Friday, 17 February 2023
The University of Nottingham has twinned with a Ukrainian university to offer a joint master's degree programme that will improve Humanities teaching, knowledge and research in Ukraine.
The Dual History Master’s Program is a collaboration between the University of Nottingham and the Ukrainian Catholic University. The twinning has been arranged by Cormack Consultancy Group, and it is one of just six partnerships between universities in the UK and Ukraine.
The partnerships have been created in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which has put significant pressure on its Higher Education sector. Many universities have been attacked and thousands of students and staff have been displaced. The conflict has also created a need for new approaches to teaching in the country due to increasing amounts of Russian propaganda and the manipulation of historical narratives.
The twinning programme between the University of Nottingham and the Ukrainian Catholic University will, therefore, be a new step in rethinking the field of Humanities as a foundation of Ukrainian soft power and societal resilience. It will build the necessary framework for social reconstruction and resolve the current crisis caused by the isolation of separate branches of knowledge and the persisting impact of Russian-Soviet narratives. The course will focus on themes of heritage, memory and identity, and it will help students to understand Ukraine as it is now.
We’re delighted to have been chosen as one of just six UK universities to take part in this pilot twinning scheme and we recognise the importance of the role we now have in shaping future Ukrainian humanities graduates. This course will combine theoretical and practical learning to support humanities graduates who will lead Ukraine’s social transformation.
Having mastered new mechanisms of communication, our students will create and spread an updated image of Ukraine in the world community. A dual degree from two powerful universities, UCU and the University of Nottingham, will undoubtedly provide Ukrainian students with even more opportunities and tools that they will use not only to consolidate victory, but also for the reconstruction and prosperity of Ukraine in the future.
Professor Jonathan Tallant, Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Nottingham added: “All of our Humanities disciplines offer insight into the most significant aspects of human life: birth, love and death, questions of ethics and problems of knowledge and evidence, the relation of our future to our past, and the individual’s place in society and the world. These themes are pivotal in helping our graduates shape and navigate the world around them."
The Department of History, that will be leading the Nottingham side of the degree, has particular research expertise in the study of culture, society, politics, race, gender relations and international affairs. Staff in the Department and School are thrilled at the opportunity to collaborate with our Ukrainian colleagues on this exciting venture.
"The goal of this program, which is unique in the educational market of Ukraine, is the formation of a new type of humanitarian who understands the problems of modern society, is guided by a value approach, and possesses integral humanitarian knowledge and skills.
Andrii Yasinovskyi goes on to say: "We set ourselves the task of preparing a kind of humanitarian who combines the competencies of an academic researcher and an expert, who is able to work with the problems of the past in up-to-date academic and public spaces, to create a new image of Ukraine and to propose a Ukrainian agenda for the world. Our graduates ought to answer the questions: what is Ukraine in its past and present? What is Ukraine’s role in the future? What can Ukraine offer to the global world?
Collaborative research workshops will give academics at both universities an opportunity to discuss their research and develop further ideas on four research themes; War and Resilience, Religion and War, Moral and Legal Considerations of Wartime Actors and Integral Human Development and Post-Conflict Reconstruction. It’s also hoped that the partnership will lead to visiting professorships, research internships and academic discussion forums.
The MA programme will launch this September. The first intake will be from Ukrainian students only, however, upon successful state accreditation in Ukraine, the programme will be offered to international students in future years.
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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