Program description

The Ukrainian program teaches cultural literacy by providing language competence and a knowledge of texts, films and other forms of representation. Students are able to enter the language programs at any level: beginner, intermediate or advanced. Intensive language training is provided with the aid of audio-visual materials and use of a computerized language laboratory. The Ukrainian literature and culture program aim at providing familiarity with the major texts and issues in cultural history. The aim is to enrich the student’s understanding of the Slavic contribution to the European and the North American cultural heritage. A number of courses are taught in English translation; higher levels are taught in Ukrainian.

Program options

Degree options

B.A. Bachelor of Arts (General) - 3 years
M.A. Masters of Arts in Slavic Studies - 2 years (concentration in Ukrainian or in Ukrainian and Russian combined)

Interesting courses and unique opportunities

Interesting courses

• Ukrainian language courses on all levels
• Exploring Ukrainian Literature
• Myth, Rites and Rituals
• Ukrainian Canadian Experience
• Holodomor and Holocaust
• Ukrainian Film
• Literature of Independent Ukraine
• Comparative German and Slavic Studies
• Literature courses on authors such as Gogol and Shevchenko

• Literary & Cultural Theory
• Second Language Acquisition

Professional opportunities

• Teachers in the English-Ukrainian bilingual programs in Canada / education
• Communications
• Translation
• Government / immigration
• Business / commerce
• Higher education
• The arts and culture 
• Libraries
• Journalism
• Publishing

Note
Language and culture training have proven particularly valuable for those students who, by linking their linguistic ability to another skill, have found jobs in the expanding market for those with knowledge of Eastern Europe. Such jobs are available from the secretarial to the senior executive level. Students become from immersion in another culture more effective communicators.

Admission requirements & prerequisites

Direct entry option

Direct Entry is not an option for this program. Please review the Advanced entry option section for more information.

Advanced entry option

24 credit hours in U1 (or approved bachelors program)

This entry option is open to students who have completed a minimum of 24 credit hours of university level study. Specific program requirements will vary; details of these requirements are available on each program’s application page.

High school prerequisites

High school prerequisites: None

Many programs will require or recommend specific high school courses over and above their admission requirements. These high school prerequisites are not always required to enter the program, but they must be completed to enrol in certain university courses within it. If a student does not have a particular prerequisite when they enter the program, they may complete an equivalent upgrading course at university that will satisfy the prerequisite requirement.

More details on admission requirements, application dates and how to apply is available on the Faculty of Arts apply for admission page.

What is unique about this program at the U of M?

The Ukrainian major and the M.A. (and PreMA) in Slavic studies and the minor in Polish Studies are the only such degrees in Ukrainian and Slavic Studies offered in Manitoba. The strength of the Ukrainian program is vital to the large Ukrainian Canadian community in Manitoba, which also differentiates the program from most Slavic programs in North America (which are heavily Russian centered).

One of the programs’ strengths are the regular summer courses to Lviv (Ukraine) as well as the successful student exchange with Kiev (Ukraine). It cooperates closely with the Centre for Ukrainian-Canadian Studies and coordinates teaching and research activities of the program for Central and East European Studies. The program offers a unique cooperation with Manitoba's Ukrainian community.
The Ukrainian program has recently revised its curriculum, which has transformed a traditional language and literature program in a modern Language and Cultural studies program. Faculty members have a strong expertise in national identity studies, trauma studies, representations of history and war, as well as in Second Language Acquisition and Curriculum studies. The undergraduate program features unique language teaching materials (to complement the textbooks and language lab material for North American students learning the languages).

The Department also introduced a new special topics slot, unique in Canada, for "Comparative German and Slavic Studies" that brings together students from German and from Slavic Studies to gain from the different culture's perspectives.

Important links

Faculty of Arts
Ukrainian Studies 
Graduate Studies in Slavic Studies (M.A., PreM.A.)