Madina Ibraeva “I dreamed of being professional social researcher”

February 11, 2022

Madina Ibraeva graduated from AUCA with a bachelor degree in Sociology in 2020, and is currently pursuing a master degree in Sociology department at AUCA. She was accepted at the University of Lille for an exchange period in the Fall Semester 2021 in the framework of the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility programme. The exchange experience helped her deeping her knowledge in research and raised her interest in Art, providing opportunities to participate in social events and travel within Europe.

During my studies at AUCA I always dreamed of being a professional social researcher and I have worked hard both academically and practically, so I tried to participate in all research projects and programs at AUCA. Applying to the exchange program at the University of Lille was a great opportunity to deepen my knowledge, to exchange skills and to build relationships with individuals from various spheres.

At the University of Lille I enjoyed the practical part of classes as I had a chance to transcribe the ancient inscription. I studied art, literature and philosophy and tried to find sociological aspects in these spheres, and for my exchange semester I chose classes: “Postcolonial Literatures: American History-Geographies”, “English speaking civilizations: Cultural changes, evolutions of ideas and transformations of practices”, “Histoire culturelle /culture visuelle – ‘Picture politics’: People, Society, and Representation in Britain, 1688-1918”, etc.

Mostly, I felt very comfortable in the system of the exchange university, the only differences were in grading and teaching methods. Professors are very organized and try to make their classes as productive as possible and have a special attitude to each student, so I could discuss additionally outside of the classes. Due to external activities of my exchange semester I started to be interested in art and visited various museums, exploring works of English painter William Hogarth and analyzed his painting as part of my final assignment. My knowledge of Sociology helped me to interpret some paintings through sociological theories, and unite two different spheres in the study.

I am very glad I chose France for my experience. I was studying French for 1 year at AUCA and it helped me to rapidly adapt with the support of professors at University of Lille. In general, French people are always open for help. Moreover I attended various cultural events and I am also thankful for the AUCA exchange program for providing me a chance to travel, as a result I visited 13 cities in 8 countries.

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