CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For upper-level or graduate university students of Ukrainian heritage, students from Ukraine, or professional, government and military specialists who need to hone their skills, the Harvard Ukrainian Summer Institute (HUSI) will hold its 47th annual session at Harvard University’s main campus on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge, Mass. This year’s program will run for seven weeks, beginning on June 17 and running through August 5, and will offer three courses.
The program offered by HUSI is the first of its kind in the world and is recognized for its many contributions to Ukrainian studies. It is run jointly by the Harvard Summer School and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute (HURI). Participants will have an unparalleled opportunity to expand their knowledge of contemporary Ukraine; to learn from some of today’s leading scholars in Ukrainian studies; and to meet and interact with leading contemporary Ukrainian political, cultural and social activists.
The program and the course offerings are intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who are concentrating in Ukrainian studies or who wish to broaden their educational experience. The program has been in existence since 1971. Participants will live in Harvard University housing and will have full access to all of the university’s many research and instructional facilities including the largest Ucrainica collection outside of eastern Europe; and its many other libraries, museums, athletic complexes and language resource centers. At the end of the program, they will receive credit for their courses from Harvard University.
This summer’s courses include “Ukrainian for Reading Knowledge,” which will be taught by Volodymyr Dibrova, a preceptor with the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University. This eight-unit language course is designed primarily for graduate students in the humanities and social sciences who wish to acquire a reading knowledge of Ukrainian for research purposes.
Texts from a variety of fields are used. Reading selections will include articles on contemporary issues in business, economics, politics, science, technology, environment and culture. Some previous background in Ukrainian, Russian or another Slavic language accepted by the instructor is a prerequisite for enrolling in the course. The course will meet four hours a day, five days a week.
The second course offering is “State-Society Relations in Independent Ukraine” (four credits), which will be taught by Sophia Wilson, an assistant professor at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville. The course will examine the patterns and dynamic of interaction between the state and society in Ukraine. A state-society approach emphasizes the interdependence of state and social actions, rather than assuming that political developments are predominantly influenced either by state rules or social formations.
Analysis of the problem of nation-building in post-independence Ukraine will be undertaken and an examination of the legacies of the Leninist socialist regime will be conducted. An overview of the shifts in state-society relations during and after the Orange Revolution of 2004, the Maidan Revolution of 2013-2014, and the ongoing war with Russia/separatists will be covered as will a study of the pursuit of Ukraine’s growing civil society to influence state-building and promote human rights and the rule of law in the country.
Finally, “Society, Culture and Politics in Modern Ukraine” (four credits) will be taught by Serhiy Bilenky, a lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Toronto. This course focuses on the history of modern Ukraine through the study of its society, culture and politics since the late 18th century.
Ukraine will be analyzed from a territorial concept consisting of the historical experiences of major communities such as Ukrainians, Poles, Jews and Russians, and will examine how Ukrainians, despite enormous difficulties, have become the dominant group in the formation of contemporary Ukraine. Students will also look at the various social, economic and regional divides that permeate contemporary Ukraine; its multicultural cities; communism; Ukraine as a “bloodland”; and soccer.
HUSI is the only program of its kind in North America offering intensive accredited university instruction in Ukrainian studies. It has graduated more than 1,500 participants, many of whom have gone on to play significant roles in Ukrainian scholarship, as well as in the ongoing development and enrichment of Ukrainian culture and life both in the diaspora and in Ukraine itself.
Patrick Osborne, a master’s degree student at the European University in St. Petersburg, reflected on his experience at HUSI last summer and said, “My peer group and professors challenged me to think about certain aspects of Ukrainian history, literature, and film more critically…. There are also great networking and collaborative opportunities available and the extracurricular programs offered enriched the entire experience.”
The deadline for the Harvard Summer School registration, housing and full tuition payment is May 15. Late registration will begin on May 16 and will continue through June 21.
Further information about the program and the application process is available on the HUSI website: www.huri.harvard.edu/husi.html. Additional questions may be directed to Serhiy Bilenky, HUSI program coordinator, at 647-687-4953 or serh.bilenky@utoronto.ca.