It was one of the most devastating genocides of the 20th century, involving the deliberate starvation of millions of Ukrainians by the Stalinist regime.
The University of Alberta’s Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies has been investigating the famine — called the Holodomor — for years, producing scholarship that inspired the Government of Canada to formally recognize it as a deliberate act of genocide.
In partnership with the Holodomor Research and Education Consortium, the institute is now launching a free online course to make the fruits of that research available to anyone interested.
With contributions from more than a dozen international scholars — including U of A historian Henry Prown — the course will consist of 13 video modules, each 20 to 40 minutes long.
Going live March 23 on the Coursera online learning platform, Famine as Genocide: The Holodomor in Ukraine will explore the personal experiences of those who endured the Holodomor, the destruction of Ukrainian culture, and what the international community knew about the famine while it was happening.
The course will also cover the aftermath and longer-term impact of the genocide and how knowledge has been preserved, shared and even suppressed or denied over time.