The admission examination for the doctoral program leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy was held at the Institute of Folklore of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. Four candidates participated in the examination in the specialties 5719.01 – “Folklore Studies” and 5716.01 – “Azerbaijani Literature”. Among the candidates applying for part-time doctoral studies, one took the specialty examination in “Azerbaijani Literature,” while three candidates took the examination in “Folklore Studies.”

It should be noted that, in accordance with the requirements of the doctoral admission process, candidates are required to take examinations in a foreign language and subsequently in philosophy in order to be admitted to the specialty examination. The specialty examination held at the Institute of Folklore was attended by candidates who had successfully completed the previous stages of the admission process.

Director of the Institute of Folklore, Doctor of Sciences in Philology Hikmat Guliyev, familiarized himself with the examination process and briefed the candidates on the main areas of activity of the Institute. According to him, unlike the study of traditional philological texts, contemporary folklore studies also encompasses the examination of the social, anthropological and communicative dimensions of folklore, as well as folkloric data emerging in the modern information and communication environment.

Hikmat Guliyev mentioned that Internet folklore, the problems of artificial intelligence and folklore, and folkloric behavior and patterns of thought observed in various spheres of everyday life were among the relevant research areas in contemporary folklore studies.

Director of the Institute mentioned that one of the key tasks ahead was the training of a new generation of folklore scholars. He noted the importance of the active integration of doctoral students into the academic environment, their scholarly collaboration with experienced researchers, the development of their research skills and the continuous support of their academic activities.

The specialty examination was then commenced to assess the candidates’ level of knowledge and preparedness in their respective fields.