A document in university rituals

Using the comparative and semiotical (structuralistic) approaches, the article investigates a use of various documents in rituals of East-European universities. The research of formation and further development of university documents also helps to answer many important questions. These documents are considered as an attribute of university culture and a part of complex of cultural practices and values. The study attempts to research an evolution of «new» university symbols dating from the times of Ukraine's independence and influence on it of university traditions of pre-Soviet and Soviet periods. The research of university documents allows to treat the university environment not only as a social institution, but also as a cultural community whose existence is conditioned by certain rituals and symbols connected with these rituals. The paper considers a connection between peculiarities of formation and functioning of university documents in East-European universities during the 19th – early 21st century and modern state of the university idea in Ukraine. The semiotic content of university documents is considered as one of the manifestations and indicators of corporate consciousness and university identity.