Sociocultural competence as an efficient means of the formation of cognitive interest to foreign language of students in universities

The article deals with the description of the role of the sociocultural competence in the formation of the cognitive interest to foreign language of students in universities as one of the understudied but efficient means of this process. There is conducted the analysis of the scientific pedagogical and methodological literature of the issue. The author reveals the levels of the knowledge of the linguistic and cultural studies characterizing the development of the sociocultural competence and the formation of the strong cognitive interest to the foreign language.