I. Master in Baltic Sea Region Studies
The Masters Course "Baltic Sea Region Studies" is set
up for a year (start: January 2003) and aims to educate students
to become experts on the Baltic Sea Region. The course offers:
- Profound knowledge of the Baltic Sea Region regarding economy,
politics, culture, media and geography
- Academic support by junior professors and guest lecturers from
the partner institutions
- Masters thesis combined with praxis oriented research
- Practical training in a non-university facility
The intensive, specialized and practically oriented post-graduate
programme "Master of Arts in Baltic Sea Region Studies"
(MBSR) responds to the special significance of the Baltic Sea area
for the European Union and to the great demand on the labour market
for specialists possessing regional competence. It is designed to
train graduates aiming to pursue international careers in business,
administration, diplomacy, policy formulation and research. The
programme leads to a Master's degree in "Baltic Sea Region
Studies", which is not available at any other university in
the region.
CONTENTS
The international and multidisciplinary approach of the MBSR introduces
the students to the academic discussion of current political, social
and economic processes taking place in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR),
as well as their historical background. It gives the students an
overview of the history, politics, economy and culture of the area
in question and offers a possibility of specializing in one specific
field of interest. The students develop their ability to work in
a methodologically confident and scientifically appropriate way,
and train their ability to deal with sources of specialized literature
and to employ the conventions of academic language in their work.
60 credit points (ECTS) are to be acquired within a trimester
round, in which the students must also complete their studies. The
programme consists of the following phases, divided into modules:
- I. Term (January-March): Introductory Phase;
- II. Term (April-July): Specialization Phase;
- III. Term (September-December): Thesis Phase.
The Introductory Phase is meant as an introduction into the entire
field of Baltic Sea Region studies. Essential basic knowledge related
to the region is transmitted here as a background for the next stages
of learning. The students get an overview of the main themes in
the fields of history, politics, economy and culture of the Baltic
Sea Region.
During the Specialization Phase, specialization in one of the
two fields of study - economy or politics and culture - takes place.
It enables the students to focus more on specific topics and to
work independently within their field of interest. The studies in
the Specialization Phase are based on seminars tackling specific
issues and problems of regional importance, and on project teamwork.
During the Thesis Phase the students choose a thesis topic within
their specialisation areas and work on it independently. The students
demonstrate their independent academic work ability by producing
a Master's thesis, attending an accompanying colloquium and preparing
an oral presentation of the thesis.
SUPERVISION AND SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT
The students are integrated into the academic environment of the
Baltic Sea School and the Department of Northern European Studies
at the Humboldt University Berlin. During their stay here they are
supported and supervised by the Junior Professors and guest lecturers,
as well as the project coordinators and the doctoral students of
the School. The Master students can take part in the conferences,
workshops or other events organized by the Baltic Sea School, and
they also have access to the teaching and learning resources at
the Department of Northern European Studies or other departments
of the university.
RELEVANCE WITH REGARD TO THE LABOUR MARKET
The MBSR is a very intensive and complex full-time programme,
within which the students achieve important regional competence
in a short time. In addition to obtaining academic qualifications,
students may apply for a traineeship at a business or civil service
institution after the end of the program. The non-academic contacts
of the Baltic Sea School with different institutions in the region
(for example Chambers of Commerce, Embassies etc.) make it possible
to arrange practical training according to the students' interests.
This enables the students to make practical use of their expertise
and to find out in what professional contexts their knowledge will
be appreciated.
COORDINATION
The MBSR is coordinated by the Baltic Sea School Berlin, which
combines the strengths and specialisation areas of the different
partner universities in the region. The study programme consists
of lectures offered by Junior Professors and guest lecturers from
the partner universities and other institutions. The doctoral students
also offer courses to the Master students within their own fields
of specialisation. In the second phase of the programme, the relevant
courses of the Department of Northern European Studies, the Graduate
School "The New Europe" and Euro- and Transatlantic Master
programmes at the Humboldt University will be integrated into the
study programme of the MBSR.
APPLICATION
There are twenty places in the Master programme. Ten of them are
reserved for students who have graduated from the Baltic Sea School's
partner universities, and they will also receive scholarships to
cover the costs of their stay in Berlin. The other ten places are
open to applicants from all universities, but include no scholarship.
Participation in the programme does not involve any tuition fees.
Admission to the MBSR is based on the following requirements:
a university degree (at least a Bachelor's Degree or equivalent),
very good knowledge of the English language, as well as good knowledge
of at least one of the region's languages. Successful graduates
aiming to pursue an international career in business, media, academic
research or civil service are invited to apply.
