In June 2006, the Department of Ethnology and Archeology was established. She is one of the youngest in the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations. Its discovery was preceded by a long process of building the faculty, training scientific and pedagogical staff and the formation of a specialized Academic Council for the protection of theses for the candidate degree and doctor of sciences in the specialties “History of Ukraine” and “Ethnology”.
In parallel with the creation of the department, a set of students for the specialty “Ethnology” was started and a new specialization “Historical, cultural and ethno-social processes in the Carpathian region” was introduced. The specialization began its operation in September 2006, when the first courses began to be taught to the students of the third year.
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor Mykola Kugutyak was the founder and head of the department from June 2006 to 2014. From 2014 to the present time the chairman is the candidate of historical sciences, associate professor, well-known archaeologist Tomenchuk Bogdan. The department includes: Candidates of Historical Sciences, Professor Mykhailo Pankov, Doctor of History, Professor Petro Sirezhuk, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Petro Kostyuchok, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Oksana Drohobytska, Senior Lecturer, Archeologist Igor Kochkin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor Svitlana Boian-Hladka, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Lecturer Iryna Solonets. Most of the faculty members are graduates of the Institute of History and Political Science (now the Faculty of History, Political Science and International Relations) of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University.
Currently, the staff of the department consists of six full-time employees: M.V. Kugutyak, B.P. Tomenchuk, P.L. Kostyuchok, I.T. Kochkin, O.Ya. Drohobytska, S.P. Boyan-Hladka and I.F. Solonets is a part-time employee.
Since 2012, the Department of Ethnology and Archeology has been graduating under the “Ethnology” educational program “History and Archeology” specialty at the Master’s qualification level, full-time education, license volume – 15 people. From 2012 to 2023, Professor M.V. was the developer and guarantor of the Ethnology. Kugutyak From September 2023, the guarantor is associate professor P.L. Bone From 10.10.2023 to 12.10.2023, a successful accreditation was carried out by the expert group NAMED educational program “Ethnology” (ID in EDEBO 11957) in specialty 032 History and archeology at the second (master’s) level of higher education. According to the decision following the review of the accreditation case dated December 12, 2023, protocol No. 20 (49) accredited educational program “Ethnology”. The certificate of accreditation of the educational program “Ethnology” No. 6425 is valid until July 1, 2029. To date, only 10 graduates of the master’s program “Ethnology” have successfully completed their studies, which is 118 qualified masters.
The department has a postgraduate course. Candidates of the scientific degree of Doctor of Philosophy PhD are provided with professional consultations by the most experienced teachers of the department.
Today, the department is actively working on the scientific topic “Ethno-cultural heritage of the Carpathians in the process of formation of national identity and statehood”. Head: doctor of historical sciences, professor Mykola Vasyliovych Kugutyak. The purpose of the topic: to investigate the process of formation of national identity and statehood of the population of the Carpathian region, features of its material and spiritual culture from ancient times to the present.
