Why this Summer School?
The 3rd international summer school “Learning from the past – Exploring the Role of Transitional Justice in Rebuilding Trust in a Post-conflict Society” aims to make a contribution to the process of dealing with the past, reconciliation and transitional justice approaches in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. By examining the ways how and what we can learn from the past in order to confront the challenges in the present, the International Relations department (IR), the Faculty of Law (FLW) and the Life Long Learning Center (IUSLife) at the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) promote the idea of education as an essential tool for reconciliation and an agent of positive societal change in a post-conflict country like Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Background
This international summer school is the third summer school organized by the IUS’ International Relations department; this year, in cooperation with the IUS Faculty of Law and the IUS Lifelong Learning Center. The first summer school, titled “Cross Continental - Interethnic Relations for Peace” (CCIRP), and the second summer school, titled “Learning from the past: 20 Years after the Bosnian War – Education for Reconciliation and Lasting Peace in Post-conflict Societies,” were both highly commended for their scope, interdisciplinary approach and innovative pedagogy involving experiential, intercultural and action learning. Like with the previous summer schools, our distinguished lecturers, renowned in their fields globally, will facilitate students’ active learning by involving them in the learning process at all stages, including interactive learning activities, class discussions, site visits and action learning in a local community context.
Description and Aims of the Summer School
The 3rd international summer school “Learning from the past – Exploring the Role of Transitional Justice in Rebuilding Trust in a Post-conflict Society” provides an opportunity to undergraduate students, graduate students as well as young professionals to meet and study with people from different countries, cultures and academic disciplines, on a cosmopolitan campus in Sarajevo.
Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Balkan region, is in a post-war state, where there is great need for healing the past to have a solid future, as the tensions that led to the last war are still largely undealt with, and a fact of everyday life for every single citizen of BiH. Although there are many GOs and NGOs working in and around BiH towards establishing transitional justice and reconciliation, they largely do not show any real scientific or real-world outcome. BiH and the Balkans are the largest living laboratory for this area. This summer school commemorates the events by remembering and discussing the past atrocities but also by learning from and moving beyond the tragic events in the past in order to achieve lasting peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region. A range of teaching and learning approaches and strategies will be utilized - delivered in a form of lectures, class discussions, workshops, field visits and conferences - and focused on comparative studies enabling the participants to learn in an experiential and cross-cultural context .
Furthermore, this summer school will provide an opportunity to filter previously generated knowledge in regard to conflict resolution and further advance methodological tools and techniques applicable to research in the field of genocide, transitional justice, post-conflict resolution, peace-building, security studies, preventing diplomacy, international law, sociology, anthropology and other associated fields. Furthermore, it will promote active involvement of participants in order to better understand each other's ethnic background and challenge existing stereotypes and myths about the ‘other’.
The summer school will apply an integrative interdisciplinary perspective drawing on a variety of disciplinary approaches inherent to existent methodological frameworks of social sciences. Its overall aim is to capitalize from the previous academic and professional work and research relating to dealing with the past, transitional justice and reconciliation in post-conflict societies.
The learning outcomes of the summer school program are:
- Develop the ability to reflect on major approaches to transitional justice, reconciliation and social recovery;
- Identify key factors relating to risk, resilience and socio-political context essential for social recovery of communities in post-conflict societies;
- Develop the ability to deploy effective oral presentation and discussion skills primarily measured by in-class interactive participation and agreed assignments during the summer school. (The skills to employ cutting-edge methods are to be reflected in the final research proposal of each participant.)
- Develop understating and appreciation of ethical challenges relevant to learning and research in post-conflict societies;
- Expand knowledge of culturally appropriate techniques and methods and utilizing peer learning approach as social learning with and from each other.
Overall outcome of the summer school is to offer cutting edge conceptual and methodological knowledge and a unique educational experience to participants aimed at developing and enhancing their knowledge, skills and capacities to learning from and dealing with the past, transitional justice and post-conflict resolution research.
Summer School Requirements and Target Group
The International University of Sarajevo welcomes applicants from a wide range of educational backgrounds. We invite applications from across the globe and from both undergraduate students, graduate students as well as young professionals interested in the topics related to transitional justice, international relations, conflict analysis and resolution, peace research, security studies, preventing diplomacy, anthropology, international law, history, sociology and ethnicity studies. Although most of you will be currently enrolled at a university or college, we also welcome applicants who have been away from education for some years. The participants are expected to have developed, or are in the process of developing, some basic background knowledge of and show interest in the Balkans, BiH and post-conflict issues affecting societies after violence.
Course Materials and Technicalities
The language of instruction during the entire summer school will be English. However, a number of lecturers, including the Summer School coordinator, are also fluent in Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and German. Most course materials will be available in electronic forms. All the technological requirements such as laptop, projector, white board, markers, speakers and other logistics for the sessions will be made available by the organizer during the entire summer school period.
NOTE: Selection of the applicants is going to be made on a monthly basis, the number of participants is limited to 20 places. The sooner you apply the greater your chances are of being accepted.
Summer School Fee - Packages: Gold, Silver and Local (details will be advised)
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http://lftp.ius.edu.ba/