A cultural pause

For the first time since independence students of higher educational establishments will be able to study the history of Ukrainian culture. Although the curriculum has already been developed, it is still waiting, for six months already, for approval. Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science has yet to issue a final decision. They have assured that the program will be approved at the March gathering, and that next year’s second-year students will be able to attend the 72-hour course and will have an exam to go with it. However, culture-studies programs, which inform about various cultures around the world, are not being taught at the moment. Consequently, the students remain in a sort of cultural vacuum, with few venues to go beyond what is found in the basic curriculum. Many efforts have been made in order to develop the program, which answers questions about identity and cultural development, and about the place of Ukraine’s culture in the world. The program comprises quite a large amount of material, and includes readings on Ukrainian art, painting, music, philosophy, and history. The new program was developed by a team of renowned scholars.

COMMENTARY

Ihor PALUBA, senior specialist of the Department of Higher Education of the MON of Ukraine:

“According to the decree no. 642 issued by the Ministry of Education and Science on July 9, 2009, the course History of Ukrainian Culture is defined as a compulsory subject. At the moment, the program is being reviewed by specialists at higher educational establishments in different regions of Ukraine, and the reviews that have already been received by the Ministry of Education and Science are quite positive. A significant achievement of the course is that it has been created in a broad context, relating Ukrainian culture to other ones worldwide. The program comprises entire sections outlining the mutual influences and discrepancies between Ukrainian and European cultures. Thus, the new subject is a sort of attempt to go beyond the limits of national culture, establishing a basis for contemplation, and even discussions, so that students can ponder and develop their own opinions concerning Ukraine’s place amidst the world’s cultures.”