A typical morning at the Studium begins with breakfast
offered usually in a simple buffet style (places are set and breakfast items
are provided family style) from 7:30 to 9 in the cafeteria across from the
dorm. Participants then go off to morning class which begins at 9. In weeks one
and three, the first class session from Monday through Friday will be the
history lectures offered by Professor Paul Robert Magocsi in English and by
Valerii Padiak in Rusyn. After lunch in weeks one and three, beginning Rusyn-language
students will have class with Halina Malecka, a Rusyn-language instructor from
Poland. In week three, beginning language students will have their language
class in the morning, and then will attend my folklore lectures in the
afternoon.
Instructors at the Studium are all truly devoted to working
closely with you in broadening and deepening your understanding of Rusyn
language, history, and culture. Our first blog post introduced the instructors
briefly, but here is a bit more about them:
 |
| Prof. Paul Magocsi and Prof. Emeritus Mykola Mushynka |
Professor Magocsi is the world’s leading expert on
Carpatho-Rusyn history. He is the holder of the Chair of Ukrainian Studies at
the University of Toronto where he has created the most complete library of Carpatho-Rusyn-related
scholarship and other materials in the world—a literal treasure-trove for
scholars. He is a widely recognized and respected researcher, writer, and
teacher, enormously energetic, sharp in terms of his critical thinking. When
attending Professor Magocsi’s lectures, be ready to take voluminous notes! His
lectures will introduce you to the history of Carpatho-Rusyns from their
beginnings to the present day. His style is to present his lecture and only
then to set aside 30-45 minutes for questions and answers. This lets him cover
efficiently what he wants to convey, and then he is open to whatever questions
might have arisen during the course of the lecture. Those Q&A sessions, by
the way, are just as exciting and informative as the lectures. You will
definitely acquire a keen understanding of where our people came from and what
forces shaped them through the centuries, and you’ll be able to share your new
and tremendous body of knowledge with your family and community.
 |
| Valerie Padiak and Patricia Krafcik |
Valerii Padiak is a bright and enthusiastic scholar from
Uzhhorod, Transcarpathia—just over the border from Slovakia in Ukraine. Like
Professor Magocsi, he has been teaching at the Studium since its founding in
2009. He has also been teaching at the Institute of Rusyn Language and Culture
at the University of Prešov. Padiak is steeped in the history and culture of
Carpatho-Rusyns originating in Transcarpathia. He is a walking encyclopedia! Among
other things, he is a publisher of books on Carpatho-Rusyns, a calling in which
he has been involved for many years. He has worked hard developing educational
opportunities for Rusyn kids in Transcarpathia, as well, and he has helped
Studium participants in the past three years get in contact with their Rusyn
roots in Transcarpathia. Padiak strongly encourages the American participants in
the Studium to practice their Rusyn, and in his warm and animated way he is
happy to encourage even simple conversations over meals in the cafeteria. He
will be in charge of the last fieldtrip in the program which will take us to
historic Uzhhorod for a day.
Dr. Kveta Koporova teaches the intermediate/advanced
Rusyn-language class. A serious scholar of language in her own right, she is
the first doctoral candidate at the University of Prešov to produce a
dissertation about the Rusyn language in
the Rusyn language. Why is this important? Because in using the Rusyn
language to express highly technical and sophisticated ideas, she has
demonstrated that the language is indeed capable of vast and varied expression.
In her language class, she works with participants who already speak Rusyn,
usually having acquired their language in the home environment, and also with
those who have had experience with other East Slavic languages such as Russian
and Ukrainian. Koporova is a warm and hard-working scholar and instructor. She
is, by the way, studying English on her own and will be happy to try a bit of
English with you, I’m sure, next summer.
Halina Malecka is known among Americans of Carpatho-Rusyn
background because she has been to the U.S. to lead workshops in Rusyn language
and culture and also because she has welcomed tour groups to the Lemko Region
in Poland where she has also introduced visitors to the language and culture. Experienced
as an instructor in Poland, as well, Malecka will patiently guide beginners in
the language so that you leave the Studium after three weeks able to carry on very
simple conversations. Like other teachers of Slavic languages, Malecka is aware
that such complex languages cannot be taught in three weeks, but she provides
an enjoyable introduction which can encourage students to continue on their
own.
