Join the summer school in Narva: “Belarus in the Limelight: Regime Survival and International Insecurities”, 3-8 July 2022

Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu, in cooperation with the Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies invites graduate, post-graduate and doctoral students to apply for the summer school “Belarus in the Limelight: Regime Survival and International Insecurities”.

The school is part of a project “Raising awareness on civil society of Belarus through learning and research activities” supported by the Estonian Foreign Ministry.

CONTENT

The school is intended to explore from the perspective of political science and international relations the recent political developments in Belarus in the aftermath of the fraudulent presidential election of August 9, 2020, followed by mass scale protests and the ensuing violent repressions by the Lukashenka regime. The school program is designed to discuss the ongoing political dynamics in the post-protest Belarus in conjunction with foreign policies of the Minsk officialdom, including relations with Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. Classes, seminars and workshops are aimed for both empirical analysis of the situation within and around Belarus, and developing and testing conceptual approaches and frames to be used as explanatory tools of domestic changes and their international repercussions. 

The teaching staff is recruited from universities of Tartu, Riga, Bratislava, Warsaw and Tubingen. The learning process consists of lectures and interactive classes based on students’ inclusive participation, topical presentations and group-based debate. Awareness and ability to engage in a profound discussion of the current political situation in Belarus is highly encouraged.

The working language is English. Participation is equal to 4 ECTS credits, which will be confirmed by a certificate awarded to each student upon successful completion of the School.

TENTATIVE TOPICS

  • From regime change to regime survival: trajectories of Lukashenka’s reign
  • The migration crisis on Belarus’ borders with the EU and NATO: Polish, Latvian and Lithuanian perspectives
  • Belarus in the context of Russia’s threats to Ukrainian security
  • Estonia’s discourse on and approaches to Belarus
  • Theorizing the Lukashenka regime: explanatory concepts and approaches
  • The future of Belarus: scenario planning

VENUE

The venue of the School is the Narva College of the University of Tartu. The organizers provide comfortable accommodation, free Internet access and various outdoor opportunities.

COSTS

The organizers will cover accommodation and meal costs, while participants are expected to arrange and cover their travel to and from Narva by themselves.

HOW TO APPLY

B.A. (3rd and 4th year), M.A. and PhD students, as well as young NGO practitioners with a relevant work experience are invited to submit their CVs and motivation letters explaining their interest in the topic and its relevance for the applicant’s future career.  The motivation letter should also contain applicant’s full name, date of birth, postal address and phone number. The deadline for submission is March 31, 2022.

Applications should be sent to Fidan Vali, project coordinator at: fidan.vali@ut.ee with “Summer school in Narva” indicated as the subject of the email.