The Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies (CUCS) was founded in 1981, as a joint creation between the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.St. Andrew's College. The mission of the Centre is to create, preserve and communicate knowledge dealing with
Ukrainian Canadian
Ukrainian Canadians ( uk, Українські канадці, Україноканадці, translit=Ukrayins'ki kanadtsi, Ukrayinokanadtsi; french: Canadiens d'origine ukrainienne) are Canadian citizens of Ukrainian descent or Ukrainian-born p ...
culture and scholarship. It is located in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
.
The Centre for Ukrainian Canadian Studies, provides undergraduate courses and interdisciplinary programs of study in areas relating to Ukrainian Canadian culture. The Centre also encourages and promotes research and scholarship in all areas relating to Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Studies.
The Centre offers nineteen courses in areas such as
Ukrainian language
Ukrainian ( uk, украї́нська мо́ва, translit=ukrainska mova, label=native name, ) is an East Slavic language of the Indo-European language family. It is the native language of about 40 million people and the official state lan ...
, Ukrainian Canadian literature and folklore, the history of
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
and of the Ukrainians in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, the geography of Ukraine, the government and politics of Ukraine, Eastern Christianity,
Byzantine art
Byzantine art comprises the body of Christian Greek artistic products of the Eastern Roman Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from the decline of Rome and lasted u ...
, and the Ukrainian arts in Canada. These courses can be taken singly, for general interest, as options, or as components of programs in various departments in the Faculty of Arts or in the School of Art.
For students interested in specializing in the area, the Centre offers interdisciplinary programs in Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Studies leading to a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...
degree with a general major, an advanced major, or a minor in this field. The University of Manitoba is the only university in Canada which offers undergraduate degree programs in Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Studies.
The Centre offers courses on the University of Manitoba campus, and at off-campus locations in Winnipeg. From time to time, the Centre is also able to offer courses at other locations in Manitoba and through teleconference, as well as specialized programs during the summer.
Although the Centre does not offer graduate courses, it is possible to pursue graduate work in Ukrainian Canadian Heritage Studies at the M.A. and Ph.D. levels through Interdisciplinary Programs in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Manitoba. Several fellowships are available.
Individual scholars are encouraged to pursue their own research agenda within a Ukrainian Canadian context. Topics of current interest include an exploration of Ukrainian Canadian history, the occurrence of Ukrainian Canadiana within North American popular culture, explorations of Ukrainian Canadian arts including folklore, fine arts, and literature, issues in genealogy, and the study of music both popular and classical) with a Ukrainian Canadian focus.
An additional new direction is the development of an online courses on Ukrainian Canadian folklore.
The Centre, since 2002, has held a bi-annual Tarnawecky Distinguished Lecture program at the University of Manitoba. This program is intended to bring academics and experts as speakers to the University.
The current coordinator as of 2022 is Yuliia Ivaniuk.