Participation Type
Paper
Presentation #1 Title
Preserving Highland Regions in the Age of Globalization: The Role of Education
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
This presentation will address the sustainable development of the Ukrainian Carpathians through education and research. Presently, the Ukrainian highlands suffer from depressed economic conditions, poor infrastructure, and severe weather events (floods in the spring and summer; heavy snowfall in winter). Most village schools are substandard and have poor heating, creating obvious problems for learning in colder months when outside temperatures fall down to -20 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). Many also lack sufficient instructional materials, up-to-date manuals, computers, and internet access. The presentation will focus on educational systems in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Appalachia. It will highlight the main problems in education of the above highland regions and will offer solutions for sustainable development of highland regions. In particular, it will discuss the importance of teaching foreign languages at secondary schools and universities in the highland region. Individuals working at touristic and cultural establishments have inadequate levels of foreign language skills and that lack of proficiency has a direct impact on the sustainable development of the mountain region. Attempts at promoting ecotourism, agrotourism, and nature tourism will fail if the local population does not have the ability to communicate with potential clients. In the age of globalization, the preservation of local culture, traditions, and landscapes, should also have a strong educational component. The presenter will also highlight the role and efforts of the Precarpathian National University in sustainable development of the Carpathian Region.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Roman Poznanskyy is an Associate Professor of English at the Division of Foreign Languages and Country Studies, Faculty of Tourism, Precarpathian National University. He has participated in a number of international conferences dedicated to the study of highland regions, including the Appalachian Studies Association conferences in the USA. He is also in charge of collaboration efforts between the Precarpathian National University and a number of US colleges.
Preserving Highland Regions in the Age of Globalization: The Role of Education
This presentation will address the sustainable development of the Ukrainian Carpathians through education and research. Presently, the Ukrainian highlands suffer from depressed economic conditions, poor infrastructure, and severe weather events (floods in the spring and summer; heavy snowfall in winter). Most village schools are substandard and have poor heating, creating obvious problems for learning in colder months when outside temperatures fall down to -20 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit). Many also lack sufficient instructional materials, up-to-date manuals, computers, and internet access. The presentation will focus on educational systems in the Ukrainian Carpathians and Appalachia. It will highlight the main problems in education of the above highland regions and will offer solutions for sustainable development of highland regions. In particular, it will discuss the importance of teaching foreign languages at secondary schools and universities in the highland region. Individuals working at touristic and cultural establishments have inadequate levels of foreign language skills and that lack of proficiency has a direct impact on the sustainable development of the mountain region. Attempts at promoting ecotourism, agrotourism, and nature tourism will fail if the local population does not have the ability to communicate with potential clients. In the age of globalization, the preservation of local culture, traditions, and landscapes, should also have a strong educational component. The presenter will also highlight the role and efforts of the Precarpathian National University in sustainable development of the Carpathian Region.
