Description
The project looks at developments in the Post-Soviet area with a focus on political and economic integration and the prospective effects of the Russian-led 'Eurasian Union'. There is a lacuna of critical thinking here, which the project addresses by setting-up a dialogue and activities to identify the implications of such developments for Europe and in particular the EU's interests in the post-Soviet space. The project will boost and refresh all partners' research capacities and enhance the applicant institution's teaching portfolio and scientific capacities. The project will hold scientific meetings; create teaching modules, a Summer School and publications. Collegium Civitas will lead on scientific direction and financial management; Norwegian Insitute of International Affairs (NUPI) and Polish Institute of International Affair (PISM) will bring their leading expertise and contribute to shaping the curricula of the modules and Summer School and contribute to the publications. PISM will lead the practical elements of the organization of the Summer School.
Summary of project results
The project was needed to help fill a gap in research and teaching on issues to do with political, economic and security-related development characteristic of the post-Soviet space. The project enabled Norwegian and Polish partners to develop a common research project, which was needed to infuse current scholarship on the subject. Equally, the project was needed to boost Collegium Civitas’ teaching portfolio and capacities to deliver relevant courses to a large number of students on issues of direct interest and importance to their studies. The impact has been high; using the download count of the research bulletins and the extent to which students used them as reading materials on our modules the research deliverables generated by the project has been significant. The teaching has also had a significant impact, by virtue of the large number of students’ involved and broad range of nationalities. The outcomes, which have been reached in their entirety have been the establishment of Collegium Civitas as a key provider of teaching on post-Soviet issues (based upon research), a significant build-up of the capacities of all partners to engage in cross-national cooperation and to understand Polish and Norwegian perspectives on issues, the creation of an esprit de corps between Norway-based and Poland-based researchers and academics which will sustained by further mutual activities, a strong and definable body of work (teaching and research) which will be used and outlive the life of the project, and finally a significant number of students with the capacity to critically analyze development in the post-Soviet area. Project’s main results: teaching module “Back to the Future? - Eastern Europe in the 21st Century” (4 ECTS points); summer school POLNOEAST “Warsaw Summer School: Order, Border and Disorder in the Wider Europe”; teaching module “Conflict and Cooperation in the Post-Soviet Space”; 4 articles: “Belarus—Political and Economic Perspectives in the Context of Changes in Eastern Europe”, “Building Awareness about the EU in Ukraine”, “Georgia in the Context of the Crisis in Ukraine: A Dangerous Curve on the Road to the European Union and NATO”, “European Energy Security in the Wake of the Russia –Ukraine Crisis”. Websites:
http://www.pism.pl/publications/bulletin/no-95-690 ;
http://www.pism.pl/publications/bulletin/no-73-668;
http://www.pism.pl/publications/bulletin/no-88-683;
http://www.pism.pl/files/?id_plik=18874
Summary of bilateral results
The Norwegian partner profited from the collaboration in terms of (a) reinforcing its links with key Polish institutions in research and academic environments (b) learning from Polish colleagues on matters to do with post-Soviet developments and implications of Russian foreign policy on Central European states (c) learning about Polish academia - constraints and opportunities, including the needs of Polish students. Collegium Civitas was the lead partner, performing the core role of coordinator, time-table watcher, accountant and quality assurance monitor. The mainstay of the resources used were therefore devoted to Collegium Civitas, with further resources divided up among other partners for teaching and research-output deliverables. NUPI and PISM brought to the project lengthy experience into research on the former soviet area, which greatly enhanced the teaching and research-output dimensions of POLNOEAST, rendering our deliverables of a cutting-edge nature with significant value-added to Collegium's teaching profile. In the partnership Collegium Civitas brought to the table significant experience of academic-related quality assurance aptitudes and knowledge of good practice when it comes to teaching in higher education. The three-way partnership was highly effective; the combination of an academic with two research institutions enabled a far reaching and ambitious research and teaching agenda to be met. The donor institute played an important role in three main ways (a) contributed to the teaching agenda and discussion of didactical methods in preparation of the teaching modules of POLNOEAST, and subsequently to their delivery. (b) provided valuable insights from a Norwegian perspective on developments in Russia and Eastern Europe, which were then juxtaposed and considered alongside Polish perspectives (c) boosted the theoretical / conceptual dimensions of POLNOEAST, given the strong aptitudes of Norwegian researchers in these area. POLNOEAST provided an intensive forum for exchange and sharing of ideas and practices for both teaching and research and led to two-way learning on the subject matter.