Department of History and Archaeology

General Information

Address: Poltava region, Lubny, Viktora Novikova St., 2, Room 171
Phone: +38 050 139 75 19
E-mail: kaf_ist_ukraine_lnu@ukr.net

Since the establishment of the Donetsk Institute of Public Education in 1923 (now Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National University), renowned historians and archaeologists, both from Ukraine and abroad, have worked there. In particular, during this period, the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology was home to the distinguished Luhansk archaeologist S. Loktyushev, who conducted research and taught at the institution. In later years, the legendary history faculty became well-known for scholars such as V. M. Beilis, M. S. Buryan, V. H. Kryukov, A. O. Klymov, and others. The scientific traditions established by these scholars continue to be upheld by the Department of History and Archaeology today.

Main Objectives and Tasks

The department’s primary goal is to organize educational and research activities in historical disciplines to foster civic thinking among higher education students while incorporating the latest approaches and achievements of Ukrainian historical science. Key tasks include:

• Implementation and enhancement of methods for organizing the educational process
• Continuous improvement of professional competence among faculty and students

Mission of the Department

The department aims to shape future history specialists by developing personal qualities and characteristics of highly qualified professionals and Ukrainian citizens. This involves combining deep theoretical knowledge with practical skills, national consciousness, and a high level of culture.

Educational Activities

The department offers training at the following educational levels:

First (Bachelor’s) Level of Higher Education:

• 03 Secondary Education (History and Civic Education)
• 03 Secondary Education (History)
• 032 History and Archaeology

Second (Master’s) Level of Higher Education:

• 03 Secondary Education (History and Civic Education)
• 032 History and Archaeology

Third (Educational-Scientific) Level of Higher Education:

• 032 History and Archaeology

The department provides instruction in the following educational components:

• Introduction to the Specialty and Fundamentals of Historical Source Studies
• Archaeology and History of the Ancient World
• History of Western European and American Countries
• History of Asian and African Countries
• History of Central and Eastern European Countries
• History of Ukraine
• Historical Anthropology
• Historical and Local Studies
• Theory and Methodology of Teaching History in Schools
• Introduction to the Specialty “History and Archaeology”
• Fundamentals of Scientific Research in History and Archaeology
• Anthropology
• History of Primitive Society and the Ancient East
• History of Ancient Civilization
• Medieval History of European and American Countries
• European and American Countries in the Early Modern Period
• Medieval History of Eastern and African Countries
• Modern History of European and American Countries
• Modern History of Asian and African Countries
• Contemporary History of the World
• Ancient History of Ukraine
• Medieval and Early Modern History of Ukraine
• Modern History of Ukraine
• Contemporary History of Ukraine
• Archaeology and Field Archaeological Research Methodology
• Historiography of World History
• Historiography of Ukrainian History
• Archival Studies
• Museum Studies
• Current Issues in Contemporary World History
• Current Issues in Ukrainian History of the 20th – Early 21st Century
• Methods of Teaching History and Law for Students of Specialized Secondary, Vocational, and Pre-Higher Education Institutions
• Global Historical Scholarship in the 20th – Early 21st Century
• Ukrainian Historiography in the Era of Independence
• Intellectual History of Europe
• Socio-Economic History of Ukraine in the Context of World History
• Theory and Methodology of Historical Research
• Recent Historiography and Source Studies: Achievements and Prospects
• Methods of Teaching History in Higher Education Institutions
• Modern Information Technologies in Historical Research

The department’s faculty ensures the educational process across all university educational and scientific institutes through the general education component “History of Ukraine in the Context of European History and Culture”, which is taught at the first (bachelor’s) level of higher education.

The portfolio of elective courses (https://luguniv.edu.ua/?page_id=59106), offered by the department, includes more than 50 educational components for general and professional training across all levels of higher education.

The educational process is provided by the professorial and teaching staff of the department:

Naboka Oleksandr Viktorovych Head of the Department, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor	Mykhalskyi Ihor Serhiiovych Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor	Voronin Viktor Mykolayovych Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor
Drobysheva Olha Andriivna Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor	Gogokhia Nani Tamazivna Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor	Babichev Oleksandr Ivanovych Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor
Taranenko Mykola Hryhorovych Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor	Shevtsova Yevheniia Serhiivna Assistant	Makarenko Viktoriia Oleksandrivna Laboratory Assistantт

Scientific Activity

Significant attention is devoted to the scientific work of the department’s staff.

Priority Research Areas:

• History of Donbas and Luhansk region
• Issues of socio-economic and spiritual development: history of education, industry, and the development of specific social groups
• Sources on political history and thought of the 19th–20th centuries
• Issues of historiography and source studies in Ukrainian history
• History of everyday life in Ukraine
• Mass media in Soviet Ukraine

The department has reestablished its postgraduate and doctoral programs. Under the academic supervision of Professors I. S. Mykhalskyi and O. V. Naboka, young scholars conduct research in international relations, source studies, historiography, and other topics.

A doctoral dissertation is currently being prepared for defense:
“Ukrainian Society Under Totalitarianism: Structures and Everyday Practices (1929–1938)” by N. T. Gogokhia.

In 2018, the department resumed its archaeological expedition at the Olbia Historical and Archaeological Reserve (Parutyne, Mykolaiv region). In 2019, the Starobilsk Archaeological Expedition was formed. The department’s head, O. V. Naboka, and assistant Ye. S. Shevtsova supervised students’ archaeological fieldwork.

The department actively engages in local history research. Since 2018, it has been a co-organizer of the annual All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference “Luhansk Region: Local History Research”. Faculty members participate in various educational and cultural events related to regional history.

The department’s faculty regularly publish their research, including in international scientometric journals indexed in “Scopus” and “Web of Science”.

