Deadline for Applications: March 15, 2018
SRAS and Novamova would like to invite all educators for an unforgettable professional development experience.
Specially formulated to immerse you directly in the subjects and regions you teach, this program will present the culture, history, politics, and current events of Ukraine and Georgia from the perspectives of locals on the ground. Student interest is rising in these fascinating, little-understood, but increasingly important geopolitical centers.
Combining masterclasses, lectures, guided tours, and degustation with an ambitious travel schedule, this course will teach why these regions appear in the news, but also touch on the demographic, religious, and geopolitical backgrounds of the regions. You will also dive into local life, learning about traditional crafts and sharing in delicious national dishes.
This is also an excellent opportunity for educators to explore how study abroad can best fit into the student experience abroad – whether through individual programs or faculty-led programming in Ukraine and Georgia. This reasonably-priced 10-day experience has all accommodation, two meals a day, travel within and between Ukraine and Georgia, and all scheduled activities priced in. Join us abroad this summer for an unforgettable professional growth experience!
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Dates and Costs:
Program dates: June 30 – July 9, 2018
Application deadline: March 15, 2018
Cost: $1,360
- We will start in Kiev, with an orientation discussion over dinner.
- This will be followed by a day spent learning about the recent Maidan revolution in Ukraine and a guided tour of Kiev’s historical, religious, and literary landmarks.
- Tour the Monastery of the Caves (Pechersk Lavra), a working Orthodox monastery as well as the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
- We will attend a lecture on Jewish history in Ukraine, eat a kosher lunch, and travel to Babiy Yar, a place where Kiev’s Jews were massacred in September of 1941.
- Travel to Tbilisi, eat a Georgian dinner, and take a guided tour of the historic old town area.
- Attend a lecture on the geopolitical history of Georgia at the Georgian-American University, before having lunch with Novamova lecturers, and then traveling to Mtskheta, one of Georgia’s oldest cities and home to the Jvari Monastery and Svetitskhoveli Cathedral. You will then have the option of taking in the Tbilisi Sulphur baths.
- Travel to Kakheti, a major wine-producing region of Georgia to try your hand at making poori (a traditional Georgian bread), churchkhela (a Georgian sweat), sulguni (a Georgian cheese), and chacha (a Georgian liquor). We’ll aso visit the Winemaking Museum to better understand Georgia’s ancient and revered vinticulture traditions.
- Travel to Khevsureti to visit a Khevsur sub-ethnic group known for maintaining their traditional lifestyle. We’ll meet the Arabuli family – the owners and founders of the local ethnographical museum. The Arabuli used to be one of the most powerful clans in Khevsureti. Nowadays they are also famous for their talents – the family name unites the whole dynasty of prominent artists, painters, poets and writers. Here, we’ll here a lecture on local oral traditions and take masterclasses in khinkali (meat dumpling) making, woodcarving, and Khevsur embroidery.
- Visit the archeological ruins of Shatili, Mutso, and Ardoti to learn about local history and religion.
- Return to Tbilisi, departure.