Faculty of Ukrainian and Foreign Philology and Study of Art

Katerynoslavs’kyi university opened on the basis of higher women courses in September 1918 in Katerynoslav. 4 faculties were included into it: historical-philological, juridical, medical, physical-mathematical. M.K. Liubavs’kyi was the first dean of the historical-philological faculty.

Famous scientists work at the faculty in 1918-1922. Prof. D.I. Yavornyts’kyi (1855-1940) is the head of the science of Ukraine chair; he gives lectures on the history of Ukraine, archeology, philology. During 1920-1921 he was the dean of the faculty. He wrote detailed works in those years: “History of Zaporozhskaya Sech”, “Dniprovs’k Rapids” and others. From 1918 till 1921 a famous linguist and teacher professor O.M. Pieshkovs’kyi (1878-1933) worked at the faculty, he is the author of fundamental work “Russian Syntax in Scientific Light”. He is the head of the comparative philology chair these years. Professor M.Ya. Nemyrovs’kyi (1883-1965) is the head of the philology and methodology of literature history chair from 1921 till 1922.

The faculty has the name historical-philological in 1944-1971. Roman-German department was opened at this faculty of Dnipropetrovs’k university in 1962, and the faculty became philological in 1972. Journalistic department was opened at the faculty in 1990; Chinese department was opened in 1993. Faculty of Ukrainian philology and study of art left the philological faculty, and in 1996 the same did a journalistic faculty. The specialty “Fine arts and arts and crafts” was opened at the faculty of Ukrainian philology in 1995, in 1998 – a specialty “Design”. The training of the specialists was started at the philological faculty of “The Japanese Language” specialty in 1997, and the specialty “Translation” was opened in 2004. A faculty of Ukrainian and foreign philology and study of art was created on the basis of philological faculty and faculty of Ukrainian philology and study of art of DNU in December 2005.

15 doctors of philological science, professors, 77 candidates of philological science, docents, 50 senior teachers, 51 teachers, 7 scientific workers work at the faculty.

1507 students study at all specialties at the faculty. Famous graduates of the faculty: writers Oles’ Honchar, Pavlo Zahrebel’nyi; poets Serhii Burlakov, Viktor Korzh, Natalka Nikulina, Ivan Sokul’s’kyi, Liubov Holota, Anatolii schkliar; professors: V. Mykytas’, Ye.S. Otin, M.M. Bulhakov, O.M. Schylovs’kyi, V.M. Turkin, O.O. Taranenko, N.M. Solohub, M.A. Zhovtobriukh, K.P. Frolova, D.Kh. Barannyk, V.O. Horpynych, V.S. Vaschenko, O.S. Lins’kyi, O.M. Trubachov and others.

Dean of the faculty – Popova Iryna Stepanivna, candidate of philological science and a professor.
Dean’s assistants of the academic work – Hrechenko-Zhyravs’ka Viktoriia Mykhailivna, candidate of philological science and docent; Zaytseva Victoria Vyacheslavovna, candidate of philological science and docent.
Dean’s assistant of scientific work – Diachok Natalia Vasylivna, doctor of philological science and a professor.
Dean’s assistant of educational work – Honiuk Oleksandra Valeriivna, candidate of philological science and a docent.

There are accomplished specialists of educational-qualified level “master” training of all specialties, except “Fine arts” and “Design” at the faculty. The faculty trains scientific and scientific-pedagogical skilled workers through the post-graduate course the specialties: the Ukrainian language, Ukrainian literature, comparative study of literature, the Russian language, the German language and literature, foreign countries literature, the English language, the Russian language; and an institution of doctoral candidacy: Russian literature, the Ukrainian language, foreign countries literature. 70 masters, 40 post-graduate students study at the faculty. Their scientific works are ruled by 14 doctors of philological science and 12 candidates of philological science. 7 students study at the institute of the external students.

