EUVOLIA Welcomes New Students!

COVID-19 can change our life drastically in every aspect – except for the fact that EUVOLIA course once again welcomes its new students on board!

This year, we reach beyond ZNU main campus to our Engineering Institute, which was established in 2018 and trains future IT specialists, industrial engineers and architects. To make the groups more diverse and to ensure peer-to-peer learning component, we invited a group of Foreign Philology students to join.

And though this year’s ice breakers and other activities had to take place online, we have no doubts that our newcomers will once again succeed on their long journey through the realm of European literature.

Good luck and full ahead!

EUVOLIA Students Group Project Defense: New Titles, New Discoveries

As COVID-19 keeps us locked at our homes and glued to the screens, EUVOLIA holds yet another project defense session online. Despite the facts that the lockdown definitely has a strong impact upon academic process, all our course attendants managed to submit their projects in time – and seem to have enjoyed the results just like we do!

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Among the projects defended this semester, a music video Kino (Cinema) by Antytila stands out as one of the brightest discoveries. The group led by Oleksandra Tkachenko dug deeply in the symbolical code of the video showing its evident ties with current political situation in Ukraine and explaining its powerful imagery through the scope of European values of democracy, human dignity and freedom. The paternalistic state model – the one we discussed while reading North and South – is what the musicians from Antytila wanted to discuss and disapprove of in their video. The jury, consisting of Stan Cherkasov, Oleksandra Nikolova and Olena Tupakhina, specifically enjoyed the way the students managed to grasp and deconstruct the core binary dychotomies of the video – i.e., the Clown vs the Crowd.

Another interesting piece of pop-culture to be discussed this semester is Zlata Ognievich’s Goddess music video attracting attention due to its explicit focus on gender equality, individuality and tolerance. However, as the students aptly pointed out, Ognievich doesn’t go that far when treating queerness or LGBT issues: for her, such manifestations of Otherness look still marginal, moved away to an overtly carnavalized spaces, such as night clubs.

Ukrainian TV series Papik (Sugar Daddy) looks like a must for every group of students to pay attention to. This year, it has been analyzed by Kateryna Bilan and Valeria Zhovtonog through the lens of social stereotypes.

The full video of the defense process is available here

EUVOLIA Takes Part in National Erasmus+ Office Ukraine Webinar

It’s hard to imagine Erasmus+ project team’s life without the National Erasmus+ Office Ukraine! Throughout the years, a devoted and enthusiastic team of NEO Ukraine has been ZNU’s most trusted partner on many international projects – starting from first TEMPUS initiatives and continuing with ongoing Erasmus+ activities.

This year’s traditional seminar for Erasmus+ Jean Monnet project managers taking place online December 3, 2020, proved to be as useful and productive as usually. Zaporizhzhya National University was represented by a powerful team of several Jean Monnet Modules, among them JMM EUVOLIA. We are proud to say that this year our university has scored third among all the Ukrainian HEIs by the number of Jean Monnet projects.

During the seminar, EUVOLIA team shared their experience in disseminating project results on International Erasmus+ Days held annually at Zaporizhzhya National University and discussed best practices adopted by the project in terms of visibility and inter-project cooperation under associations (like APREI) and bilateral agreements.

Many thanks to NEO Ukraine for their enthusiasm and support!

EUVOLIA Round Table and Teacher Trainings on APREI Newsletter

Don’t you miss another issue of APREI most helpful and informative digest on what’s going on in Ukrainian HEIs in terms of European-focused project initiatives! This time, the whole page is devoted to ZNU: both EUVOLIA teacher trainings and Round Table debates on values transformations in times of hybrid war have become subject of interest for APREI readers.

Full version available here

EUVOLIA Trainings for Secondary School Teachers Gather Participants from Several Regions of Ukraine

We’ve been waiting for this event for quite a long time, and finally the day has come: November 6-7, 2021 EUVOLIA hosted its first training session for secondary school teachers upon the values-based approach to teaching Humanities.

Due to a limited amount of places (no more than 30 participants, to secure productive interaction with the group), the priority was given to the teachers from small towns and villages. So, the training’s geography proved quite diverse: Vilnyansk, Zolotonosha, Ukrainka, Lysychansk, Toretsk, Pokrov, Bolekhiv, Palmira… EUVOLIA’s trusted partners, teachers from Zaporizhzhya schools and lyceums who took part in the last year’s Round table debates, were also there to add practice to theory.

