Courses

Spring 2020 Courses in Ukrainian Studies

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THE AURA OF SOVIET UKRAINIAN MODERNISM

Slavic

GU4037

Points: 3

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1:10-2:25PM

Instructor: Mark Andryczyk

This course studies the renaissance in Ukrainian culture of the 1920s - a period of revolution, experimentation, vibrant expression and polemics. Focusing on the most important developments in literature, as well as on the intellectual debates they inspired, the course will also examine the major achievements in Ukrainian theater, visual art and film as integral components of the cultural spirit that defined the era. Additionally, the course also looks at the subsequent implementation of the socialist realism and its impact on Ukrainian culture and on the cultural leaders of the renaissance. The course treats one of the most important periods of Ukrainian culture and examines it lasting impact on today's Ukraine. This period produced several world-renowned cultural figures, whose connections with the 1920s Ukraine have only recently begun to be discussed. The course will be complemented by film screenings, presentations of visual art and rare publications from this period. Entirely in English with a parallel reading list for those who read Ukrainian.

Mark Andryczyk can be reached at ma2634@columbia.edu

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UKRAINE: POWER POLITICS AND DIPLOMACY

Regional Institute

U8755

Points: 3

Tuesdays, 2:10pm-4:00pm

Instructor: Valerii Kuchynskyi

Ukraine is at war, the country is in turmoil. What are the chances of the new Government to reach a "peaceful solution" in the Donbass, eradicate corruption, improve economic situation and implement reforms? Is there a future for the Minsk accords? What's the significance of the Normandy Summit? These and other issues, including behind- the- scene- politics, power struggle and diplomatic activities, are dealt with in the newly revised course delivered by a career diplomat. The course is aimed at both graduate and advanced undergraduate students.

Ambassador Kuchynskyi can be reached at: vk2187@columbia.edu

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PERIPHERY AND ITS EMPIRES: UKRAINIAN AND RUSSIAN ART FROM PETER THE GREAT TO THE PRESENT

Slavic

SLCLW4059

Points: 3

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:40-3:55 pm

Instructor: Olena Martynyuk

The course will situate the development of Ukrainian art in dialogue with Russian culture within the contexts of the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Post-Soviet era. Beginning with the Pereyaslav Treaty of 1654 between Muscovy and the Cossack Hetmanate, through the emergence of the Russian Empire during the reign of Peter the Great, and until the collapse of the Soviet Union, the evolution of Ukrainian art was primarily bound to the Russian cultural sphere. While surveying major art periods and concepts from parsuna portraiture to the avant-garde, the course aims to create a more nuanced vision of art produced in the region, focusing not only on the predominantly Russian culture of the metropole but also that of the provinces where the stateless Ukrainian minority struggled to express itself. Examining Russian art together with Ukrainian art and themes, the class will study the impact of the national policies of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union on Ukrainian art and its reception. The class is offered for graduate and advanced undergraduate students. Knowledge of Russian or Ukrainian is not required. Class will include a museum visit.

Olena Martynyuk can be reached at om2327@columbia.edu

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ELEMENTARY UKRAINIAN II

Slavic

UN1102

Points: 4

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursday,11:40am-12:55am

Instructor: Yuri Shevchuk

Designed for 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. Specific attention to acquisition of high-frequency vocabulary and its optimal use in real-life settings.

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INTERMEDIATE UKRAINIAN II

Slavic

UN2102

Points: 4

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursday, 10:10am-11:25am

Instructor: Yuri Shevchuk

Prerequisites: UKRN W1102 or the equivalent. Reviews and reinforces the fundamentals of grammar and a core vocabulary from daily life. Principal emphasis is placed on further development of communicative skills (oral and written). Verbal aspect and verbs of motion receive special attention.

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ADVANCED UKRAINIAN THROUGH LITERATURE, MEDIA, AND POLITICS

Slavic

GU4007

Points: 3

Mondays and Wednesdays, 2:40pm-3:55pm

Instructor: Yuri Shevchuk

This content-based modular course is designed to develop students’ capacity to use the Ukrainian language as a research and communication tool in a variety of specialized functional and stylistic areas that include literary fiction, scholarly prose, printed and broadcast journalism. It is designed for students with interest in the history, politics, literature, culture and other aspects of contemporary Ukraine, as well as those who plan to do their research, business or reporting about Ukraine. The course is taught in Ukrainian. Being equivalent to an advanced language course, the proposed course will further develop students’ proficiency in grammar to enable them to narrate and describe in major time frames with adequate command of aspect. The study of grammar includes patterns of word formation, participle, gerund, an in-depth study of such difficult subjects as verbal aspect, verbs of motion, stylistic and functional stratification of language, communicative sentence perspective.

Dr. Shevchuk can be reached at: sy2165@columbia.edu

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TOPICS IN MODERN UKRAINIAN HISTORY

History

UN2897

Points: 4

Wednesdays, 4:10-5:25pm

Instructor: Oksana Vynnyk

Ukraine has had a tumultuous twenty-first century—an ongoing war, two revolutions, economic crises, and political intrigue. The origins of these events are rooted in the country’s recent past. This lecture course focuses on Ukrainian history from the early nineteenth century to the present day. Questions to be examined include: What factors influenced the construction and transformation of Ukrainian national identity(ies)? How did an independent Ukrainian state emerge and why are its borders contested today? How does historical memory influence Ukraine’s contemporary political and social life? What role does Ukraine play in the broader histories of Central and Eastern Europe?

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URBAN MODERNITY ON THE UKRAINIAN LANDS: CITIES IN THE 19TH AND 20TH CENTURIES

History

UN8756

Points: 4

Thursdays, 12:10-2:00pm

Instructor: Oksana Vynnyk

This course examines the development of modern cities in the territories of present-day Ukraine. Modernity and the social transformations unleashed by it are central foci of the course. Urban history has introduced various approaches and methodologies for exploring urban space and modernity. We will discuss the various meanings of modernity and address such notions as gender, class, nationalism, and religious identity, to name a few. How did urban social space change under the influence of imperial powers, radical ideologies, and authoritarian or totalitarian regimes? This course will explore these interrelated topics and their effect on urban life in Ukraine.

Oksana Vynnyk can be reached at vynnyk@ualberta.ca

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