Массовые открытые онлайн-курсы (МООК) как инструменты мягкой силы и публичной дипломатии

ВЕСТНИК КазНУ. Серия международные отношения и международное право. 2021. Т. 96. № 4. С. 25–34.

Varpahovskis E.

A relatively new phenomenon, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) officially entered our lives

around 2008, and since then it has been gaining popularity all over the world. Audience growth, ad-

vances in technology, and globalization make MOOCs an important means of communication that can

serve more than just educational purposes. In this paper, the author tries to position MOOCs within the

concepts of soft power and public diplomacy and related sub-concepts. The article examines MOOCs as

a channel of communication within public diplomacy and their practical functions for achieving humani-

tarian and political goals. The author describes several different scenarios of how MOOCs can function

as a tool of public diplomacy, generating soft power for state and non-state actors who reach out to the

foreign public. Thus, MOOCs can be used to teach a country’s history and culture, market the national

higher education system, strengthen structural relations through language, reinforce structural relations

through technology, stimulate the development of partner countries by providing access to education,

and create networks for multilateral cooperation. The author concludes with a discussion of directions

for further research

Keywords: public diplomacy, soft power, публичная дипломатия, мягкая сила, новая публичная дипломатия, massive open online courses (MOOCs), new public diplomacy, Массовые образовательные онлайн курсы (МООК), education diplomacy, дипломатия образования