‘I am where I should be’: Simon Fraser University professor in Ukraine teaches virtually | Globalnews.ca

Sirens blare as Svitlana Matviyenko teaches a crucial media evaluation class from her hometown of Kamianets-Podilskyi.

Poor Web connections on account of broken infrastructure have made Zoom calls tough, however the assistant professor at Simon Fraser College in B.C. has discovered different methods to maintain her college students up to the mark, whereas sheltering in war-torn Ukraine.

“I modified this course and moved it into asynchronous format,” Matviyenko informed World Information. “Now, as an alternative of getting these face-to-face conversations, we talk by means of Google Docs.”

Matviyenko travelled to Ukraine in February final yr after greater than a yr away from household because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She stayed to look after her mom, who broke her backbone.

When tensions within the area escalated, Matviyenko determined — towards the desires of her mother and father and employers — to not evacuate. She stated her mom has apologized repeatedly for being the explanation she stayed, however Matviyenko has reassured her different elements contributed to her selection.

“I’m right here, I can say one thing in regards to the state of affairs, I can write one thing in regards to the state of affairs, which I do in a day by day foundation,” she defined. “By some means with all this stuff, I really feel like I’m the place I needs to be.”

Kamianets-Podilskyi is a small city in southwestern Ukraine, which stays one of many most secure elements of the nation amid Russia’s violent and unprovoked invasion. The assault, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, has resulted in near 700 reported civilians deaths, together with a number of journalists.

Some three million Ukrainians have fled their houses, about 10,000 of whom are actually in Kamianets-Podilskyi, stated Matviyenko.

“There have been some minimal rocket strikes, however the civilian infrastructure hasn’t been broken or something,” she stated. “The siren, which is sort of aggressive clearly, is the one factor that form of breaks although our on a regular basis expertise.”

As warfare unfolds round her, Matviyenko stated she has been in a position to incorporate the battle into her classes about propaganda, manipulation, misinformation and disinformation. She stated she hopes the course will likely be memorable for the scholars, and lift new crucial questions in regards to the themes they discover.

“That is, in truth, a really studying second for me and them,” she defined. “In a sure manner, all this made our theories that we focus on alive to the extent that you could by no means think about.”

The category of eight graduate research, she added, is conscious of that if sirens go off throughout a lesson, Matviyenko might have to log out briefly and go downstairs.

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Jiaqi Wen, certainly one of her college students, stated the category worries about their Matviyenko’s security, however has discovered quite a bit by finding out the battle as a real-time instance of a few of their educational analysis subjects. Wen, a first-year PhD scholar in communication research underneath Matviyenko’s supervision, has helped arrange the category’s present on-line format.

“The militarization of knowledge is all the time an important matter in media and communication research,” she informed World Information.

“Not solely did I be taught a lot data within the discipline of communications and media theories but additionally I actually recognize her braveness to step out to doc so many real looking particulars throughout this warfare time.”

In between educating, Matviyenko stated she is caring for her two mother and father, whose well being has been compromised by the stress of the invasion. Personally, she stated she has been in a position to hold her personal feelings “repressed.”

“Perhaps after the warfare I’ll pay for that, I do know such issues occur,” she stated. “To date, I’ve so minimal panic, in all probability simply the primary time I heard the siren. Aside from this, my feelings are flat and I’m fairly grateful for that.”

Matviyenko stated she is fielding dozens of media calls to maintain her busy, and supporting different residents of their constructing. She’s additionally holding a “warfare diary” to tell folks of the delicate nuances of the expertise.