Catholicism and Orthodoxy in the Ukraine

Catholicism
&
Orthodoxy
in Ukraine

Information about the course
Information about travel to Ukraine
General information about Ukraine
General information about Kiev

This course will be taught in January 2006 as a full (i.e. 4-credit) course. The course will be directed by Professor Paul Wojda, of the Theology Department, and Professor Kenneth W. Kemp, of the Department of Philosophy and Center for Catholic Studies. The course will include frequent guest lectures given by European (Ukrainian and Polish) faculty at the St. Thomas Aquinas Institute for Higher Religious Studies in Kiev, Ukraine. Lectures will be given in English, Russian, Ukrainian, or Polish depending on the linguistic capabilities of the instructor. All lectures not given in English will, of course, be translated into English.

The course will introduce students to the following topics:

the distinction between the Byzantine and Roman rites of the Catholic Church
the historical and theological differences between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches
the history of the Church in Ukraine

arrival of Christianity in Kievan Rus'
the Polish-Lithuanian and Russian periods
the period of Communist persecution
the reconstruction of the Church after the fall of Communism

questions of ecumenism with an emphasis on the relations between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches
challenges facing the Church in contemporary Ukraine

The course will include an introduction to conversational Ukrainian, classes on the topics identified above, visits to important sites relevant to the course subject matter, and meetings with local Church leaders, pastors, parishioners, and students.

In addition, there will be organized excursions to museums and other sites of interest in and around Kiev and a short trip to Lviv.

The course will be listed by both the Catholic Studies and the Theology Department. The course will fulfill the 300-level general course requirement in theology.

A tentative syllabus is now available.

Recommended Reading

Sites related to course content. This includes official sites of the Churches we will be studying, sections from a reference book on these Churches, sites covering current events in Ukraine, and so on.

Travel dates (tentative):

Room & Board: Students will stay at a hotel in Kiev. Breakfast and dinner (at mid-day) will be provided.

Cost: The cost cannot yet be determined. It should be $3500-4000. In addition, students should bring spending money.

Prerequisites: Theology 101 or permission of the instructor.

Where to Study Ukrainian Now: There is no requirement that students know any Ukrainian in order to take this course. But if you would like to study Ukrainian now, here are some possibilities

The following books and audiotapes are in the UST library:
Colloquial Ukrainian
Teach Yourself Ukrainian
A free web-based course in Ukrainian from Kiev-Mohyla Academy.

For more information about the course contact:

	Paul J Wojda	Kenneth W. Kemp
Department:	Theology	Philosophy
E-mail:	PJWojda@StThomas.edu	KWKemp@StThomas.edu
Telephone:	651-962-5300	In Italy: (39) 06 3260 0548
Fax:	651-962-5310	In Italy: (39) 06 3250 6420