Books

The book by V.I. Tropin, a Moscow State University Vice-Rector for International Relations in the 1970s – 1980s, deals with the visits of Daisaku Ikeda, a famous Buddhist public figure, peace fighter, President of the Soca Gakkai International Society, to the USSR and Russia. The materials about D. Ikeda’s meetings with our country’s state and public figures, writers and scientists and Moscow University rectors RV. Khokhlov, A.A. Logunov, V.A. Sadovnichiy are supplemented by the author’s impressions of his personal contacts with this outstanding Japanese philosopher and enlightener. One of the sections of the book is devoted to the problem of the USSR disintegration that preoccupied D. Ikeda.

The work summarizes the results of our own research and that of other scientific institutions on arable land degradation in Russia. Under the guidance of the author, the book developed and presented the following:

• Methodology for assessing agroecological and landscape and land improvement factors of agrolandscape degradation in Russia’s Non-Black zone to determine main directions for soil fertility restoration and increased productivity of agrocenoses;
• Characteristics of degradation processes and major agroecological and landscape and land reclamation factors of agricultural land degradation;
• Various complexes of successive crop cultivation measures to restore the productivity of degraded arable and natural forage lands.

The presented data and analysis can be used by central and regional authorities, the agro-industrial complex’s information and consulting centers and by scientists, undergraduate and postgraduates students of classical and agricultural universities, academies and other higher educational institutions.

The book describes activity theory of learning, developed in close connection with the P.Ya. Galperin’s Theory of stage-by-stage formation of mental actions and concepts. Based on the generalization of a huge number of experimental data, the author shows the high effi ciency of the Activity theory of learning as a psychological basis for managing the learning process.

The book is designed for specialists in the fi eld of psychology, pedagogy, teacher’s trainers. It can be useful for teachers of secondary and high schools, as well as all those interested in the problems of managing the process of learning.

The monograph presents the results of the study of dialectical thinking, carried out by the author. The book is written from the perspective of a structured approach. In this case, dialectical thinking is viewed as a process of operating with opposites. The structural model of dialectical thinking is presented. An experimental study of the dialectical thinking of preschool children shows that it is involved in the development of understanding of emotions, including mixed ones. Also, dialectical thinking allows to solve three types of problems: to create a creative product, to understand developmental processes and to transform contradictory situations.

The book is addressed to specialists in the fi eld of preschool education, graduate students and students and everyone interested in the development of dialectical thinking.

A detailed summary of the compulsory course of ordinary differential equations, which has been read by the author for many years for students of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Lomonosov Moscow State University, is presented. The textbook introduces readers to the geometric interpretation of the first-order equation, with the first integrals, special points and limit cycles of autonomous systems, with the theory of linear equations and systems, including constant and periodic coefficients, with the questions of the existence, uniqueness and continuability of solutions, their continuity and differentiability by parameter, Lyapunov stability, as well as with questions of the existence and uniqueness of the solution of the Cauchy problem for a partial differential equation of the first order.

Precise definitions are given, statements are carefully formulated and proved, the most important methods of solving problems are strictly justified. All the necessary theoretical information, related concepts and facts from related branches of mathematics are given. The tasks for independent solution are proposed, allowing to penetrate deeper into the read material. For students and postgraduates studying the classical theory of ordinary differential equations.

The social and political essays by Dokuchaev, an outstanding scientist, founder of soil science, are comparatively little known to the readership, but they are full of civic spirit and are applicable to our days. Dokuchaev's main concern is the preservation of the fertility of Russian ‘chernozem’ – Black Earth, which, to use his words, is ‘more expensive than gold.’

The scientist thought like a statesman: he put a lot of effort into developing natural science and agronomy in Russia, organizing academic and scientific-social institutions, improving university and agricultural education; he made an invaluable contribution to practice by organizing combined expeditions to combat drought in the country’s steppe regions. Dokuchaev’s thoughts and deeds are still relevant today and may continue to serve as a guide to action if we are to revive domestic land use on a proper scientific basis.

This book contains a broad analysis of Old Russian literary monuments dedicated to Russian literature of the 11th — early 18th centuries. The collection is based on the work of the department of ancient Slavic literature in the A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences and teachers of Moscow State University.

The book is meant for school teachers, high school students, university entrants, college students, as well as to all lovers of ancient literature.

This book contains a broad analysis of Old Russian literary monuments dedicated to Russian literature of the 11th — early 18th centuries. The collection is based on the work of the department of ancient Slavic literature in the A.M. Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences and teachers of Moscow State University.

The book is meant for school teachers, high school students, university entrants, college students, as well as to all lovers of ancient literature.

In this book, well-known scientists analyze works that were recently included in the school curriculum. Readers will find it useful reading the analysis of the novel ‘We’ by E. Zamyatin, prose by A.N. Tolstoy, the works of A. Platonov, ‘The Luzhin Defense’ and ‘The Circle’ by V. Nabokov.

