Elective Educational Course “Anthropology of Corporeality”: Soft Skills as a Part of Specialists’ Education at a Technical University

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a discussion in Russian higher education about the introduction of additional self-development modules focused on the formation of critical thinking, emotional intelligence, self-presentation and intercultural communication skills, as well as other components of personal growth. It should be noted that most Russian universities and employers do not have a common standard for the soft skills development and assessment. The purpose of this work is to study the aspects of training students of engineering and humanitarian specialties in the process of their education at a technical university. The important role of universal (supra-professional) skills, also known as soft skills, is emphasized. The elective course “Anthropology of corporeality” developed by the author was tested in the largest Russian university – Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University of Peter the Great. The discipline contributes to the formation of a holistic understanding of the of intercultural, gender, emotional, non-verbal, social communication specific based on the universal competencies of higher education. The main methodological concepts of the course are based on the general logic of anthropogenesis, cultural genesis and sociogenesis, therefore this scientific problem is of a fundamental and humanitarian nature.