Formation of legal consciousness of students of humanitarian specialties as a direction of national-patriotic education: philosophical analysis

Abstract

This article examines the practices of national-patriotic education in the educational context, taking into account contemporary social challenges. The aim of the study is to identify opportunities for fostering legal consciousness among students in the humanities, particularly those majoring in history, in accordance with the strategies of national-patriotic and civic education under wartime conditions. The methodological framework of the study is based on a combination of philosophical and educational analysis, a historical-genetic approach, and methods of generalization and interpretation of sociocultural experience, which made it possible to reveal the role of historical memory in shaping the legal consciousness of future specialists in the humanities. It has been established that the use of Ukraine’s historical experience as a component of the educational process contributes to the development of critical thinking and the formation of a balanced worldview. Particular emphasis is placed on the urgent need to prepare politically active citizens for participation in future electoral processes after the end of martial law and the cessation of military aggression. The results of the study demonstrate that the formation of legal consciousness today goes beyond the training of law students and is relevant to all humanities disciplines, especially history, since future historians serve as transmitters of state-building views and actively participate in national-patriotic education. Each participant in the educational process has their own expectations regarding the legal consciousness of the citizen. Teachers and educational institutions should actively engage students, through both explicit and implicit course content, in the critical analysis of the historical past, including both positive and negative experiences of state-building, changes in public attitudes toward the level of democracy, the presence of authoritarian tendencies under conditions of military aggression, and the confrontation of ideas, ideologies, and meanings. The study demonstrates that the formation of legal consciousness is an important dimension of national-patriotic and civic education, ensuring the development of a socially responsible individual capable of active participation in socio-political life. The study also contributes to the further development of educational practices aimed at integrating legal, historical, and value-based components, thereby fostering the development of professional competencies and civic engagement among students in the humanities.