Regional Studies Department invites You to participate in the

Lithuanian Language and Culture Summer Course 2010!

27 July - 20 August, 2010

For more information see http://www.vdu.lt/LTcourses/?pg=121&lang=2&menu_id=89

Scholarchips for some countries are available at http://www.smpf.lt/index.php?id=1588.

________________________________________________

Intensive Course „Diversity Management“

July 5-16, 2007

The course will encourage proficient and multinational teaching of special topics which otherwise might not be taught at all. Students and professors will have the possibility to work together in multinational groups.

Date: 5-16 July, 2007.

Place: Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania.

ECTS: 6

Students from the following universities are coming:

• Vytautas Magnus University (Lithuania);
• University of Bologna (Italy);
• Berzsenyi Dániel College (Hungary);
• University of Ljubljana (Slovenia);
• Karl-Franzens- University Graz (Austria).

The main Subjects of the course:

• Political Theory and Ideologies – cultural diversity and ethnic identity formation, theories, diversity and conflicts, the ideologies, etc.
• History – the changing nation, state formation and nation-building in Europe, European experience of 19^th and 20 ^th century, European integration: is there a need for European “identity” formation, etc.
• Comparative Government – multi-national Federations, the revival of ethno-regionalisms against the nation-state, minority protection through territorial autonomy, state re-construction and reconciliation in the Balkans, multi-level Governance of the EU, cross-border cooperation and transnational regionalism in the process of EU-Integration, etc.
• Legal Instruments – European level: EU, Council of Europe, OSCE, national level: minority protection instruments in comparative constitutional law, etc.
• New Minoritys – the integration of third country citizens in the member states of the EU, the exclusion and discrimination of new minorities in education, housing, the labour market, the integration of muslim communities, etc.
• International Relations – the shift from inter-state wars to intra-state wars with participation of different ethnic groups, international administrations, the EU external relations: democracy, human rights and minority protection.
• The Economics of Cultural Diversity – the economic costs of ethnic conflicts, the economic costs/gains of discrimination respectively integration; managing diversity in multinational companies, multicultural education as a contribution to human capital investment – conflict management and ethnic crisis.

Note: Application time has expired.

 ____________________________________________

Taiwan Scholarship Programs to fund Baltic students

In order to promote the educational and cultural exchanges and to strengthen mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of Taiwan and Baltic states , the Ministry of Education of Taiwan (ROC) and Academia Sinica offer scholarships to Baltic students.

The Taiwan Scholarship Program, which is run by the Ministry of Education of Taiwan , funds Baltic students to study in Taiwan for Bachelor, Master, and PhD degrees. Courses are taught in Chinese or English. One year of preliminary Chinese language training is optional. The available scholarships are as follows:

(1) Undergraduate Scholarships: 4-year program starting from September 2007,

(2) Masters Scholarships: 2-year program starting from September 2007,

(3) PhD Scholarships: 3-year program starting from September 2007.

The Academia Sinica provides the Taiwan International Graduate Program (TIGP). The 3-year Ph.D. program will start from October 2007 for the following 8 fields:

(1) Chemical Biology and Molecular Biophysics,

(2) Molecular Science and Technology,

(3) Molecular and Biological Agricultural Sciences,

(4) Bioinformatics,

(5) Molecular and Cell Biology,

(6) Nano Science and Technology,

(7) Molecular Medicine,

(8) Computational Linguistics and Chinese Language Processing.

Applicants of Taiwan Scholarship from Baltic States are required to send their application forms to the Taipei Mission in Latvia before 31 March 2007 and to apply any chosen program in a Taiwanese higher education institute by him/herself at the same time. Taiwanese Ministry of Education only offers financial assistant.

With regard to TIGP, applicants should deliver their documents to Admissions Office of Taiwan International Graduate Program directly. The Closing Date is 31 March 2007, too.

Details of criteria for eligibility and application forms are available on the following websites:

Taiwan Scholarship Program: http://www.edu.tw/english

TIGP: http://www.sinica.edu.tw/~tigp/

Advice on study in Taiwan : http://www.studyintaiwan.org

___________________________________________________________________________

International Student Conference

Politics is Everything: Everything is Politics

Kaunas, Lithuania, 29 – 30 March 2007

This international conference will bring together students from all around Europe for discussion about politics in relation with economics, culture, history, mass media, and social structures.

The goal of the conference is to present recent changes and tendencies of politics’ relation to above mentioned themes both in theoretical and empirical levels.

Participants are asked to send a thoroughly filled registration form by e-mail – vp2007@pmdi.vdu.lt till 15^th February, 2007. Additional information can be inquired at the above mentioned e-mail address.

The participation is free. The papers presented at the conference will be published in the Conference Publication.

More information http://www.vdu.lt/konferencijos/indexeng.html

___________________________________________________________________________ 

Language, Diversity and Integration in the Enlarged EU: Challenges and Opportunities

International interdisciplinary conference

Vytautas Magnus University

12 - 14 May 2006

Programme

What is the interplay between language, diversity and integration following EU enlargement? Has the role of language in practices relating to (the expression of) ethnicity, nationhood and citizenship changed? How are prevailing ideologies pertaining to cultural and linguistic differences reflected in the public discourse and transmitted through the media? What are the implications of EU enlargement on language and integration?

This international interdisciplinary conference will bring together scholars working in linguistics, education, anthropology, and social science with a common interest in the ways in which language ideologies, policies and practices impact on the consolidation of society post EU enlargement. 

For more information see http://www.vdu.lt/LTcourses/?pg=112&lang=2&menu_id=57

___________________________________________________________________________

International Students’ Conference 

VytautasMagnus University

20 – 21 April 2006 

The main issues of migration and national minorities in the Baltic Region. Differences and similarities of the respective situations in different Baltic countries. Cultural, political, and social aspects of the problem. Implications of the EU enlargement on migration and national minorities, including new challenges of the process of globalization.

This international interdisciplinary conference will bring together students and young researchers working in political, social and humanitarian sciences with a common interest in migration issues, a situation in the Baltic region related to national minorities and the impact of globalization on these problems.

For more information see http://www.vdu.lt/LTcourses/?pg=118&lang=1&menu_id=83

 ___________________________________________________________________________

Lithuania Presented Itself To The Capital Of The European Union

On September 24 – 25, 2005 Brussels, the cosmopolitan capital of Belgium, showed its welcoming face to representatives of Lithuania. The two days were marked by activities and events within the format of the European Language Festival, organized by a Lithuanian team. The Festival was held in the Hall of Saint-Géry, built in 1881, a cultural centre of Brussels.

It was part of the “FEEL (Funny, Easy and Effective Learning about Countries, Cultures and Languages)” project, which is being funded under the European Commission’s Socrates/Lingua 1 programme. The event aimed at presenting the languages and cultures of the ten new Member States of the European Union to the ‘old’ Europe. The participating countries  were Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

For more information see http://www.feel.vdu.lt/

 ___________________________________________________________________________

NORDPLUS “International classroom” seminar April 29th-30th at Vytautas Magnus University, 2005

The Nordplus Neighbour project „International Classroom” considered as a deepening of successful cooperation of several Nordic and Baltic universities within the Baltic Studies Network. The objective of the project is to hold series of workshops, which invite educators from partner universities to improve their skills to work in international and multicultural environment.

The workshop sessions focus on concepts and methods used in international or multicultural student environments and reflect on the role of intercultural approaches in multicultural contexts. The workshops will emphasize discussion and development of concrete approaches to intercultural learning and management based on participants\' own backgrounds and experiences.

For more information see http://www.baltic.ut.ee/38682