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Ukrainian Institute Staff

This course presents social and political events and processes that occurred when the Ukrainian civil society was forming.

On February 24, 2022, the global attention was focused on Ukraine. Then organized civil society started its aid to Ukrainian armed forces, which surprised not only foreigners but even Ukrainians themselves.

How did Ukrainian society prove to be stable, self-organized, and capable of effective resistance to a much greater threat? Why have Ukrainians united, acted, and gone to street protests starting from the early 90s? What values did they protect?

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This course presents social and political events and processes that occurred when the Ukrainian civil society was forming.

On February 24, 2022, the global attention was focused on Ukraine. Then organized civil society started its aid to Ukrainian armed forces, which surprised not only foreigners but even Ukrainians themselves.

How did Ukrainian society prove to be stable, self-organized, and capable of effective resistance to a much greater threat? Why have Ukrainians united, acted, and gone to street protests starting from the early 90s? What values did they protect?

This course will help you understand the nature of Ukrainian revolutions and the phenomenon of mass resistance, and also values motivating Ukrainians to act in the context of their independence.

In this course, you will learn:

- a short historical insight into the manifestation of Ukrainian values from the 1990s until now;

- Orange Revolution, its prerequisites, course of events, and main participants;

- establishment and development of independent Ukrainian media;

- the reasons and prerequisites of the Revolution of Dignity – a protest that transformed the entire state system of rules and the institutional environment;

- the concept of multiculturalism and its implementation in Ukraine;

- the political and public life of Crimean Tatars in Ukraine, as well as Russia's crimes on the territory of Crimea;

- the history of Ukrainian civil movements and communities in the East of Ukraine;

- the power and influence of the society's unity during crisis.

PRESENTERS

Kateryna Zarembo

- PhD, Research Fellow at the Central European University and the Technical University of Darmstadt, Associated Fellow at the New Europe Center

Tymofii Brik

- PhD, Rector at the Kyiv School of Economics

COURSE AUTHORS:

Oleksandra Matviichuk

- human rights lawyer and chair of the Center for Civil Liberties organization, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022

Vakhtang Kebuladze

- Doctor of Philosophy, Professor at the Department of Theoretical and Practical Philosophy at the Faculty of Philosophy of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv

Olha Onuch

- Professor of Comparative and Ukrainian Politics, Politics Department, Manchester University

Sevgil Musayeva

- journalist, editor-in-chief of the Ukrainian Pravda internet publishing

Yevhen Hlibovytskyi

- Director of the Frontier Institute, a member of the Supervisory Board of Suspilne movlennia (Public Broadcasting)

Emily Channell-Justice

- PhD, Director of the Temerty Contemporary Ukraine Program Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute

Emma Mateo

- PhD, Petro Jacyk Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Ukrainian Studies at the Harriman Institute, Columbia University

Ihor Kozlovskyi

- PhD, senior researcher at the Department of Religious Studies of the Skovoroda Institute of Philosophy of National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, a religious studies scholar, writer, and public figure

Alim Aliyev

- Crimean human rights activist, curator of cultural and educational projects, Deputy Director General of the Ukrainian Institute

Kateryna Zarembo:

- PhD,Research Fellow at the Central European University and the Technical University of Darmstadt, Associated Fellow at the New Europe Center

Taras Lyuty

- Doctor of Philosophy, Professor at the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, philosopher, writer

Tetyana Teren

- journalist, Executive Director of the PEN Ukraine

The online course was prepared as part of the Phoenix Project, implemented by East Europe Foundation and funded by the European Union. The course was developed in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute.

The opinions expressed in this course do not necessarily reflect the position of East Europe Foundation, the Ukrainian Institute, or the European Union.