Application deadline: September 30, 2002. The selection process
takes place during the summer, and the applicants will be informed
about the decision of the Admission Committee in October 2002.
Structure of the Master Programme
1. Trimester (January-March)
Module 1:
Historical developments in the Baltic Sea area, 6 ECTS.
Course: Historical developments in the north-western areas of the
region
Course: Historical developments in the south-eastern areas of the
region
Module 2:
Basic regional knowledge in politics, economics, culture
and media, 14 ECTS.
Lecture series: Basic regional knowledge in politics, economics,
culture and media
Course: Politics of regionalization in the Baltic Sea area
Course: Cultural aspects of regionalization in the Baltic Sea area
Course: Economic aspects of regionalization in the Baltic Sea area
2. Trimester (April-July)
Module 3:
Regions and regionalization: a theoretical introduction,
8 ECTS.
Course: Methodology of area studies
Course: Theories of regionalization
Module 4:
Specialization: Politics, 12 ECTS
Lecture series: Issues of concern in politics and culture
Seminar a): Societal transformations and democratization in the
Baltic Sea Region
Seminar b): Security politics in the Baltic Sea Region
Module 5:
Specialization: Economics, 12 ECTS
Lecture series: Issues of concern in economics
Seminar: Economic transformations in the Baltic Sea Region
3. Trimester (September-December)
Module 6:
Master Thesis, 20 ECTS
Colloquium Master thesis colloquium
II. Doctoral Course
The doctoral candidates (students studying for their doctoral
degree, who already have a legitimate university degree) will be
given the possibility to take on part-time lectureship in seminars
within the Master's course for two semesters. They can thereby present
their own research results. Additionally they will be trained and
educated in specific colloquia (e.g. at the Nordeuropa-Institut),
seminars (in the scope of the DFG-Graduiertenkolleg "The new
Europe" at the Humboldt University), as well as in other forms
of training (e.g a joint Winter School on questions of specialized
methodology of area studies, which took place at the end of 2001).
Concept
In the framework of Ostsee-Kolleg: the Baltic Sea School Berlin,
a project managed by the Nordeuropa-Institut at the Humboldt University
Berlin and financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
a scholarship will be offered to outstanding doctoral candidates
from the universities affiliated with the project, whose doctoral
research topics are judged relevant to the field of Baltic Sea Region
studies. The idea behind the proposed doctoral class is to provide
promising young scholars with a stimulating research environment
that would enhance their interest for and knowledge of issues pertaining
to the Baltic Sea Region.
Today, after more than forty years of political division, the
region's countries are engaging in extensive cooperation in various
fields of science, culture, trade and politics. Importantly, this
dynamic development has been initiated and stimulated not only by
political or economic forces but also by the region's academic circles;
the very notion of a "Baltic Sea Region" was conceptualized
and developed in the early 1990s in a number of publications and
conference papers by political and cultural scientists and historians
from the universities around the Baltic Sea, and today it continues
to be vividly discussed in various academic networks.
The aim of the Baltic Sea School Berlin's doctoral class is to
build further on this experience and to contribute to strengthening
of the existing research community by training a batch of young
researchers interested in and knowledgeable about the issues specific
to the Baltic Sea Region. Having realized the importance of regional
competence to most fields of the social sciences, many universities
in the area offer today courses related to the historical, political,
environmental, media-related and economic developments in the region.
The idea behind the Baltic Sea School Berlin's doctoral class
goes however beyond that; our ambition is not only to provide our
doctoral candidates from different countries with factual knowledge
about the region, but also - and foremost - to integrate them into
the scientific environment of Humboldt University, and to enable
them to take advantage of the university's research facilities.
It is especially important that students from the Eastern parts
of the Baltic Sea area, who for political reasons had been more
or less cut off from the rest of Europe during the Cold War, would
get an opportunity to get to know the German academic system and
to integrate into the German research networks, and in this way
contribute to bridging of the old East-West divide in the academia.
At the same time, as cooperation between Germany and the Nordic
countries is becoming more and more intensive in many areas, it
is important that also students from these countries get an opportunity
to familiarize themselves with the German research in the fields
of their interest and forge close links to German scholars and scientific
institutions.
Moreover, through our teaching structures, we hope to be able
to integrate the students into the international network of scholars
dealing specifically with the regional issues. We believe that such
an approach will not only enhance the future academic career possibilities
of the individual doctoral students, but that it will also in the
long run benefit the regional research community by enlarging and
diversifying its ranks.
