Collaboration between the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens and the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies
The international Erasmus+ Staff Week, entitled ‘Making Ukrainian Studies Relevant: Language, Memory, Resilience and Academic Partnership’, took place in L’Aquila (Italy) from 3 to 8 June 2026 and was co-organised by the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies. The representatives of the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology joined the organised internship on the initiative of the International Relations Office of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
Further cooperation was marked by the participation of lecturers from the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens – Associate Professor Hanna Shvets and Assistant Professor Oleksandra Kasianova – in the Erasmus+ Staff Week, which served as a pilot model for developing partnerships between Ukrainian and European universities in the field of Ukrainian studies. The event brought together lecturers, researchers, and representatives of higher education institutions to discuss topical issues in contemporary Ukraine: language and culture, historical memory, identity, cultural heritage, social resilience, and the role of universities during wartime and in post-war reconstruction.
Representatives of leading Ukrainian universities have joined the programme, including Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Odessa I. I. Mechnikov National University, Odesa Technological University ‘STEP’ and V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.
On the first day of the internship, Olga Osredchuk, Head of the Office of the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, presented the Coalition’s activities and outlined opportunities to develop international academic cooperation in Ukrainian studies. Following this, the Staff Week participants were treated to a series of lectures and discussions on topical issues relating to Ukrainian culture, identity, education, and international cooperation. In particular, Alim Aliyev gave a lecture on Ukrainian studies as a tool for cultural diplomacy and soft power, emphasizing their role in shaping international understanding of Ukraine. Taras Kremin, Ukraine’s State Language Protection Commissioner for the period 2020–2025, highlighted the significance of the Ukrainian language as a key factor in culture, historical memory, and national identity. Lesya Lymar, a professor at the Bogomolets National Medical University, shared her experience and methodological approaches to teaching topics such as war, trauma, and resilience in an academic setting. Roman Voloshyn, a representative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, led a session dedicated to Ukrainian identity in the context of war and global transformations.
On the final day of the internship, participants were also welcomed by Ihor Brusylo, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Italy, and Svitlana Shytikova, Director of the National Erasmus+ Office in Ukraine.
The representatives of the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens drew special attention during the Staff Week to the presentation of educational opportunities offered by the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology and Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv as a whole. Associate Professor Hanna Shvets and Oleksandra Kasianova, an Assistant Professor at the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens, presented the department’s educational offerings to international partners, including bachelor’s and master’s degree programmes for foreign citizens, certificate programmes in the study of the Ukrainian language as a foreign language, and programmes on the methodology of teaching Ukrainian to foreign citizens.
Participation in the International Staff Week reaffirmed the important role of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv in shaping the global academic landscape of Ukrainian studies. The agreements reached open new prospects for cooperation among the Department of Ukrainian Philology for Foreign Citizens of the Educational and Scientific Institute of Philology, the Global Coalition of Ukrainian Studies, and European universities.
