Episode #163. Saturday August 19, 2023, 11:00 Eastern

Contemporary Education and Changing Culture in Ukraine

The war raging in Ukraine has been front page news for the past 18 months. The co-hosts at Silver Lining for Learning (SLL) have been concerned about the educational situation in Ukraine; what is happening in the classroom as well as online. In this episode of SLL, Dr. Hanna Bondarenko, Associate Professor at the Institute of International Education at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, will share her perspectives on education in this time of crisis. V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, founded in 1804, is a prestigious academic university and the second-oldest university in Ukraine. In Episode #163, Dr. Bondarenko explores and discusses how K-12 and higher education are practiced under war conditions and what she sees as the future of education with such changing circumstances. During the hour, we will also discuss its’ impact on culture and life in general. As the person responsible for directing international education on her campus, she will also discuss the present circumstances for domestic and international students in a post-pandemic world and amidst forced conflict. As you will learn from this episode, Hannah’s insights will speak to the resilience of the human heart, the fortitude of the human mind, and the possibilities for education despite the plethora of challenges posed to educators, students, and parents by the current political, social, and economic landscape. Don’t miss this episode!

More about our guest after the video

Hanna Bondarenko (PhD in History) is Associate Professor at the Institute of International Education V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. She is also a visiting scholar at Indiana University. Her scholarship and teaching address international education and Ukrainian history and culture. Her recent international project includes: “Kharkiv as a Multicultural City of Eastern Ukraine: Advantages, Contradictions, Challenges and Prospects for Development (1991-2020),” funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. She is the Project Coordinator of “City and War” (Destruction, Preservation and Rethinking of the Cultural Heritage of Large Cities in Eastern and Southern Ukraine During the Russo-Ukrainian War) (https://en.cityface.org.ua/projectheritage.html) (2022 – to date).

Hanna teaches many courses intended for international students. These courses include: “History of Ukraine,” “Culture and Traditions of Ukraine,” “History of Kharkiv Region,” and “History of Kharkiv University.” She participated in the following international projects: “Kharkiv as a Multicultural City of Eastern Ukraine: Advantages, Contradictions, Challenges and Prospects for Development (1991-2020).” This project was funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (2020). In addition, she was involved in: “Practices of the Self-Representation of Multinational Cities in the Industrial and Post-Industrial Era” (2018-2021) that was supported by the Kowalski Program and the Program for the Study of Modern Ukraine of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Alberta (https://cityface.org.ua/). A third international project was: “Integration and Adaptation of Foreign Students / INTERADIS Erasmus+. Her latest publication on the topic of education in Ukraine (in English): Bondarenko, H. Ukrainian Education in Wartime: Challenges and Problems. The Journal of V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University. Series: History, no. 62, 2022, pp. 142-159. https://www.doi.org/10.26565/2220-7929-2022-62-06. She can be contacted at: abondarenko@karazin.ua.

Suggested readings: 

• Nazarenko, Y., Kohut, I., & Zheriobkina, T. (No date). Education and War in Ukraine (February 24-April 1, 2022). Cedos, 1-10.
• Impact of the War on Higher Education in Ukraine
• Ukrainian Education in Times of War: Ukrainian Education in Times of War