 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||
SEMESTER PROGRAM AT COLLEGIUM CIVITAS
FALL SEMESTER
* Please note that courses are subject to change.
World History 1914-1945
The course aims at expanding students’ knowledge of contemporary history. It will develop their analytical skills and will improve their capacity to see contemporary issues from a historical perspective. It should also stimulate their interest in history.
During the course we will focus on the political, social and economic dimensions of contemporary history. Its approach will be mainly Eurocentric, with special insight into Central European affairs. It will cover the period from 1914 until 1945 – “the new Thirty-Year War” and its consequences for Europe and the world. The following subjects will be discussed: the First World War, Revolutions, the Versailles Order, the Apogee of the Colonial System, “The Great Depression,” Communism, Fascism and Authoritarian regimes in interwar Europe, and the Second World War.
Democratic Political Culture
The course is designed to discuss the current state of theory, research methods, and results of empirical research in the field of democratic political culture. Students will become familiar with important classics as well as cutting-edge research. Upon completion of this course students should be able to relate political culture to the general problem of the persistence of democratic political regimes. On the theoretical level, the course will rely on an extensive discussion of Almond and Verba’s The Civic Culture, Putnam's Making Democracy Work, and Inglehart and Welzel’s Modernization, Cultural Change, and Democracy. On the practical level, the course will draw on contemporary developments and the students’ own experiences.
International Organizations
The course is designed to introduce students to the theories, functioning and historical development of the most important international organizations, excluding those of a purely military or economic character. Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to critically assess the most important issues and questions related to international organizations. They should also be able to appreciate Poland’s participation in such organizations as the United Nations, the Council of Europe and the OSCE.
The course will start by proposing a definition and introducing a classification for international organizations. The main theories relating to the system of international organizations will be discussed in this context as well as the role of such organizations and their historical development. Special emphasis will be put on the origins of the United Nations, its structure, performance and institutional development. Students will be offered sessions devoted to UN functioning. Among the most relevant issues, priority will be given to the UN Charter and system of organizations and specialized agencies (e.g. OHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF, ILO, FAO, UNESCO, WHO). The second part of the course will focus on the European regional organizations, such as the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as well as on other European organizations and forms of cooperation, such as the Central European Initiative, the Council of Baltic States, the Organization for Black Sea Economic Cooperation, etc. Finally, the significance of international non-governmental organizations (e.g. the African Union, the Organization of American States, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) will be examined, and their place in the international relations system analyzed.
Introduction to Sociology and Politics
The course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts and categories of the social and political sciences. Upon completion of this course students should be able to critically examine the most important issues and questions in the field of sociology as well as political science. Students should also be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation of the links existing between sociology, political science and other social sciences.
The main aim of the course is to describe the subject matter of sociological research and theory as well as its political science equivalent. At the same time, the course will present and discuss the practical use of sociology in the everyday life of social groups, structures, and institutions. We will begin by outlining the major theoretical perspectives and definitions. Then we will discuss the beginnings of sociology and the sociological tradition as well as the problems related to the application of sociological findings and to conducting sociological research. Other issues to be discussed are the following: socialization; personality and its elements with sociological and psychological approaches to the self; culture and society; the environmental, biological, and historical grounds of social life, the social collectivity and the social group; social structure and stratification; the individual and the social system; the sociology of politics as well as various theories of global changes (the problem of globalization).
Introduction to International Relations
The course is designed to be an introduction
to international relations as a branch of social science. Students
will become acquainted with the main concepts of international
relations, such as interests, power or sovereignty. The course
will also provide a general introduction to international relations
theory. It will deal with general “classical” and canonical
international relations theory texts as well as with more concrete
case studies.
International Economics
The course is designed to develop an understanding of the international market economy. On completion of this course students will be able to critically assess the functioning of an open economy and its economic and financial links with the world. Students should be able to demonstrate a critical appreciation of trade and exchange rate policy instruments and their limitations. The course aims at demonstrating and explaining issues relating to the functioning of the open economy. It will focus on international trade theory and trade policy issues. An attempt will be made to explain issues relating to currency exchange rates, exchange rate policy and the balance of payments.