To meet this end, our program offers a broad range of opportunities
to the selected doctoral candidates, some of which are outlined
below.
SUPPORT FOR DOCTORAL RESEARCH
After a careful selection process, the accepted students will
be integrated into the academic environment of the Nordeuropa-Institut,
whose director, Prof.Bernd Henningsen is the project leader of the
Baltic Sea School Berlin. Each student will be provided with a work
place and a computer, and will be expected to work full time on
his or her own doctoral research project, as well as to participate
in the various academic activities of the Institute. During the
stay in Berlin, the doctoral students' research work will be supervised
by the Junior Professor, a guest scholar from one of the network's
universities, selected for this post on the basis of his or her
interest for and knowledge of the Baltic Sea Region issues.
The results of each student's stay with the Baltic Sea School
Berlin, and the progress of his or her doctoral research work will
be carefully evaluated by the student and the Junior Professor at
the end of the stay. Each student will be required to present a
3-5 pages long paper at the end of the stay, where his or her scientific
progress during the year, the encountered problems and the applied
solutions will be discussed. The paper will serve as a the student's
scientific evaluation of the project.
PARTICIPATION IN CLASSES/COURSES
In addition to working on their own doctoral research projects,
the doctoral students will be expected to take a minimum of two
high-level classes each semester. The classes will be offered by
the Junior Professor, as well as by the visiting scholars from our
partner universities. In addition, the students will be able to
attend courses of the Nordeuropa-Institute and courses offered by
the Humboldt University's programs The New Europe, Euro-master and
the Transatlantic Master.
Attending the classes should enable the students to deepen their
knowledge of a specific region-related topic they are interested
in, or to expand their knowledge of the Baltic Sea Region by choosing
a topic which is new to them. Opportunities to gain methodological
skills in the field of area studies will also be offered, either
in the form of regular methodological courses or special workshops.
In addition to the regular classes, the doctoral students will
be obliged to participate in a doctoral colloquium/seminar led by
the Junior Professor. The goal of the colloquium will not only be
discussing the projects of the individual students from a regional
studies perspective, but also taking up general issues concerning
regional research in general and Baltic Sea Region related research
in particular. In the course of the colloquium some of the guest
lecturers from the partner universities might also be invited to
speak about methodological issues.
SCIENTIFIC ACTIVITIES IN COLLABORATION WITH PARTNER PROJECTS
The Baltic Sea School Berlin cooperates intimately with three
other projects at the Humboldt University: the Graduate College
The New Europe, and the international Master programs the Euro-master
and the Trans-Atlantic Master. These different programs deal with
questions which are also of interest for our doctoral students,
as they concern the current political, economic and social transformations
in Europe. The students will have a possibility to attend the lectures
and seminars organized by the programs, and common activities, e.g.
workshops and special colloquia will also be organized jointly by
the Baltic Sea School Berlin and the three other projects. Guest
lecturers both from academia and from other fields of activity will
be invited jointly by our projects to hold lectures for our students.
TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Since a scholar is not only supposed to work with research but
also to be a good university teacher, we offer to our doctoral students
an opportunity to broaden their qualifications by enabling them
to teach a class in the framework of Baltic Sea School Berlin's
Master course. The topic of the class should touch upon the issues
which the doctoral student works with in his or her own doctoral
research project, and should be placed in the wider framework of
the Baltic Sea Region studies field. Teaching a class will give
the student the opportunity to present his or her research results
and discuss the problems experienced during the research work. The
student will also be able to develop his or her communicative skills
and learn how to use creative solutions for communicating research
results to a larger audience.
Willingness to offer a class will be regarded as an advantage in
the selection process for the doctoral program, and a preliminary
course topic should be specified already in the student's application
to our project. The topic, lessons plan and literature list will
be subsequently discussed by the student and the Junior Professor
upon the student's arrival in Berlin. The Junior Professor will
also offer pedagogical and methodological guidance and advice to
the doctoral student before the course begins, in order to prepare
the him or her for the teaching task.
WORKSHOPS / CONFERENCES
In the framework of workshops and/or scientific conferences arranged
in cooperation with the project "Baltic Sea Area Studies: The
Northern Dimension of Europe (BaltSeaNet)", the doctoral students
may have the opportunity to meet with some of the leading scholars
in the field of Baltic Sea Region studies, who take part in these
activities. The attending students will be expected to participate
actively in the workshops by delivering and discussing papers. We
hope that the academic experience gained, and the contacts with
established scholars from all over the region made by the students
during the workshops, will familiarize them with the field of Baltic
Sea Region studies in an intimate way, and will benefit their future
work in this field. The students will be able to place their own
research projects within a wider frame of reference, to exchange
ideas with their older colleagues and to benefit from the latter's
knowledge and experience. This way, a constructive cross-regional
tie will be forged between the already established scholars and
the newly-graduated young researchers who are taking their first
steps in the field of regional studies.
