The thesis explores theoretical and practical foundations of philologists’ professional training at US universities. The complex nature of the research problem has led to the implementation of scientific research in methodological, theoretical, prognostic and practical concepts. It is found that despite many studies on professional training of philologists, certain relevant theoretical and practical aspects, taking into account the US experience, require more detailed argumentation and interpretation. Professional training of philologists is based on the positions of philosophy, psychology, pedagogy, linguistic cognitive science, media pedagogy, linguodidactics.
The thesis specifies the requirements for professional activity and professional competency of philologists under the conditions of linguistic globalization. A modern philologist should have integrated knowledge, be able to outline the current trends in the development of philology, operate language and communicative strategies and tactics, express linguistic thoughts, predict the effects of globalization on the evolution of the national language, have a critical logical, associative and analytical thinking.
The study of documentary sources and synthesis of historical facts on the formation of philological education in the USA have made it possible to distinguish the seven periods of its development: the 1st period (1800 – 1830) implies the process of its forming which provided for compulsory study of foreign languages in all educational humanities-based programmes; the 2nd period (1831 – 1870) involves the emergence of new areas and trends in the study of literature and the birth of comparative literary studies; the 3rd period (1871 – 1900) includes introducing a PhD in the field of humanities, forming the American scientific school in the field of foreign languages; the 4th period (1901 – 1950) is characterized by the diversification of training areas and introduction of such specialties as «Comparative Philology» and «Translation»; the 5th period (1951 – 1990) brings the diversification of such philological specialties as «Linguistics», «Comparative Literary Studies», «Translation», «Folklore Studies»; the 6th period (1991 – 2000) launches the rapid development of information and communication technologies and their implementation in the educational process and includes the emergence of the specialty «Applied Linguistics»; the 7th period (2000 – till now) continues active development of linguistic research, distance learning, online courses and inroduces the specialty «Localization».
The analysis of the origins of philological education in the USA is related to the study of the history of philological specialties at well-known US universities (Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins University), which occupy the top ranks in terms of the quality of educational services provided within philological education. In the context of contemporary trends in the development of philological education in the USA, the main attention is focused on the diversification of philological specialties / specializations.
The conducted research characterizes the system of philologists’ professional training in the USA. It covers a set of interrelated components such as legislative, normative, managerial, socioeconomic, institutional, target, strategic, personal, organizational, content and technological, diagnostic and productive, prognostic.
The thesis justifies organizational and didactic principles of philologists’ professional training at US universities. In particular, the content characteristics have been disclosed; the technological characteristics of philologists’ professional training have been highlighted; the specifics of using information and communication educational space with the aim to organize professional training of future philologists have been clarified; the organization of future philologists’ research activity has been explored; the internal and external monitoring of the quality of philologists’ professional training have been described; the specifics of future philologists’ practical training in the USA (the varied duration, volumes, terms and types of placement in accordance with degree programmes and specializations) have been revealed.
The thesis presents the comparative and pedagogical analysis of the characteristics of philologists’ professional training in the USA and Ukraine, outlines the possibilities of using the innovative ideas of the US experience to justify the prospects of developing a system of philologists’ professional training in Ukraine. Due to the conducted research, the educational, methodological and technological support for professional training of philologists in Ukraine (the content of specialized courses, methods and technologies of training) has been improved.
