The lecturer: Savchenko I. A.

Lecture 1. Social and economic life of modern Russia.

This lecture outlines the situation of the economic life in Russia and provides statistics that were published in an open press.

The social structure of the society is presented in a percentage parity. There is also information on the salaries of the basic categories of workers and the comparison of purchasing power of their salaries and the cost of living. The tourists have always been especially interested in the economic and social life of the Russian senior citizens.

The lecture also lists the prices of the basic food products, the rates of rent, the commuting expenses, the cost of the basic medical services.

The political life of modern Russia is featured in the information about the major parties and movements. The lecture gives a review of the current changes in the laws and decrees, which are aimed to develop liberties and democracy in Russia. The correlation between the hierarchy of the social structure and political priorities is characterized separately.

At the end of the lecture a certain period of time is alloted for questions and discussions.

Lecture 2. Education in Russia.

The lecture deals with the system of primary and secondary school education. It covers the wide variety of alternative school education. The approximate expenses of additional educational services are listed.

The lecture considers the characteristic of vocational secondary education, the problem of further employment and, accordingly, the priorities of the young people in choosing their future occupation.

The system of higher education, its peculiarities in Russia, private educational institutions as an alternative to state ones. Features of education based on the fixed curriculums. The thoughts of young people and the social needs that are considered in making a choice. At the end of the lecture Russian students are invited to take part in the discussion and to answer the questions about student's life in modern Russia.

Lecture 3. Social insurance and social service in Russia.

The lecture touches upon the implementation of obligatory medical insurance in Russia and providing various categories of citizens with medical services. It gives the comparative characteristic of the scope of services requiring payment and the social status of the consumers.

Social protection of maternity and childhood, allowances and social benefits for the children from large or disadvantaged families and privileges in getting education.

Unemployment and what is done about it. The social programs of vocational retraining, increasing of the educational level. Social welfare and grants.

Social protection of senior citizens. Old people's homes and poorhouses. The social care for old people who live alone.

The social programs for the protection and welfare of disabled people.

Lecture 4. Russian culture. Traditions, customs, morals.

Russian cooking traditions in the course of history and today. The tourists are offered the recipes of traditional Russian dishes (borsch, pelmeni, pies, medowukha) .

The characteristic of the main religious and secular holidays. Celebratory procedures.

Russian weddings, traditional ceremonies and modern ones. Christening and birthday parties.

Funeral ceremonies and last rites.

Lecture 5. Russian culture. Russian literature, painting and icon-painting.

History of icon-painting in Russia. The features of templar icon-painting. Regional peculiarities of icon-painting (the Novgorod school, Rublev and Dionysii and the Moscow school).

Art of the varnish miniatures. Bast toys. The art of Russian primitivism.

Pushkin - Dostoevsky - Tolstoy. Russian soul and Russian character.

Lecture 6. Russian culture. History of Russian State system.

The Kievian Rus. Baptizing of Russia. The unification of the Russian people under the leadership of the Moscow princes. A history of The House of the Romanov's. The Soviets and the Communist Government. A brief history of Russian democracy.

Talk show: The incomes and expenses of a Russian family.

Members of crew, interpreters and restaurant staff take part in the talk-show. The participants tell about the structure of incomes distribution in a Russian family, priorities in purchases, family needs, expense planning etc. Each of the participants answers the questions of the tourists. The result is a unique chance for the visitors of the country to get acquainted with the real life of a Russian family, to feel the Russian character and mentality.