Undergraduate Courses

Beginners' Ukrainian I

For students with little or no background in Ukrainian, the courses emphasize oral communication while developing basic listening, reading and writing skills. Cultural practices are taught as an integral part of the language.
Meets 5 times per week. Not open to students with credit in Ukrainian 30.

Beginners' Ukrainian II

Continuation of UKR 111. Pre-requisite: UKR 112 or equivalent competence.
Meets 5 times per week. Not open to students with credit in Ukrainian 30.

The Ukrainian Speaking World, I

This intermediate language course addresses grammar, conversation, vocabulary building, reading and writing. Newspapers, magazines, TV and the Internet expose students to contemporary culture and serve as the basis of exercises, including student presentations. Pre-requisite: UKR 112 or equivalent competence.
Meets 4 times per week. Open to students with Ukrainian 30.

The Ukrainian Speaking World, II

A continuation of UKR 211 with a focus on elementary composition. Includes poetry and songs, as well as TV news reports and brief programs.Pre-requisite: UKR 211 or equivalent competence.
Meets 4 times per week. Open to students with Ukrainian 30.

Ukrainian through its Living Culture, I

An intensive course designed to enhance practical language skills through a direct experience of current life in Ukraine. The course employs contemporary popular culture and media, taking maximum advantage of the urban Lviv environment to expand vocabulary and comprehension. All instruction is in Ukrainian. (This course may be used to replace the UKR 303-304 sequence). Pre-requisite: UKR 212 or equivalent competence.
Offered in Lviv, only during intersession.

Ukrainian in Context, I

A third-year language course with emphasis on 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. Pre-requisite: UKR 212 or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian in Context, II

A continuation of UKR 303. Pre-requisite: UKR 303 or equivalent competence.

Introduction to Ukrainian Fiction

Annotated and parallel Ukrainian-English texts guide students painlessly through the basics of reading and analyzing Ukrainian prose in the original. A variety of authors and themes are explored from the 19th to the 21st centuries. The course provides a perspective on the development of modern Ukrainian identity and culture, while building the student's reading and conversational vocabulary. Pre- or Co-requisite: UKR 211 or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian through its Living Culture, II

This intensive course improves students’ language and cultural proficiency through direct experience of contemporary Ukrainian life in Lviv. (This course may be used to replace UKR 403 and/or 404). Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304, or equivalent competence.
Offered in Lviv only during intersession.

Ukrainian in the Media & Internet

This advanced language course develops practical skills in the context of life in Ukraine. Traditional media (popular journals and newspapers) as well as the Internet serve as resources. Students write, debate, conduct interviews and opinion polls. Basic discourse analysis. Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian on TV and in Film

Enhances students’ practical language skills in the context of life in contemporary Ukrainian society. Viewing and discussions of films, plays, and TV programs constitute the core of this course. Students actively engage in creative writing, as well as discussions, debates, interviews and opinion polls. Classes are conducted primarily in Ukrainian.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or equivalent competence.

Children's Literature in Ukrainian

This course’s primary objective is to develop Ukrainian-language skills of future teachers. It introduces the major genres (poetry, tales, fables, legends and riddles) and identifies the most important themes of children’s literature. The course also explores changing representations of, and social attitudes toward, childhood, and considers the cultural premises embedded in material, verbal and visual, including cartoons and films.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or consent of Department.

Business Ukrainian

This course develops a working knowledge of the language for the purpose of travel, business and professional contacts in Ukraine. Emphasis on intensive oral practice, with review of essential grammar points. Parallel English-Ukrainian readings complement oral exercises. Activities are structured around typical situations that a Canadian professional may encounter in Ukraine. Topics include: the economy; trade and advertising; cooperation in politics, business, medicine and the humanities; Ukrainian documents and forms; business and professional etiquette. Content will be adapted to the specific needs of the students.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or equivalent competence.

Translating Literature: Ukrainian to English

Evaluation and comparison of existing translations, and extensive practical exercises. The course also considers the common difficulties of translating various genres and styles; dialectal, social, generational and other subvarieties of language, as well as idiomatic and figurative language.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or equivalent competence.
This is one of the courses required for the Certificate in Translation Studies..
Pre- or Co-requisite: MLCS 300.

