CAUCASUS INTERNATIONAL SUMMER SCHOOL (CISS)

8th – 12th July, 2013

The deadline for application is Monday, May 20th, 2013.

http://events.unitn.it/en/ciss2013

Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union, the region of Southern Caucasus has experienced a difficult transition towards constitutional rule of law and democracy, as dramatically represented by the occurrence of armed conflicts.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia committed themselves to liberal democratic principles and became members of the Council of Europe, but the results of their transition processes are still uneven. The strengthening of democratic institutions is challenged by many issues, including the permanence of de facto independent states as well as the presence of one million displaced people as results of the wars of the early 1990s.

Understanding the Caucasus today is of crucial interest to students of democratic transition, conflict transformation, international law and minorities’ rights. Students of international relations can approach an area around which gravitate the interests of the EU as well as of regional powers such as Russia, Turkey and Iran. Students of Caucasian studies have the opportunity to discuss their research with world leading regional experts.

The Caucasus International Summer School constitutes a unique opportunity for approaching, with high level international scholars from various disciplines, what makes the South Caucasus a priority in contemporary international studies. Not the least, the summer school takes place in the relaxed atmosphere of the Italian Alps surrounded by amazing mountain landscapes.

The Faculty is composed of leading scholars in Caucasian studies with high level scientific achievements and a wide personal experience on the field. The Faculty is invited to offer assistance to to participants’ research projects.

Leyla Alieva – president of the Center for National and International Studies (CNIS), Baku, Azerbaijan
Helge Blakkisrud – head of the Department of Russian and Eurasian Studies, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), Oslo
Thomas de Waal – Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Washington, DC
Aldo Ferrari – University of Venice and Vice-President of ASIAC
Sabine Freizer – director of the Europe Programme, International Crisis Group, Istanbul
Richard Giragosian – director Regional Studies Center (RSC) Yerevan, Armenia
Mikayel Hovhannisyan – Eurasia Partnership Foundation, Yerevan, Armenia
Marina Muskhelishvili – Center for Social Sciences (CSS), Tbilisi, Georgia
Ghia Nodia – director of the International School of Caucasus Studies at Ilia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia
Natalie Sabanadze – Office of the Legal Advisor, OSCE/HCNM
Jonathan Wheatley – Zentrum für Demokratie, Aarau

Secretariat
Via Verdi 53 – 38122 Trento (Italy)
Fax 0461 281874
e-mail: ciss@unitn.it

22 July – 2 August, 2013

The Association Linguists is organising the fifth edition of the Summer School of the Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian language this year.

The school lasts for two weeks, and consists of 40 classes of grammar and conversation. Additional activities include cooking and folklore workshops, translation classes, as well as a visit to a museum and a regional film screening. This year, instead of paying a visit to Mostar, we will travel to Travnik and Jajce, as a part of a one-day field trip.

In case you are interested in taking more than the 40 classes that the original Summer School offers, please let us know when you apply – this year we are organising the additional 20 classes (60 classes in total)! Our students will be able to opt for additional 5 days of learning BCS with us, from 5 to 9 August.

Students will be divided into small groups according to their proficiency levels, and several teachers will work with them on different aspects of language acquisition.

This year we will be organising the C2 level for those who have learned their grammar but still struggle with writing, as well as for those whose mother tongue is BCS, but who have never studied it in school.

Application process has already started, the price being 250 euro if you apply before 1 June.

If you apply later, the price is 300 euro.

We offer a discount for those who do not want to attend the additional activities and only wish to attend the classes (the price being 200 euro for two weeks and 300 euro for three weeks).

The accommodation is not included in the price.

For additional information, please visit: http://www.lingvisti.ba/bsc-school/bcs-summer-school/description-of-the-school

You can also check our e-magazines to find info about the previous summers:

http://www.lingvisti.ba/download/7dcbab9d-bc71-4329-b3ee-b94917127195.pdf,

as well as some photos:

http://www.lingvisti.ba/o-nama/foto-album/cetvrta-ljetna-skola

If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

Flensburg, Germany
August 19 – 29, 2013
Application deadline: May 15, 2013

The combination of the border region studies and minority rights’ studies on the example of the Danish-German border region model makes the NMBR summer school unique and interesting for the wide range of young scholars and practitioners. Participants have chance to attend the lectures delivered by ECMI researchers and international guest scholars from various European countries as well as local and international practitioners with high expertise in the area.
Please visit the summer school website to review the draft programme: http://www.nmbr.de/courses/2013/
How to apply to the Summer School
Eligibility

MA Students, PhD Candidates, junior scholars and practitioners, media representatives and NGO workers interested or working in the related area.