PRACTICAL TRAINING
The doctoral students who wish so will also have the possibility
to use the lecture-free part of their stay for a shorter traineeship
with a non-academic institution affiliated with our project and
seeking regional expertise. The philosophy of the Baltic Sea School
Berlin is based on the assumption that regional competence will
be increasingly in demand in both governmental agencies and private
enterprises in the Baltic Sea area, and we would like to create
a sort of a channel between the future job market and the young
researchers who are in process of obtaining that competence. By
arranging practical training opportunities for our doctoral students
we will enable them to make practical use of their expertise and
to find out in what professional contexts their knowledge may be
sought for and appreciated. Close ties between researchers and the
non-academic world will also ensure that also those of the students
who decide to stay in the academia will be able to avoid the "ivory
tower" trap and that the research they will produce will be
strongly anchored in realities of the region.
SUMMARY
In short, our doctoral class will offer the selected students:
- the opportunity to integrate into the academic environment
of the Humboldt University and access to the research facilities
of the Nordeuropa-Institut;
- a stimulating international research environment and contacts
with the leading scholars in the field of Baltic Sea Region studies;
- a continuous support for and supervision of the work with their
doctoral projects
- the opportunity to present papers in the framework of the BaltSeaNet
workshops and conferences;
- the opportunity to gain teaching experience;
- the opportunity to make contacts with non-academic institutions
relevant to the students' particular fields of interest.
In return, we will expect from the candidates:
- Willingness to integrate (both on the personal and on the scientific
level) into the project and the Nordeuropa-Institut;
- Full-time commitment to the doctoral research work during the
stay in Berlin;
- Participation in at least two regular classes each semester,
as well as in the colloquium for doctoral students led by the
Junior Professor;
- Willingness to offer a class to the project's Master students;
- A report on the progress of the scientific work at the end of
the stay;
- An evaluation report regarding the project as a whole;
We hope that participation in this doctoral class will allow the
students to become a part of the academic environment of the Humboldt
University and of the established international research community
concerned with the Baltic Sea Region issues, and to further develop
their knowledge of the region's problems and its potential. Working
every day with other scholars and students who deal with similar
questions, the doctoral candidates will be able to use the many
resources at hand to get the most out of their stay with the Baltic
Sea School Berlin.
III. Junior Professorship
Scholarships for the stay at the Humboldt-University are available
for young scholars with a doctoral degree and for the partner institutions'
teaching staff. The tasks are:
- Support for the doctoral candidates and Masters students
- Creating a course description and course schedule, then teaching
the course according to the requirements of our department
- Co-operation and realisation of joint courses with the network
partners
- Realisation of academic workshops (lectures, chairing of discussions
etc.)
- Integration into the research and teaching environment of the
Nordeuropa-Institut
Concept
In the framework of the Ostsee-Kolleg: Baltic Sea School Berlin,
a project managed by the Nordeuropa-Institut at the Humboldt University
Berlin and financed by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD),
a position of guest lecturer ("Junior Professor") will
be offered to an outstanding young scholar from one of the universities
affiliated with the project, holding a doctoral degree or equivalent
in one of the social sciences (political science, history, economics,
cultural science, media science etc.). The Junior Professor (hereafter
JP) will be selected on the recommendation of the partner university,
based on his or her documented interest for, and knowledge of, issues
concerning the developments taking place presently and in the past
in the Baltic Sea Region.
The role of the JP in the project will be intimately tied to that
of the other components of Baltic Sea School Berlin. In exchange
for a stimulating academic environment and possibilities for conducting
his/her own research, the JP will be expected to integrate into
the Nordeuropa-Institut and to assume both scientific and administrative
tasks within the Baltic Sea School Berlin, some of which are outlined
below.
DOCTORAL CLASS
The main task of the JP will be to supervise and lead a team of
foreign doctoral students, who spend a year with the Baltic Sea
School Berlin working on Baltic Sea Region related doctoral research
projects within the fields of political science, history, economics
or cultural sciences. The JP will take on the role of their academic
supervisor during their stay in Berlin, and make sure that their
research work progresses according to a previously agreed plan.