There are main and special disciples such as modern Ukrainian literal language, the English language, the German language, the Japanese language, the Chinese language, the French language, modern Russian language, history of Ukrainian literature, history of foreign literature, theory and practice of translation, history of Russian literature, principles of artistic text analysis, languages and literatures teaching methods, linguistic country-specific studies, the Slavonic languages (Bulgarian, Polish, Serbian, Slovak), the Latin language, theory of literature, painting, history of arts, computer graphics.

Graduates from the faculty can work at the education establishments (schools, medium special educational establishments, gymnasiums, colleges, higher educational establishments), mass-media (newspaper, radio, television), touristic agencies, occupy translators’ place.

There are scientific schools at the most chairs of the university. Specialized academic councils were created at the base of the Ukrainian language chair and general and Russian linguistics for dissertation defense to receive scientific degree of a doctor and a candidate of philological science (the specialties are the Ukrainian language and the Russian language). A professor D.Kh. Barannyk and a professor I.I. Men’shykov (a professor T.S. Prystaiko from 2007) were the heads of these special councils. The majority of colleagues of linguistic chairs of the faculty, and about 50 teachers of other higher educational establishments of Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries of CIS defended their doctoral and candidate dissertations at these special councils. A chair of general and Russian linguistics (a chair of the Russian language till 1997) is one of the oldest chairs of the university. It was founded in 1918. The names of many graduates of the chair are known by foreign countries. These are famous scientists, talented journalists, public figures. Among them are famous linguists O.M. Trubachov, Ye.S. Otin, V.O. Horpynych, I.I. Men’shylov and others.

The most famous from scientific schools, which were founded by scientists of general and Russian linguistics chair – the school of Russian lexicographers, besides terminologists, was created by professors V.V. Illienko, V.M. Turkin and O.M. Schylovs’kyi. About 50 doctoral and candidate dissertations were defended under their guidance, and students of these professors work in many higher educational establishments and scientific institutes of Ukraine, Russia, Moldavia and other countries. A professor T.S. Prystaiko continues scientific traditions of this school that trained 13 candidates of science. A professor Yu.K. Stekhin worked on poetical language learning. A syntax school is connected to the name of O.M. Pieshkovs’kyi, and with orientation to fulfill the applied knowledge of linguistics was created by a professor I.I. Men’shykov, who trained 3 doctors and 18 candidates of science, most of them work now at different chairs of Dnipropetrovs’k national university named after Oles’ Honchar.

Today scientific interests of colleagues of the chair are concentrated on the active processes in modern Slavonic languages learning. The teachers study innovation processes in the sphere of terminological nomination, lexicology and phraseology, word-formational synthesis, functional synthesis of modern Slavonic languages in the limits of the denoted direction; the problems of contrastive lexicology and phraseology, history of a language, linguistic supplying of automated systems of management, teaching and informational search are studied; the dictionaries (of lexical unities of poetical works, linguistic terms, surnames of the Dnipropetrovs’k city inhabitants) are created. A scientific conference of international level “Lexical-grammatical innovations in modern Slavonic languages” is a scientific mark of the chair in Ukraine and through its limits from 2003. It takes place once in two years on the base of DNU named after Oles’ Honchar and it is held under the aegis of UAVRML (Ukraine). The materials of the conference are typed by separate publications and in the magazine “Visnyc of Dnipropetrovs’k University. Linguistics”.

“Visnyc of Dnipropetrovs’k University. Linguistics” is edited and published at the chair (responsible editor is a professor T.S. Prystaiko), which was confirmed by VAK of Ukraine as a special publication.

The problems of theory and history of a novel, an interaction of a genre and method at different stages of literature development; reading sociology, reader’s perception and comparative literary studies were investigated at the foreign literature chair during many years. Many topical modern directions, besides literature functioning in a cultural context of an epoch are elaborated by the chair specialists. The results of scientific researches of the chair members and their pupils are published in special publications: “Literature in a Context of Culture”, “From Baroque to Postmodernism” and at the annual conferences among higher educational establishments.

