguay), acted as lecturers.

The baton of scientific and practical events in 2023 was picked up by the All-Russian Conference of Students and Young Scientists with international participation "English in the modern scientific and educational space", which took place on December 15. The conference, which was attended by representatives of 17 Russian and foreign universities, also became a platform for the XVII International Academic Internet Readings "Intercultural Dialogue and Challenges of the Modern World", at which Adolfo Tanzi Neto (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) and Victor Hugo Ramirez Ramirez (University Veracruz, Mexico).

Despite the fact that the scientific and practical conference on English language learning is being held at the Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies for the first time, it has already managed to arouse keen interest from a large number of students, undergraduates, postgraduates and young scientists. In her welcoming speech to the participants of the event, Acting Head of the Department of Ibero-American Studies in the field of language, translation and Intercultural communication, Anna Motozhanets, expressed confidence that holding such a conference would become an annual event and stand in line with other traditional scientific events of the university.

The main areas of work of the conference were: current issues of modern research in the field of English; literature and culture of English-speaking countries; issues of theory and practice of translation; current problems of teaching English. Within the framework of the conference, the work of the section "The contemporal English language: relevant issues and research trends" was carried out, which became a platform for presenting reports only in English. 

The conference participants were also able to get acquainted with the reports of the plenary session, at which Olga Zheleznyakova, Head of the Department of Modern Translation Technologies of the Minsk State Linguistic University, Irina Martynenko, Associate Professor of the O.E. Kutafin Moscow State Law University, as well as the acting head of the department, Associate Professor of the SFedU Institute of Interdisciplinary Education and Ibero-American Studies Anna Motozhanets, spoke.

Among the universities whose students took an active part in the conference: Peoples' Friendship University of Russia, O.E. Kutafin Moscow State Law University, A.I. Russian State Pedagogical University. Herzen, Belgorod State National Research University, Tomsk State University, Siberian Federal University, Penza State University, Pyatigorsk State University, Tver State University, Minsk State Linguistic University, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, etc. In total, more than 100 speakers from Russia, Belarus, Brazil, Mexico, Mongolia, Syria, Nigeria, and Iran took part in the event. English and Russian were used as the working languages of the conference.

The December cycle of scientific and practical conferences of students and young scientists is completed by the cultural and educational event "Through Space and Time", dedicated to getting acquainted with New Year's traditions and customs of representatives of various national cultures. The event aimed at developing practical skills of intercultural communication will be held on December 27 at 16.00 at the address: Bolshaya Sadovaya str., 105/42, room 401.

We invite students and staff of SFedU. Applications for participation are accepted until December 22 (inclusive) by e-mail ebondareva@sfedu.ru  or edanchenko@sfedu.ru