Teaching Journalism in Lviv, the City of Lions
I came to Lviv, Ukraine to teach as well as to learn. I wanted to teach Ukrainian students how journalism is practiced in the United States and to share with journalism professors some of the teaching models used there. I also wanted to learn how journalism is taught and practiced in Ukraine. I had read about journalists in Ukraine being harassed, beaten, and in some cases murdered, for reporting on government corruption. I wanted to learn what journalism professors were doing to challenge such tactics.
Through my Fulbright Fellowship I was placed at Lviv Ivan Franko National University. As the date of my departure approached I started to worry. I didn't know what to expect as a U.S. professor at a Ukrainian university. Would the students be interested in the topic of my class, the role of media in society? Would they be able to relate to the theories and examples that I use when I teach the course in Washington, DC? What about the faculty? Would they accept me as a part of the department for one semester?
Once I arrived in Lviv I discovered that there was no need for the apprehension I had experienced. I could not have asked for better students or colleagues. The students were eager to learn about journalism in the U.S. True, they were self-selected in the sense that they all spoke at least some English and were excited about taking a class with a native speaker of English. The students had a strong desire to improve their English language skills. Many, not all, were also interested in the possibility of studying in the U.S. Learning English can be beneficial in today's Ukrainian job market. English, German, Russian, and Polish are languages that can give a Ukrainian a head start in business or a profession, including journalism.
The two professors I worked closely with, Borys Potyatynyk and Natalya Gabor, were always available when I had a question. Both these professors were Fulbright Scholars themselves at Iowa State University a few years ago. Borys had studied the impact of media violence on society. In addition to her Fulbright stay in Iowa, Natalya had also spent some time working at the Voice of America in Washington, DC.
Just before I left for Ukraine, Borys and Natalya contacted me via email, and gave me their mobile phone numbers, home numbers, and addresses. They encouraged me to call as soon as I got into town. I was all set.
Shortly after I arrived in Lviv, Borys and his family took me to the Carpathian Mountains. His wife, Uliana, teaches in the Linguistics Department at Ivan Franko. Later I guest lectured in one of her classes. Their son, Les, is a math major at the university. The trip was an opportunity to see the countryside, drive through small villages in Western Ukraine and drink the spring waters that have attracted people from Russia, Poland, Austria, Hungary, and other regions for centuries.
One Sunday afternoon early in the semester Natalya and her husband, Vasyl, took me to various cafes and pointed out important sights. We also went to the exhibit of Edward C. Curtis photographs of Native Americans at the Museum of Ethnography. Vasyl told me that Native American imagery and history are very popular in Ukraine. One of the many hats Vasyl wears is as project manager for a publishing house. He said translations of books such as those by James Fennimore Cooper do well in Ukraine.
It was Natalya and Vasyl who introduced me to the Golden Ducat and the Blue Bottle cafes. I will forever be indebted to them for taking me to two of the best cafes in Lviv. The coffee at the Golden Ducat has a rich flavor and goes down smoothly. The cheesecake at the Blue Bottle is like none I have ever tasted before.
Students were also willing to escort me around town and point out historic sights and monuments. A group of students invited me to Dzyga Caf?. The Caf? is named after Dzyga Vertov (aka Denis Kaufman), who was from Lviv and directed the classic silent film Man With a Movie Camera. As a graduate of the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas, I was especially appreciative of this excursion.
Borys' son, Les, spent a couple of afternoons showing me around Lviv. His knowledge of the city's history was impressive. But I learned he is not alone. The people of Lviv are proud of their city and enjoy telling its history.
Founded around 1250 by Kyivan Rus King Danylo Romanovych, the city was named after his son, Prince Lev, whose name means lion. Lions are everywhere in Lviv: on the facades of buildings, on street corners, outside government buildings. Even the black metal frames holding the wooden benches around Old Town, known as Rynok, are decorated with the heads of lions.
Lviv has buildings that can be traced back to the 1300's. Construction of the Armenian Cathedral, for example, started in 1363. Of course, many buildings in the Old Town are newer. Bandinelli Palace and other buildings went up in the 17th century. In 1629 Bandinelli was granted permission to set up the first post office in Lviv. As someone in communication I was especially interested this structure. The post office used couriers on horseback to deliver mail as far away as Northern Italy, a distance of over 1,000 miles, in record time: two weeks.
It was always frustrating for me to walk with a long-time resident of the city along Lviv streets. People in Lviv tend to be fast walkers. I preferred walking a bit slower and often found myself stopping and looking up to admire the architecture and many statues that decorate the buildings that are found all over Lviv. Some people from Lviv couldn't believe I was so impressed by the buildings. Many young people consider them just old, run down structures. And, truth be told, many of them are. But to me the buildings reflected an era when Lviv was associated with a high standard of living, great art, and a cutting edge intellectual scene. They indicated to me what Lviv could become once again.
As I explained above, the students in my class were eager to learn. There was Olenka. originally from Rivne, about a six-hour train ride to the north. Olenka had some desire to study in the U.S. She had spent a semester studying in Sweden.
Ira was another student from Rivne. She always had a smile and truly enjoyed coming to class to learn about mass media and its impact on society as well as to practice her English. She is a scholarship student with an impressive transcript.
Oksana told me that it was her dream to study in the U.S. Her mother was working in Spain. Her father had retired early after he was hit by a car and severely injured. Oksana worked for an on-line newsletter and also worked as a tour guide in Lviv.
Bodhan was quiet because his English language skills weren't as strong as some of the other students, but he occasionally joined in the class discussion.
Julia was the only student who, when I spoke about Opportunity Initiative Grants available to students in Ukraine, said that she would not study in the U.S. She had traveled there the previous summer with a religious organization and had not liked what she encountered. She told me that she felt that she should stay in Ukraine and help the country develop. I told her I could respect that.
These students know what they are up against in their pursuit of a journalism degree. In one of my many conversations with Borys, he told me that journalism graduates have few prospects. One way for a student to get a job as a journalist is to know someone. Another is to intern and then hope for a permanent position.
The students are also aware of the dangers involved in the practice of journalism, especially investigative reporting. Part of their preparation is learning when and how to report certain information. Miscalculations can be costly. In light of the conditions journalists in Ukraine work under, I couldn't help but admire the students' courage and determination.
Professors such as Borys and Natalya are aware of the problems Ukrainian journalists face everyday. In fact, some members of the journalism department have experienced harassment by government and business leaders. These professors know that ways to protect journalists must be found if Ukraine is to continue on the road to democracy. Part of their strategy is to promote a more open and independent journalism through their teaching and on the pages of Media Krytyka, a journal published by the department's Western Ukrainian Media Center. An open exchange of ideas also occurs at roundtable discussions attended by students and faculty.
Exactly how journalism in Ukraine will look in the future is anyone's guess, but, after a semester in the Journalism Department of Lviv Ivan Franko National University and meeting some of the students and working with some members of the faculty, I'm confident that it will be more independent and more responsive to the citizens of Ukraine than ever before.
