The number of students studying Ukrainian at Harvard University is growing significantly. In the 2023-2024 academic year, 15 students are studying Ukrainian. This is the highest number in the University's history.
Natalia Shpyliova-Said, a lecturer in Ukrainian at the Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures at Harvard University, said in an interview with the Voice of America.
Previously, Ukrainian was only offered in the form of advisory classes, which did not give it the status of a full-fledged discipline. In 2023, however, Ukrainian became a separate discipline in the university's general catalogue of study programmes.
Several factors explain the growing interest in Ukrainian:
- Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: the war drew the world's attention to Ukraine and its language,
- Increased support for the Ukrainian language by the university: the introduction of a separate curriculum and a summer course,
- Increased student interest in learning new languages and cultures: students want to learn more about Ukraine and its culture, and language learning is a key part of this.
Because of the stereotypes associated with Ukraine and Russia, the teacher often had to teach Russian when she wanted to focus on Ukrainian.
However, she did not lose hope and continued to promote the Ukrainian language and culture.