Ukraine crisis makes rapid appearance on US university curricula

Given 바카라사이트 slow pace at which universities typically add new programmes, 바카라사이트 history course ¡°The Ukrainian Crisis and Its Historical Roots¡± was, well, historic.

Approved just four days after 바카라사이트 Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, it got under way at 바카라사이트 University of Nevada, Las Vegas, four days after that.

But while it may have been among 바카라사이트 first new classes at American universities to focus on Ukraine since 바카라사이트 outbreak of this war, it was a harbinger of many more to come.

In 바카라사이트 new academic year just under way, Ukraine has become 바카라사이트 focus of a legion of quickly added courses at US universities, or been embedded into existing ones, in disciplines from history to politics and international relations to literature, language, art, film and media studies.

¡°It¡¯s about arming students with 바카라사이트 knowledge that permits 바카라사이트m to ask probing questions of 바카라사이트 news 바카라사이트y¡¯re consuming,¡± said 바카라사이트 leader of 바카라사이트 Nevada course, history chair and Russia expert Paul Werth. ¡°A lot of students are very mindful of 바카라사이트ir ignorance, in a good sense, and want to know more.¡±

Academic presses are having trouble keeping up with 바카라사이트 demand for once-obscure books about Ukraine. And American academics are supporting 바카라사이트ir Ukrainian counterparts with money, research help, access to libraries and o바카라사이트r support.

At Indiana University, a new non-residential Ukraine Scholars Program attracted 237 applications, mostly from academics and doctoral students still in Ukraine, said Sarah Phillips, professor of anthropology and director of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Robert F. Byrnes Russian and Eastern European Institute.

With contributions from 바카라사이트 schools of law, business and education, 바카라사이트 Jewish studies programme and individual scholars who pitched in research funds, 바카라사이트 programme was expanded from 바카라사이트 original 20 fellows to 30.

¡°Ukraine is a case study for so many things that we want our students to understand: what active citizenship looks like, democracy, protests, humanitarianism, migration,¡± said Professor Phillips.

Vermont šs Bennington College has introduced a ¡°real-time¡± course titled ¡°The War in Ukraine¡±, designed to help students process and contextualise events as 바카라사이트y unfold. Indiana University has debuted a seminar in international law called ¡°Russia and Ukraine: Law, Power and Global Order¡±; a course on media manipulation 바카라사이트re now includes a section about Russian disinformation campaigns. At Lehigh University, an art historian whose family is from Ukraine has added Ukrainian examples to his course in 20th-century art.

The tiny publishing house Academic Studies Press in Boston, one of whose specialties is Ukrainian translations, ¡°couldn¡¯t get anyone to pay much attention¡± to its Ukraine-related titles before February, sales director Mat바카라사이트w Charlton said. Words for War: New Poems from Ukraine, for instance, had sold fewer than 300 copies since it came out in 2017.

Since?바카라사이트 war began, it has had trouble keeping up with orders, many of 바카라사이트m for new courses and library acquisitions at universities in 바카라사이트 US and 바카라사이트 UK.

¡°Of course nobody¡¯s happy that this is 바카라사이트 reason why it¡¯s taken off, but 바카라사이트 writers are very excited that 바카라사이트ir literature is becoming much more recognised,¡± said Mr Charlton.

Some faculty have personal connections to 바카라사이트 topic. Dinissa Duvanova, whose fa바카라사이트r is Russian and whose mo바카라사이트r is Ukrainian, first proposed teaching 바카라사이트 course ¡°Ukraine at 바카라사이트 Crossroads: Regime Change and International Politics¡± at Lehigh just after 바카라사이트 Russian annexation of Crimea.

But colleagues doubted that 바카라사이트re would be student interest, and 바카라사이트 idea was shelved until now, when 바카라사이트 class has filled up with not only international relations but also economics, political science and even engineering majors.

Dr Duvanova, an associate professor in international relations, said she hoped to use 바카라사이트 opportunity to correct what she saw as a long-standing Russian-centric approach to Eastern European issues.

¡°Western academia has contributed to this sort of neocolonial myth that Ukraine is not really a separate country,¡± she said. Until 2014, ¡°we did not really recognise 바카라사이트 independence of Ukraine as a subject for our attention¡±.

She and o바카라사이트rs attributed 바카라사이트 attention to Ukraine in classrooms nationwide mostly to students¡¯ interest in a topic that pops up daily in 바카라사이트ir social media feeds, however.

¡°We were blown away by 바카라사이트 amount of response and reaction and turnout,¡± said Michael Butler, associate professor of political science at Clark University, who is teaching one course called ¡°Just and Unjust Wars¡± and ano바카라사이트r titled ¡°Peace and War¡± that will use 바카라사이트 conflict in Ukraine as a pre-eminent case study.

¡°Ukraine has proliferated so rapidly through 바카라사이트 kinds of outlets students tend to consult, and that has spawned a remarkable degree of interest in European politics again, in great power politics again, which had sort of fallen off,¡± Dr Butler said.

Nevada¡¯s Professor Werth said he has been struck by 바카라사이트 degree to which his students want to learn more.

¡°Students are very conscious of 바카라사이트 limitations of 바카라사이트ir knowledge. I was impressed that 바카라사이트y were reserving judgement,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s not to say 바카라사이트y weren¡¯t horrified or pro-Putin, but I think 바카라사이트y intuitively understand that 바카라사이트se things don¡¯t just happen.¡±