Keyword: «ethnocultural identity»

The issue of forming national-cultural identity and developing patriotism is relevant in all periods of societal development, especially during times of significant change. National-cultural and ethnocultural identity serves as the foundation for the development of patriotism, as awareness of belonging to one's native culture is the first step in developing self-awareness and a conscious love for one's homeland. Previous research has shown that foreign language as a discipline has great potential for developing and enhancing universal competences. Currently, higher education in Russia is in the process of introducing new disciplines aimed at forming national and ethnocultural identity; however, the potential of disciplines such as "Foreign Language" and "Intercultural Communication" is underestimated. The aim of the study was to assess the potentials and resources of the course "Intercultural Communication" for the development of national-cultural and ethnocultural identity and the growth of patriotism among students. The course "Intercultural Communication" was designed on the base of student-centered, activity-based, and competency-based approaches with an emphasis on achieving integrated learning outcomes (personal, meta-subject, and subject-specific). The study was conducted at the Institute of Foreign Languages at Petrozavodsk State University. 87 students majoring in Linguistics at Petrozavodsk State University participated in the study, which included initial questioning using Likert scale, studying the course "Intercultural Communication," follow-up questioning, and analysis of the results. Statements based on M. Byram's intercultural competence structure were used for questioning. Chi-square criteria and t-Student criteria for dependent samples were used to validate the results. The results confirmed the effectiveness of developing national-cultural identity and a sense of patriotism through the course "Intercultural Communication." In particular, the results showed that studying the course leads to a more conscious positive attitude towards native culture, which is the basis for forming ethnocultural identity and patriotism.