Application Procedure

Please submit the online application form (with the letter of statement and the CV attached) here: http://www.nmbr.de/application/application/

Enrollment Procedure

After the deadline the successful applicants will be granted the admission. Upon the admission the participants are expected to transfer the study fee of 400EUR and fill in the registration form
here: http://www.nmbr.de/application/registration/

Organizer

European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI)

Information & contacts

The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) conducts practice and policy-oriented research, provides information and documentation, and offers advisory services concerning minority-majority relations in Europe. It serves European governments and regional intergovernmental organizations as well as nondominant groups throughout. The Centre co-operates with the academic community, the media and the general public through the timely provision of information and analysis. ECMI HQ, based in Flensburg, Germany, conducts the research whcile the regional offices in Kosovo and Caucasus conduct the field projects in the area of ethnic minority issues. ECMI Flensburg organizes the conferences, workshops, seminars and the annual summer school as part of it’s training activity.

The summer school contact person:
Ms. Tamari Bulia
Summer School Senior Coordinator.

email: bulia@ecmi.de
Tel.: 0049 4611 41490

SUMMER SCHOOL FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Kyiv, Ukraine
Sept. 9 – 22, 2013
Deadline: May 25, 2013

COURSE ORGANIZATION:
The course is oriented towards advanced under-graduate students (2nd year and above), although graduate, post-graduate, and doctoral-level students are also encouraged to apply. The course focuses on political, economic and social issues, and is particularly suitable for students in the social sciences, humanities, and law, but open to all faculties. After completion of the course, students will be issued NaUKMA transcripts. The course combines in-class sessions (lectures and seminars, interactive presentations with discussion highly encouraged), a conference on Ukraine’s international relations, guest visits, joint discussions with local students, and tours to interesting sites in or around Kyiv.

COURSE AIMS AND CONTENTS:
Since its independence 20 years ago, Ukraine developed increasingly close co-operation with the West and the EU, but also never lost its ties to Russia. Whilst important events seemed to change the path towards one or the other direction – e.g. the Orange Revolution in 2004 – Kyiv’s orientation is still to both sides. It tries to sign a political association and free trade agreement with Brussels while, at the same time, entering a post-Soviet free trade zone and considering Moscow’s project of a Eurasian Union. How can one explain these balancing acts? Which were the critical transformations and events that determined the way in which Ukraine developed? What is specific for the Ukrainian culture and state, and where can we find typical traits of a post-Soviet society?

The summer school will introduce students to the analysis of these phenomena from different perspectives as the teaching will involve English-speaking political scientists, historians, economists, cultural scientists, and sociologists – mainly, but not only from National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”.

Topics treated that in one way or another will, among others, include:

- Post-Soviet Ukraine: Socio-Economic and Political Transformations
- Ukraine between Democracy and Authoritarianism
- The Origins of the Orange Revolution, and What Remains of It
- Ukraine’s Relationship to the European Union & Russia

In case of full attendance of, and active participation in, these lectures/seminars, students may obtain 2.5 ECTS points.

The participants will attend about two classes per work day, and can have further meetings and trips during the afternoons and at the weekend. They will meet and work with lecturers and students from National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”. The Summer school is organized by the NaUKMA International Office.
Two classes of survival Ukrainian are included into the program and covered by the general school fee.

HOURS:
Around 60 in-class hours (lectures, presentations, discussions) plus about 30 hours for course visits, meetings, group projects, project presentations etc.

Facultative Ukrainian-Language Course Work:

Additionally in parallel to the program, the students will be offered the opportunity to take part in a non-obligatory intensive course of Ukrainian. The course values 1,5 ECTS, with one or two sessions per work day, i.e. 14 x 2 = 28 hours. One course will be offered for those with no previous knowledge of a Slavic language, and one course for those with previous knowledge of a Slavic language (Russian, Polish, Slovak, Bulgarian, Serbian,…). Additional fees for these language courses will be charged (170-245 Euro depending on the number of the students registered). Language classes will not overlap with the program classes.