Ideally, the JP should start playing an active role already at
the students' arrival in Berlin, when he/she would acquaint him/herself
with their research topics, the present state of their work and
their work plans for the year of their stay in Berlin. It is important
that the JP is aware of the expectations that the student and his/her
own supervisor at the home university have for the stay in Berlin,
and that the different modes of fulfilling these expectations are
discussed with the student.
After a general work plan is established, the JP should monitor
the general progress of the work and assist the student with methodological
advice and guidance. This assistance can come partly in form of
a (bi-)weekly doctoral colloquium where each student's progress
and problems are discussed at least once each semester, and partly
in form of individual guidance during specified office hours earmarked
weekly by the JP for the doctoral students. It is advisable that
each student would meet individually with the JP at least twice
each semester (in the beginning and in the end) to discuss the progress
of the research work.
In addition to supporting the doctoral candidates' own research
work, the JP will also coach them in their role as teachers in the
classes offered in the framework of the Baltic Sea School Berlin'
s Master course. As this may be some students' first encounter with
the teaching tasks, the JP should provide them with pedagogical
guidance in this area.
It would also be advantageous if the JP could in some way "mediate"
between the project's doctoral students, and the scholars in the
field of Baltic Sea Region studies whom he/she knows personally,
to facilitate the integration of the students into the regional
research community in this field. Such a "contact mediation"
could take place at a student's own request, or upon a suggestion
from the JP.
MASTER'S COURSE
The role of the JP with respect to the Master students will be
quite similar to the above. The JP will act as the overall supervisor
of their studies, and as the supervisor of their Master theses.
Additional tasks will be added here when the detailed curriculum
for the Master course has been established.
TEACHING
In addition to supervising the doctoral and master's students,
the JP will be expected to offer his/her own classes, minimum one
each semester, for the doctoral and Master students of the Baltic
Sea School Berlin as well as for the other students of the Nordeuropa-Institut.
The topics should be connected to the JP's own research area(s)
and relevant to the main field of interest for the Baltic Sea School
Berlin: the political, economic and cultural transformations of
the Baltic Sea Region. Country-specific topics can be treated, as
well as cross-regional issues and phenomena. A methodological course
for the project's doctoral students touching upon the problems encountered
in area studies could also be given by the JP at one point during
his/her stay in Berlin.
ORGANIZATIONAL TASKS
As an integrated member of the Baltic Sea School Berlin, the JP
will be expected to actively take part in forming the short-term
agenda of the activities of the project. Some of his tasks will
be:
- Participating in the process of selection of suitable candidates
for the scholarships
- Participating in formulating of the structure and the curriculum
of the Master's program
- Participating in preparation of public relations materials related
to the project
The JP will also be expected to integrate into the staff structures
of the Nordeuropa-Institut and to fully participate in the Institute's
work.
IN SHORT
The Junior Professorship is one of the central components of the
project Baltic Sea School Berlin insofar that the selected JP has
the academic responsibility for the doctoral and Master's students
during their stay in Berlin, and should contribute to making their
stay academically as rewarding and enriching as possible. He/she
is an integrated part of the project's staff and participates in
all organizational activities of the project. In exchange, the JP
will find at the Nordeuropa-Institut a stimulating research environment,
easy access to the latest German research on the topics of his/her
interest, and the opportunity to participate in the various scientific
activities of the project's international research network.
IV. Research Environment
The Northern European Institute of the Humboldt University Berlin
The Northern European Institute (NI) was founded in 1992 as an
autonomous scholarly institution at the HU. With currently four
professorships, two guest professorships and ca. 600 students, the
HU houses the largest Scandinavian Studies Institute in Germany
and the largest one outside of Scandinavia. At the same time, the
Berlin University can look back on a tradition of Nordic studies
going back to the university's founding at the beginning of the
19th century.
Currently the languages of Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic,
Finnish and Lithuanian are represented under the umbrella of the
Northern European Institute. Teaching and research encompass Scandinavian
medieval studies, Scandinavian linguistic studies, modern Scandinavian
literature and - so far unique in Germany - Scandinavian cultural
studies.
With this emphasis, Scandinavian Studies in Berlin are treading
an innovative path. In this dimension the NI also has a special
position vis-à-vis Scandinavia. Thus it is not only its location
in the German capital which has made the institute so interesting
for scholars in Northern Europe (as well as among the general public!).
Because of the breadth of the Berlin faculty, the Institute has
become a contact centre for a variety of academic departments and
universities in Northern Europe. The desire to co-operate with the
HU and the NI is growing markedly and the founding of the NI has
proven to be extremely successful.
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