Call for Applications: “Resilience of Baltic and Eastern European democracies: Theoretical and methodological approaches”

Call for Applications:

“Resilience of Baltic and Eastern European democracies:

Theoretical and methodological approaches” (5 ECTS)

Intensive course in Riga, 19-25 March 2023

In the past two years, we have experienced the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid threats, Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, inflation, sky-high energy prices and falling standards of living. The consequences of these events have been significant for our societies. Have you ever thought about how security concerns interact with societal resilience? Would you be interested in developing a multifaceted perspective on key issues that determine the resilience of democracy in the Eastern parts of Europe? Do you know how resilience can be studied methodologically?

If you would like to learn more about these timely and extremely important topics – we offer you a course that combines top-notch expertise from four universities: University of Helsinki, University of Latvia, University of Tartu and Vilnius University.   

The course includes lectures on:

• The resilience of area studies: what is the added value?
• Environmental communication and resilience
• Economic resilience and populism
• Resilience, governmentality and biopolitics
• The resilience of memory: exploring the Second World War

This is an opportunity for you to learn to use a multidisciplinary toolkit and improve your inter/transdisciplinary thinking. You will be part of an international group of students and have the opportunity to improve your oral presentation skills, teamwork skills, debate skills, interview techniques and scientific writing skills.

You will experience that learning can be fun!
 

Structure and completion

The seven-day intensive course will consist of different study formats. Students are required to:

• Study the preliminary reading
• Attend the intensive week programme
• Participate in an NGO café, which includes interviewing experts in groups and presenting what you have learned in a panel discussion
• Participate in field trips (National Parliament, National Library, NATO StratCom, Museum of Occupation, tbc) and subsequent panel discussions
• Submit an essay (3000 words)
• Submit a blog text (500 words)

Applications and expenditures

The intensive course is jointly conducted by the:

• University of Helsinki, Aleksanteri Institute
• University of Latvia, Master’s Program in European Studies and Economic Diplomacy
• Vilnius University, Institute of International Relations and Political Science
• University of Tartu, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

The course is part of the Nordplus-funded project “Baltic-Nordic Network for the Advancement of Methodology in Area Studies (BAMSE 2022)”. You can find more info on the BAMSE network website.

Master’s degree students and advanced bachelor’s degree students from the universities listed above can apply. There are five places per university, except for the University of Latvia, from which 10 students can participate. Participants are selected by their respective universities.

Ukrainian students – who have fled the war and received a place to study or are enrolled in an exchange programme at one of the networks’ partner institutions – are encouraged to apply.

There are no tuition fees. Students from Latvia, Estonia and Finland receive a BAMSE 2022 grant to cover travel, accommodation and living expenses. Please note that the grant is a lump sum and might not cover all expenses. Participants are expected to take care of insurance themselves.

The 5 ECTS course credits can be applied to the following study programs:

• Vilnius University
  • Eastern European and Russian Studies
  • Contemporary Political Studies
  • Politics and Media
• University of Latvia
  • European Studies and Economic Diplomacy
  • International Economics and Commercial Diplomacy
  • Baltic Sea Region Studies
• University of Tartu
  • International Relations and Regional Studies (IRRS)
  • EU-Russia Studies (EURUS)
  • European Studies (EÕM)
  • Politics and Governance in the Digital Age (PGD)
• University of Helsinki / Aleksanteri Institute
  • Specialization studies in ECEBB studies (ALKU-IK533)
  • East Central European, Balkan and Baltic Societies and Cultures (ALKU-E313)
  • Expertise in Russian and Eastern European Studies (ExpREES) optional studies
  • International MA programme in Russian Studies (MARS) optional studies

A letter of motivation (max. one page), a CV and an academic transcript need to be submitted to apply. Please send your application via email as a single PDF attachment to your university’s contact person listed below. Please write “Riga intensive course application” in the email subject line.

The deadline for applications is 17 February 2023.

We look forward to receiving your application!

Contact persons:

• University of Helsinki, Aleksanteri Institute
  Minna Oroza,
  minna.oroza@helsinki.fi
   
• University of Latvia, Faculty of Business, Management and Economics
  Sigita Struberga
  sigita.struberga@lu.lv
   
• University of Tartu, Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
  Anna Beitane
  anna.beitane@ut.ee
   
• Vilnius University, Institute of International Relations and Political Science
  Augustas Plaipa
  augustas.plaipa@tspmi.vu.lt