New Undergrad Programs to Open at AUCA

May 24, 2016

Starting from the 2016-2017 academic year, the American University of Central Asia (AUCA) will have two new departments: the Department of Television, Cinematography and Visual Art and the Department of Applied Geology. Heads of the new departments spoke about their new programs at a press-conference on May 19, 2016.

In attendance were TV-anchorwoman Aynura Kabatay kyzy, film director, scriptwriter and producer Temir Birnazarov, BBC journalist Askar Arslan, director of the Institute of Seismology of the Kyrgyz Republic Kanat Abdrahmatov, and hydrogeologist and environmental geologist Zheenbek Kulenbekov, all faculty members of the new departments.

The Department of Television, Cinematography and Visual Art prepares graduates to work in all areas of the television and film industries. The department offer specializations in media communications, television and cinematography, screen art, photography, production, and design. The curriculum adheres to the international standards of journalism, so students will have the opportunity work internships at local and international media companies.

Students in the Department of Applied Geology will study GIS-methods in geosciences, metrology, geological mapping, methods of remote imaging of earth, mineralogy, prospecting, mining, international standards, and engineering computing. The program emphasizes learning the requisite practical skills for working with geological equipment.

Unlike other local Geology and A/V programs, AUCA’s undergraduate degree programs are all taught in English. In addition, AUCA has brought on several new faculty members from CIS countries, Europe, and the US to give the students a world-class education. As AUCA has designed its two newest programs in accordance with the standards of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic, graduates will receive Kyrgyzstani-accredited Bachelor’s degrees.

“The aim of the Department of Television, Cinematography and Visual Art is to prepare professionals. Unfortunately, too many universities prepare theoreticians. Universities often don’t have the requisite space and equipment for students to get the practical experience they need. Journalism Departments often don’t pay enough attention to speech technique, speech culture, and ethics. It is very important for TV hosts to do more than just ask questions. They must do it eloquently and with clear diction. They must be taught the right breathing, articulation, sounding, oratorical skills, and gesticulation. All of these skills will assist our journalists gain the trust of their audiences while they convey information,” said TV journalist Aynura Kabatay kyzy.

To prepare for the upcoming Television, Cinema, and Visual Art program, the University has spent the past year building a media laboratory with state-of-the-art TV-radio equipment, a fully functional TV-studio, and a multimedia center with more than a thousand archived files and documentary films. The University is already proudly home to two student media groups: AUCA-TV, which produces videos and manages its own YouTube channel and The New Star, the student newspaper.

The University has also built a laboratory and equipped it with tools for the Applied Geology program.

The official opening ceremony of laboratories of both departments will be held in the beginning of July.

“I’m realizing that level of knowledge in students is getting lower and lower. I don’t see any interest or enthusiasm in their eyes. Because of that, I had stopped teaching at local universities. I regularly deliver lectures at Oxford and Cambridge, so I know the level of their students. I compare them with our students, and it is a pity. Many of our competent young people study abroad and decide to stay overseas to work for other countries […] With the hope that Kyrgyzstani young people will be able to get a world-class education at AUCA and use it for the benefit of Kyrgyzstan, I decided to return to teaching. I believe we will stand on our own two feet again,” said Kanat Abdrahmatov, the Director of the Institute of Seismology of the Kyrgyz Republic.

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