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Training session “Basic principles of values-based approach”
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Victoria Pletsis (Zaporizhzhya) takes part in EUVOLIA events for second year in a row

To make the training more effective and interactive, the participants were divided into two groups based on their professional focus. Kateryna Vasylyna and Oleksandra Nikolova worked with teachers of Ukrainian and Foreign literature. Olena Tupakhina and Stanislav Cherkasov worked with teachers of History and Social Sciences.

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Olesya Dorofeyeva (Lysychansk) with EUVOLIA training certificate and project flyer

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we had to conduct our training online. But even the virus couldn’t stop EUVOLIA enthusiasm! The first day of trainings were devoted to the basic principles of values-oriented approach: the teachers shared their experience on the topics, engaged in practical exercises and learned how to work with special software. The second day was the day when they could see how all those tools work in the classroom by attending an open lesson with EUVOLIA students.

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Demonstrating social stereotype: EUVOLIA students drawing a scientist (mark the number of women!)

All the training participants got their certificates for 12 hours of study (0,4 ECTS credits). And besides, due to a large number of applications submitted this year, we decided to make the training open for a distance participation. We placed all the training materials and video online for open access. If you want to get your EUVOLIA certificate, feel free to use it, pass the test and send us your written task at euvolia.znu@gmail.com.

You can download EUVOLIA training materials here.

EUVOLIA Training for Secondary School Teachers: Agenda

November 6-7, 2020 Zaporizhzhya National University hosts a two-days JMM EUVOLIA training for secondary school teachers entitled “Values-oriented approach to teaching Humanities: learning by doing”.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the training will take place online, on CISCO Webex platform.

The training will comprise three interactive sections (November 6, 2020) and an open lesson (November 7, 2020).

Training agenda, access codes and Cisco Webex access instruction available here

Registered participants will get their training certificates for 8 academic hours by Nova Poshta at the organizers’ expense.

Our informational partners:

JMM EUVOLIA and JMM TEMPUS hold Regional Round Table on Axiological Transformations in Ukrainian Society under Hybrid War

October 16, 2020 Zaporizhzhya National University hosted online Round table debates on Axiological transformations in Ukrainian society under hybrid war held by JMM EUVOLIA project in cooperation with ZNU’s new Jean Monnet initiative, Jean Monnet Module TEMPUS (“Tailoring European Memory Politics for Peacemaking in Ukrainian Society”).

The event was held within the frames of International Erasmus Days and gathered 51 participants, including historians, journalists, HEI and secondary school teachers, students, NGO representatives and members of various professional associations. We were especially delighted to see the coordinators of Jean Monnet Modules EU-Indy, DIRUT and Pan European Convergence for Prevention of Corruption.

The debates were moderated by JMM TEMPUS research coordinator, the Vice-Rector on Academic and Scientific Issues Dr, Yurii Kaganov, the author of a seminal work on Homo Soveticus identity construction in Ukraine; and JMM EUVOLIA co-coordinator, Olena Tupakhina.

Prof. Dr. Fedir Turchenko, the author of the book “The Novorossia Project and Modern Russian-Ukrainian War”, is well-known in Ukraine as the author of the first school coursebook on Ukraine’s modern history

The Round Table debates proved to be really intense and thought provoking due to key speakers invited by the moderators. First, the floor was given to Prof. Dr. Fedir Turchenko, who is well-known all over Ukraine as the author of the first school coursebook on modern Ukraine’s history. A devoted researcher and the author of a seminal work on Russian propaganda strategies applied to historical discourse (“Project Novorossia and Modern Russian-Ukrainian War”), Dr. Turchenko started his speech with an interesting comparison. In KGB archives, now open for public access thanks to recent decommunization laws, Ukrainian people are described as “the most patient one”, while in George Orwell’s writings the “silent majority” of the totalitarian state is often called “the well-meaning ones”. What might be the reasons for this well-meaningness even under the conditions of hybrid war? Dr. Turchenko encouraged the round table participants to investigate the problem of people’s inertness in the context of a totalitarian state that denied any attempts at self-reflection and rejected any critical approach to the Communist regime’s crimes. There was no initiative like large-scaled German denazification process applied to former members of the Communist party, Dr. Turchenko highlighted, so the process of replacing old elites with the new ones is still taking place in Ukraine. This is the reason why the values of “parents” would often regenerate in the generation of “children”. At the same time, the well-meaningness can be part of survivalist values. Dr. Turchenko finished his report with a warning to all those teaching values to general public – be it school teachers, public intellectuals or NGO representatives, – not to fall victim to a “formal Europeanness” leaving but an empty form out of the European idea.