Language Issues in Contemporary Ukraine

An introduction to the language situation and the state of linguistics in Ukraine after independence. A number of sociolinguistic topics are considered: language contact, language maintenance, and language shift. The course also explores the language of mass media and the Internet.
Pre-requisite: Consent of the department.

The Style & Structure of Contemporary Ukrainian

Beginning with an overview of the synchronic structure of Ukrainian (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax), the course introduces various styles of contemporary Ukrainian. Emphasis is on practical usage of the features of various styles. The course also considers a number of sociolinguistic questions: dialects, jargons, slang, as well as the language situation in contemporary Ukraine.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402), or equivalent competence.
This is one of the courses required for the Certificate in Translation Studies..

Translation in the Global Economy: Ukrainian-English-Ukrainian

Ukrainian-English and English-Ukrainian translation with focus on non-literary texts, e.g., journalistic, business, legal, and scientific prose.
Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or 304 (or former 402) or equivalent competence.
This is one of the courses required for the Certificate in Translation Studies.
Pre- or Co-requisite: MLCS 400.

Women in Culture: Fictional Characters / Feminist Writers

The course delves into the role and representation of women in 19th-, 20th- and 21-st century Ukraine. It traces the evolution of female characters from Romanticism to Postmodernism and explores contributions by women to the Ukrainian literary and cultural canon. Social issues and sexual politics are examined in the light of women's biographies as well as their fictional worlds.
This course is cross-referenced with Women's Studies.
Note: Readings are available in English for students not taking Ukrainian as a major or minor.
Students doing a major or minor in Ukrainian read texts in the original.

Civilization and Culture in Ukraine: 988-1794

The major trends in thought and culture of pre-secular Ukraine. A survey of the written, iconographic and musical legacy of Kyivan and Galician-Volhynian Rus' (11th-15th centuries) and the Ruthenian renascence (16th-18th centuries). Lectures in English. Modern Ukrainian translations available to students majoring or minoring in Ukrainian. Prerequisite: consent of Department.
This course is cross-referenced with Religious Studies.
Note: Readings are available in English for students not taking Ukrainian as a major or minor.

Ukrainian Romanticism

Introduces the major themes and genres of Ukrainian Romanticism against the background of early 19th century interest in folklore and history. Readings range from I.Kotliarevsky, L.Borovykovsky, A.Metlynsky, and M.Kostomarov to P.Kulish, with special emphasis on T Shevchenko's poetry and paintings. Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or co-requisites UKR 303 / 304; or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian Realism

A general overview of realist trends in Ukrainian literature from the 1850s to the 1920s. Short stories, novels and dramas are analyzed. Populism, psychological realism, class conflicts are just some of the issues addressed. Realism is also examined as a theoretical problem in literature and the arts. Pre-requisite UKR 300 or co-requisites UKR 303 / 304; or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian Modernism & Avant-Garde

This course explores the dramatic revolt against 19th-century aesthetics from the 1890s to 1930s. Selected poetry, short prose, drama, and manifestoes highlight the philosophical and formal innovations introduced by such movements as symbolism, futurism, and constructivism. The social and political background is also discussed. Analogies are drawn to the visual arts. Includes slides and films. The goal is to give students a better understanding of how Ukrainian culture was transformed by the currents of modernity and to give them a direct experience of the literary arts of the period. Pre-requisite: UKR 300 or co-requisites UKR 303 / 304; or equivalent competence.

Ukrainian Literature: Diaspora & Dissent

The literature, arts and music in the diaspora (1940s – 1980s) are compared and contrasted with Soviet Ukraine’s official and dissident authors. The focus is on the New York Group and the Generation of the Sixties, with emphasis on their innovations in poetic language and themes. The course also explores the strategies used by the artistic underground to develop a counterculture to socialist realism.
Note: Students doing a major or minor in Ukrainian read texts in the original. Many readings are available in parallel English editions to assist students still developing their proficiency.

Ukrainian Literature Today

The course 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.
Note: Students doing a major or minor in Ukrainian read texts in the original. Many readings are available in parallel English editions to assist students still developing their proficiency.

Honors thesis

The Slavic Language Family

Old Church Slavic

An introduction to the grammar of the oldest Slavic texts, with selected readings.
Pre-requisite: RUSS 202 or UKR 204 or POLSH 202 or consent of Department.

