Cultural and educational projects as basis for social and cultural adaptation of foreign students (pre-master training)

The problem of foreign students adaptation in Russia is quite relevant, since this group of students has to adapt not only to a new level of education, but also to a foreign language and socio-cultural environment. An important stage in the adaptation of students is studying at one-year pre-master training programs, but those are primarily aimed at eliminating linguistic difficulties and acquiring academic skills. Much less attention is given to the study of new culture, traditions, rules of behavior. Subsequently, this may lead to psychological discomfort and fear of participating in the social life of the university or developing as a young scientist precisely because of the lack of social reality understanding. This problem arises due to poor sociocultural adaptation. Since the adaptation of foreign pre-masters cannot but include the sociocultural component, this article discusses ways to facilitate this direction of adaptation. Method of cultural and educational projects in relation to socio-cultural adaptation is also proposed. The project in this case includes a term paper on cultural and architectural monuments of the city where a university is located, a report with a presentation and their public assertion. The advantage of this approach is that it prepares students for writing and asserting term papers and final master paper in advance. The method of cultural and educational projects is also convenient because it can be used both for pre-master training programs and for the adaptation of first-year graduate students who did not have the opportunity to study at the preparatory department or take an undergraduate degree course in Russia.