Dr. Turchenko’s speech ended on an optimistic note: to his mind, Ukraine has chosen its European way and will never turn back. However, the next speaker, the head of South-Eastern Transregional Department of the National Memory Institute of Ukraine, Dr. Maria Takhtaulova, was much more skeptical. As a coordinator of a public initiative “Kharkiv toponymical group”, she brought plenty of examples of how the memory wars taking place in Ukraine’s East and South over the Soviet heritage and toponymics cast an impact upon the values of the new generation. The researcher specifically highlighted the actions of local authorities cultivating the “local patriotism” by addressing nostalgic memories and axiological constructs built up by systematic totalitarian practices.

In her turn, the author and coordinator of “Lessons of Europe for Ukrainian Schools” initiatives, Svitlana Batsiukova, attracted the participants’ attention to the burning issue of lack of communication and methodological support for the teachers in small towns and villages of conflict-affected territories. By recalling her own experience of five years travelling along the battle line in Donetsk and Luhansk region, the speaker stressed upon the enthusiasm local educators and children demonstrated when attending her EU lessons. Dr. Batsiukova also shared some best practices on how to explain European values to school kids, how to deliver information on cultural diversity etc. It is vitally important for the New Ukrainian School to develop methodology of such lessons and to integrate it into curriculum on Humanities taught at school. According to Dr. Batsiukova’s survey, both teachers and students think that European focus should be clearly present in such subjects as literature and history.

Axiological transformations taking place in Ukrainian civic society were subject of a report delivered by Kateryna Akula, the Head of Community Board of Zaporizhzhya State Council. In her emotional speech, the speaker highlighted the changes taking place in community self-management, shared the success stories of local NGOs and volunteer movements, demonstrated the effectiveness of tools used to secure transparency of democratic processes (Community Board, e-petitions, public budget, school public budget etc.).

Дні Еразмус у ЗНУ: тренінг від команди EUVOLIA

У рамках всесвітнього святкування «Днів Еразмус» (#ErasmusDays, #ErasmusUA), в Запорізькому національному університеті (ZNU, Zaporizhzhia National University) відбувся тренінг «Проекти Програми ім. Жана Моне: секрети успішної заявки», який проводила доцент кафедри німецької філології і перекладу факультету іноземної філології ЗНУ, учасниця 5 модулів Жана Моне Олена Тупахіна. До участі були запрошені члени команд міжнародних проєктів, проєктні менеджери факультетів, а також всі, хто цікавиться проєктною діяльністю та участю в програмі «Еразмус+».

Тренінг узагальнює успішний досвід підготовки проєктів Програми ім. Жана Моне, за кількістю яких наш виш посідає третє місце в Україні. Зокрема, із 38 навчальних модулів, що здобули фінансування ЄС у 2020 році, 3 були представлені Запорізьким національним університетом, а загалом в університеті реалізується 6 подібних ініціатив.

Щоб подолати суворий конкурсний відбір, проєкт повинен набрати відповідну кількість балів за такими критеріями, як актуальність, якість команди, зміст і методи, стійкість впливу і поширення результатів. Для досягнення найкращих результатів тренерка радить уважно аналізувати проєкти-переможці попередніх років, враховувати національні та європейські пріоритети в галузі освіти, а також пріоритети власне програми ім. Жана Моне. Серед останніх – підтримка молодих дослідників (пріоритет №1); забезпечення слухачів навичками і знаннями, необхідними для успішної кар’єри (пріоритет №2); впровадження європейського фокуса в дисципліні, де він раніше не був представлений (пріоритет №3), а також – поширення інформації про ЄС (пріоритет №4).

