The Department of Journalism and Philology FPSC Sumy State University together with the Department of Audiovisual Arts of the Johann Gutenberg University (Mainz, Germany) completed the international virtual academic mobility program "Media in a Global and European Context". The project lasted from April 27 to July 21, 2022.

More than 50 participants (students, graduate students, teachers) from Ukraine and Germany took part in the program. Together they attended lectures and master classes from Ukrainian and German teachers, heard about the experience of practitioners in working in war conditions, etc. In total, during four months, they acquired European-level journalism skills.

The result of the three-month cooperation is joint international Instagram projects, in the format of which Ukrainian and German students jointly prepared materials dedicated to the culture and traditions of both peoples, media activities in Ukraine and Germany, traced interesting coincidences in the languages, customs, and events of the countries. The leading topic was the war.

Liliya Okhrimenko presented “The Story of Alexandra from the Dnipro”. Through the project, it was important for the student to answer the question, what actually motivates a person to help others and give up personal comfort. The volunteer herself answered as follows: “This is not a job, it is like a principle of life for Ukrainians now”.

Anastasia Smуrnova and Olena Zavedenko in the work “The Face of War in Ukraine” talked about their own experience of survival, which is especially important for the formation of foreign colleagues in the correct understanding of events in Ukraine.

Yulia Khoba presented the project “Artists against the war”, focusing on the use of Ukrainian national symbols in the work of the German stylist and designer Frank Peter Wild. The student emphasized that the support of artists, especially foreign ones, is extremely important for Ukraine.

Alina Shevchenko, Tetiana Sergienko and Valeriya Bublyk prepared the work “World food crisis caused by russia’s war against Ukraine”, in which they investigated and combined the views of the national and German media on the problem.

The international academic mobility program is not only about learning and new skills, but also about new acquaintances, establishing friendships and business contacts.

During the final meeting, the German colleagues once again emphasized the importance of cooperation, the opportunities to get to know and understand each other better, to learn in detail about the trials that have currently befallen the fate of the Ukrainian people. All project participants noted that the results exceeded any expectations.

– The time spent on understanding each other is time well invested, – noted the professor of the University of Mainz, professor Katia Schupp, well-known in Germany.

The Head of the department of journalism and philology of the faculty of IFSC SSU, media expert Volodymyr Sadivnychiy emphasized:

– I am pleasantly impressed by the students, the professionalism of their work and their attitude to journalistic activity. Our students, post-graduate students, and teachers made full use of the opportunities of international study. In general, the cooperation does not end: we are already planning the spring semester of the next academic year and conducting joint scientific research.

– It was a great semester! Here in Mainka, we are grateful to you, the students from Sumy, for all the stories and ideas you have shared with us. It was a truly enriching experience! And this should continue, and we should talk about the prospects of future cooperation, – commented junior professor Jessica Kunert.

Students note the high potential of academic mobility programs and are grateful for the opportunities provided.

– We received an incredibly valuable opportunity for self-development not only as a journalist, but also as a person in general. The understanding of professional standards and principles reached a new, international level, which made it possible to look at modern problems from a completely different angle. Personally, I believe that academic mobility programs are the future of journalism education at Sumy State University, because our students have something to show and tell and we have a desire to learn from others. I can say with confidence: the efforts and time invested in this program by lecturers and knowledge seekers were worth it, – commented Ksenia Kibets.

International cooperation programs of the Department of Journalism and Philology of the Faculty of IFSC SSU are an opportunity for students to study journalism in Sumy and gain European experience. This is the heart of what #Mediaspace_leads_to_the_universe

Yulia Shumylo, ZhTm-11.