Slavic Romanticism

The course explores Romantic movements in Poland, Russia and Ukraine, focusing, among others, on such writers as Adam Mickiewicz, Alexander Pushkin and Taras Shevchenko. Romanticism is examined as a theoretical concept, and linked to social and historical developments in these three countries.
Note:English translations of texts are available for students not specializing in Polish, Russian or Ukrainian. Students doing a major or minor in Polish, Ukrainian, or Russian read relevant texts in the original.

Nikolai Gogol / Mykola Hohol'

A close examination of this major literary figure as a writer and cultural icon in the history of Russian and Ukrainian literatures. Gogol's life and works are studied against the background of Russian Imperial cultural developments and the processes of nation-building in the first half of the 19th century. Reading knowledge of Russian is desirable but not essential.
Note: Readings are available in English for non-majors. Students doing a major or minor in Russian read relevant texts in the original. Students doing a major or minor in Ukrainian may read relevant texts in Ukrainian translation.

Futurism: East & West

A comparative examination of the Futurist movement in Poland, Russia and Ukraine against the background of Italian Futurism. Poetry, prose and manifestos. Works by Czyzewski, Jasienski, Mayakovsky, Khlebnikov, Marinetti, Semenko, Shkurupii and others. Reading knowledge of one relevant Slavic language is desirable but not essential.
Note: Readings are available in English for non-majors. Students doing a major or minor in Polish, Ukrainian, or Russian read relevant texts in the original.

Women's Writing after the Fall of Communism

The course focuses on womenВґs writing and the development of gender theory in post-totalitarian Central and Eastern Europe, with an emphasis on Poland, Ukraine, and Russia. Some of the representative authors include M. Gretkowska, N. Goerke, N. Bilotserkivets, O. Zabuzhko, L. Petrushevskaya, and T. Tolstaya. Students explore representations of female space, femininity, and sexuality in the context of the narratives of national identity, history, urban culture, and environmentalism.
Note: Readings are available in translation for students not pursuing a major or minor in the relevant cultures. Students doing a major or minor in Polish, Ukrainian, or Russian read relevant texts in the original.

Special Topics [Winter 2009]

An introduction to the language situation and the state of linguistics in independent Ukraine, Poland and post-Soviet Russia. A number of sociolinguistic topics are considered: language contact, language maintenance, and language shift. The course also explores the language of mass media and the Internet. Prerequisite: consent of Department.

Introduction to Translation

This is one of two MLCS courses required for the Certificate in Translation in Ukrainian. It addresses translation problems and strategies, illustrating them with examples from a variety of languages. Prerequisite: *6 in Ukrainian language at the 200-level or above.

The History of Translation

This is one of two MLCS courses required for the Certificate in Translation in Ukrainian. The course offers a broad historical perspective on the contributions made by translators to the intellectual and cultural history of the world through
consideration of the Germanic, Romance and Slavic traditions. The role of the translator and basic principles governing the various traditions are examined to gain insight into different types of translation (religious, literary, technical) and
significant moments in the history of translation. Prerequisite: *6 in Ukrainian at the 200-level or above or consent of Department.

The Cultures of the Avant-Garde

This course examines the history, practice and theory of several major avant-gardes in Europe from 1909 to the 1930's. Their social, cultural and political positions are analyzed along with their artistic works. The focus is on France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. Futurism, Dada, Constructivism and Expressionism are among the movements examined. Major literary figures include Apollinaire, Khlebnikov, Kaiser, Marinetti, Mayakovsky, Semenko and others.
Note: Students are encouraged to read texts in the language of their majors / minors. Readings are available in English for non-majors.

Metamorphoses of the Vampire: from Slavic Lore, Romantic Literature to Film

Ever since the publication of Bram Stoker’s Dracula in 1897, the vampire has penetrated into the consciousness and popular culture of Europe and North America. The vampire has become a staple of TV series and films. Few people realize, however, that Dracula has his roots in Slavic folklore and that the vampire originally had nothing in common with bats, nor the fifteenth century Wallachian prince Vlad Ţepeş, or the drinking of blood. This course explores the origins of the vampire myth in Slavic demonology and traces the changes it has undergone as it moved from Slavic lands through several European cultures onto the modern screen. Folkloric, literary and cinematic texts are analyzed and the evolution of the vampire myth is examined in the context of both national cultures and historical periods. All readings in English.