The renowned soil scientist G.V. Dobrovolsky tells us about his long personal and professional journey. Almost all his life except for the war years (1939–1946) is closely connected with Lomonosov Moscow State University. He passed his student and post-graduate years here and later began his scientifi c and pedagogic work as a research fellow, assistant, assistant professor, head of chair, dean of Biology and Soil Department and then dean of the Department of Soil Science founded upon his initiative. Many years of expeditions and business trips to different regions of Russia and other countries, meetings and cooperation with interesting people have brought about new knowledge and impressions that are presented in this book.

The book will be interesting for soil scientists, biologists, geographers, geologists, specialists in environmental protection and rational use of land resources.

This collection is the second issue of the ‘Journalism for the Health of the Nation’ series, which is the result of a major scientific, educational and publishing project of the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University. It focuses on the analysis of journalistic practice in public health issues coverage. It covers almost all types and types of media. Among the authors are doctors, teachers, psychologists, researchers, and journalists, which provides and interdisciplinary approach.

This collection reveals data on media content researches carried out by teachers, researchers and students of the Faculty of Journalism of the Moscow State University. Its appendix covers extensive historical, reference, statistical, documentary material and journalistic texts, thus having a high value even separate from the book.

The manual is meant for teachers and secondary school pupils, college and university undergraduate students studying Ecology. The materials of the manual can be used to assess the students’ knowledge as well as to facilitate their preparation for contests in Ecology.

The manual provides tasks on the five sections of Ecology: General ecology (Bioecology), Social ecology and Human ecology, Natural resources and their use (Environmental management), Environmental pollution (Applied ecology), and Environmental protection. The tasks are formulated as tests of different levels of complexity and various kinds (free-answer and alternative questions).

When writing the manual its authors applied their experience of teaching Ecology and developing the base of the tasks for different levels of the All-Russian contest on Ecology and ‘Lomonosov’ contest on Ecology at Lomonosov Moscow State University.

Books in the ‘Rereading the Classics’ series give a modern analysis of the works that form part of school literature curricula. This is the first attempt to provide a detailed insight into the spiritual, moral and religious aspects of the art of 19th and 20th century Russian writers. The series is offered as the basis of modern knowledge about Russian literature, which is necessary for high school students to pass school-leaving examinations and to gain admission to any institution of higher learning. This book describes the personality and fate of Zamyatin — one of the most interesting writers of the 20th century. It covers his creative behavior, his disrespect towards any authority. The book focuses on his ‘We’ novel and does not skip its political aspects banned in the Soviet period. The author focuses on the analysis of the psychological, philosophical, historiosophical and artistic discoveries of Zamyatin.

For teachers of schools, lyceums and gymnasiums, students, high school students, university entrants, philologists.

Books in the ‘Rereading the Classics’ series give a modern analysis of the works that form part of school literature curricula. This is the first attempt to provide a detailed insight into the spiritual, moral and religious aspects of the art of 19th and 20th century Russian writers. The series is offered as the basis of modern knowledge about Russian literature, which is necessary for high school students to pass school-leaving examinations and to gain admission to any institution of higher learning.

The textbook covers a number of major names and works of foreign literature from the school curriculum. With all the vastness of the period, the five offered essays represent a change in the main genres and styles from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment. The book traces the evolution of literature, starting with genres that mark the collapse of the humanist utopia, the tragedies of Shakespeare and the novel of Cervantes. It continues with the satirical comedy of Moliere and the enlightenment novel by Defoe and Swift. Finally, it discusses Goethe's work and his great book Faust, which assesses the renewed character of culture through one of the key images of modern times.

For school, lyceums and gymnasium teachers, high school and college students, university entrants, philology specialists and a wide range of readers.

The author’s notes, based on personal experience as well as conversations with heads, teachers and graduates, allowed him to draw the story of the first years of the Faculty of Fundamental Medicine of the Moscow State University. The notes give the main features of classical university medical education at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. This historical and artistic publication is devoted to the 20th anniversary of the Faculty.

The memoirs of Galkin, the 39th rector of the Moscow State University, the long-time head of the department of the New and Modern History of the Historical Faculty, cover the author’s almost-a-century-long life, which is inseparable from the history of this country and the history of the Moscow State University.

For historians, students, or anyone interested in the history of Moscow State University.

The book is devoted to a long-standing problem: the search for the name of the author of the Tale. The researcher tried to approach the solution of this problem by finding and reading the cryptograms — one of the well-known and widely spread methods of Old Russian authors to leave their names hidden.

This is a book of short stories about beetles, snails, caterpillars, dragonflies and other inhabitants of forests and ponds. They have interesting adventures, which are both entertaining and educational.