Firtash gave the school $6.7 million. The money will allow the schools to develop curriculum, do public events and establish two permanent academic posts – a lecturer in Ukrainian studies and lector in Ukrainian language.
Firtash invited professors to Kyiv to sign an official agreement. “It couldn’t have happened if not for Mr. Firtash’ generous support,” Simon Franklin, professor of Slavonic studies said. Franklin and his colleagues – Rory Finnin, head of Cambridge Ukrainian Studies and Emma Widdis, head of Department of Slavonic Studies presented the program in Kyiv on Sept. 24.
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“Ukrainian studies are well represented in American and Canadian schools, while in Western European Universities, such programs are scarce,” Franklin said. He explains it by demographic factors – big Ukrainian diaspora in the United States and Canada lobbied Ukrainian language and history programs at
top schools like Harvard, Stanford, Columbia and others. “Not many people in Europe really know what modern Ukraine is,” Franklin said. “It’s a very sad and dangerous mistake and I think it’s time to correct it.”
Students can take classes in Ukrainian language and literature, where they will be reading books by Ukrainian authors in their original language, classes on Ukrainian cinema, culture and history of Kyivan Rus.
“Our students do not just learn the language,” Widdis said. “They get a better understanding of Ukrainian history and culture.”
The Ukrainian studies program already enrolls more than 20 students annually. Finnin, who did research on correlation of culture and national identity in 19th and 20th century Ukraine, said that his students love Ukrainian literature, especially poems by Vasyl Stus and Taras Shevchenko.
While the classes are being taught by British and American faculty, the school is planning to invite Ukrainian scientists, historians, writers and artists to do guest lectures and seminars. The department is not limited to academic programs only. It holds regular art exhibitions and Ukrainian movie nights.
The professors think that they will teach the whole new generation of politicians, public leaders, historians and artists who won’t have a distorted idea of what Ukraine is and won’t have this stereotypical thinking that Ukraine is a part of Russia.
The University of Cambridge is one of the oldest and most prestigious schools in Europe. It was founded in 1209. The university introduced the Russian studies program at the end of World War II in 1945. The “pilot” Ukrainian Studies program was launched in 2008 as a part of Department of Slavonic Languages.
The classes will start in October, but meanwhile three Cambridge professors came to Ukraine to do the official presentation of the program. They said that they wanted to do so much earlier, but the first step was made two years ago with adding Ukrainian language, history and culture classes to the curriculum.
Kyiv Post staff writer Olesia Oleshko can be reached at oleshko@kyivpost.com
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