Course Instructor(s):
As the school is designed to be a mixture of different types of activities. The main school lecturer will be Dr. Mychailo Wynnyckyj (Director of the NaUKMA Doctoral School, Head of the NaUKMA Master’s Program in Sociology, lecturer at Kyiv-Mohyla Business School). Other lecturers invited will be mainly professors and experts of the NaUKMA, but we also put a special focus on external speakers.
For details please refer to the preliminary program to be published in due time.

CONFERENCE WITHIN THE SUMMER SCHOOL:
This year’s school will, for the first time, include a large, international conference under the title “What Can Tempt Ukraine to Get back on the Democratization Path? Kyiv between the EU’s Eastern Partnership and Russia’s Eurasian Union” on 12-13 September 2013.
The conference will be held in English at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and Institute of International Relations of Shevchenko University, and bring together leading Western, esp. German, and Ukrainian scholars engaged in the study of Ukraine’s domestic transformation and international relations.

How to apply to the Summer School
General Logistics

Arrival in Kyiv:
Students are expected to arrive in Kyiv on Monday on Monday, September 9. Pick-up service from Boryspil International Airport, Kyiv International Airport or Kyiv Railway Station can be arranged by the school organizers upon request for additional payment.

Departure is Sunday, September 22. Transportation to the airports or railway station can be arranged by the school organizers upon request for additional payment.

Place:
National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (NaUKMA) is located in the historic Podil neighborhood of Kyiv. The campus is located on 3 city blocks stretching from the Kontraktova Square to the Dnipro river.
The campus of NaUKMA is composed of a number of buildings, but most of the in-class sessions of the course will be held at the International Office classroom (8/5 Voloska vul., NaUKMA Building 5, Auditorium 5-313).

Accommodation:
School organizers will suggest the students these types of accommodation:
1. Private apartment
Apartments are usually located in walking (up to 15 minutes) distance from the University and from each other. The apartments have typically 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, a bathroom and a toilet. All apartments are furnished, and include kitchen supplies, towels, utilities, and a local telephone (outgoing international calls are not allowed). It is recommended for two school participants to share one apartment. Apartments may cost (if to be shared by two participants!) – around 250-300 UAH per night per person, depending on the quality of the apartment.
2. Youth Hostel
Summer school students are advised to consider accommodation at the Dream House Youth Hostel. Hostel was opened in April 2012 and it claims to become one of the most modern hostels in Kyiv. It is located on famous Andriyvskyy Uzviz street and it takes about 5 minutes to get to NaUKMA from the hostel. This accommodation option is highly recommended!
Please note that the summer school students are responsible for their own reservations at the hostel, though the school organizers, upon getting permissions, can provide contact details of the selected school participants for the possibility to arranged shared rooms / apartments.
If preferred, you can arrange accommodation in Kyiv by yourself. We would recommend rent apartments either in the Podil district or close to it, in order to avoid using public transportation during the rush hours.

Meals:
Meals (but welcome and farewell event) will not be provided, but summer school students will be able to use the NaUKMA students canteen (25-30 UAH for lunch), the nearest Trapezna or Puzata Khata cafeterias (up to 50 UAH for lunches) and many other options available in the University neighborhood. A list of restaurants / cafes in Kyiv can be found on http://www.restaurant.ua/kiev/restoran/

Miscellaneous:
Applicants are asked to inform themselves extensively about living and traveling for foreigners in Ukraine. While Kyiv is not more dangerous than other cities in the region, we would like to alert you to occasional petty crime in public transportation, the presence of HIV/AIDS in Ukraine, and the necessity to boil tap water that you want to use for drinking or preparing meals. In the case of a medical emergency, Kyiv has high-class hospitals, but you should make sure you have sufficient health insurance that will cover any possible expenses. There are other things to observe. You can find in the relevant information in the major travel guides, or/and at your Kyiv embassy’s website.

Scholarships

German students may want to check the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) specialized stipend programme for the summer school attendance (1025 Euro per student).
See https://www.daad.de/ausland/studieren/stipendium/de/18756-go-east-sommerschulen-01/.

Please, note that those German students who wish to receive DAAD support have to apply separately and in parallel to the DAAD for this scholarship, before 25 May 2013. Note also that the DAAD has, unfortunately, only a limited amount of scholarships available for German students. Students who are able to cover their expenses and fees with other than DAAD funding or by themselves should indicate so in their application/s to the school, and DAAD.

