The System of Elective Courses in the Anglo-Saxon Educational Tradition

The article deals with one of the key characteristics of the American education, the elective system of courses that was a reply for the community demands. Also, it became the outcome of relationship of educational institutions with various social groups whose support was crucial for the survival and well-being of American colleges and universities. For the American educational system, the abovementioned characteristics was the result of its historic process of the national educational system development. The author argues that this feature, sometimes aggressively imposed in Russia, might become destructive and bring to the deterioration and even destroy the unique educational system built in absolutely opposite principles than the educational system of the USA. The article analyzes the given characteristic of the US educational system and shows the critique of the American educators and experts, which gives an opportunity to ponder in depth and make a responsible decision in terms of copying the feature into the Russian educational system.