Columbia University offers Ukrainian courses in fall 2004 (08/22/04)

Columbia University offers Ukrainian courses in fall 2004

NEW YORK - Columbia University and the Harriman Institute will offer a number of courses in Ukrainian language, socio-linguistics, literature and history in the fall 2004 semester, which begins on September 7. The expanded curriculum was organized following a successful development campaign earlier this year that brought the Columbia endowed fund for teaching Ukrainian history to the $1 million mark.

Descriptions of the courses to be offered are as follows (please note that dates and times are subject to change):

Elementary Ukrainian I (W1101) is a course for undergraduate and graduate students with little or no knowledge of Ukrainian. Basic grammar structures are introduced and reinforced with equal emphasis on developing oral and written communication skills. Special attention is paid to acquiring and using common vocabulary. By the end of the course, students are expected to conduct short conversations concerning daily life, read simple factual texts and write routine messages. The course will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:40-6:55 p.m. in 518 Hamilton Hall. The instructor is Rory Finnin (Ph.D. candidate, Columbia Univ.), Department of Slavic languages, Columbia University.
Intermediate Ukrainian I (W1201) is a course for undergraduate and graduate students that begins with a review of grammar fundamentals and common vocabulary and that places emphasis on further development of students' communicative skills (oral and written). Course materials introduce students to functional and stylistic differences in modern Ukrainian, including distinctions between Kyiv and Lviv literary variants. By the end of the course, students will be able to use all major time frames and converse effectively in most formal and informal settings. The course will be taught on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:10-7:25 p.m. in 406 Hamilton Hall. The instructor is Yuri Shevchuk (Ph.D., Kyiv State Univ.), lecturer, department of Slavic languages, Columbia University.
Advanced Ukrainian I (W3001) is a course for undergraduate and graduate students who wish to develop their mastery of Ukrainian. Further study of grammar includes patterns of word formation, participles, gerunds, and declension of numerals. Original texts and other materials are drawn from classical and contemporary Ukrainian literature, press, electronic media and film to familiarize students with varying linguistic features. The course will enable students to discuss both general and special interest topics, hypothesize and support opinions, and conduct independent field research in the Ukrainian language. Classes are taught largely in Ukrainian. The course will be taught on Mondays and Wednesdays at 4:10-5:25 p.m. in 703 Hamilton Hall. The instructor is Dr. Shevchuk.
Language Development in Post-Totalitarian Space (U6888) is a graduate lecture course that examines the development of language in the former Soviet Union and how language reflects sociopolitical and cultural changes. While the course focuses on current language policies and problems of language development, it also addresses issues reaching back to the Soviet and late imperial period, such as education and creation of alphabets. The Ukrainian language will be used as a primary case study, in addition to Belarusian and Russian. The course will be taught on Wednesdays at 4:10-6 p.m. in 501 International Affairs Building. The instructor will be Antonina Berezovenko (Ph.D., Kyiv State University), visiting scholar, Harriman Institute, Columbia University.
Literature and Identities in Post-Soviet Ukraine (W4100) is an advanced undergraduate seminar that considers how various identities (national, ethnic, territorial, religious, class and gender) are reflected in contemporary Ukrainian literature, as well as whether or not works of literature influence the formation of these identities in post-Soviet Ukraine. The course studies the issues of cultural hybridity, bilingualism, and the decentralization of the literary process since 1991. Major literary trends in post-Soviet Ukraine and the most representative texts of the past decade are examined. The course will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:10-5:35 p.m. Location TBA. The instructor will be Maria Rewakowicz (Ph.D., University of Toronto), Canadian Foundation for Ukrainian Studies Neporany Fellow, Harriman Institute and visiting professor, department of Slavic languages, Columbia University.
The History of Modern Ukraine (W3226) is an undergraduate lecture course that focuses on 19th and 20th century Ukrainian history. The course intends to explore the idea of Ukraine as a multicultural society with permeable cultures and identities in flux. Special focus is put on the transformation of traditional societies, including Ukrainians (Ruthenians), Poles, Belarusians, Russians and Jews. The course will be taught on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:40-6:55 p.m. in 313 Fayerweather Hall. The instructor will be Yaroslav Hrytsak (Ph.D., Lviv State University), professor of history, Lviv National University and Dean of Humanities, Ukrainian Catholic University.
Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (W3222) is an undergraduate lecture course studying the political and social history of the former Soviet Union from 1917 to the present. In discussions of national minorities and nations, the course focuses on Ukraine. The course will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:10-5:25 p.m. in 312 Mathematics Building. The instructor will be Mark von Hagen (Ph.D., Stanford University), professor of history, Columbia University.

Many of these courses are open, in addition to Columbia students, to students from other universities in the New York metropolitan area, as well as to individuals interested in non-credit continuing studies. Undergraduate and graduate students from New York University can register directly with their school for Ukrainian language classes at Columbia, while PhD candidates and master degree students from universities that are part of the Columbia University Consortium (e.g., NYU, City University of New York, New School) can register for non-language courses by obtaining appropriate approval from both their home school and Columbia.

For further information, please contact Diana Howansky, Ukrainian Studies Program at Columbia University, by phone at (212) 854-4697 or (212) 854-8624, or by e-mail at ukrainianstudies@columbia.edu.

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