Department of Foreign Languages
In 1953 was organized the Karaganda Mining Institute, where the basic departments were created, one of which was the Department of Foreign Languages under the direction of L.L. Timokhina. The staff of the department at that time consisted of two teachers of English. Today the staff of the department consists of 36 teachers, of which – 2 associate professors, 1 candidate of pedagogical sciences, 1 candidate of philological sciences, 21 masters, 9 senior lecturers and 11 teachers. The department teaches English, German and French.
A great contribution to the creation and development of the educational and methodological base of the department was made by Doctor of Pedagogical Sciences, Professor S.A. Gontzova. Then candidate of philological sciences, associate professor B.R. Ospanova, successfully headed the department for many years.
Since September 2011, the function of the head of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Karaganda State Technical University is performed by Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor D.D. Jantassova.
The legacy of linguist teachers in the history of university education
The Department of Foreign Languages at Karaganda Technical University is one of the oldest and most honorable departments of the university. Foreign languages have been taught at the Polytechnic University since its foundation. Then, back in 1953, the most powerful and one of the most progressive departments of that time, the Department of Russian and Foreign Languages, was founded at the Karaganda Mining Institute. Its leader and inspirer was Lyudmila Leopoldovna Timokhina, whose competent leadership, inquisitive mind and caring spirit laid the foundation for cultural exchange, introducing English, German and French into the study of languages.
Over the 70 years of its existence, the department was headed by four heads: Professor Lyudmila Leopoldovna Timokhina (1953-1988), Professor Sofya Alekseevna Gontsova (1988-2001), Associate Professor Bekesh Revovna Ospanova (2001-2011), Associate Professor Damira Dulatovna Dzhantasova (2011- to present time).
The first head of the department, Professor L.L. Timokhina, actively developed international cooperation and strengthened academic ties with foreign universities. True to the strategic goals of the department, she successfully introduced automated systems into the process of teaching foreign languages, making the department not only a place of education, but also a center of cultural exchange. Since 1955 The study of other foreign languages - German and French – was introduced into practice, and for students who entered the university after graduating from the national school – the study of the Russian language. From that moment on, the department became a center of international exchange and cultural enrichment.
In addition to academic work, teachers of the department actively held events to develop students and create a warm atmosphere of interaction, including clubs for studying English and French songs. These events not only allowed students to immerse themselves in the world of sounds, but also brought their hearts closer together, creating an indescribable atmosphere of communication. In addition, the German language section held poetry evenings and themed events highlighting German culture. The teachers made a significant contribution to the development of the German language section.
It should also be noted that the department stands out for its long-term successful training of university teaching staff to pass candidate and doctoral exams in English. Throughout its existence, teachers regularly conducted evening seminars in French, German and English for young engineers, which made an invaluable contribution to the development and establishment of science at the Polytechnic University. These seminars allowed students to master a foreign language not only as a tool for professional communication, but also as a key to a treasure trove of scientific texts in their field of specialization.
In the 70-80s, teachers of the department became an integral part of efforts to accelerate the language training of teachers in technical disciplines. They were sent to countries where communist ideology reigned, with one noble mission – to help the development of technical education. These missions extended far beyond France’s former colonies in Africa and Southeast Asia, and became an important part of world educational history.
Since 1988, the department of Russian and foreign languages was headed by a talented leader, associate professor Sofya Alekseevna Gontsova, she headed the department until 2001. During this time, she successfully defended her doctoral dissertation on methods of teaching Russian to non-Russian-speaking students. At this time, the most interesting and creative teachers worked at the English department of the department – Ibraeva B.M., Evdokimova L.V., Kashuro A.S., Voronkova L.D., Kakzhanova F.A. and others. With unflagging enthusiasm they improved their qualifications in Moscow and St. Petersburg, honing their teaching skills to perfection. In addition, the first steps began in attracting foreign teachers who created an authentic language atmosphere, surrounding students with direct speech in a foreign language. It is important to note the successful functioning of the translation agency, led by an experienced senior teacher, Galina Georgievna Valieva. The department also continued to actively work on the joint supervision of students’ diploma projects in English, contributing to the development of their skills in the professional field.
Since the millennium, the department has been headed by two heads: candidate of philological sciences, associate professor Ospanova B.R. and Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor D.D. Dzhantasova During the leadership of Ospanova, Bekesh Revovna opened a language laboratory and two computer classes. She was the project manager of the Basic Research Program “Information-entropy analysis of the structure of language text” and was awarded the A. Nobel medal “For contribution to the development of invention” by the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences
In 2011, the department was divided into two: the department of “Russian language and culture”, as well as the department of “Foreign languages”. From then to this day, the Department of Foreign Languages has been headed by Candidate of Pedagogical Sciences, Associate Professor Damira Dulatovna Dzhantasova. She gave new impetus to the development of the department, while maintaining the traditions of an active position established during the leadership of Lyudmila Leopoldovna Timokhina.
Jantasova D.D. has extensive foreign experience, is a certified trainer of the British Council, and a graduate of international programs of the US Embassy. Her professionalism is recognized, and she received the title of “Best University Teacher of 2015.” She is also actively involved in professional associations and unions, including the Council of the Kazakhstan Association of Teachers of English (KazTEA), the International American Union of Teachers of English TESOL’2009 (USA), the International Consortium on Computer Linguodidactics CALICO’2008 (USA) and the European Association of Teachers of English language IATEFL’2010 (England).
At the moment, the department has more than 30 employees, including associate professors and candidates of science in the field of pedagogy and philology. This multi-faceted team includes practicing professionals with extensive scientific experience, as well as master’s degrees in the humanities, education and philology, and experienced translators. With a continuous desire for improvement, the faculty of the department invests their talent and efforts in teaching English to students and undergraduates of all educational fields at the Karaganda Technical University named after Abylkas Saginov.
The pedagogical task facing the department is twofold. On the one hand, teachers of the department must teach foreign languages to students of different faculties of KarTU, i.e. the future of Kazakhstani science, its brightest and most powerful minds, the future of scientific progress and the future of Kazakhstan. The unique specificity of the Department of Foreign Languages lies in the fact that its employees deal with all the most important modern scientific disciplines, teaching foreign languages to specialists from various faculties based on their specialization. This exceptional position of the department provides a favorable opportunity to generalize the specifics of the life of language in different sciences and the life of science in different languages. Thus, there is an opportunity not only to enrich one’s own linguistic science, but also special fields, helping them organize the corresponding lexical and terminological areas of knowledge.
On the other hand, the teachers of the department are developing a radically new, additional model for training specialists in international and intercultural communication within the framework of the additional educational program “Scientific and Technical Translation” in accordance with international standards and training requirements within the framework of Higher Technical Education.
The Department of Foreign Languages at Karaganda Technical University today is an international team that combines the professionalism of Kazakh teachers, international experience and the potential of students from Kazakhstan and other countries.
The Department of Foreign Languages is a department that opens up the world!