Application Procedure

Those interested in participation should submit a competed application form ( http://dfc.ukma.kiev.ua/doc_new/2013/application_summer_course_NaUKMA_2013.doc) and other required documents (listed in the application form) by 25 May 2013 to the following e-mail address: larch@ukma.kiev.ua.
Students will be notified of participant selection results by 10 June, and should confirm their participation by 17 June 2013.
Course fee payments (partial) are due by 01 July 2013 (payment details will be provided upon receipt of confirmation of participation in the course).

Please, note that those interested in the DAAD stipend should apply for it separately, in parallel, directly to the DAAD, until the same deadline of 25 May 2013.

See https://www.daad.de/ausland/studieren/stipendium/de/18756-go-east-sommerschulen-01/

All questions about the course and the application procedure should be addressed to: Larysa Chovnyuk, larch@ukma.kiev.ua, tel. +38 0 44 425 77 70.

Organizer

National University of “Kyiv – Mohyla Academy

Information & contacts

Head of the Department for Foreign Cooperation Larysa Chovnyuk National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy”
Department for Foreign Cooperation

address: 2 Skovorody vul., Kyiv 04070, Ukraine
Tel: + 38 044 425 77 70
Fax: +38 044 425 50 16
email: larch@ukma.kiev.ua

International Social Science Summer School in Ukraine – Mykolaiv (Ukraine)
The application must be sent by e-mail to ukrainesummerschool@gmail.com, by 30 April 2013.

http://www.ukrainianstudies.uottawa.ca/summer_school_2013.html

The 5th Annual International Social Science School, to be held in Mykolaiv, Southern Ukraine, on 2-9 July 2013, will have the theme of “Challenging the Social Order: Revolution, Reform and Transformation Under and After Socialism.” For an intensive week in early July, an international group of twenty doctoral students and up to a dozen faculties are converging to a different town in Ukraine to hear and discuss presentations on ongoing research on a critical theme. The Summer School is designed to be interdisciplinary and international and follows the format of a Workshop. The program also includes lectures and field trips, of historical and contemporary significance, within the region.

Co-Sponsored by The Embassy of France in Ukraine – The Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Ottawa (Canada)  – The Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales [EHESS] (France) – The Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University in Mykolaiv (Ukraine) – The Doctoral School of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy (Ukraine) – The University of Paris Ouest Nanterre-La Défense (France) – The Franco-Belarusian Center for European Studies (Belarus)
Program description

“There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, ch. 6

The countries of the former Socialist Bloc have repeatedly experienced throughout the last century the difficult, perilous and uncertain task Machiavelli warns us against. Building, managing and deconstructing socialist states and societies appears to be a circular process of radical social and economic transformation. Thus, collectivization, arguably one of the most ambitious attempts implemented by a state to alter the socio-economic order, can be been as a starting point for major crises such as famines, population displacement and deportation, and the disruption of the countryside. Perestroika, enacted as a response to the decline of the Soviet economy, served as a catalyst for painful transition processes in Central and Eastern Europe, the introduction of neoliberal reforms and steep rise of social inequalities. Similarly, Soviet informal practices have been interpreted both as a reaction to the deep economic crisis of the late 1980s and as constituting a major cause of yet another crisis, the failure of the rule of state and economic transition.

These challenges to the social order have had seminal political consequences, such as Soviet industrialization and the rise of Stalinism, the post-war establishment of Communist rule in Central Europe, the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, the introduction of political pluralism under perestroika, the August 1991 putsch and the collapse of the Soviet Union, shock therapy, the 1998 financial crises in Russia, the colored revolutions and the return of authoritarianism.

The Summer School seeks to examine these moments of disruption of the existing social order when state and society are challenged in their institutions, rules, values and principles. Topics under consideration include:

the causes and dynamics of revolution, reform and transformation
mobilization, protest and rebellion
the management of social or political crisis
the production of new norms (informal, legal, economic, political)
the impact of dominant economic models
the management of the past: transitional justice, lustration, the politics of memory
how individuals and groups adapt to a new social order: career paths, survival strategies

The Fifth International Social Science Summer School in Ukraine welcomes proposals from the disciplines of history, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, and adjacent fields. While the primary focus will be on the socialist and post-socialist era (in the former Soviet Union, Central, Eastern and Southern Europe), pre-Soviet history may also be examined.

