Educational Workshop at the Davis Center of Harvard University

On November 21, the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University hosted a workshop titled "“Sources From Ukraine: (Re)structuring Place, Memory, and Nature" dedicated to the complex environmental and social consequences of war through the lens of Russia's current war against Ukraine: destruction, environmental disasters, and future reconstruction and recovery.

The event was the final one in a program of online workshops organized by the Davis Center in cooperation with the Center for Urban History and on the initiative of Alexander Langstaff (New York University) for American university professors who, over the course of three months of joint work, developed their own lessons on the history of Ukraine based on materials from the Center's educational platform REESOURCES. Rethinking Eastern Europe.

During the workshop on November 21, the project participants presented the lessons they developed as part of the program, analyzed Ukrainian amateur films on environmental issues ("Where Are We Headed?" та "Squirrel"), filmed in the 1980s; reflected on their use as educational materials; listened to lectures by Victoria Donovan (University of St. Andrews) on the politics of historical memory in wartime Ukraine on the example of Donbas, and Igor Ekštajn (Harvard Graduate School of Design) on wartime reconstruction.

In addition to the sources and discussions, the workshop was a valuable experience, as it allowed us to see the potential of using the educational platform not only for teaching at universities and working with students, but also for teaching high school students.

Participants of the program:

• Elaine Priovolos, Needham High School, Needham, MA;
• Paul Huard, Ashland High School, Ashland, OR;
• Clara Webb, Boston Latin School;
• Rachel Rothstein, Atlanta, GA;
• True Sweetser, Saint Matthew Catholic School, San Mateo, California;
• Tim Nikula, Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, Boston.

Participants of the workshop:

• Alex Langstaff, New York University;
• Cris Martin, Davis Center;
• Sandra Grudic, Davis Center;
• Dr. Victoria Donovan, University of St. Andrews;
• Dr. Igor Ekštajn, Harvard Graduate School of Design;
• Dr. Sofia Dyak, Center for Urban History;
• Dr. Ivanna Cherchovych, Center for Urban History.

Credits

Cover Image and gallery: photos by Ivanna Cherchovych