Call for Applications – Martens Summer School

Call for applications – 22 January 2013

2nd Martens Summer School on International Law

A one-week intensive course organized by the Center for EU-Russian Studies (CEURUS), University of Tartu.

Location:  Pärnu College, Estonia
Time: 28 July – 02 August 2013

Objectives

The 2nd Martens Summer School on International Law, organized by the University of Tartu (Centre for EU-Russia Studies or CEURUS) in the Estonian coastal resort town Pärnu, will deal with comparative aspects of international law and human rights, particularly focusing on issues related to Russia and Eastern Europe. One of the underlying ideas is to bring together Western, Russian and naturally also Estonian international law scholars , practitioners and students. Each time, we will invite 4 distinguished lecturers from different countries; each lecturer will present 5 lectures over 5 days of the week.

Pärnu is the birth town of Friendrich Fromhold von Martens (1845 – 1909), the world-known Tsarist Russian international law expert and hero of a novel by Jaan Kross, “Professor Martens’ Departure”. Thus, the summer course will be held under the motto: “Those peoples and languages, flags and nations were present and waiting for me in my innermost consciousness long before I encountered them in the river harbour of Pärnu.” (Jaan Kross, Professor Martens’ Departure, Translated from Estonian by A. Hollo, New York: New Press, 1994, p. 34.)

In 2012, 30 students from 10 countries attended the 1st Martens Summer School in Pärnu.

Structure

The lecturers and topics in 2013 are:

  • Professor Bill Bowring (Birkbeck College, London) “Litigating Russian Cases in the European Court of Human Rights”
  • Professor Eduard Ivanov (Higher School of Economics, Moscow), “International Law and the Problem of Terrorism”
  • Judge Angelika Nußberger (European Court of Human Rights, Strasbourg), “The Protection of Social and Economic Rights in Europe”
  • Associate Professor René Värk (University of Tartu), “Challenges and Developments in International Humanitarian Law”
  • Associate Professor Christoph Schewe (University of Latvia) “Russia in International trade Law”

The Annual Lecture will be held by Professor Lauri Mälksoo (University of Tartu) in the framework of the festive reception that will be offered by the City of Pärnu on 29 July, and will address newest research about the life and work of F. F. Martens. Professor Mälksoo is also the course director of the Martens Summer School.

Eligibility and requirements

The summer school is open to MA students, advanced undergraduate students and professionals. The programme awards 4 ECTS/2 ECTS. In order to receive 4 ECTS for the programme, the participants are required to:

  • attend all lectures, seminars and study trips;
  • read all required texts prior to arrival in Pärnu;
  • participate actively in discussions;
  • submit a research paper by 30 August 2013. The length of the paper must be between 4000 and 4500 words, including footnotes and bibliography.

Students who do not submit the research paper will earn 2 ECTS.

Upon successful completion of the programme participants will receive the University of Tartu Certificate of Completion and an Academic Transcript.

Application procedure

Deadline for applications is 4 June 2013. A letter of motivation and CV needs to be submitted together with the application.

To submit your application, please visit the How to apply section of the UT International Summer University website.

Study fees

Tuition fees, the cultural and social programme as well as other services in the framework of the Summer School are fully covered by CEURUS and the University of Tartu. We do, however, charge 300 EUR to cover accommodation costs during your stay in Pärnu (5 nights for the period of 29 July to 2 August 2013). A third of this (100 EUR) needs to be paid upon application (i.e. together with the submission of your application) by 4 June 2013. It will be fully refunded in case your application is rejected. In case your application is confirmed, however, the remaining amount (200 EUR) for accommodation costs needs to be paid by 1 July 2013.

We do not cover the cost of transportation to and from Pärnu.

For more information, please contact Professor Lauri Mälksoo (lauri.malksoo[at]ut.ee)