The Summer School is designed to be interdisciplinary and international and follows the format of a Workshop. Each participant will have the opportunity to present a paper and receive comments from a group of international scholars, as well as from the other participants, who are expected to be active in these discussions. The School’s program consists of lectures, panel presentations and discussions, as well field trips within the region.
Location

The International Social Science Summer School in Ukraine takes places in a different city of Ukraine every year. Previous schools have been held in Uman (2009), Dnipropetrovsk (2010), Ostroh (2011) and Zhytomyr (2012). The 2013 Summer School will be hosted by the Petro Mohyla Black Sea State University in Mykolaiv, Southern Ukraine.

The history of Mykolaiv, located on the Black Sea Cost, about 110 kilometers east-northeast of Odessa, is closely linked to its Port. The Port of Nikolaev is an important river port and one of Ukraine’s largest and busiest ship-building centers. After the Russian Empire annexed the Black Sea coast in 1788, the Port of Mykolaiv was founded as a shipyard near the site of the ancient Greek Olbia. Originally built for repair of Russian Navy ships during the Russo-Turkish War, the Port of Mykolaiv was opened as a commercial harbor in 1862, and the first foreign ships were welcomed into the port. This also led to the establishment of several foreign consulates in Mykolaiv. In the early 19th century, as with most urban areas in Ukraine, Mykolaiv developed into one of the largest Jewish centers in the Russian Empire and was the birthplace of the the seventh leader in the Chabad-Lubavitch dynasty.

In the Soviet era, Mykolaiv was a major shipbuilding center, closely linked to the military industry. The shipbuilding industry provided about 60% of Mykolaiv citizens with work. Because of this military orientation, the Port of Mykolaiv was closed to foreign visitors through the late 1980s. Most of the tragic events of the past century echoed in Mykolaiv’s history, such as the Civil War, the famine, the purges, German occupation and the Holocaust.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the industrial city of Mykolaiv faced a huge economic crisis. Most of the state-owned military-oriented industries faced restructuring and/or privatization, with unequal suc3 Fifth International Social Science Summer School in Ukraine cess. New branches of economy appeared. The image of the city is also evolving, sometimes in unexpected ways: the past city of shipbuilders became “the city of brides” with the development of foreign-oriented marriage agencies. In November 2012, the city was also in the center of the political news : the election vote count led to bloody clashes in Mykolaiv Oblast’s Pervomaisk, where pro-government and opposition candidates were both claiming victory in district 132.

A city of glory and a city in crisis, Mykolaiv is a perfect place for a Summer School focused on the challenges of a new social order.

Excursions and meeting organized by the Summer School team will focus on these different dimensions of the regional history.
Duration

One week, Tuesday 2 July – Tuesday 9 July 2013.
Call for application
Eligibility

The Summer School is open to PhD students (or students enrolled in a kandidat nauk program) and young researchers (up to six years removed from their PhD or kandidat nauk degree).

Proposals strong on theory and empirical research are particularly welcomed.

The working language of the Summer School is English.

Prospective participants must be fluent in English. Selected candidates will be notified before the end of May.
How to apply?

To be considered for the Summer School, candidates must complete an application form (that includes a 500 word project proposal) and add a CV.

They are also encouraged to send an additional written sample, such as a conference paper, a dissertation chapter, or a publication, although this is optional.

The application must be sent by e-mail to ukrainesummerschool@gmail.com,
by 30 April 2013.

The application form can be requested at ukrainesummerschool@gmail.com or downloaded on the following address: http://www.ukrainianstudies. uottawa.ca/summer_school_2013.html
The scientific committee is being set up.

