There are no rumors or gossip about Elena Vartanova's personal life. The information just doesn't exist. The dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University, Elena Leonidovna Vartanova, seems to live on one job. Trips, meetings, interviews, dissertations, careers, students - this is what makes up the life of a pretty woman with a kind smile on her face.
Young years
Elena's childhood and youth were spent in a provincial town. At a young age, the girl could not even think that she would become one of the most famous journalists and scientists in the country. The future celebrity was born on December 22, 1959 in Zagorsk, which was later renamed Sergiev Posad. In a small town near Moscow, a carefree childhood passed. Elena remembers those years as happy, full of peace and family joys.
When she went to school, she became interested in skating and music. But it was difficult to keep up with everything, and Elena had to choose one thing at the insistence of her parents. She settled on the piano.
The girl loved to read. Books have always been faithful companions in the life of Elena LeonidovnaVartanova. Today, the dean says that all journalism students are as book lovers as she is. Dreamy, creative readers.
The path to journalism
The future dean was 15 years old when she first thought about journalism. Around was a stable and quiet life of the 70s of the last century. At such a young age, everyone wants change, a bright and varied life, full of events. Elena Vartanova was no exception. She did not want to work at a factory, like her parents, she dreamed of seeing the world. The literature teacher always praised the girl for her clear presentation of thoughts and excellent essays. And Elena decided that she would try to become a journalist.
The parents supported their daughter, although they considered it frivolous. The factory edition did not require freelancers, and Elena began to look for other opportunities. Arriving at the editorial office of the district newspaper, she said that she wanted to publish as a journalist and enter Moscow State University. The team was friendly and cheerful, she was given a task and sent to write a note about a new farm on the collective farm.
Elena took the task seriously. She went to the fields dressed up, in white shoes and formal clothes. While I was walking around the collective farm and the farm, I got all dirty, but I wrote a lot of material. Later, the editor selected only a few lines for the newspaper, but Elena Leonidovna Vartanova recalls her first experience in journalism with a smile.
Admission and studies
The newspaper printed more than twentyher notes. As a result, when she entered the Faculty of Journalism, Elena easily coped with the creative competition. The school certificate was excellent, but the priority was for students with experience in newspapers, so to speak, with experience. Therefore, the fact that the girl entered Moscow State University the first time was a big surprise for Elena and her parents.
The girl graduated with honors in 1981. I got a speci alty and began to think about where to move on. Elena Vartanova was always interested in foreign media, but in those years, only boys were taken to the department of foreign literature and journalism to Yasen Zasursky.
The girl acted extraordinary - she signed up as a free listener to Lyudmila Kustova. Studied the British press, wrote a term paper. I realized that in foreign media, not everything is as smooth as many people think. But nevertheless, in the complex mechanism of foreign media, I found a lot of interesting and informative for myself.
Meet the Western press
In Soviet times, students "abroad" were allowed to read the Western press. The country was behind the "iron curtain", and the students of the department were allowed to study foreign media. There were closed rooms in the Lenin Library. Entrance was only with special passes and a passport. This experience was invaluable for Elena, she was able to study what she was always interested in.
How did Elena Vartanova stay at Moscow State University?
Yasen Zasursky before the final exam gathered the most promising students and invited them to work at the faculty. This was necessary for admission to graduate school. In Soviet times, for thisat least two years of work experience was required.
Zasursky was the dean and understood that if they leave now to work in the media, they are unlikely to remember postgraduate studies later. The university needed young teachers. The idea worked. Almost all the students he selected remained to teach at Moscow State University. And Elena too.
While working at the Department of Journalism, Elena began to realize that research in the field of American and English, as well as German media is already very extensive. And I decided to study the mass media in Finland. I signed up for Finnish language courses at the university. In 1986, she defended her dissertation “The largest bourgeois newspaper in Finland, Helsingin Sanomat: the main foreign policy concepts and their formation under the influence of monopoly capital.”
Unique Specialist
Elena Vartanova was very interested in the Finnish media and admits that the years of studying them were bright and interesting, opened up a lot of new things and broadened her horizons.