The chair of comparative philology of Eastern and English speaking countries is one of the first educational philological departments founded in Ukraine, which deals with the Eastern languages and literatures learning (Chinese, Japanese, Turkish) and investigation of the most modern Eastern studios. The chair became to be a well-known and influential center of East learning in Ukraine during 15 years. Eastern philology - exactly philology, not teaching the Eastern languages – is a young science, but perspective and it has high rates of development. The Ukrainian citizens are interested in the values of the Eastern culture during the process of Ukrainian integration into the international process. Today at this stage of globalization of our life nobody has doubts that the development of this sphere of scientific knowledge in Ukraine not only enriches our Ukrainian humanitarian science that appeared at the international level, not only increases its prestige, but covers itself economically: specialists who know the Eastern languages and cultures work in different spheres for the benefit of our country.

Colleagues and students of the chair conduct scientific researches in such spheres like linguistics, literary studies, translation studies, transcivilized and comparative literary studies. The chair proposes a wide program of humanitarian disciples for bachelors and masters that foresees language, literature, philosophy and culture of China, Japan and Turkey studying. The teachers from China and Japan work at the chair. Students get prize-winning places at Ukrainian contests every year and have an opportunity to study in China and Japan for free. Graduates of the Eastern philology department productively work in Ukraine and also in China, Japan, Turkey, Russia, USA, and Kazakhstan.

Scientific chairs of Ukrainian literature are famous as serious researchers of the artistic style and method questions. Their publications were published in the collections “Questions of Artistic Style and Method”, “Question of Mastery”, “The Problems of a Method, Genre and Style in Ukrainian Literature”, “Topical Problems of Literary Studies”, “Secrets of an Artistic Work” from 1963. Many topical modern scientific directions of literary process by the specialists of the Ukrainian literature chair, the main from them are “Method, Style, Genre” (1963-1978), “Aesthetic Categories in the Literary Studies” (1979-1994), “Little-Known Pages of Ukrainian Literature in an Aspects of Artistic Work Poetics” (1995-2000), “Little-Investigated Pages of Ukrainian Literature in the Context of World Literature” (from 2001), “An Author and a Reader: Aspects of Interaction” (from 2006). The chair is known in Ukraine as an organizer of scientific conferences. The chair is proud of its famous graduates. These are writers Oles’ Honchar, Pavlo Sahrebel’nyi; poets Victor Korzh, Serhii Burlakov, Natalka Nikulina, Ivan Sokul’s’kyi, Liubov Holota, Anatolii Shkliar.

During 1960-1980 the major colleagues of the Ukrainian language chair worked in the sphere of Ukrainian dialectology, the chair was the leading one in the studying of dialects of Eastern and South regions of Ukraine in this period. The problem of Ukrainian and Slavonic onomastics became the main direction of scientific researches from 1990, and “Nature and Lexical and Grammatical Unities of the Ukrainian Language Structure” is a scientific theme for studying.

The history of the Ukrainian language chair marked with the forming and active work of some scientific schools that organically united and made a valuable contribution into the Ukrainian language and Slavonic languages studies. The first of it – dialectical - was headed by a professor V.S. Vaschenko. D.Kh. Barannyk is a head of scientific subjects of the chair from 1970. A scientific school organized by him foresaw the researches of the mass-media language. A professor V.O. Horpynych works at the Ukrainian language chair from 1990 who created a scientific schools dealing with the problems of Ukrainian and Slavonic onomastics in Dnipropetrovs’k university. A scientific activity of the chair members is closely connected to the problems of a modern the Ukrainian language stage development, and to the topical questions of business documentation standardization, language-stylistic, lexical aspects of business intercourse.

