Courses

Courses for Spring Semester 2012:

The Jews in Central Europe: The Holocaust and its Aftermath, 1939 to Today
This course presents the history of the Central European Jews during the Holocaust and in the post-Holocaust period. Going beyond a narrow interpretation of 'history' the course will also look at the sociological and psychological aspects of the Holocaust (human behavior in different situations and various countries) as a background to understanding the postwar experience of the Jews in Central Europe. Discussions of post-Holocaust history will include migrations, political issues, Jewish cultural and religious life, social life of the Jewish communities in Central Europe, antisemitism, Holocaust memory and the revival of Jewish culture. Although the recent history of Jews in all of Central Europe will be considered, special attention will be given to the local example of Jews in Krakow - by visiting local places important to Jewish history and by meeting with the people involved in contemporary Jewish life in this city.

The EU Economy on the Global Scene: Achievements and Challenges so far -
The general goal of this course is to identify the place of the EU economy in today's world. Among specific goals are:

- placing the EU economy against its main competitors: the US economy and Chinese one

- Identifying the competitive advantages of the EU economy as well as its weaknesses

- reflecting on the main challenges the EU economy is facing nowadays.

CEE Transition and EU Enlargement
At the beginnings of the 1980s, no political scientist could have predicted the astonishing changes that would soon rewrite the map of Central & Eastern Europe. Starting as a wave of reform in an increasingly dysfunctional "Real" Socialist economic and political system, a revolution swept the region into a new (and not always pleasant) reality of capitalism, democracy and high-speed globalization. Within a single decade, the challenge shifted from leaving the Soviet Empire to "returning to Europe." How have the political and economic systems of yesterday changed to meet the needs of today? Have they been effective?

Introduction to CEE Literature
This course will introduce students to the rich literature of Central & Eastern Europe, a diverse body of work that is only slowly coming to the attention of the rest of the world. After a short survey of the rise of national literatures in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Serbia, we will explore the works of Kafka, Kundera, Milosz, Konwicki, Konrad and Kis.

Western European Political History since 1945
The course will consider some of the most important events and processes which have shaped Western European politics since 1945, focusing on these key areas:

- Transatlantic relations since 1945, and how the US has helped shape political developments in Western Europe during this period;

- How the Second World War and the crystallisation of the Cold War affected Western Europe's political development;

Introduction to 20th Century CEE Literature
The course is addressed to undergraduate students interested in contemporary Eastern European literature and culture. It is based exclusively on English translations and does not require a knowledge of the Polish language. The course analyzes reciprocal relations between literature, sociology, politics and anthropology in order to present various self-portraits of the nations whose cultural identity has been endangered in course of their historical experience. Since Nazism and communism shook the traditional system of values, many people have been forced once again to ask themselves the question “Who am I?” After 1989 the question became even more urgent as the nations of Eastern Europe came face to face with new social, political and cultural challenges. The demand for revised self-definition has provoked some East European writers to seek different artistic and philosophical approaches which elucidate the whole European cultural tradition from a new angle.

Polish Language (various levels)
Polish language instruction will be offered at the beginners, intermediate and advanced levels. Placement tests will be offered at the start of the semester and students will be placed in the best available match to their abilities. Basic knowledge of the Polish language is essential for living in Poland and all students are strongly encouraged to participate.

French, German, Russian, Spanish Language (beginners' level)
Classes will be offered in these languages at the beginners level, as a continuation from the autumn semester. Because of the importance of Polish Language (see above), other languages are not recommended for students who do not already have an advanced knowledge of Polish.

The following courses are offered at the MA level and are open to undergraduate study abroad students. Our students have priority over other JU students for places in these courses.

Business and Markets in CEE
The course is designed to provide basic knowledge about the business environment in Central and Eastern European Countries - especially Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary (with a special emphasis on Poland) - from the point of view of a potential investor and/or a researcher. Consequently, the fundamentals of business law, investment climate, development of private small and medium-sized enterprises as well as privatisation and reprivatisation issues will be presented during the course.