In her interviews, she says that journalism in Russia is different from that in Europe. Although outwardly they are somewhat similar, but the culture and development of society leave their mark. And it reminds us that it was our Russian scientist Mikhail Lomonosov who came up with the so-called principles of journalistic ethics. This is respect for the fact, the source of information, the audience and the modesty of the journalist. These principles have not lost their relevance at the present moment.
In 1999, an important event appeared in the biography of Elena Vartanova - she defended her dissertation"The Nordic Path to the Information Society: The Evolution of the Finnish Media Model". She started her scientific career as a student and passed it to the end at her favorite university.
In 2000, Elena Leonidovna Vartanova was already a professor at the Department of Foreign Literature and Journalism. In 2001, she became Deputy Dean for Research.
In 2004 she created the Department of Economics and Theory of Mass Media. She led it.
Since 2009 Elena Vartanova - Dean of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University
Before that, she headed the faculty as Acting Dean for two years. And she waited for approval for the position she currently holds.
In November 2009, more than 200 first-year students of the faculty of journalism wrote the usual test dictation. About forty students made fewer than eight errors per page. The rest made up to 25 mistakes in the text. Among them were 15 excellent students who entered the faculty with 100 points in the Unified State Examination. The results shocked everyone.
Elena Vartanova denied the connection between the low literacy of yesterday's schoolchildren and the Unified State Exam. In her opinion, this is just a testing tool, and it does not matter in what form it is used. Whether it is an essay, a test or an oral exam, this cannot in any way affect the number of errors in writing a text. Either the school teaches the wrong thing, or the wrong thing is required from the students, this needs to be sorted out.
In addition, the slang spoken and written on the Internet has firmly entered the culturecommunication and outside the network, and this is a big problem. According to Elena, schoolchildren borrow words unconsciously, transferring them later to essays and dictations. Children used to read books, now they read chats, groups on social networks and forums. This problem is being studied at Moscow State University.
After the memorable dictation, there were no repressions and expulsions at the faculty.
Elena Vartanova has adjusted the classes and curricula by making minor changes. Now first-year students are intensively studying the grammar of the Russian language, struggling with illiteracy and mistakes. In fact, they themselves are not against these activities, they consider them necessary first of all for themselves. After all, they are future journalists. And this profession requires literacy, a broad outlook and well-read.
Innovations
From September 1, 2011, a new educational program "Journalism" is being implemented at the faculty. The name of the direction of training remains the same, but the training takes place according to new standards. And these innovations were developed at the Faculty of Journalism with the participation of Elena Vartanova. Moscow State University took into account the education reform that took place in the country. It was also necessary to combine MSU's own standards and the requirements of the media industry. Digital evolution has taken over the world. In recent years, the media masses have changed very quickly, new requirements have been imposed on journalists.
Now students under the guidance of Dean Vartanova are studying high technologies, multimedia and digital environment. Not forgetting, however, that the basic humanitarian knowledge and professional ethics of a journalist are more oftenare more important than understanding technological intricacies.
"Media communications" - such a direction will soon be opened at the Faculty of Journalism
Here students will be trained to work in social media. This is required by modern realities. According to Elena Leonidovna, a revolution is taking place in the transition from paper newspapers to innovative digital media. Social networks have become a place not only for communication, but also for the delivery of a wide variety of information. This is news, and events, and incidents. Moreover, information is presented in a shorter, concise form.
In the not-too-distant future, social media will push paper publications even further. Of course, you will have to restructure, move to the Internet space and actively master it. Although all major publishing houses have had their own websites for a long time.
Interest in science
In society, interest in science journalism has long been growing. Therefore, Elena Vartanova created and successfully operates two projects. These are the School of Science Journalism, which students from other faculties can enroll in, and the Science Journalism Lab.
The Dean of the Faculty of Journalism believes that it is also important to promote science in the media because there are a lot of dubious publications and alleged discoveries in this area on the net. Some magical stones and magical water filters excite the minds of unenlightened readers. That is why it is necessary to promote quality science journalism.
In the biography of Elena Vartanova, her husband is not mentioned. Allher life is focused on teaching and self-development. Elena Leonidovna always says that the main qualities of a journalist are love for people, responsibility and curiosity. And she lives up to these high standards herself.