 Effects of the economic depression to the law and state in Central-Europe

Győr (Hungary), Jul. 16-20, 2012

Application deadline: Jun. 5, 2012

The first Summer Seminar of the Széchenyi István University’s Doctoral School of Law and Political Science offers a forum for debate and reflection on the effects of the economic depression on Central European countries. The Seminar is addressed at young people coming from all over the European continent and especially its Central region. Noted lecturers, experts and professors help to discuss the legal, political and economic aspects of the economical depression on the specific context of Central Europe. The Summer Seminar will also include cultural events.
The Doctoral School of Law and Political Science of the Széchenyi István University will be responsible for most of the expenses related to the Seminar, such as:
- lectures and discussion panels;
- accommodation;
- boarding two times per day;
- facilities for studies and entertainment;
- publication opportunities.
The participants will have to provide for their own travel expenses to Győr and insurance. There is no registration fee.
How to apply to the Seminar

Eligibility

The Seminar is open to PhD students and young researchers (under 35 years of age) from all over Europe. However, students from the Central European region are particularly invited to apply.
Application Procedure

The application shall include:
- letter of motivation,
- filled application form, which can be downloaded from here.
- letter of recommendation from a professor (not compulsory but recommended)
All documents should be sent via e-mail to Dr Csaba Erdős at: csizmarik@sze.hu.
Applicants can be informed about the results until Jul. 15, 2012.

Organizer

Széchenyi István University’s Doctoral School of Law and Political Science

Information & contacts

Dr Csaba Erdős
Assistant of the Doctoral School
e-mail: csizmarik@sze.hu.

Cervia, Hotel Genzianella
Via Roma 85 – Cervia – Italy

Deadline for application: June 3rd, 2012

The Background

The 18th edition of the CEI International Summer School “Beyond Enlargement. The Wider Europe and the New Neighbourhood” will take place in Cervia, from Sunday 2nd to Saturday 15th September 2012.

Since 1995 the “Europe and the Balkans International Network – Centre for Eastern European and Balkan Studies”, established by the University of Bologna, has been organising a yearly Summer School for post-graduate students from Eastern Europe and from the European Union. Up to the ninth edition, held in 2003, the School was entitled “Post-Communist Transition and European Integration Processes”. Starting from 2004 the School has the title: “Beyond Enlargement. The Wider Europe and the New Neighbourhood”. This title change is explained by the enlargement of the EU towards ten East European Countries in 2004, seven of them belonging to the CEI area that represents the conclusion of the so called “post-communist transition”, at least for this part of Eastern Europe. The recent policy of the EU on “Greater Europe and the new neighbourhood” offers new rooms for an interaction between the CEI and the EU strategic goals, and this will be taken into serious consideration in the School programmes as well as in the selection of the students.
The School Offer

The overall objective of the Cervia Summer School 2012 is to promote the CSOs Network consolidation, through sustainable transfer of scientific know how, and through a permanent interaction stemming from both formal and informal learning. The School will deal with diversity management as a new frontier in the development of democracy and peace. Democracy, in this course, will be analysed also in the light of the “Democracy plus” conception, as asserted from Wojciech Sadurski. In other words, it means that Democracy, “not only requires designing and following the correct procedures, but its laws must in addition comply with certain values, such as human dignity, liberty, equal concern for all etc., in order to be fully legitimate”. In this sense, the School will adopt a holistic approach while delivering its courses with regard to all aspects of diversity management training and cross cultural orientation. In this sense, the Cervia Summer School 2012 will highlight mostly the relevance of “participatory democracy” through Deliberative Forums involving Civil Society Organisations. Deliberative approaches to decision-making imply a crucial role of empathy mechanisms, with the aim of achieving more shared policies and spirit of accommodation among conflicting claims. In deeply divided societies, deliberative approaches might serve to overcome discriminations against gender, religious beliefs, ethnic minorities, sexual orientation.

That is why, the main objective of the Summer School 2012 is to raise sensitivity against discriminations and in support of reconciliation, as well as to a more sustainable development in terms of economic production as well as of styles of life by actively promoting the CSOs Network experience and perspectives within the Summer School framework.

The School offers its participants a unique international arena where the problems of the Enlarged Europe can be analysed in depth through the active participation of a prominent and well experienced International Faculty and a select, widely differentiated group of CSO activists from various countries. Thanks to its scientific and methodological approach, tested during the past seventeenth editions, the School contributes in creating strong roots for high standards of self-understanding and tolerance, looked upon as basic values for the advancing of the civil societies, for the consolidation of political institutions in South-Eastern Europe, Caucasus and CIS, and the overcoming of conflicts in these Regions. Indeed, these are the basic prerequisites for the integration of this Area inside the EU in the next future, or for the establishment of a good neighbourhood.