International Public Law
Lectures will concentrate upon three fundamental issues: the creation, application, and implementation of international public law. They are intended to give students a complete presentation of the theory and practice of international law, as well as its role in contemporary international relations.
Strategic Studies
This course will provide a comprehensive presentation of the subject
of strategic studies, including related literature (both classic
and modern). Students will be presented with the newest trends
in the art of warfare, necessary for an understanding of the
political processes and international relations. Successful completion
of the course will enable students to take part in the political
life of the state and will prepare students for public service,
especially within the Ministry of Defense, the National Security
Bureau or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as in international
organizations.
Foreign Policy of Poland
In the period after 1989 Poland has completely re-orientated its foreign policy. The purpose of this course is to present the circumstances of these changes and to engage in a debate as to their merits or otherwise. The new priorities of Polish foreign policy will be described with special emphasis placed on considerations of security issues (NATO) and the European aspects. Having completed the course students will be familiar with the basic structures, purposes and rules of Polish foreign policy as well as with ideas about the Polish position in the world arena.
Institutions and Decision Making in the EU
The intention of this course is not only to familiarize
students with the basic EU institutions but also to provide a more
comprehensive insight into the secrets of the decision making process.
Students will examine the genesis, basic responsibilities and everyday
functioning of the most important union organs, including the
European Council, European Commission and the European Parliament.
Special attention will be given to the decision making process,
thus allowing students to answer the following question – what
is the range of responsibilities of countries who are members
of the EU?
Self-Interest in Human Affairs
This course will be devoted to the concept of
self-interest. Students will examine how this concept surfaces
in various aspects of human affairs. It will begin with discussions
of the historical pedigree of the concept of self-interest. Rational
choice theory, in which self-interest is prominently present, will
then be considered. Next, students will go beyond consumer behavior
and analyze the concept of self-interest in political matters.
Criticism of the rational choice approach will then follow. It
will be shown that this approach is defective when individual decision-making
is concerned. Self interest-based models of both the private and
the public spheres will be evaluated. At the end of the course
students will consider the relationship between prudential and
moral reasons. In addition, students will have a glimpse at the
role of self-interest in international affairs.
Polish Lifestyle and Thought
The course is designed to give students an insight into the issues of contemporary culture. On completion of this course students will be able to give their own appreciation of cultural phenomena and their connection with real life. They should also be able to analyze Polish culture, lifestyles, and thought in a broad, comparative perspective – as part of world culture.
The course will be delivered as a set of thematic presentations, each being illustrated by a film and completed by a discussion, which will follow the screening of the films listed below. The themes of the twelve sessions will be the following: 1) Will Beauty Save the World? 2) Childhood and the Rest of Life, 3) Love and Desire, 4) The Permanent Charm of Violence, 5) Politeness and Hypocrisy, 6) Dwarfs, Run of the Mill, Titans, 7) Countryman or Stranger? 8) the World Is a Theatre and We Are Actors, 9) Music Makes Manners Milder? 10) Forgiveness and Forgetfulness, 11) Death and Eternal Life, and 12) About Everything and Nothing.
Philosophy (academic year students only)
The course aims at providing students with the tools for a philosophical analysis of social and political phenomena. Through attending this course students will attain a sound knowledge of classical issues and works in philosophy. They will also gain insight into a whole spectrum of political and social philosophies. The course is an overview of the most important trends and systems in Western philosophy, from Socrates to Postmodernism. It will begin by introducing the ancient political conceptions of Plato and Aristotle. The concepts of citizenship, virtue, and reason will be discussed. An analysis of early Christian thought, including St. Augustine’s conception of divine and earthly states, will follow. The main focus of the course, however, will be on modern and 20th-century philosophy in view of their immediate impact on present political theories and practical political solutions. The main issue, which will be addressed time and again, is how to reconcile the principles of liberty and justice in civic society.