English philology chair is one of the leading institutions to train the specialists-linguists, who can both perform intercultural communication and help professionally others to be confident users of foreign language. The chair made such number of graduates as 42 during its being, trained about 3000 specialists of the English language and literature. About 50 graduates of the chair defended their candidate dissertations, around 10 – doctoral. An educational laboratory of foreign languages education modern technologies functions at the chair from 2000, which is an initiator of the chair cooperation with different educational establishments interested in the training and improving the English language teachers’ qualifications. The problems of lexicology, linguistic stylistics, intercultural communications and cultural approach to teach language; lexical, grammatical and stylistic problems of lexical unities and their translation are investigated at the chair during many years. The results of scientific searches of the chair members are published in a special collection English studies and American studies and are discussed at the annual seminars and conferences, which are conducted by the chair.

Scientific-research directions of German philology chair today are the problems of lexicology, linguistic stylistics, text linguistics and the German language teaching method. There are also discussed such problems as the ways to enrich the dictionary of the German language in typological and diachronic aspects, word-building in the modern German language, interlingual correlation of lexical systems of the kindred and unkindred languages, paradigmatic and syntagmatic observations of expressive-stylistical unities of the modern German language, complex semantic and language-stylistic researches of texts types.

The chair of Roman philology leads active public activities and international activities during many years. The chair and a city public association “Alliance France” made by it created Days of science and culture of France and Ukraine in Dnipropetrovs’k region in May 1994, the leading measure of which is an International scientific-practical conference “France and Ukraine, a scientific-practical experience in the context of national cultures dialogue”. The chair of Roman philology teaches French, Italian, Spanish and Latin in DNU named after O. Honchar. Colleagues and students of the chair conduct scientific researches in such spheres as pragmatics, cognitivistics, text linguistics, literature, and communicative methodics of the French language teaching.

The translation and foreigners linguistic training chair makes the researches in the sphere of text linguistics and its translation, conceptology and cognitivistics. 2 collective monographs are published: “We Teach Foreigners: Experience, Problems, Perspectives” and “Concepts and Sphere Concepts”.

The fine arts and design consists of specialists with huge experience, among who are two members of National union of Ukrainian artists, a member of National union of Ukrainian writers. The results of creative and scientific-methodical work received in such directions: special disciples teaching methodics elaboration, students and teachers participation in fine arts and design works exhibitions; participation of students in Ukrainian and international contests and festivals.

Students of the faculty take part in the most different scientific and creative contests, receive rewards, and occupy prize-winning places. Students of the fine arts and design chair took part in an exhibition-contest of students’ works dealing with the problems of packing industry (Kyiv), an exhibition-contest of packing “Mechanical Orange” (Moscow), an inspection-contest of diploma projects of the architecture and artistic special higher educational establishments of Ukraine graduates (Simferopol’).

The faculty cooperates with Ukrainian and foreign higher educational establishments: Kyiv national university named after T.H. Shevchenko, Kharkiv state design academy, Lublin university named after M. Kiuri-Sklodovs’ka (Lublin city, Poland), students have periods of probation in higher educational establishments of France ( lyceum of Moris Ravel’, Nant city), China, Japan, Swede (Fol’kuniversity), USA (Minnesota University, Minneapolis city), European university (Budapest city, Hungary), Richmond University (Virginia state, USA).

The most active connections with scientists of the University named after M. Kiuri-Sklodovs’ka has fine arts and design chair. During 2006-2007 three groups of students and teachers of this chair took part in the plenary sessions in Poland. The teacher V. Korsuns’kyi got the proposal to do 6-8-month work to write a candidate dissertation in 2006. A delegation of the University named after M. Kiuri-Sklodovs’ka presented in DNU an exhibition of Poland poster in January 2007 which was made by the students of this educational establishment.

A general and Russian linguistics chair takes part in international program realization (“The program of new generation of textbooks creation dealing with the Russian language and literature for CIS countries”), provided by philological faculty of Saint-Petersburg state university; in the limits of an agreement about scientific cooperation the chair cooperates with general linguistics chair of Sievierodvins’kyi branch of HOU VPO “Pomors’kyi state university named after M.V. Lomonosov” (Russia).