На конкретних прикладах, за допомогою інформативних слайдів, вона надавала відповіді на питання, що найчастіше хвилюють початківців, а саме: яких фахівців запросити до команди, що саме висвітлювати в описових розділах, скільки часу виділити на той чи інший етап реалізації проєкту, яке наповнення мають робочі пакети тощо. Особливу увагу Олена Володимирівна приділила проблемам контролю якості реалізації проєкту та забезпеченню його усталеного впливу на всі категорії локальних, регіональних і національних бенефіціарів та стейкхолдерів.

Тренінг, який тривав майже дві години, викликав чималий інтерес у вдячних учасників. Безумовно, озброєні таким багажем умінь і знань, представники нашого університету зможуть збільшити не тільки загальне число проєктів за програмами «Еразмус+», а й гарантовано досягати успіху в реалізації поставлених завдань.

Дні Еразмус у ЗНУ: святкуємо разом з EUVOLIA

15.10.2020

15 -16 жовтня команда проекту EUVOLIA, разом з бенефіціарами програми Erasmus+ в усьому світі, відзначила всесвітні Дні Еразмус, до яких Запорізький національний університет розробив насичену програму.

Захід відкрив перший проректор ЗНУ Олександр Бондар, який відзначив успіхи вишу у розбудові співробітництва з університетами та інституціями ЄС в рамках програми Еразмус. Начальник Управління зовнішніх зносин та зовнішньоекономічної діяльності ЗОДА Артур Бойко наголосив, що ЗНУ – один із небагатьох регіональних закладів вищої освіти, які реалізують різні типи освітніх і наукових проєктів. Дебютантів програми ім. Жана Моне тепло привітала голова Правління APREI Ірина Сікорська, закликавши їх поширювати досвід реалізації проектів за допомогою різних інструментів, які пропонує асоціація.

Про чинні здобутки проектних команд ЗНУ, що працюють під егідою Еразмус+, доповів проректор з науково-педагогічної роботи Юрій Каганов. Коротко охарактеризувавши проекти, які наразі реалізуються у ЗНУ, він сформулював основні принципи розвитку проектної діяльності у нашому виші:

  • проект як інструмент вирішення завдань стратегічного розвитку;
  • міждисциплінарність та синергія зусииль;
  • відкритість і прозорість;
  • досвід проектної діяльності – кожному факультету;
  • проект як універсальний принцип організації діяльності.

Про дієвість обраної стратегії яскраво свідчать результати конкурсного відбору 2020 року: у скарбничці ЗНУ – аж три нові міждисциплінарні проекти Програми ім. Жана Моне, що творчо розвивають надбання попередніх років.

Зокрема, досвід модулю EUVOLIA використовується у двох проектах-переможцях 2020 року: модулях “Політика пам’яті: європейський досвід для примирення в українському суспільстві” (координатор – Іва Павленко) та “Європейські цінності та стандарти у галузі медіа для незалежної журналістики у добу пост-правди” (координатор – Катерина Сіріньок-Долгарьова). У першому проекті за допомогою напрацювань EUVOLIA буде висвітлено досвід терапії історичної травми у художніх текстах; у другому фахівців-журналістів буде ознайомлено із техніками й засобами репрезентації європейських цінностей у літературі.

Зичимо командам-переможцям успіхів і сподіваємося на плідну співпрацю!

EUVOLIA Round Table: Agenda

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Friday, October 16

Axiological Transformations in Ukrainian Society under Hybrid War

Round table debates

Registration: https://forms.gle/jd139DhMrveoEiSK9

09:30 – morning coffee, registration

10:00 – Rector’s address

10:10 – key speeches and discussion

Speakers:

Fedir Turchenko, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Head of the Chair of Modern History of Ukraine, author of “Project Novorossia and Modern Russian-Ukrainian War”, Zaporizhzhya

Maria Takhtaulova, Head of South-Eastern Transregional Department of National Memory Institute of Ukraine, Kharkiv Toponymy Group leader, Kharkiv

Svitlana Batsiukova, author and coordinator of the project “EU Lessons for UA Schools”, Kyiv

Kateryna Akula, Head of Community Board of Zaporizhzhya Municipal Council

Modertors:

Yurii Kaganov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, author of “Homo Soveticus Identity Construction: Case of Ukraine”, JMM TEMPUS research coordinator

Olena Tupakhina, JMM EUVOLIA co-coordinator

12:30 – wrap-up, drawing resolution

13:00 – issuing certificates, group photo

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