Mathematics (academic year students only)
The course is designed to provide students with the computational skills necessary in the basic qualitative methods of social science. On successful completion of this course, students will have become more acquainted with statistics and statistical methods. They will be also better prepared for attending courses on economics and econometrics. The first part of the course will be fully devoted to such problems as: the limit of a function at a point, the derivative of a function, sufficient conditions for the existence of a local extremum; the limits of indefinite expressions; asymptotes, the functions of many real variables; the properties and methods of calculating determinants; linear, bilinear and quadratic forms; partial derivatives and the differential of a function of many real variables, indefinite and multiple integrals etc. The second part of the course will be initiation in the use of mathematics in the social sciences. The main focus of the course will be such problems as: the application of matrices to sociological and economic problems, general systems of linear equations and elements of combinatorics, definitions and theorems of probability, random variables and discrete and continuous distributions. In the section devoted to statistics, there will be a discussion of the following topics: descriptive and inductive statistics, measures of dispersion and asymmetry as well as the sampling and verification of hypotheses. The issue of the credibility of data and statistical reasoning will end the course.
Economics (academic year students only)
The course is designed to develop knowledge of the functioning of the market economy. On successful completion of this course students will be able to critically examine the micro and macro-economic aspects of the functioning of markets. Participants in the course will also gain an understanding of the forms and structure of markets. They should be able to demonstrate a realistic appreciation of economic policy instruments. The course will focus on the behavior of economic subjects and on the different forms of the organization of markets. Factors having an impact on Gross Domestic Product (GDP), consumption and investments, how they affect the money supply, prices and salaries, will be discussed initially. Special attention will be paid to the theoretical basis of economic policy. The interaction among the goods, labor and assets markets of the economy, and the basic theory of fiscal and monetary policy will also be explained. The course will also relate theoretical aspects to current policy issues in selected countries (including those in Central Eastern Europe).
World Economic History (academic year students only)
The aim of the course is to provide students with some conceptual tools and a sound understanding of the economic processes which have impacted world history. The objectives of the course are as follows: 1) to prepare students to follow courses in Economics and 2) to widen their horizons while giving an economic background to world political history. Students will be introduced to basic economic concepts and phenomena, including among others agriculture, trade and industry, the market, money, the third sector, recession and inflation, as they have emerged in historical development. The successes and failures of economic systems will also be analyzed with particular emphasis placed on factors such as economic growth and social development. The course will begin with an examination of the Neolithic, Agrarian, Urban and Industrial Revolutions in Europe. It will discuss issues of European Feudalism and the Free Market Capitalism of the 19th century, and conclude with an analysis of 20th-century capitalism as challenged by the Soviet style Planned Economy. A look at the effects of the IT Revolution will complete the course. The course takes the form of regular lectures, and includes two interactive debates on, “Factors of Economic Prosperity and Failure,” which will be held towards the end.
Comparative Government (academic year students only)
As a result of an analysis of the most typical political systems in the modern world, students will be able to understand the forces which make them distinct. Liberal democracy, with presidential, parliamentary, and semi-presidential variations; fundamentalist theocracy; and various forms of authoritarianism are only basic institutional designs which assume their specific character when driven by the internal forces of political culture or by external pressures. Even though a good deal of students readings will be devoted to specific systems in action (the United States, Great Britain, France, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, Russia, Israel, India or Japan), we will not lose sight of the theoretical aspects of a comparative study of political systems. In order to do so, students will examine the historical and social roots of political diversity and its manifestations in party systems, state-society relations, civil rights, the relations between the economy and politics, recruitment of political elites, and the role of the judiciary. During classes, students will pay closer attention to the skills of comparative analysis and to sensitivity to political diversity than to the presentation of facts about particular systems, which will be done individually. By the end of the course students are expected not only to master factual knowledge about various institutional designs but also to recognize the dynamics which drives them.