Mykola Mushynka, a professor emeritus at Prešov University
will offer folklore lectures in Rusyn. He is a truly unique personality who
lived through the difficult era of Communist Czechoslovakia and suffered
personal and professional setbacks during those years. Hailing from the village
of Kurov in the Prešov Region, he himself grew up completely immersed in and
actively practicing all the folklore traditions about which he has written and
taught. He speaks Ukrainian and Russian perfectly, as well, but not English. I know,
however, that he would be happy to meet the American participants and to talk
with you—and there are usually folks who can help with interpretation on the
spot. Professor Mushynka is in many ways larger than life. His warmth is
palpable and his twinkling blue eyes match his sense of humor. He will be our
guide when we attend an authentic Rusyn wedding in his native village of Kurov.
He himself has participated as the starosta
(best man/leader of the wedding traditions) in several such weddings, and he
knows these traditions inside and out. This event is not to be missed.
 |
| Anna Plishkova |
Dr. Anna Plishkova is the organizer of the Studium and the
head of the Institute of Rusyn Language and Culture at the University of Prešov.
Her calm and collected personality belies the very dedicated hard worker
within—the one whose strong and persistent efforts helped lead to the
establishment of the Institute. She will open and close the Studium session and
will be working behind the scenes to insure that all runs smoothly. She is also
the liaison between the Studium and the university administration, an important
role in which she serves to garner strategic support for the Institute and the
Studium. Dr. Plishkova also completed her dissertation a few years ago on the
Rusyn language written in Rusyn and defended the dissertation in Bratislava,
Slovakia’s capital. She has written widely on the language, including a book
available from the Carpatho-Rusyn Research Center translated into English and
entitled Language and National Identity:
Rusyns South of the Carpathians (East European Monographs, Columbia
University Press, 2009). Along with one of Professor Magocsi’s many books, The People From Nowhere, Professor
Plishkova’s book is well worth reading if you are interested in Carpatho-Rusyn
history and culture.
Finally, in week two of this summer’s Studium, I (Pat
Krafcik) will give the afternoon lectures on selected topics in Carpatho-Rusyn
folklore in English. I am an Associate Professor of Russian Language and
Literature at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. I
participated with Professor Magocsi in founding the Carpatho-Rusyn Research
Center in 1978 and was the editor for most of the years of our publication of
the Carpatho-Rusyn American Newsletter
(1978-98). I have nurtured a passion for Slavic folklore for some decades now
and offered lectures in selected topics in Rusyn folklore at the second and
third sessions of the Studium. This coming summer I will offer a full week of
lectures in English. I was pleasantly surprised last summer that not only did
the American participants attend my lectures, but also the German and Czech
fellows were there, as well as a handful of young Carpatho-Rusyn women students
from the Rusyn Institute and one young woman who teaches at the Greek Catholic
Theological Faculty in the University of Prešov. They came to practice their
English comprehension. My lectures are more like talks in which I invite
participation from the students so that our sessions turn out to resemble a
discussion over coffee—but they are serious and full of information at the same
time. Participant contributions enrich what I have to contribute. The learning
works both ways, and I appreciate this.
There are others connected with the work of the Institute of
Rusyn Language and Culture and who will be present at the opening and closing
ceremonies. Among them, Timea Veres, who speaks excellent English, will be a
helpful liaison between participants and the Institute people. She is a fine
scholar in her own right, and is a lovely individual who is willing to go the
extra mile to help participants feel at home.
In addition, Slavo Hyriak, although not officially connected with the Institute,
is on board to provide some additional help now and then. His father was an
important folklorist during Communist Czechslovak times, and Slavo strongly
supports Carpatho-Rusyn language and culture in all aspects. He has spent time
living in North America and speaks excellent English, as well, and will often
serve as an interpreter.
We all hope to see you at the Studium this summer for three
weeks of significant learning and unforgettable experiences. The deadline for
applying is March 1, 2013, and applications and more information are available
at the Carpatho-Rusyn Society website. Feel free to contact me, as well, at patkrafcik@gmail.com.
