The Program

Structure of the Summer Schools

The summer school is accompanied by faculty-led workshops in the academic term preceding the field trip portion. Subsequently, the symposium week contains institutional visits, talks and workshops, and concludes with a final student-based conference.

(1) Preparatory Phase

The summer school is prepared by faculty-led workshops during spring term. We will focus on providing information on the historical and political background, theoretical concepts, the practical application to contemporary issues; as well as presentation training, research topic brainstorming, international coordination, 1 or 2 video conferences, and pre-departure planning meetings.

Students from all participating universities will form joint research groups, and are guided by faculty and PhD students in their research and presentation preparation.

(2) Summer School Week

The symposium week consists of approx. ten days of joint activities in and around Berlin and Warsaw. These are:

• cultural activities (theater, opera, musical, museum visits, archaeological sites, etc.)
• social activities
• academic workshops by expert speakers on several issues related to the topic of the symposium
• visits to political (both official authorities and NGOs), economic and cultural institutions related to the topic of the symposium

(3) Concluding Symposium Conference

The student presentations are held in a one-day public academic conference. The conference is organized by a PhD student with input from academic faculty.

(4) Alumni Phase

We will stay in touch and create a community of former summer school participants. Previous participants will be invited to all upcoming events, and we will also offer an on-line discussion forum to facilitate an on-going exchange. Currently, this is done via Facebook.

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