All languages of the world without exception –
are the heritage of all mankind.
By comparing all levels
of the structure of every language, they help
to reveal its universal properties, which
allowed homo sapiens to stand out
from living nature.
Nurmahomed Hadzhiakhmedov
DEPARTMENT OF UKRAINIAN AND FOREIGN LANGUAGES
Following the path of mutual understanding through language is the mission of every lecturer of the Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages of Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University. The department teaches Ukrainian, English, German, French and Polish, as well as Ukrainian as a foreign language. Qualified translators, linguists and language specialists, relying on up-to-date curricula and the needs of society, are ready to help everyone who wants to learn foreign languages: first- to fourth-year students, master’s students, PhD students and research applicants, university lecturers preparing to teach technical and economic subjects in English, and participants of language courses.
Experienced teachers and young specialists of the department share their experience, fresh ideas and views on teaching. To make foreign language learning more effective, the staff combine traditional and modern teaching methods, practise the “immersion” method in class and actively use new technologies, which makes the learning process interactive and strengthens students’ interest in mastering a language. Taking into account the specifics of a technical university, the department relies on modern methods of teaching languages for specific purposes and pays great attention to individualising students’ work. Lecturers of Ukrainian for Professional Purposes, Business Communication in Ukrainian and Ukrainian as a Foreign Language hold the annual Petro Yatsyk and Taras Shevchenko Ukrainian language competitions, take part in the “Radio Dictation of National Unity” together with their students and colleagues, and engage students through group discussions, games and communicative approaches, eidetic techniques, multimedia technologies and online quizzes in Kahoot. Our specialists also run thematic pages on social media, which helps to promote the Ukrainian language worldwide.
The lecturers of the department carry out research in philology, philosophy, pedagogy and psychology, publish articles and present papers at conferences of all levels, from university to international. The department works on the comprehensive research topic “The Concept of Teaching a Foreign Language for Specific Purposes in the Context of the Bologna Process”, within which methodological seminars are held every month. The main research areas concern the modular structure of curricula and the credit-modular system of student assessment. Our lecturers regularly take part in professional development programmes, internships at Ukrainian and foreign universities, seminars and trainings.
An integral part of the department’s work is preparing applicants for PhD entrance examinations and preparing PhD students and research applicants for candidate examinations. The best students are involved in research and take part in university and national student conferences and olympiads every year.
In 2007 the Foreign Languages Centre was established at the department. To develop students’ communication skills, improve their language knowledge, broaden their contacts and prepare them for internships and international programmes, the Centre introduced English, German and Polish courses. With the support of the British Council, from 2016 to 2019 the department took part in the international programme “English for Universities”. We were the first of fifteen higher education institutions to introduce this programme. Within the project our staff trained more than 50 lecturers of TNTU and other universities, and all course participants were certified according to their level. Another important step came in 2017, when our lecturers improved their skills through the programme “Developing the Leadership Potential of Ukrainian Universities”. A series of seminars, trainings, professional development courses, briefings, conferences and trips abroad helped to build communication with like-minded colleagues from all over the world.
The department has a rich and interesting history. It started in 1960 as a consultation centre of the Ternopil Branch of Lviv State Polytechnic Institute. At that time it was headed by Stepan Bukavin, a teacher of German, and the teaching was provided by Stefaniia Smal (English), Tamara Mishchenko (German) and Marsel Osmak (French). The team gradually grew: Oleh Khrulenko-Varnytskyi (English), who later headed the department, Anatolii Kushnir (English), Petro Yatsiuk (German) and Svitlana Letucha (German) joined it.
The year 1964 can be regarded as the birth year of the Department of Foreign Languages of the Ternopil Branch of Lviv State Polytechnic Institute. The department was headed by Yevheniia Kuznietsova, PhD in Philology, Associate Professor. This energetic and businesslike person united the team, which later created a strong methodological, scientific and material base. Senior laboratory assistants Larysa Lutska and Yeva Chubata, brilliant specialists in English, Russian language and literature, soon became lecturers of the department.
From 1965 new intellectually strong, interesting and energetic specialists joined the team: Nataliia Rolska, Liudmyla Boiko, Halyna Okomeniuk, Halyna Shkvarets, as well as laboratory assistants Hanna Bohatyriova (German specialist) and Svitlana Orlova (part-time English teacher).
In 1970 Anatolii Kushnir became head of the Department of Foreign Languages. During his fifteen years in this position he was demanding of himself and others, principled, constantly improved his professional level and knew how to instil in students a love for English. This highly erudite and hard-working man devoted his whole life to carefully collecting material from original English literary works, arranging it by topic and compiling the unique encyclopaedic edition “Thesaurus of Set Phrases and Idioms”, which still has no analogues.
The department changed its location and expanded its facilities, in particular it acquired a language laboratory, maintained by laboratory assistants Vasyl Nefiodov and Valerii Ryzhak. Highly qualified specialists worked at the department; Oleksandr Khrulenko was the first to defend a PhD thesis. The lecturers actively helped specialised departments and research units to translate scientific publications and to prepare for candidate examinations in foreign languages. They also prepared students for national foreign language olympiads; prize winners included students Ihor Vovk and Ihor Lutsiv (now Doctor of Sciences, Professor, former First Vice-Rector of TSTU).
At that time the close-knit team was united not only by fruitful research and teaching but also by educational work: social evenings, debates, visits to museums and theatres, excursions and meetings of the International Friendship Club. Liudmyla Petryshyna (English), Teodoziia Faier (Tatarynova) (French) and Olena Drozd (English) started working at the department, and senior lecturer Halyna Shkvarets became its head. An experienced teacher and highly qualified specialist, she was respected by students and colleagues, contributed to the development of the department’s facilities, did a lot to provide students with teaching materials and stimulated the publication of methodological guides compiled by the department’s lecturers.
