Penn State offers web-based Ukrainian course (12/26/04)

Penn State offers web-based Ukrainian course

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Pennsylvania State University is offering a web-based course in Ukrainian culture, UKR 100, for the spring 2005 semester. The 15-lesson, three-credit course will be taught by Roman Ivashkiv of Lviv. To date, the course already has an enrollment of 55 students.

As noted in the introductory notes to the course, "Ukrainian culture is a subject that until recently was largely ignored in the world. Ukrainians were thought to be 'just like Russians,' their language was considered by many a mere dialect of Russian, and their country was frequently perceived as a region of Russia. After 1991, Ukrainians received an opportunity to openly tell the world their version of Ukrainian history, to assert their uniqueness and their difference, and to reclaim a lot of their cultural achievements that for a long time were either denied or portrayed as 'Soviet.' "

The course will acquaint students with Ukrainian history and culture from the origins of the Kyivan Rus' in the Middle Ages to the present. The course will examine the many facets that make up culture: history, politics, language, literature, folklore, religion, music and art. It will place Ukrainian culture in the broader context of the Slavic nations and peoples. Lectures and readings will all be in English.

The course meets the general education humanities requirements (GH) and the intercultural/international competency requirements (GI), or can be used as an "other cultures" course. It is suggested that prospective enrollees contact their advisers if there are questions about how this course can be used in one's particular program of study.

There are no specific classes that have to be taken before enrolling in UKR 100. The course is done completely online. Traditional exams have been replaced by a creative final project. Enrollees should feel comfortable navigating on the Internet. They should also be self-starters who feel confident about reading to learn and be comfortable working independently.

By taking an online course, students can learn beyond the traditional borders of the classroom, and as part of a wider and more diverse audience. Except for two chatroom discussions, there are no preset meeting times.

The online course will utilize Penn State's ANGEL system, and a combination of text, web links, images and PDF files as its class "lecture." Students will communicate with the professor and fellow classmates through chat, e-mail and threaded discussions within ANGEL.

Additional information on the course structure, as well as on the specific technological requirements and computer configuration, and registration information are found on the following website: http://www.la.psu.edu/courses/ukr/UKR100public.html.

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