About the project
The project was carried out in partnership with MEMORIAL Deutschland, with financial support from European funds.
The students and teachers of the project "Ark Without Borders: School of Democracy" shared a common goal: to foster critical re-evaluation of Russian cultural content in the context of global, and primarily European, culture through collective reflection. Democratic education helps prepare individuals who could become agents of democratic transformations in Russia. We aimed to support democratic civil structures in Russia—primarily independent communities of school teachers.
Our courses were designed to cultivate the fundamental values of democratic culture (solidarity, respect for differences, free discussion, and taking responsibility for decisions made) as well as collaborative creativity skills, such as setting goals and implementing them. Additionally, the project's courses promoted the development of human agency and spontaneity, which, in turn, enabled innovative approaches to exploring different layers of the humanities and natural sciences.
So, what is the "School of Democracy"?
We offered three series of original educational online courses in Russian in the fields of social sciences and humanities, taught by leading scholars who were forced to leave their country after the war began. These courses were designed for:
The students and teachers of the project "Ark Without Borders: School of Democracy" shared a common goal: to foster critical re-evaluation of Russian cultural content in the context of global, and primarily European, culture through collective reflection. Democratic education helps prepare individuals who could become agents of democratic transformations in Russia. We aimed to support democratic civil structures in Russia—primarily independent communities of school teachers.
Our courses were designed to cultivate the fundamental values of democratic culture (solidarity, respect for differences, free discussion, and taking responsibility for decisions made) as well as collaborative creativity skills, such as setting goals and implementing them. Additionally, the project's courses promoted the development of human agency and spontaneity, which, in turn, enabled innovative approaches to exploring different layers of the humanities and natural sciences.
So, what is the "School of Democracy"?
We offered three series of original educational online courses in Russian in the fields of social sciences and humanities, taught by leading scholars who were forced to leave their country after the war began. These courses were designed for:
- Younger adolescents (ages 10-13)
- Older adolescents and young adults (ages 14-22)
- School teachers
All courses of "the School of Democracy" project
First trimester
15 of May - 15 of July
15 of May - 15 of July
10+
✔ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Inside the historian's workshop: how history is made»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg and Liubov Summ «How Achilles learned to cry: modern comics about ancient heroes»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg «Contemporary art: experience of co-authorship and empathy»
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Think like Sherlock: The Power of Logic»
✔ Grigori Pantijelew «We and Bach. The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «How can the heart express itself? We read and write poems to understand and to be understood»
✔ Nina Dashevskaya «Conversation with the writer»
14+
✔ Elena Litvyak «Remember not forget: XX century in books for teenagers»
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Battles over the past: how to survive them? Introduction to public history»
✔ Jan Levtsenko «What we see: how to explore the world of the visual»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Philosophy for teenagers»
✔ Alexander Klimovich «Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence»
✔ Gasan Gusejnov «The obscene language in culture and politics of the 20th and 21st centuries»
✔ Dmitrii Polianskii «Men and women in the contemporary world»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «It's all wrong, guys!": stories of modern Russia»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «To be modern. Europe in the epoch of Modernity»
24+
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «The Politics of Memory in the Post-Soviet Space: Main Trajectories»
✔ Jan Levtsenko «Cine-Culture: Europe and USA reflected in film»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «How to teach Philosophy»
✔ Gasan Gusejnov «Antiquity in Russian poetry of the 19th-21st centuries: analysis of texts, life of poets and translators»
✔ Denis Grekov «Techniques for successful communication in a toxic information environment»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «History Of Siberia: from Tsardon of Muscovy till today»
✔ Dmitry Dubrovsky «How democracy works: a beginner's guide»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «Dissident memoirs and diaries as a historical source»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «The past in the school of the future: how to teach history in school?»
✔ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Inside the historian's workshop: how history is made»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg and Liubov Summ «How Achilles learned to cry: modern comics about ancient heroes»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg «Contemporary art: experience of co-authorship and empathy»
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Think like Sherlock: The Power of Logic»
✔ Grigori Pantijelew «We and Bach. The Music of Johann Sebastian Bach»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «How can the heart express itself? We read and write poems to understand and to be understood»
✔ Nina Dashevskaya «Conversation with the writer»
14+
✔ Elena Litvyak «Remember not forget: XX century in books for teenagers»
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Battles over the past: how to survive them? Introduction to public history»
✔ Jan Levtsenko «What we see: how to explore the world of the visual»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Philosophy for teenagers»
✔ Alexander Klimovich «Ethics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence»
✔ Gasan Gusejnov «The obscene language in culture and politics of the 20th and 21st centuries»
✔ Dmitrii Polianskii «Men and women in the contemporary world»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «It's all wrong, guys!": stories of modern Russia»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «To be modern. Europe in the epoch of Modernity»
24+
✔ Aleksei Kamenskikh «The Politics of Memory in the Post-Soviet Space: Main Trajectories»
✔ Jan Levtsenko «Cine-Culture: Europe and USA reflected in film»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «How to teach Philosophy»
✔ Gasan Gusejnov «Antiquity in Russian poetry of the 19th-21st centuries: analysis of texts, life of poets and translators»
✔ Denis Grekov «Techniques for successful communication in a toxic information environment»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «History Of Siberia: from Tsardon of Muscovy till today»
✔ Dmitry Dubrovsky «How democracy works: a beginner's guide»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «Dissident memoirs and diaries as a historical source»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «The past in the school of the future: how to teach history in school?»
Second trimester
1 of September - 31 of October
1 of September - 31 of October
10+:
★ Olga Ayzenberg «Languages of art: from alphabet to philosophical text»
★ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
★ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Poetry as a time machine!»