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What's inside

Syllabus

Module 1
LECTURE 1 "Vanguard and Cornerstones of Ukrainian Civil Society" - The lecture is dedicated to the cornerstones of Ukrainian civil society. ____LECTURE 2 "Conflict and Establishment of Values" - This lecture dwells on a brief history of the manifestation of Ukrainian civil society values from 1991 until now. ____LECTURE 3 "What Was the Orange Revolution? Understanding the Mass-Mobilization in Ukraine" - This lecture is about the Orange Revolution, its prerequisites, the course of events, and the main participants. ____LECTURE 4 "Ways Ukrainian Journalism Wins the Battle for Truth and Independence" - This lecture deals with the right to call a spade a spade, namely, the establishment and development of independent Ukrainian media, as well as the important journalistic initiatives in Ukraine. ____LECTURE 5 "Revolution of Dignity: Causes and Prerequisites, Stages, and Participants" - This lecture analyzes the reasons and prerequisites of the Revolution of Dignity – a protest that transformed the entire state system of rules and the institutional environment. It reviews each of the Euromaidan stages and the key groups of participants.
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Module 2
LECTURE 6 "From Revolution to Evolution" - This lecture is about the Ukrainian civil society change after the Revolution of Dignity and the beginning of a full-scale war.____ LECTURE 7 "New Institutions and the Anti-Colonial Movement "- This lecture dwells on the new institutions' establishment and governmental reforms in Ukraine. ____ LECTURE 8 "Multiculturalism and Its Implementation in Ukraine" - This lecture is about the concept of multiculturalism and its implementation in Ukraine. ____ LECTURE 9 "The civil society of the Ukrainian East: a Suspended Renaissance" - This lecture presents the history of Ukrainian civil movements and communities in the east of Ukraine, the history of their establishment and development, as well as their activities during the Russian aggression. ____ LECTURE 10 "Civil Society in Crimea"- This lecture features the political and public life of Crimean Tatars in Ukraine, as well as Russia's crimes on the territory of Crimea.____ LECTURE 11 "Society Unification"- This lecture discusses the power and influence of society unification in crisis. ____ LECTURE 12 "People" - This lecture presents the value of justice and historical memory, which was passed down the generations, on the example of several stories of Ukrainian intelligence, artists, and activists.

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Explores the complexities of Ukrainian civil society, providing a comprehensive understanding of its history, values, and role in shaping the nation
Taught by Ukrainian Institute staff, who have firsthand knowledge and expertise in the subject matter
Examines the formation and evolution of Ukrainian civil society through revolutions, protests, and movements
Develops an understanding of the role of media, culture, and diversity in shaping Ukrainian identity
Uses a multi-disciplinary approach to analyze social and political events, providing a well-rounded perspective
Requires a basic understanding of Ukrainian history and current events, which some learners may need to supplement before taking the course

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Activities

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Read Ukrainian history books
Reading Ukrainian history books will help you understand the context of the course material.
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  • Choose a book on Ukrainian history.
  • Read the book.
  • Take notes on the important events and figures in Ukrainian history.
Create a timeline of Ukrainian history
Creating a timeline of Ukrainian history will help you visualize the key events and periods in Ukrainian history.
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  • Gather information on the key events in Ukrainian history.
  • Create a timeline using a tool like Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.
Read The Orange Revolution by Timothy Snyder
Reading The Orange Revolution by Timothy Snyder will help you understand the events of the Orange Revolution, which was a major turning point in Ukrainian history.
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  • Read the book.
  • Take notes on the key events and figures in the Orange Revolution.
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Join a Ukrainian language study group
Joining a Ukrainian language study group will help you connect with other learners and practice your skills.
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  • Find a Ukrainian language study group.
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Volunteer with a Ukrainian organization
Volunteering with a Ukrainian organization will help you connect with the Ukrainian community and learn more about Ukrainian culture.
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  • Find a Ukrainian organization to volunteer with.
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Practice speaking Ukrainian
Practicing speaking Ukrainian will help you improve your fluency and understanding of the language.
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  • Find a language partner.
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Participate in a Ukrainian language competition
Participating in a Ukrainian language competition will help you test your skills and improve your fluency.
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  • Find a Ukrainian language competition.
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  • Compete in the competition.
Contribute to the Ukrainian Wikipedia
Contributing to the Ukrainian Wikipedia will help you learn more about Ukrainian history and culture while also improving the resource for others.
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  • Find an article on a topic you are interested in.
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