Spring 2018 - 60552 - PA 325 – Topics in Policy

Social Justice and Security Policies in Central Europe: Poland Case Study

 

This is a Maymester course.

“Social Justice and Security Policies in Central Europe: Poland Case Study”

The Center for Russian Eastern, European, and Eurasian Studies (CREEES) within The University of Texas at Austin’s (UT), College of Liberal Arts is offering a three-credit lecture/discussion course with four potential field study components offered in cooperation with Collegium Civitas of Warsaw, Poland. This course includes a Spring 2018 orientation component in Austin and a field study component in Poland during May-June through a 2018 Maymester.

This program brings together topics of potential interest to UT undergraduate students, with the goal of creating interest in studying in Warsaw, in the heart of Central Eastern Europe. By building on existing programs in Warsaw but taking advantage of the instructor’s contacts, exepertise, and ability to synthesize a range of materials through group discussions, excursions, and assignments, the insgtructor hopes to increase student travel to and study in Central Eastern Europe on in fields of critical national interest, relevant not just to students in CREEES but IRG, European Studies, Government, or other topics. In Austin, students will be oriented to field study in Poland. In Warsaw, students will have an opportunity to study one of four topics, working closely with experts in one of the following fields:

(a) Identity, Diversity and Tolerance in Polish Society; (b) Security Policy in Central Europe and Poland; (c) Cyber-security Issues and Policy in Poland; and (d) The Criminal Justice System in Poland.

The aim of the program is to offer an interdisciplinary study experience to UT undergraduates in those fields in Warsaw, combined with optional language training and professional experience abroad that permit any student to focus on a specialization in-country. The Maymester allows choice among topics, without succumbing to the lack of depth typically associated with a survey course. The program is located in Warsaw as the capital of Poland, a hub for issues of economic, political and historical relevance. It will utilize academic and professional connections in the region to offer students a perspective on global issues and EU policies. As a result, students will encounter and discuss concerns over social justice and security policy different than those found in many other countries. Students will write and present a final research paper on a topic of personal interest.

The class topics are linked to potential professional trajectories. Students will have the option (for an additional fee) to further their professional interests by being placed in on-site internships in the field in which they are specializing in during the Maymester. Internships would take place after the program and would be eligible for additional UT credit through an affiliation agreement with the host institutions, Collegium Civitas in Warsaw and SRAS of Woodside, CA. Collegium Civitas can be reached at address 1 Defilad Square, XII floor, 00-901 Warsaw, Poland, telephone +48-22-656-71-95, email: shortterm@civitas.edu.pl. SRAS can be reached at the address 117 Marva Oaks Drive, Woodside, CA 94062, telephone +1-650-206-2209 and email: study@securityand society.org.