UKRAINIAN STUDIES DISCIPLINES AS A FACTOR IN SHAPING HISTORICAL MEMORY AND NATIONAL RESILIENCE OF STUDENTS IN WARTIME

Abstract

In the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Ukrainian studies component of higher education has gained particular relevance, as it helps counteract destructive information narratives, promotes the development of critical thinking, and strengthens the national resilience of young people. Educational practices in higher education institutions convincingly demonstrate that, in times of crisis, humanities education transforms from a tool for the transmission of knowledge into an important factor of humanitarian security, intellectual resistance, and social consolidation.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the transformation of the content and methodology of teaching Ukrainian studies disciplines at the O. M. Lazarevskyi Educational and Scientific Institute of History and Socio-Humanitarian Disciplines of the T. H. Shevchenko National University «Chernihiv Colegium» during 2022-2025, and to determine their role in shaping the historical memory and national resilience of university students in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The methodological framework of the study is based on an interdisciplinary approach that synthesizes methods of historical and socio-cultural analysis with oral history practices. The application of the principles of historicism, objectivity, and the axiological approach made it possible to comprehensively examine the role of Ukrainian studies disciplines in fostering national resilience and historical memory among students.

The scientific novelty of the research lies in the comprehensive interpretation of Ukrainian studies disciplines as an effective instrument for building national resilience in wartime, using the case of a regional university. The article provides the first systematic analysis of the Institute’s experience in integrating a decolonial approach, elements of media literacy, and oral history practices into the teaching of Ukrainian studies courses during the period of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This study reveals the transformation of humanities education into a factor of humanitarian security and intellectual resistance.

The conclusions demonstrate that Ukrainian studies disciplines included in the educational programs of the O. M. Lazarevskyi Educational and Scientific Institute of History and Socio-Humani­tarian Disciplines have significant ideological, socio-psychological, and security-related importance. They contribute to the formation of a resilient historical memory, the development of civic responsibility and national identity among students, and the establishment of value orientations based on the awareness of the continuity of the Ukrainian historical experience and the agency of the Ukrainian people.