At the same time, the young generations coming form these areas are expected to become members of the new leadership, supporters of democratic principles, human rights values and free market economies. These generations could also become able to create, in their own countries, positive expectations from economic and democratic integration in Europe or from a strong cooperation with the EU, reversing the current trends, particularly in South East and CIS Europe, where strong national confrontations and ethnic contrasts are often considered as values.

One of the most significant challenges for democracy in the diverse and increasingly integrated world of today is diversity management. Originally, the notion has been referred to enterprises and labour organization while dealing with transnational corporation businesses. However diversity represents today a great challenge for the development of Democracy and modern Governance, involving institutions, local authorities and the civil society organisations (CSOs). In this sense CSOs can act as peace enforcers and shape policy making processes.

The recognition, respect, and the acceptance of otherness do not represent only crucial components of any democratic political strategy that aims at social peace and stability, justice and social development. All contemporary societies need to be aware of that and, consequently, scholars, governance and, most importantly, civil society should pay adequate attention to diversity management. It is for this reason that a strategy of active diversity management in the Western Balkans, capable of channelling existing grievances to arenas less prone to violent conflict (such as politics, education, culture, mass media) but still able to spark one off, is essential in preserving the still fragile stability we witness today especially considering the current global economic crisis. CSOs should be the principal catalyst and sustainable multipliers of these strategies.

Consequently the sustainable development and green economy challenges issue is essential in order to deepen the study of the new scenarios of sustainable development, as a new approach to economic and social issues. This implies a specific care to the environment protection and to alternative technologies for energy. The growing relevance of these topics is related both to the need of relaunching the European economy under new basis and to guarantee peace in terms of access to resources: actually, the exploitation of existing energy sources has to cope with their increasing scarcity while the claims for their exploitation are dramatically broadening. The debate that took place in Copenhagen and its modest results have contribute however to spread the awareness of these challenges in the CSOs which claim their active participation in the decision making process in order to assure a more assertive and proactive consensus as well as a social cohesion and well being to the new social and economic transformation. Therefore the EU approach to these issues will be in depth presented and analysed during the classes by focussing on the Implementation of Sustainable Development Practices in the EU strategy, on the Indicators of Sustainable Development, on the role of civil societies in the Ethics and Economics in a Process towards Sustainable Development as well as in the Ethical Bases for Environmental law.
The 2012 Summer School will be articulated into 2 courses:
Course A: Diversity Management, Governance and the Role of Civil Society Networks

CSOs Network: challenges and perspectives on the CEI area
The Role of Deliberative Forums in deeply divided societies
Civil Society Organisation contribution to EU Regional strategies
Fighting against discriminations: The Rule of Law and CSO ‘dog-watching’ activities
Fighting against discriminations: Gender Policy and Nationalism
Fighting against discriminations: Diversity management in multi-religious countries
Fighting against discriminations: the Roma in the Western Balkans

Course B: Sustainable Development, Green Economy and the Role of Civil Society Networks

Awareness-raising impact of CSOs Network on sustainable development
Climate change and CSOs in a European perspective
Cross-border cooperation (CBC) initiatives: a civil society paradigm
Regional economic strategies: the Danube Cooperation Process, the Central European initiative and the Adriatic Ionian Initiative
European Investments opportunities for a sustainable economy
Sustainability in rural and agricultural systems: organic farming in the Western Balkans.
Territorial capital and diversification for a new rural paradigm
Sustainable energy: food, society and policy

Course B is organized in collaboration with the Summer School in International Cooperation and Sustainable Development Policies.

Participants will attend the courses split in two groups, one per area. Courses will be held in Cervia (Ravenna), Italy, and will include 70 hours of lectures, seminars and workshops. Moreover, both courses will be supplemented by some interdisciplinary events, scheduled inside the courses calendar. The subjects of these meetings will concern topics of politics, international dimension and the role of the European Institutions, potential cooperation with New Neighbourhood Eastwards and inter-regional relations in South East Europe.
Civil Society Networking: expanding the CSO Network

Members of CSOs Network, and particularly 2010 alumni, will be pro-actively involved in the 2012 Summer School courses, by introducing the Network to the attendants during a particular session that will be devoted to the role of civil societies in deeply divided countries, their main tasks and commitments with a focus on diversity management and sustainable development.
Interdisciplinary Events

The School promotes interdisciplinary event and panel discussions scheduled inside the courses calendar. These interdisciplinary events are designed precisely in order to increase the sensitivity of all participants about the mutual influence that characterises topics related to good governance, economic development and sustainability, democracy and environmental protection. This sensitivity will allow them to better operate in their specific conditions to the benefit of their own country.