Europeanisation and Transformation of Collective Identity
The course deals with the dynamics of collective identities in Europe. Students will get acquainted with theories of identity - sociological and anthropological approaches, with elements of political sciences, and will learn about processes of identity construction in Europe in a broad, historical perspective, but with a special emphasis on the current transformations. The seminar, which complements the lectures, will offer the opportunity to discuss contemporary literature on the subject, familiarise with recent research in the area and analyse case studies. The background for this course is the course on European Civilisation, offered in the first semester of the MA Programme in European Studies. Students are expected to have basic knowledge of European cultural and social history, with a special reference to the European cultural heritage.

Gender, democracy and citizenship in Central Eastern Europe
This course covers a broad range of issues related to the concepts of gender, citizenship and democracy in the context of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. Contemporary processes will be presented in the scope of historical development, with particular attention given to the construction of gender under the socialist regimes, democratic transformation, Europeanization and globalization.

EU Administration, Justice and Home Affairs
The main objective of the course is to introduce students to both basic and more detailed topics related to the EU Member States’ cooperation in fields of administration, justice and home affairs. The course is composed of two major parts: - In the first one (taught by Dr. Marcinko), the main emphasis will be put on selected aspects of EU contribution to the Europeanisation of public administration and civil services of Member States. This main stream of considerations will be illustrated by some essential examples, such as the functioning of national regulatory authorities, operation of administrative rules and procedures in implementation and enforcement of EU law and policies. Regulations on civil services in selected EU Member States will too come under analyses. - The second one (taught by Dr. Filipek) is devoted to the creation and functioning of EU area of Justice and Home Affairs in its historical context, as well as to the evolution of Member States’ activity and cooperation within that area. Particular areas of police cooperation, combating crime and judicial cooperation in both civil and criminal matters will be analyzed during the classes, together with major institutional developments, e.g. Eurojust and Europol.

Jewish Identities - Holocaust - Auschwitz
The objectives of the course are: (1) to give the students an overview of the selected issues related to Jewish identities, the Holocaust, and Auschwitz; (2) to introduce the participants to key research problems related to the subject-matter of the course and to present the current solutions to these problems; (3) to create opportunities to reflect upon and to discuss the issues studied; (4) to develop students’ opinions on the issues studied.

The Meaning and Value of Democracy from a Philosophical Perspective
Students will be invited to study the main conceptions of democracy, to identify the main problems of the theory of democracy, to acquire material for their own critical thinking about democracy in a dialogue with classical and modern thinkers, and thus to see that there is more to democracy theory than meets the eye of many observers of current political events.

EU-Russia Economic Relations
The EU is the main trade partner for Russia and the main source of imports for the Russian Federation. On the other side, Russia is the leading exporter of natural gas and oil for the EU. The course is aimed at the identification and then exploration of key areas/fields of economic cooperation between EU and Russia. The major objectives of the course are: ? to introduce students to the nature of the Russian economy, its strengths and weaknesses ? to raise students' awareness of mutual relationships between economic policy and Russian politics ? to familiarise students with key challenges the EU economy is facing and EU dependence on Russian sources of energy The economic and political profile of the Russian Federation will be followed by discussion of EU-Russia bilateral trade, EU-Russia common spaces and Partnership and Co-operation Agreement. Special emphasis will be put on EU energy policy and the role Russia is playing in this respect. Where applicable, the related issues will be placed in a broader context of international policy and foreign relations, for example Russia- China and EU-China relations.

Qualitative Methods of Social Research
The central goal of this course is preparing students to design and conduct qualitative methods projects. In class, students will develop research goals, practice individual in-depth interviewing, conduct focus group interview, analyze data, write small report and present research results. Main objectives are as follows: 1. Understand steps involved in designing qualitative research 2. Know and be able to use qualitative research techniques, including observation, individual in-depth interviewing, group interviewing, qualitative content analysis 3. Be able to analyze qualitative data 4. Be able to conduct their own (small) qualitative research project 5. Acquaint students with exemplary readings in qualitative research

PLEASE NOTE!
Other courses are offered throughout the university and are open to students on a space available basis.
Here are some examples of other courses taught in English :Courses in English