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European and Russian Relations: the Social Dimension
This 3-week program is offered jointly with the Center for EU-Russia Studies. The course will meet from Monday, 15 July 2013 until Friday, 2 August 2013 in three different Estonian cities - Tallinn (at the premises of the University of Tartu Office in Tallinn), Tartu (at the main campus of the University of Tartu) and Pärnu (at the University of Tartu Pärnu College).
The aim of this program is to introduce the current issues and mutual relations of and between the European Union and the Russian Federation. The goal of the program is likewise to enable the participants to understand the historical factors behind the social developments in Europe and Russia, the status quo and the scenarios for the future.
Each week the lectures will be held from Monday to Thursday. In the afternoons there will be meetings with Estonian politicians and foreign diplomats residing in Estonia and field-trips to official establishments (the Parliament, the Representation of the European Commission in Estonia). Upon successful completion the participants will receive University of Tartu Certificate of Completion and an Academic Transcript.
Week I. Foreign and security policy patterns in Russia after 2000
Location: Tallinn, 14-21 July 2013
The module will explore the developing of Russian Empire and its impact on today's Russian foreign policy. Being a former empire has important impact on today's foreign policy principles in Russia. The module will compare different foreign policy schools of thought in Russia (Westerners, Slavophiles, Eurasianists) and their representation in Russian foreign policy. After briefly reviewing the main developments in the Soviet period, the module focuses on post-Soviet Russian foreign policy. It surveys a range of contemporary issues, including Russia’s evolving relationship with the EU and the US, its positions regarding NATO and EU expansion, and its attempts to retain/establish regional hegemony in the former Soviet space. The module examines various explanations of Russian foreign policy behavior, considering factors at the international, domestic and individual level. It will examine how foreign policy is determined by national interests and security concerns, power capabilities, political culture, identity, institutions and norms.
Week II. EU and Russia Transforming: Implications for the Relationship
Location: Tartu, 21-28 July 2013
While many experts describe the EU-Russia relations as stagnating, internally both players are going through dramatic changes. The eurozone has been hit by the debt crisis, which presents a grave danger to the very existence of the single European currency. The scale of the financial problems which the European Union is now facing has pushed the EU governments towards a far-reaching political and institutional reforms, which might lead o the emergence of a much more coherent and robust political actor to replace today's rather loose confederation. Russia, for its part, demonstrates an unprecedented degree of political stability and continuity, and yet there are numerous indications that the tensions continue to accumulate within the economy, the state and society. There seems to be a consensus for the need to modernise the country, but various elite groups and the wider society increasingly diverge as to the most basic goals of political and societal development.
In sum, it might be the case that both the EU and Russia are entering the times of major transformations, which can make them much stronger, but can also lead their respective social, economic and political structures to a total collapse. The objective of this module is to help students to grasp the scale and interconnectedness of various challenges that the EU and Russia face today, and to estimate the potential impact of these challenges on the EU-Russia relations.
Week III. Russian and European approaches to Human Rights
Location: Pärnu, 28 July - 02 August 2013
This module will focus on Eastern European and Eurasian concepts of and developments in International Law, including Human an Fundamental Rights Law. In particular, we will devote our main attention to significant international legal developments in the Russian Federation and the CIS countries. The module is part of the 2nd Martens Summer School on International Law.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1991 and the adoption of the new democratic constitution in 1993, the Russian Federation has embraced various regimes and instruments of International and European Human Rights Law. Perhaps most significantly, Russia ratified the European Convention on Human Rights in 1998 and thus became subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Human Rights. However, Russia's participation in the Strasbourg sustem of human rights protection has not always been an easy or smooth one. Russian NGO-s and international human rights organizations, both governmental and non-governmental, often criticize the Russian government for deficiencies in the field of human rights. What then is today's Russia's stance on Human Rights Law? In light of the Russian Federation's participation in the European Convention on Human Rights, what are the main problem areas? With the help of prominent Human Rights Law specialists from the Russian Federation and elsewhere, the 2nd Martens Summer School on International Law will look for answers to the above mentioned questions.
The lecturers will include Angelika Nussberger (Judge at the European Court of Human Rights, former Professor at the University of Cologne) and Bill Bowring (Professor at Birkbeck College in London).
The application deadline is 03 June 2013.
The program awards 6 ECTS credits.
The program fee is 1785 EUR. This includes tuition, accommodation with breakfast, transportation during the program, cost of the cultural and social program and services of the host university. This program is financially supported by the Center for EU-Russia Studies.
For application, please go to How to apply section of our website.
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