Mini-report over the Ukrainian Mykolayiv Delegation visit to Umeå November 2010.

Transcription

1 Mini-report over the Ukrainian Mykolayiv Delegation visit to Umeå November Text and photos by Lennart Spolander As one part of the 3-year project Human Rights Umbrella I III, has three representatives from Universities in Mykolayiv been visiting The Educational Department at Umeå University between the 21 st 25 th of November. It was Professor Olexandr Pronkevych and lecturer Serhiy Ponomarov from the Black Sea Petro Mohyla University and lecturer and Assistant Dean of Foreign Affairs Kateryna Shapochka from V.O. Sukhomlinskyy Mykolayiv National University. From left: Olexander Pronkevych, Serhiy Ponomarov, Kateryna Shapochka and Ywonne Wiklund.

2 Meeting with the dean of Education Department, Katarina Norberg at the Open Window Room. Pronkevych, Ponomarov and Shapochka informed K Norberg about the background of our project as well as what the impact it has had so far on their universities. The net-working comes out from knowing mutual young teachers from Archangelsk, Murmansk and Minsk, who has participated in summer courses both in Mykolayiv and Umeå over ten years ago. Shapochka participated in the two week August course in Umeå 2006 Human Rights in Higher Education. Since 2007 has Lennart Spolander and Ywonne Wiklund gone to the students instead of the opposite. In 2012 over 300 students and young teachers from Mykolayiv will have participated in the special human rights courses that Lennart and Ywonne has performing in Mykolayiv. Katarina Norberg also stressed the importance of this kind of work and she told the Mykolayiv people about her own research interest as well as her PhD. Some years ago she participated in a project for 12 headmasters from Kiev about school management here in Umeå. It just happened that the man leading that delegation, was Igor V. Zhernoklieiev from National M. Dragomanov Pedagogical University in Kiev, a person that has been participating in courses arranged by Lennart Spolander in the beginning of 2000-century. Lennart and Igor have also met at different contact seminars in Eastern Europe arrange by the Swedish Institute. This semester has Sigurd Johansson and Anders Hedman from the Educational Department met with Igor and his colleagues both in Umeå and Kiev, and now they are writing a new project together about vocational teacher training. Katarina Norberg finalized the meeting by underlying the importance of this kind of work, the net-working and hopefully that it could include other people as well.

3 M M Meeting with the head of International Office, director Per Nilsson, began with lunch at Universum. Food for the thoughts may also grow from the stomach. After Prof Pronkevych and lecturer Shapochka presented their universities in Mykolayiv and the impact that the Human Rights courses, that Lennart Spolander and Ywonne Wiklund has been running for the last three years, has had on the students and young teachers, could Per Nilsson give the latest and updated version on what was going on at Umeå University. One of enumerated fields of excellence caught Mr. Serhiy s attention that was Gender studies. Later an appointment with Britt-Marie Berge, who works in that field, was arranged. For further information, visit Although the vice-rector for Umeå University, Anders Fällström, had many things to do during the days the Mykolayiv delegation was in Umeå, he took the time to meet the group. Anders Fällström knew a little beforehand about the work that has been done between Umeå University and Ukraine. Know was the time to receive 1 st hand information about the Human Rights Umbrella project. The vice-rector Fällström has been a student at Moscow University, so he has an extra merit being able to speak the Russian language. Fällström underlined the importance of these net-working and exchange, not only in the areas of excellence. The coming changes for the Swedish Universities from autumn 2011 were also brought up as a threat to exchange with countries outside EU and EES. The Swedish government has decided that students from other countries must pay the whole sum for their

