UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies
BA Module Outline for 2013/14
Module Title: Ukrainian Culture and Text A / Ukrainian Culture and Text B
Module Coordinator: Marta Jenkala
Module Codes: SEEU1002 / SEEU1003
Course Prerequisites: Open to students who have basic knowledge of Ukrainian
Academic Level: Intermediate
Course Unit Value: 1 (two ½ course units)
Weekly Contact Hours: 2
Runs in (2013/14) Terms 1 and 2
Compulsory for: Ukrainian and East European Studies, Russian and Ukrainian, Modern Languages combined degrees of which Ukrainian
is a component.
Pass required for: Progression to Year abroad / Final year.
Open to: All SSEES undergraduates, affiliate students, also UCL undergraduates, subject to timetable and resourcing constraints
Module Outline
This is a course for second-year students who are taking Ukrainian as part of one of the above degrees. Culture and Text A presents,
through lecture and discussion, an introduction to the most significant aspects of Ukrainian culture, with a focus on the reading of relevant
straightforward texts in Ukrainian. The course will present some of the themes, issues, preconceptions and concerns which have shaped
Ukrainian society in the past and characterise it at the present time. Culture and Text B is coursework-based, and provides students with an
opportunity to explore, in greater depth, some of the topics covered in A, and to focus on those which may be of particular individual
interest.
At the end of the module you should have fulfilled the following aims and objectives
Aims:
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to gain an overview of the key elements of Ukrainian culture and its evolution;
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to enhance understanding of the culture of contemporary Ukraine;
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to engender an awareness of key issues relating to Ukrainian culture.
Objectives:
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through the study of texts, films and other materials, to gain knowledge of significant aspects of Ukrainian culture;

demonstrate, through discussion, an understanding of Ukrainian culture and key issues;

read and understand relevant straightforward texts in Ukrainian;

conduct research on culture-related topics and present findings in a variety of formats;

write lucidly and in some detail on significant culture-related themes.
Assessment Methods
Assessment Style
Ukrainian Culture and Text A: written examination (2 hours); Ukrainian Culture and Text B: portfolio of coursework (5,000 words).
Assessment Weighting
Ukrainian Culture and Text A (100%); Ukrainian Culture and Text B (100%).
Feedback
Students will receive prompt feedback for each coursework assignment and generic feedback on examination papers.
Preliminary Reading
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Reid, Anna, Borderland. A Journey Through the History of Ukraine, London: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1997
Yekelchyk, Serhy. Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation, New York: Oxford University Press, 2007
Chapter 1: Ukraine’s Geographic and Ethnolinguistic Setting
in: Magocsi, Paul Robert. A History of Ukraine Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1996
Shevchenko, Anna. Culture Smart! Ukraine: a Quick Guide to Customs and Etiquette, London: Kuperard, 2005
Smoliy V. A. (ed.). Все про Україну, All About Ukraine (2 vols), Kyiv: Alternatyvy, 1998
and/or
Voina, Tamara (ed.). Це - Україна, This is Ukraine, Kyiv: Kompiuterni systemy, 1995.