Econometrics
The main goal of the course in to familiarize students with econometric tools, to present methods of data analysis, and to instruct in MS Excel. During workshops students will solve some quantitative problems, and therefore, after successful completion of this course they will be able to conduct individual research. The course is designed to present the basics of statistics, econometrics and financial mathematics and to demonstrate how these tools are applied in practice. Students will be using the MS Excel program. The course covers simple model estimation, statistical analysis, direct and chain indices, and the present and future value of money. Classes will focus on Excel application matters and interpretation of the outcome, the “case study.” The following topics will be covered in the framework of this course: descriptive statistics and correlation analysis; matrix operations and index analysis (real and nominal values). In addition, models will be discussed and explained: methods of estimation, Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), R square, error of estimation, dummy variables, t-statistic, estimations significance, interpretation, data type analysis, and general-to-specific estimation. The course will be completed by classes on financial mathematics: present and future value; credit, interest rate, and optimization with Solver.
Diplomacy: Theory and Practice
The main aim of the lecture is to link theoretical
assumptions and principles with various forms of diplomatic activity
and to provide explanation for individual and collective behaviors
of actors playing in crucial role in IR. The following topics
will be covered: 1) the classic concept of Diplomacy, 2) globalization
and diversification of social world – beginning of a new
diplomatic parading, 3) public diplomacy – alternative
or supplement, 4) international law, 5) economic game, 6) military
game, 7) multilateral perspective (UN, OSCE, EU), and 8) diplomacy
within the framework of changing global order – challenge
and chances.
Globalization Process
The main purpose of course is: 1) to offer systematically a contemporary, multidimensional understanding of globalization as a major vehicle of change including questions concerning causation and consequence as well as the diversity of experience of respective states and societies; 2) to explore and reflect upon theories, paradigms and policies which have helped to mould globalization in its present shape; and 3) to examine the role of international cooperation and, in particular, the contribution of major international economic and financial institutions to analyzing, debating, and managing globalization through normative and other activities.
Special emphasis will be placed on key concepts in theory and multilateral diplomacy such as good governance at all levels, including global governance, global public goods as well as policy coherence. An effort will be made to discuss jointly what the future might have in store and how to combine efficiency and values in order to steer towards the socially sustainable restructuring of the global economy.
Orientalism and Occidentalism
This course is intended to provide students with a deeper understanding of modern European and East Asian cultures by means of an examination of the ways Europeans and East Asians have represented each other in popular and scholarly discourse, the arts, and the visual media. At the theoretical level the course will draw upon work from across a range of the social and human sciences, particularly theoretical anthropology, history, literary theory, and the interdisciplinary understandings that fall under the rubric of “cultural studies.” At the practical level students will be encouraged to bring into their own discursive practice the theoretical understandings of the course, particularly as they relate to the context of the “new Europe” and its Asian relations at the beginning of the 21st century, or, as it has often been called, “the Asian century.” Classes will consist of “positioning” lectures followed by discussions and exercises intended to ground the theoretical understandings of the course in the practical concerns of the participants.
Israel: Culture, Politics and Identity
The purpose of the course is to introduce the students to the social and cultural changes which Israel has undergone from the time of the first pioneers until the present day. The course will try to demonstrate the transition of Israel from a collective society, centered around a single historical narrative, into an individualistic and multicultural state, so different from the original ethos of its founding fathers. After introducing the beginnings of the Jewish settlement in Eretz Israel in modern times, the course will focus on such symbols of Israeli identity as the revived Hebrew language, “Sabra” (the first generation Israelis), the role of the army, the phenomenon of the kibbutz and also the ambivalent and painful treatment of the Holocaust. The topics will be illustrated by viewing Israeli films, which will be analyzed and discussed together with the students.
International Public Law
For this course the lectures will concentrate upon three fundamental
issues: the creation, application, and implementation of international
public law. They are intended to give students a complete presentation
of the theory and practice of international law, as well as its
role in contemporary international relations.
Communication Workshop
This course provides hands-on practical experience. This skill that you will gain is crucial in real world and will provide you with the basics on how to communicate in various situations. You will be expected to have knowledge from previous theoretical courses in communication. If it happens that you have not attended a theoretical communication course before, basic reading will be provided. Each student will give a presentation and receive written feedback on her/his strong points and areas that need improvement.