A docent of the chair O.O. Polovynko taught the Russian language as a foreign one according to the agreement about cooperation between DNU and Shandun University in Veifan city (CNR) in 2007/08 educational years. A teacher of the Polish language M. Rutkovs’ka works at the chair in the limits of intergovernmental agreement between Ukraine and Poland.

The chair is the center of the Russian language and literature teachers of Ukrainian association (Ukraine) (RLLTUA), which is the part of International association of the Russian language and literature teachers.

The chair trains foreign students and post-graduate students the Russian language as a special one and the Russian language as the second foreign language, trains ethnic students from different higher educational establishments at the specialty “Language and literature (Russian)”. A student Clair Ansel from Canada studied at the specialty “Language and literature (Russian)” at the individual schedule in 2007/08.

The translation and linguistic training of the foreigners chair cooperates with Gdansk University (Poland) and Sukhum University (Abkhazia), trains specialists with the Russian and Ukrainian language knowledge for different countries.

Russian philology chair has scientific connections with higher educational establishments of France and Russia: with the University of Nant city, Moscow state university named after M.V. Lomonosov, Belgorod state university.

The second important direction of the international activities of the university is an annual direction of students to study at the foreign countries universities. A high scientific and pedagogical potential of the comparative philology of Eastern and English speaking countries chair teachers allows to provide comprehensive training of the students in the sphere of the Eastern languages and literatures. As a result the teachers and students study in CNR, Japan, Turkey in the limits of state agreement about cooperation among countries which provides a high level of the specialists training of Ukrainian students in state educational establishments of these countries. Moreover, the government of Chinese national republic sends the best professors of leading higher educational establishments of CNR every year according to the state agreement to teach the Chinese language and special philological disciples at the Chinese philology department.

Students’ self-government functions at the faculty not first year. A paramount task of the Council of the faculty students is to protect the rights and responsibilities of students, to improve and to make different the students’ life, to open a creative potential of the young people.

The teachers and scientists of the faculty created a Regional center of the Ukrainian language history and development, where students’ scientific association “Philologist” functions. The deepening of the knowledge, working out the skills of scientific researches is an urgent direction of students’ association activity. An annual collection of students’ scientific publications “The young people are eager to comprehend the word” was founded.

A French speaking students’ theatre and speaking club was founded at the Roman philology chair in 1995.

The students of the Ukrainian and foreign philology and art-criticism faculty were always the creative personalities. Evidences of it is the conduction of the days of the first-year student, author’s song contests, New Year carnivals “Masks disappear in midnight”, CFI – the contests among faculties, “Miss faculty” contests and others. But not only contests and entertainments define the students’ life of the faculty. The Council of the students organizes visits to children’s homes with festival concerts and gifts during some years.

The meeting with creators became traditional at the faculty: Irena Rozdobud’ko, Larisa Denysenko, Lesia Stepovychka, brothers Kapranov, Liubko Deresh, Yurii Andrushevych, Serhii Zhadan and others.

The students of the faculty conducted an action “Do not be indifferent, find out more about AIDS”.

Students take an active part in cultural life of the university: national circus studio “Raiduha”, national dance ensembles “Veselka”, theter studio “Hravtsi”. An ensemble of guitar players is organized at the faculty. It is a known activity of a theatre group “Vidlunnia”, besides its plays “Roksolana”, “Marusia Churai”, “Evening at the farmstead FUPandAC” and other. A young people’s chamber choir “Yunist’” is famous which is now 35 years old, the most active participants of it were the students of the faculty during this time. Second-year students of the English philology chair organized a studio of a modern dance “Sweets”, and first-year students organized a show-ballet “Dance sensation”.

A club of talented young people “Crocus” functions at the faculty. By the initiative of students, any person can become its member if he/she writes poetry or prose, is interested in recent publications.

Students take an active part in sport life of the university. Thus, Olexander Savchenko became a prize-winner of Dnipropetrovs’k region in track and field athletics, Iryna Lopatina became a champion of Ukraine in water polo. Students of the faculty became the members of the combined team in badminton, swimming, track and field athletics, and weight-lifting sport.