★ Olena Nezhevenko «Logical games»
★ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Inside the historian's workshop: how history is made»
★ Liubov Summ and Olya Aizenberg «Homer talks – we draw comics»
14+
★ Victor Gorbatov «Critical thinking»
★ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Battles over the past: how to survive them? Introduction to public history»
★ Diana Gasparyan «Contemporary problems in philosophy for teenagers»
★ Sofia Danko «Ethics: a course on good and evil»
★ Gasan Gusejnov «Antiquity in Russian poetry»
★ Dmitrii Polianskii «Gender revolution and counter-revolutionary forces»
24+
★ Sofia Danko «Ethics: a course on good and evil»
★ Victor Gorbatov «Critical thinking in education»
★ Dmitry Dubrovskiy «Democracy for beginners»
★ Diana Gasparyan «The human destiny in 20th- and 21st-century philosophy»
★ Iuliia Gorbatova «Communication: safety precautions»
★ Tatiana Levina «Feminist philosophy»
★ Ihor Solomadin «История Украины. Путь к свободе»
★ Olga Ayzenberg «Languages of art: from alphabet to philosophical text»
★ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
★ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Poetry as a time machine!»
★ Olena Nezhevenko «Logical games»
★ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Inside the historian's workshop: how history is made»
★ Liubov Summ and Olya Aizenberg «Homer talks – we draw comics»
14+
★ Victor Gorbatov «Critical thinking»
★ Aleksei Kamenskikh «Battles over the past: how to survive them? Introduction to public history»
★ Diana Gasparyan «Contemporary problems in philosophy for teenagers»
★ Sofia Danko «Ethics: a course on good and evil»
★ Gasan Gusejnov «Antiquity in Russian poetry»
★ Dmitrii Polianskii «Gender revolution and counter-revolutionary forces»
24+
★ Sofia Danko «Ethics: a course on good and evil»
★ Victor Gorbatov «Critical thinking in education»
★ Dmitry Dubrovskiy «Democracy for beginners»
★ Diana Gasparyan «The human destiny in 20th- and 21st-century philosophy»
★ Iuliia Gorbatova «Communication: safety precautions»
★ Tatiana Levina «Feminist philosophy»
★ Ihor Solomadin «История Украины. Путь к свободе»
Third trimester
1 of November - 31 of December
1 of November - 31 of December
10+:
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Logical games»
✔ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Poetry as a time machine!»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Why do poets need linguistics?»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg «Languages of art: from alphabet to philosophical text»
✔ Maria Remizova «Open Russian»
✔ Nina Dashevskaya «Conversation with the writer»
✔ Irina Lukyanova «Fairytale course»
14+
✔ Elena Litvyak «Remember not forget: XX century in books for teenagers»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «History of Russia in space and time»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «The birth of Europe»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «Newton’s Third Law: Experiences of resistance in different countries»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Learning to read philosophical texts»
✔ Denis Grekov «Survival skills in a toxic information environment»
✔ Sofia Danko «A course on good and evil»
✔ Irina Lukyanova «Who has gone mad — me or the whole world? Madness in literature»
✔ Svetlana Panich «Erica takes four copies»
✔ Grigori Pantijelew «What is the kind of person we would call ‘strong in spirit’?
24+
✔ Sofia Danko «Discoveries of philosophical ethics»
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Evidence-based pedagogy»
✔ Ihor Solomadin «History of Ukraine: The way to freedom»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «Problems of Siberia’s history»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «On the possibility of another school»
✔ Tatiana Levina «Women philosophers and their theories»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «The contemporary Russian human rights movement: directions and achievements»
✔ Jan Levtšenko «Postwar Humanism on the Screen. Sketches of the reverse history of auteur cinema of the mid-twentieth century»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Philosophy of freedom and action»
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Logical games»
✔ Elena Litvyak «Free people»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Poetry as a time machine!»
✔ Liudmila Pechatnikova «Why do poets need linguistics?»
✔ Olga Ayzenberg «Languages of art: from alphabet to philosophical text»
✔ Maria Remizova «Open Russian»
✔ Nina Dashevskaya «Conversation with the writer»
✔ Irina Lukyanova «Fairytale course»
14+
✔ Elena Litvyak «Remember not forget: XX century in books for teenagers»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «History of Russia in space and time»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «The birth of Europe»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «Newton’s Third Law: Experiences of resistance in different countries»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Learning to read philosophical texts»
✔ Denis Grekov «Survival skills in a toxic information environment»
✔ Sofia Danko «A course on good and evil»
✔ Irina Lukyanova «Who has gone mad — me or the whole world? Madness in literature»
✔ Svetlana Panich «Erica takes four copies»
✔ Grigori Pantijelew «What is the kind of person we would call ‘strong in spirit’?
24+
✔ Sofia Danko «Discoveries of philosophical ethics»
✔ Olena Nezhevenko «Evidence-based pedagogy»
✔ Ihor Solomadin «History of Ukraine: The way to freedom»
✔ Mikhail Nemtsev «Problems of Siberia’s history»
✔ Rustam Kurbatov «On the possibility of another school»
✔ Tatiana Levina «Women philosophers and their theories»
✔ Aleksandr Cherkasov «The contemporary Russian human rights movement: directions and achievements»
✔ Jan Levtšenko «Postwar Humanism on the Screen. Sketches of the reverse history of auteur cinema of the mid-twentieth century»
✔ Diana Gasparyan «Philosophy of freedom and action»
And in July and August, we invited you to attend an open lecture hall with presentations by leading scientists and civil society activists on key issues of modern social and humanitarian knowledge.