University of Alberta offers diverse courses in Ukrainian studies in 2004-2005 (06/27/04)

University of Alberta offers diverse courses in Ukrainian studies in 2004-2005

EDMONTON - Dr. Natalia Pylypiuk, associate professor for the Ukrainian Culture, Language and Literature Program in the department of modern languages and cultural studies, and Dr. Alla Nedashkivska are teaching several Ukrainian courses at the University of Alberta during the fall 2004 and spring 2005 semesters. These classes are offered for beginner to advanced students and cover a broad spectrum of subjects from beginners' Ukrainian to Slavic gender linguistics.

The Ukrainian Culture, Language and Literature Program at the University of Alberta is the strongest program of its kind in North America. Besides covering the full historical spectrum from Kyivan Rus' to post-colonial Ukraine, its literature courses address special thematic concerns (e.g., women in culture, identity in the empire and the forbidden avant-garde). Its language courses emphasize practical skills in a variety of contexts (business, media, the Internet).

After completing two years of language study, students have the opportunity to improve their skills in Lviv, a world heritage site, studying UKR 300, Ukrainian through Living Culture, a course managed and taught by University of Alberta staff.

The courses that will be offered in the fall semester (September-December 2004) are marked with an A and courses marked with a B are taught in the winter semester (January-April 2005).

For students with little or no background in Ukrainian, UKR 111 A1 and A2, Beginners' Ukrainian I, and UKR 112 B1 and B2, Beginners' Ukrainian II, are available. These courses emphasize oral communication, while developing basic listening, reading and writing skills. Cultural practices are taught as an integral part of the language. UKR 111 and UKR 112 are not open to students with credit in Ukrainian 30. Dr. Pylypiuk is the coordinator for these courses.

The next level class, UKR 211 A1, The Ukrainian-Speaking World I, instructed by Dr. Pylypiuk, is an intermediate language course that addresses grammar, conversation, vocabulary building, reading and writing. Newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet expose students to contemporary culture and serve as the basis for exercises, including student presentations.

Dr. Pylypiuk also teaches UKR 212 B1, The Ukrainian-Speaking World II. This continuation of UKR 211 focuses on elementary composition and includes songs, short stories and plays.

For those with a little more experience with the Ukrainian language, the university offers UKR 303 A1, Ukrainian in Context I. This third-year language course, instructed by Dr. Nedashkivska, emphasizes conversation and writing. Films, contemporary news items, short stories and plays are used to illustrate grammar, develop practical vocabulary, and serve as a basis for compositions and discussions of cultural topics.

UKR 304 B1, Ukrainian in Context II, is a continuation of UKR 303 and is also taught by Dr. Nedashkivska

The aim of UKR 403 B1, Ukrainian in the Media and Internet, is to introduce students to the contemporary Ukrainian beyond grammar and traditional classroom interaction. Emphasis is placed on the enhancement of language skills in the context of life in today's Ukraine. Another course goal is the further development of practical skills in Ukrainian based on contemporary articles from popular journals and newspapers, traditional media as well as on multimedia resources available in Ukrainian, including those of the Internet. Dr. Nedashkivska is the instructor for this course.

In addition to teaching introductory courses, Dr. Pylypiuk also teaches UKR 474 A1, Ukrainian Literature: Diaspora and Dissent. The poetry and prose of writers living in the diaspora (1940s-1980s) are compared and contrasted with Soviet Ukraine's official and dissident literature in this class. The focus is on the "New York Group" and the "Writers of the Sixties" (Shestydesiatnyky) in Ukraine, with emphasis on their innovations in poetic language and themes. Special attention is placed on the performances, art exhibits, underground journals and music of the period, as well as the conscious effort to revive the voices silenced during Stalin's terror and to participate in the cultural life of European and American urban centers. Consent of the department is required to register for UKR 474 A1. Readings are available in English for students not taking Ukrainian as a major or minor.

UKR 475 B1, Ukrainian Literature Today, taught by Dr. Pylypiuk, begins with developments on the eve of Ukrainian independence (1991). The dramatic transformation of literature is surveyed against the background of the collapse of communism and socialist realism. Emphasis is on the youngest and most radical generation of writers and critics, their styles, themes and ideologies. Special attention is paid to the emergent youth culture, music festivals, alternative performances, poster art and experimental film. Students must have the consent of the department before registering for this course. Readings are available in English for students not taking Ukrainian as a major or minor.

Dr. Nedashkivska is the instructor for SLAV 499 A1, Slavic Gender Linguistics. The course explores the complex interrelationship of the terms "language" and "gender," analyzing them in the Slavic context with respect to current theoretical debates. Drawing from general research in gender linguistics, the course concentrates on the nature of male and female "genderlects" and gendered language, as reflected in phonetics and intonations, lexicon, language behavior, children's language and linguistic change. The topics discussed encompass a range of aspects of language use that have been claimed to interact significantly with gender.

For more information, readers may visit the program's site, http://www.arts.ualberta.ca/~ukraina/Homepage.html, and the departmental site, http://www.mlcs.ca.

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