Carolina and Ukrainian journalism scholars connect in collaborative class

A classroom presentation with a large screen displaying the title “Politics & Media in Ukraine” and the subtitle “An Intertwined Narrative of Power, War, and Information.” Professors Marisa Porto (left) Roman Shulyk (right) standing at the front of the room, while students sit at desks with laptops, facing the screen. — In a joint collaboration between UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media and Western Ukraine, professor Roman Shulyk leads a discussing with Marisa Porto on media and misinformation. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

When professor Roman Shulyk teaches his journalism class in western Ukraine, air raid sirens could go off at any moment. The power could cut off. Students might be forced to evacuate.

Ukrainians have faced these unfortunate wartime realities daily since Russian forces invaded the country in February 2022. But Shulyk presses on with his lectures, with the goal of arming a new generation of journalists with tools to combat the misinformation, artificial intelligence deep fakes and Russian propaganda that run rampant in Ukraine.

“Journalism has never been as important in Ukraine as it is now,” said Shulyk, who chairs the journalism department at the National University of Ostroh Academy.

Professor Roman Shulyk standing in front of a classroom, gesturing with one hand pointing outward and the other raised slightly, as if emphasizing a point during a lecture. A podium and a blue brick wall are visible in the background.

Professor Roman Shulyk from Western Ukraine guides Carolina students in a discussion on Media. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

To help equip his Media in English students for success in Ukraine — and globally — Shulyk partnered with UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media professor Marisa Porto and her students in MEJO 653: Media Leadership in a Time of Change.

Throughout the fall semester, Carolina students connected with their Ukrainian counterparts in a collaborative course co-led by Porto and Shulyk. Students from both universities teamed up over Zoom and WhatsApp to work on group assignments and attend joint lectures, and Shulyk traveled to Chapel Hill in late October to teach classes at Carroll Hall.

Porto has worked with independent Ukrainian news outlets for years through an international nonprofit and met Shulyk on one of several visits to the country. Porto approached Shulyk over the summer about her idea for a class, and she worked with UNC Global Affairs to create the Collaborative Online International Learning course, designed to foster collaboration, empathy and practical media leadership experience.

“Not only do my students get this interesting international piece, but they get a really different perspective — because it’s the middle of a war,” said Porto, the Knight Chair in Local News and Sustainability.

“If nothing else comes from the class, I want my students to go beyond their own worlds, learn what’s happening across the globe and what’s happening in other students’ lives during a really difficult situation.”

Visiting Ukrainian professor Roman Shulyk standing at the front near a podium, presenting a slide titled “Political Parties in Parliament.”

Through this global collaboration, students from Carolina discuss political issues with peers in Western Ukraine. (Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

‘They’re so accessible’

Carolina senior Abi Fortner wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she first connected with her Ukrainian peers. After the classes introduced themselves to each other, what struck her most was how much both groups of students had in common — from hobbies and pop culture interests to social media usage and career goals.

“What shocked me was that they’re so accessible,” Fortner said. “In my mind, the war has just taken over Ukraine. But there are parts of the country where people are living out their normal lives, and they actually live very similar to the way we do.”

The many conversations encouraged cultural exchange for students in both countries.

“My students say that they really like the opportunity to talk to native speakers and to communicate directly with American students,” Shulyk said. “During these meetings, they talk to each other, and they try to find understanding. My students notice some things that are different in America. But I explained to them that ‘different’ doesn’t mean better or worse. It’s just different.”

Beyond cultural learning, the international collaboration gave both classes the opportunity to critically analyze the global media landscape. Students in Porto’s capstone course teamed up with Shulyk’s class to examine the use of AI in media organizations.

Together, they interviewed news leaders in both the U.S. and Ukraine about their AI use, and the teams produced presentations to report findings.

“I hope the students learned a lot about AI and global leadership and gained understanding of collaboration with other groups who aren’t in the same time zone and don’t speak the language as well as you do,” Porto said. “I hope the experience is something that has opened their eyes.”

Adapting to uncertainty

With no airlines flying in or out of Ukraine due to the war, Shulyk’s first visit to the U.S. in October was a challenging journey that included an overnight bus ride to Poland and three plane rides.

Once he arrived in America, Shulyk made sure to soak in the experience. He visited the North Carolina State Fair, toured the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro and even attended Hussman’s inaugural Converge-Con AI convention.

He also made sure to give Carolina students a taste of what life is like back in Ukraine.

During an Oct. 29 lecture in Carroll Hall, Shulyk walked Porto’s students through the last decade of Russian-Ukraine relations, the rise of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the gradual dismantling of the Ukrainian oligarchy-controlled media. Shulyk explained how important true, unbiased reporting is during a time of such great uncertainty.

Roman Shulyk shakes Marisa Porto near a desk, while another person stands slightly behind them.

(Jon Gardiner/UNC-Chapel Hill)

“We are fighting the disinformation,” said Shulyk, whose trip to Chapel Hill was funded by endowment funds from the Knight Foundation. “I’m teaching students to be very critical of all the information they get. They have to fact-check. They have to verify the information. That’s what we are teaching, and we are also trying to develop moral values in students.”

Teaching class in the middle of a war is no easy feat, but Shulyk said it’s important to teach proper journalistic practices to help keep Ukrainians and the rest of the world informed. And on a human level, the conversations Shulyk has with his students — and the ones his students had with their American peers — help bring a sense of normalcy.

“Humans generally adapt to anything that’s happening, but it doesn’t come with no cost,” Shulyk said. “The payment is psychological distress. And lots of Ukrainian students, even though they wouldn’t admit it, they are in this psychological distress all the time.

“But the good thing is we can adapt and we can talk. That’s the best part of teaching at the university — talking to students. They speak up, they talk about their feelings, and when they do that, they feel better.”