Given the events in Ukraine and how they affect our foreign policy, isn’t it time that Ohioans incorporate elements of Ukrainian history and culture in high school and college curricula (“Locals with ties to Ukraine watch crisis warily; Many oppose invasion by Russia, hope West supports independence,” March 4)?
Ukraine is the second largest nation in area in Europe after Russia. Ukraine has a history that goes back thousands of years. It is sad to note how little people know about Ukraine.
Ohio has a large Ukrainian-American population. We have excellent ties with Ukraine thanks to people such as U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D., Toledo) and Andy Fedynsky of the Ukrainian Museum and Archives of Cleveland.
I taught an undergraduate course on Ukrainian culture with Mr. Fedynsky from 1996 to 2006. Our student mix was not strongly Ukrainian-American; it was no different from that of an English or Math 101 course.
The more we know, the more successful our foreign policy will be in this region in the world. That will help guarantee a free and independent Ukraine.
Editor’s note: The writer is an associate professor emeritus of Slavic and East European languages and literatures at Ohio State University.