Slava Petlitsa, DMin

Sessional Professor of World Languages and Cultures

Dr. Slava Petlitsa was born and raised in Ukraine. There, he earned degrees in both Engineering and Foreign Languages, and worked for several years as an academic translator and interpreter. After immigrating to Canada, Slava earned further degrees in Biblical Studies/Languages, in Christian Leadership, and in Linguistics. Slava currently teaches Spanish, Russian and New Testament Greek at TWU/ACTS. He has been involved in ministry in several Central American nations and has served for the last decade in a Hispanic church. Slava loves travel, nature, animals, and sport. He is a nine-time Ironman Canada Triathlon finisher and is currently a Team Canada member and multiple world medalist in Kettlebell weightlifting. He is also a long-suffering fan of the Vancouver Canucks!

  • Doctor of Ministry [New Testament Greek] (ACTS Seminaries, Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.)
  • Master of Linguistics and Exegesis (ACTS Seminaries & Canada Institute of Linguistics, Langley, B.C.)
  • Nivel Superior, Diploma de Español como Lengua Extranjera (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, España. University of Salamanca, Spain)
  • Master of Arts, Christian Studies (ACTS Seminaries, Graduate Theological School of Trinity Western University, Langley, B.C.)
  • Bachelor of Arts, Philology and Foreign Languages (Dnepropetrovsk State University, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine) - Language specialties: English, Spanish, German, Latin
  • Certificates, English Language Proficiency I and II (English Language Institute, National Mining University of Ukraine, Dnepropetrovsk)
  • Bachelor of Science, Metallurgical Engineering (Dnepropetrovsk Metallurgical Academy, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine)
  • Professional Development Education:
    • Nuclear Weapons and Our Globalizing Century Faculty Seminar (Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. Hiroshima & Nagasaki, Japan)
    • Programa de Estudios Latinoamericanos (Council of Christian Colleges and Universities. San Jose, Costa Rica and Managua, Nicaragua)

Expertise

Christian and Cross-cultural Leadership; Koine Greek; Language acquisition and language study methods; Mission Issues in Eastern Europe; Mission issues in Latin America; Russian language; Spanish language; Teaching English as a second language (TESL); Ukrainian language. In addition, written and oral proficiency in French, German, Italian and Portuguese.

Awards & Honours

  • Provost’s Innovative Teaching Award - Award Recipient (May 2016) - This award is intended to recognize and encourage scholarly experimentation and innovation in teaching and honours a faculty member who is researching and adapting new methods to improve student learning. The award is given to one faculty member, annually.
  • Davis Distinguished Teaching Award - Award Nominee (multiple years)

Recent Publications

  • Book Translation of: Lessons in Faith and Spirituality, E. Bauman, PhD (2001)

Affiliations & Memberships

  • Christian Association of World Languages

  • BNT 501 Introductory New Testament Greek I
  • BNT 502 Introductory New Testament Greek II
  • ESLI 180 Introduction to English Composition
  • LING 482/582 Issues in Community Literacy
  • RUSS 101 Introductory Russian I
  • RUSS 102 Introductory Russian II
  • RUSS 201 Intermediate Russian I
  • RUSS 202 Intermediate Russian II
  • RUSS 301 Advanced Russian I
  • RUSS 302 Advanced Russian II
  • SPAN 101 Introductory Spanish I
  • SPAN 102 Introductory Spanish II
  • SPAN 201 Intermediate Spanish
  • SPAN 310 Latin American Culture and Civilization
  • SPAN Special Topics Spanish for Transcultural Nursing