Moreover, these modules will be organised in a form of exercises and simulations:

Deliberation in Deeply Divided Societies
Dealing with Diversity: Developing a Multi-Cultural Mindset

Requirements

The School admits young CSO’s and NGO’s activists and graduate men and women, with a background in Politics, Economics, Law, Philosophy, Social Sciences, Agrarian Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Literature and Communication Sciences. The minimum qualification required for participating is a bachelor degree.
Scholarships and Fees
Scholarships

Only participants which are activists and/or participants of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and NGOs and with citizenships from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo Turkey, are eligible for scholarships that cover both the course fees and the board and lodging (in double or triple rooms). The candidates with citizenships from above-mentioned countries which are also currently activist of CSOs will be automatically considered for scholarships. The scholarship covers accommodation expenses (board and lodging) in Cervia starting from the dinner of September 2nd to the breakfast of September 15th included and contribution for the travel expenses. Additional overnight stays or additional meals must be paid directly by the participants.
Fees

A € 950 fee is applied for EU and Overseas participants. The fee includes: board and lodging expenses in Cervia (from dinner in the evening of September 2nd to the breakfast of September 15th), and tuition. Please note that the travel expenses must be covered separately by the admitted students themselves.
Application Form and Deadline

Deadline for application: June 3rd, 2012 is the strict deadline set for receiving the properly completed:

application form;
curriculum vitae in European Format (this format of CV is specific and is available for free download or can be filled on-line at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions); CV must be in English;
letter of endorsement from your CSO.

Incomplete applications and/or applications received after this deadline will not be considered for the selection.

In order for prospective students to apply to the Summer School, they must

register in the Summer School’s website at http://www.summerschools.it/cissc/;
browse the “Application to the 18th Summer School” and follow the instruction in order to:
fill out the application form;
upload their CV in European format (this format of CV is specific and is available for free download or can be filled on-line at http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions); CV must be in English;
upload a letter of endorsement from the NGO/CSO they belong to.

Further information

Further information my be requested to:

Ms. Dessislava Krasteva – project coordinator
Istituto per l’Europa Centro-Orientale e Balcanica
CEI International Summer School
Hotel Genzianella, Viale Roma 85, Cervia, Italy
Phone: +39 0544 937 950

Venues: Flensburg (Germany)
Period(s): Sep. 6 – 13, 2012
Application deadline: Jun. 1, 2012

The ECMI Summer School aims to set out the conceptual and normative approaches to the study of national minorities in border regions and to explore their different applications in relation to current arrangements across Europe. By the end of the summer school, the students will be able to critically evaluate the successes and failures regarding the accommodation of national minority groups in the border regions of the European states.

Researchers from ECMI will be joined by distinguished international scholars, local politicians and representatives of minority groups from the Danish-German border region. Drawing on the effective collaboration between Germany and Denmark in the fields of minority accommodation and cross-border cooperation, ECMI’s research and policy consulting expertise, its engagement in conflict resolution, competence development and institution building in Kosovo and Georgia, and the empirical and normative expertise of the speakers, the Summer School promises a comprehensive examination of Europe’s national minorities in border regions. Upon completion of the Summer School, the participants receive certificates of participation.

How to apply to the Summer School
Eligibility

The European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) invites applications for the Summer School National Minorities and Border Regions from junior scholars and practioners from all over the world. Courses are taught at the Master’s level and the language of instruction is English. The participants should have a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in the discussions.
Application Procedure

In order to apply you will need to do the following:  Complete the online application form; Submit a statement of interest; Submit an up-to-date curriculum vitae. Complete applications normally take 2 weeks to assess. The final date for applications is 1 JUNE 2012.

The tuition fee for this year’s two-week Summer School National Minorities and Border Regions is EUR 400. The fee includes all teaching materials, coffee/tea, welcome drinks and dinner, guided tour of Flensburg and day trip to Sønderburg city. The selected participants will be asked to pay the whole amount at once. Unfortunately, no scholarships, financial assistance or special discounts are available.

Organizer

The European Centre for Minority Issues
University of Flensburg

Information & contacts

e-mail: summerschool2012@ecmi.de