In 1983 the department suffered its first loss. At the age of fifty Marsel Osmak, a favourite of students and the whole team, an excellent specialist, erudite and polyglot, passed away suddenly.
From 1992 to 1995 the department was headed by the energetic and talented Liudmyla Petryshyna, who loved teaching. She promoted English among students and staff of the specialised departments. Colleagues value her ability to translate complex scientific and technical texts accurately, her emotional nature and versatility. Under her leadership cooperation with volunteers from abroad began: Niia Prokop (Canada) worked with our colleagues in 1992–1993, and Andrea Porytko (USA) shared her experience and immersed students in “live” English from 1993 to 1995.
In the early 1990s Viktoriia Kukharska, Nadiia Denysiuk, Tetiana Niunia, Zinoviia Budii, Mykhailo Palasiuk, Olha Perenchuk and Liliana Navrotska (Dzhydzhora) joined the department, as well as US volunteer Andreia Porytko, who organised an intensive English group; in the late 1990s Olha Tsaryk, Nadiia Buketova, Oksana Tvardovska, Volodymyr Patsii, Volodymyr Levenets, Zhanna Babiak, Oleh Bodnar, Iryna Stukhliak and Nataliia Pidhaievska joined the team.
From 1995 to 2018 the department was headed by Viktoriia Kukharska, PhD in Psychology, Associate Professor, a highly qualified specialist, experienced teacher and organiser. As head she proved to be a creative and attentive person, respected by students and colleagues for her kindness and skilful management. Viktoriia Kukharska is the author of two English textbooks approved by the Ministry of Education and Science for students of food technology and psychology. For the last 15 years she has initiated the charity campaign “Help Orphans!” for the Novosilka regional special boarding school in Pidvolochysk district.
Over the last 10 years the department has continued to grow thanks to cooperation with the International Education Centre, which provides training for foreign citizens. Highly qualified specialists who broaden the department’s research, actively improve teaching materials and take a responsible attitude to their work joined the team: Sofiia Fedak (PhD), lecturer Oksana Lutsiv, Iryna Plavutska (PhD), Olesia Shtaniuk (PhD), Nataliia Havdyda (PhD), Lesia Nazarevych (PhD), Tetiana Savchyn (PhD, Associate Professor), Ihor Ravliv (PhD), Iryna Hinsirovska (PhD), Nataliia Shchur (PhD), senior lecturer Halyna Matsiuk, senior lecturer Hanna Protsyk, senior lecturer Mariia Dutka, Olena Dudar (PhD), lecturer Alina Mykytyshyn, lecturer Anna Pikalova, Uliana Levko (PhD), lecturer Nataliia Kara and others.
The department is growing rapidly not only in number but also in quality: PhD degrees were obtained by V. Kukharska (1992), Z. Budii, M. Palasiuk and O. Tsaryk (2001), V. Levenets (2002), N. Denysiuk (2003), Zh. Babiak (2004), N. Havdyda (2008), L. Nazarevych (2009), O. Bodnar (2012), O. Shtaniuk (2013), N. Shchur (2014) and I. Hinsirovska (2018).
In 2015 Nataliia Havdyda and Lesia Nazarevych became associate professors of the Department of Ukrainian and Foreign Languages. Our colleagues are the authors of the textbook “Ukrainian for Foreigners (Level B1–B2)”, which has become useful for everyone who wants to improve their Ukrainian not only in Ukraine but also abroad (Canada, Belgium, Japan, Italy, Lithuania, Poland and others).
Since 2007, when the university began training international students, the department’s lecturers have taught a number of subjects in English: “History of Ukraine”, “Philosophy”, “Fundamentals of Pedagogy and Psychology”. Besides teaching, the department pays great attention to educational work and the adaptation of all students. The lecturers introduce international students to the culture, customs and traditions of Ukraine, the history and landmarks of Ternopil, and organise meetings with Ukrainian students. Conferences, olympiads, open dialogues on international communication, theatrical performances, excursions outside Ternopil, Vyshyvanka weeks, Shevchenko days, quests within the Shakespeare Readings, challenges, quizzes and various kinds of community activities are a regular part of our lecturers’ work. Our colleagues Zh. Babiak, L. Nazarevych, N. Havdyda, S. Fedak, M. Dutka and others are particularly active.
Since 2018 the department has been headed by Zhanna Babiak, PhD in Pedagogy, Associate Professor. Her high professional competence, tact, ability to build close cooperation with the team, responsible attitude to work and respect for colleagues help to maintain a healthy psychological climate and a friendly atmosphere of mutual understanding at the department. Zhanna Babiak began her work as head by implementing the international programme “English for Universities” and taking part in the British Council programme “Developing the Leadership Potential of Ukrainian Universities”. In November 2018 the department began active cooperation with the US Peace Corps in Ukraine, inviting volunteer Rachel Allison Braje. On her initiative the “TNTU Faculty English Club” was created for lecturers and students of TNTU. Associate Professor N. Havdyda helps the volunteer to improve her Ukrainian and learn more about our culture.
Over the years the department’s laboratory assistants have included Nadiia Liapandra, Olha Kotsiuk, Halyna Hnopko, Tetiana Palasiuk and Liudmyla Kapatsila.
Since 1997 senior laboratory assistant Liudmyla Kapatsila has ensured close cooperation between the department and all units of the university and kept its records. She always knows how to find the right word, help and calm things down, and she also provides consultations to students as part of the organisational work of the Foreign Languages Centre. On a voluntary basis Liudmyla Kapatsila acts as the department’s trade union organiser, helping to create a positive psychological climate and harmonious relations at the department.