“We Can Teach the Methodology only by Contradiction” (interview with G. G. Tatarova)

In 2024, Gulsina (Galina) Galeevna Tatarova will celebrate her anniversary. One of the significant areas of her work is related to education – training of future sociologists. All in all, she speut about 30 years to teaching and was among those who shaped Russian sociological education, defining its key areas and standards. Her name is associated with the area that may by described as “teaching mathematics humanities students”, without which it is now difficult to imagine the process of training sociologists. Her experience includes working at various universities, but there is a faculty where she has been working since its foundation – this is the sociology faculty of the State University of Humanities (then – State Academic University of Humanities) opened by V. A. Yadov in 1994. For the 30th anniversary of the faculty, we discussed with G. G. Tatarova a variety of topics, but focused more on the education of sociologists and the specifics of teaching methodology. The interview presents reflections on teaching mathematics and methods of sociological research to sociologists, the creation of unique measurement courses that combined mathematics and sociology, problems of teaching and sociological education in general. The methodological culture and awareness of the researcher at different stages of research activity are discussed. Galina Galeevna generously shares her teaching developments and techniques, and also poses important theoretical and methodological questions.