The problem of cultural differences among cadets of universities of the Russian penal system (religious aspect)

The relevance of the article is due to the need to form positive interfaith interaction among cadets of universities of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, which in turn is determined by their polyconfessionality. It is emphasized that a major role in this process is played by enhancing cadet education by incorporating additional extracurricular activities. The authors propose to introduce the practical manual “Interfaith Dialogue” developed by them into educational work at the university as an elective. The article outlines the aims and objectives of the manual in the educational work of the university and provides a list of topics of practical classes envisaged by its content. The authors conducted a pilot study (questionnaire) of cadets of the Academy of the Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia to identify the attitude of cadets to representatives of other faiths, as well as the knowledge of religious norms, traditions, customs, and holidays. The results indicated a lack of knowledge of interconfessional differences and a lack of experience of practical interaction with interconfessional representatives. Testing the practical manual at optional extracurricular classes with cadets of the Academy has demonstrated the effectiveness of the author’s development and the expediency of extending the experience of its implementation to the entire contingent of students.