4 education in Sweden To meet these challenges the vice-rector Fällström suggested that we will look into if and how an agreement between the universities can be written. That was a proposal that immediately got a very positive response from the Ukrainian Mykolayiv Delegation Professor Pronkevych invited the vice-rector Fällström to the International conference Olbian Forum 2011: Strategies of Ukraine in Geopolitical Space, in June 8 12, This conference, arranged by Petro Mohyla Black Sea University, is one of the most important networking places that take place in Crimea, at the historical place Yalta. Professor Pronkevych and lecture Ponomarov had one lecture each for the students from Peace and Conflict studies and teacher students in civics. The theme was Ukraine before and after the Orange revolution: A Human Rights Perspective. Prof. Pronkevych lectured about the old times, the Soviet times Prof. Pronkevych grow up in Murmansk and moved to warmer places 30 years ago. He is a literary scholar in Spanish and Spanish literature. Prof. Pronkevych focused on the creation of Homo Sovieticus and the Eastern European discourse around these phenomena. That is a perspective that seldom is seen in Western studies of the world. His lecture was intense so it didn t take long before he took of the suit.

5 Lecturer Serhiy Ponomarov took his master in Public Administration at a U.S. University, and teaches now at the Public Administration Department at Petro Mohyla Black Sea University under the dean Vladimir Yemelianov. Ponomarov has focused on European Law, especially Discrimination Law, and Gay, lesbian, and bisexual rights. Ponomarov presented the up dated cases about Human Rights violation in Ukraine. Some of these cases can easily be found on the homepage for European court of Human Rights -

6 During the White November days new connections were made. Both Kateryna Shapochka and Monica Liljeström have a special interest in inclusive learning, especially for pupils with learning disabilities. Monica is also skillful in distance learning, a field that Kateryna is keen to know more about than and as well as her university. This can surely be a future project of their own Serhiy Ponomarov had an opportunity to talk with Britt-Marie Berge. Their common interest lies within the field of Gender studies. That this area was under the Excellence Umbrella that Umeå University highlights was clear from Per Nilsson s round table talk the day before. Britt-Marie Berge had the kindness to set aside the time with short notice for the meeting with Serhiy. What comes out of that one never knows, but at least a door is open for the future.

7 Visiting the Academy of Fine Arts at the Art Campus near the Umeå River. Professor Roland Spolander showed us the building and tried to explain what s behind and inside the wall of the reconstructed building suitable for training students in various fields of fine art were the core fundament is the individuals creativity in contemporary society. Lothman the fader and the son was one of the things that were in common, especially for Prof. Pronkevych and Prof. Spolander. Prof. Pronkevych made a recording based on his lecture for Umeå students. That recording and the ones that will come later will be used for on-line course. Pronkevych has made

8 several educational TV-program, as well as radio-program in Ukraine. The re-designing of the computer and the new installed program made some tricky things from the beginning, but with united creative thinking, it showed at the end that it was more simple than one could guess Carl-Arne Nyström was also involved in this process with a closed out come (the recording). This contact seminar in Umeå had also an end after three intensive days and the outcome? Well, first of all it gave Olexandr, Serhiy and Kateryna a better view over what Umeå University is, the different faculties, departments and areas of excellence as well as a chance to meet new teachers and researchers. They could sea and test the technology that we use for our courses. The University Library was like a diamante in their eyes, so open, well equipped, even for disable students that a longer stay was seen as a Christmas present. We also came to an agreement when the best time should be for Lennart Spolander and Ywonne Wiklund to come to Mykolayiv to give the mini-course that highlights under the Human Rights Umbrella Project. In May 2011, 14 th 22 nd will be the days we saw as most suitable. In that time Prof. Pronkevych has just come back to Mykolayiv after teaching in U.S. most of the spring semester The contacts and information about the course in May 2011 will be given to student groups in Mykolayiv in the beginning of December. Perhaps the most important outcome of this contact seminar is the suggestion coming from Anders Fällström, the vice-rector of Umeå University, of signing an agreement at the University level of further cooperation between Umeå University and Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University and V.O.Sukhomlinskyy Mykolayiv National University. This agreement could be extended to the basic police program at Umeå University and the police academy in Kharkov Kharkov National University of Internal Affairs, since they also are included in the Human Rights Umbrella, I III, project. The funding for this project comes from Swedish Institute. The final meeting will be in Crimea, were the 11 main persons will meet in June The web site for the project:

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