They also actively participate in academic conferences within the university and beyond. Some key events in recent years include:

Scientific Conferences and Events:

• All-Ukrainian Scientific and Practical Conference “Luhansk Region: Local History Research” (Starobilsk, Lubny, 2018–2024)
• 6th All-Ukrainian Methodological Seminar for Educators “New Ukrainian School: Teaching and Knowledge on the Holodomor and Other Genocides” (2020)
• VI All-Ukrainian Theoretical Seminar “Everyday Life: Visions and Meanings” on the topic “Chronotope of the Soviet” (Vinnytsia, 2021)
• International Scientific and Practical Conference “Overcoming Social and Cultural Challenges: Europe Together with Ukraine” (Kyiv, 2022)
• International Scientific and Practical Conference “The Spiritual Code of Ukrainian Identity in the Context of Intercultural Communication (Dedicated to the 300th Anniversary of H. S. Skovoroda)” (Kyiv, 2022)
• International Scientific Conference “The Role of Psychology and Pedagogy in the Spiritual Development of Modern Society” (Latvia, 2022)
• International Scientific and Practical Conference “Transformation of the International Relations System Amid the Russian-Ukrainian War (On the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea and Sevastopol)” (Kyiv, 2023)
• Summer Symposium of Ukrainian and Swedish Humanities Scholars “Ukrainian Studies in Sweden: Methodological Challenges and Future Perspectives” (Sweden, 2023)
• III International Scientific and Practical Conference “Science and Education in Global and National Dimensions: Challenges, Threats, and Prospects” (Lubny, 2024)
• II International Scientific Conference “The Long 19th Century of Ukrainian History” (Kyiv, 2024)
• II International Scientific and Practical Conference “Personality in the Cultural and Educational Space: Augustyn Voloshyn (1874–1945)” (Dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of His Birth) (Uzhhorod, 2024)
• XVI All-Ukrainian Scientific Historical and Local History Conference “Ukrainian Local History in the Challenges of the Russian-Ukrainian War: Research and Societal Potential” (Kyiv, 2024)
• All-Ukrainian Scientific Conference “The Socio-Cultural Space of Ukraine in the Second Half of the 19th – First Third of the 20th Century: The Peasant World” (Cherkasy, 2024)
• Roundtable Discussion on the Academic Interpretation of the Soviet Past in the Context of the Russian-Ukrainian War “Soviet ‘I’ and Soviet ‘We'” (Kyiv, 2024)
• International Conference “Ukrainian History: Global Initiative” (UHGI Conference) (Kyiv, 2024)

Student Research Activities

The department actively engages students in scientific research. History students are encouraged to participate in:

• University Science Days
• Student Olympiads
• Research paper competitions
• National and international academic conferences

This hands-on involvement enhances their research skills and prepares them for professional and academic careers.

Expansion of Research Areas

The department continues to develop various scientific initiatives.

• In spring 2019, O. V. Naboka served as a jury member at the All-Ukrainian School History Olympiad (Lviv).
• A unique research direction of the department is historical consulting for film scripts. In 2018, O. V. Naboka acted as a scientific consultant and co-author of the script for the feature film “Hutsul Western”. That same year, the film received state funding following a competitive selection process by the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
• The department is also engaged in the popularization of historical knowledge. Faculty members:
  • Serve as experts in educational projects
  • Write popular science articles
  • Participate as speakers in public discussions and events

External Collaborations

The department maintains and strengthens academic partnerships with other university units, as well as research institutions across Ukraine and abroad.

Key National Partners:

• Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv)
• Institute of Archaeology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv)
• Ivan Krypiakevych Institute of Ukrainian Studies (Lviv)
• National Union of Local Historians of Ukraine (Kyiv)

International Collaborations:

• Faculty members actively cooperate with leading academic and educational institutions in Poland, Germany, Sweden, and other countries.
• Professional Development and Mobility
• Faculty members enhance their qualifications through internal and international academic mobility programs.

Domestic Training and Internships:

• S. Mykhalskyi – “Enhancing Teaching and Research Components in Higher Education”, Uzhhorod National University (2022)
• I. Babichev – “Creative Approaches and Methods for Activating Student Learning Activities”, Center for Ukrainian-European Scientific Cooperation, Poltava State Agrarian University (2023)
• H. Taranenko – Internship at the Department of History and Culture of Ukraine and Special Historical Disciplines, Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav (2023)

International Training and Internships:

• V. Naboka – “Modern Methods of Teaching Political, Historical, Philosophical, and Sociological Sciences in Higher Education Institutions of Ukraine and Baltic Countries”, Baltic International Academy, Latvia (2021)
• A. Drobysheva – “Innovations in Education. Innovative Technologies for Teaching Professional Disciplines”, Academy of Silesia, Katowice, Poland (2023)
• S. Mykhalskyi – “New and Innovative Teaching Methods”, Malopolska School of Public Administration, Krakow University of Economics, Poland (2023)

Research Fellowships and Specialized Programs:

• T. Gogokhia:
  • Participant in the Holocaust Studies Summer Program (2020–2021) – Organized by:
    • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    • Ukrainian Center for Holocaust Studies
    • Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv
  • Participant in:
    • Ukrainian Research Seminar (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 2022)
    • Scholarship Programme: Libraries and Archives for Refugees from Ukraine (2022)
    • German-Ukrainian School Munich-Odesa Program (2023)
  • Since 2024, she has been part of the international research project “Ukrainian History: Global Initiative” (UHGI)
  • Ye. S. Shevtsova successfully completed a six-month fellowship in International Relations at the Estonian School of Diplomacy (Tallinn, Estonia, 2024).

03.02.2025