Summer School 2025

KIU Summer School Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies:

Ukraine in Europe: Controversies, complexities and agency of a multifaceted interconnection

Frankfurt (Oder), 08.09. – 19.09.2024

 

Viadrina University, together with its partner institutions, invites you to the second KIU Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Summer School!

Our international summer school is part of the MA certificate program in Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies and will bring together students and scholars interested in historical, cultural, social, political, economic, law-based and conflict-related questions on and about Ukraine. We invite you to explore Ukraine and Ukraine’s European entanglements in past, present and future, improve your Ukrainian language skills, and learn from great scholars who have been dedicating their research to Ukraine since decades. Students will also have the opportunity to work in interactive formats, learn in sessions on conflict management, enjoy arts and culture and to present and debate their own projects in open discussion rounds.

The summer school focuses on Ukrainian-European relations and Ukrainian European identity which have long been important topics in Ukraine, while from a Western European perspective, Ukraine was in a marginal position for a long time. Today, Ukrainian-European entanglements are being researched more intensively, and the issue of Ukrainian membership in the European Union has gained new momentum. In this summer school, we will explore Ukrainian-European relations, cooperation, conflicts, cultural references and dynamics, both in relation to Europe as a whole and to the European Union.

Highlights include:

• European integration simulation game: At the European Council, heads of state and government make groundbreaking strategic decisions for the further development of European cooperation. Participants will take on the role of EU heads of state and government to negotiate individual chapters of the EU accession process, learning about and representing positions, difficulties, potential for reform, and negotiations between the EU and Ukraine. The workshop is run by Planpolitik e.V.
• Workshop: ‘Mediation & Peace Processes’: In this workshop, students will learn the basics of conflict research, mediation and negotiation techniques, which are particularly relevant for the post-war period, for establishing a just post-war order, but also for understanding negotiation tactics. The workshop is organized by the Institute for Conflict Management at Viadrina University.
• A session on Crimean Tatar Studies: in the lecture ‘Collective Memory, Islam, and Crimean Tatars’ Coping Strategies in Post-2014 Crimea’, Elmira Muratova from the European Centre for Minority Issues will give an introduction to the situation of Crimean Tatars, both with a focus on displacement and on the role of minority issues in Ukraine’s EU integration process

…plus courses in Ukrainian language (A1-B2), academic writing, film screenings, public discussions, excursions, and much more to explore at Viadrina – the most Ukrainian university outside Ukraine!

KIU will reimburse travel expenses up to €350 per participant. In addition, participants will receive a daily allowance of up to €42, which also covers accommodation costs. Accommodation will be provided in the student residence in Slubice (Poland).

Students at bachelor's, master's and doctoral level both from German and international universities are invited to participate. Please provide your CV information, a motivational letter of up to 800 words, specifying your particular interest in the topic of the summer school, your specialization in your studies and information on further activities such as volunteer work, activism, experiences related to the topic etc.

Applications can be submitted from 25 June 2025 via the KIU application portal. The link to the KIU application portal will be published here by 25 June 2025. Applicants must register in advance. The application deadline is 20 July 2025. Notifications regarding participation will be sent out on 31 July 2025.