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Summer School - Constitution-Building in Africa, 3–14 July 2017, Budapest, Hungary

Publish Date: Dec 09, 2016

Deadline: Feb 14, 2017

Event Dates: from Jul 03, 2017 12:00 to Jul 14, 2017 12:00

Summer school in Hungary with financial aid 

The two-week research course intends to tackle complex societal, political and legal problems in constitution-building from an interdisciplinary perspective, informed by field experience. We seek to combine different disciplines (mostly comparative law and political science) and perspectives (comparative governmental systems; electoral systems; decentralization; human rights; comparative constitutional law; good governance; etc) to offer new insights on a classic subject of the highest academic and practical relevance.
 
The course will address the subject from four different angles, all of them related to specific challenges in Africa. The first one highlights constitutionalism in Africa in general, the different roles and meanings of a constitution, the merits and risks of constitutional borrowing, and the role of external / international influence in constitution building. The second angle accounts for the fact that new constitutions often follow conflict, loaded with the expectation to herald a new era of peace and democracy, leaving behind authoritarianism, despotism or political upheaval. The third angle of, the course addresses how constitutional designs respond to competing claims, be they religious, ethnic, linguistic, and how they accommodate different stakeholders, how they tame the executive, introducing instruments of checks and balances and how constitutions aspire to prevent stalemates and promote gender equality. Finally taking in to account the fact that the management of constitutional change and maintenance of constitutional stability are ongoing problems, the course will explore the issue of constitutional implementation, review and redemption as part of the constitutional building process.
 
The course is designed to be a forum for exchange and mutual learning for young scholars and practitioners from the civil sector, from public administration, from regional and international institutions.
 
The course syllabus and the schedule are available with the course directors upon request.

HOW TO APPLY

Please read the following directions carefully.

Below is the list of the documents you need to prepare or arrange for submission:

  1. Completed online SUN Application Form
  2. Full curriculum vitae or resume, including list of publications, if any
  3. One Letter of Recommendation
  4. Statement of Purpose

Optional attachments

  • A copy of an article in English published recently (if available)
  • A copy of an English language proficiency certificate for non-native speakers of English ( (if available)

Online Application Form

SUN's Online Application Form, delivered by Embark, enables the online submission of the application form itself as well as all other relevant documentation, including CV's and resumes, letter of recommendation, statements of purpose and application essays (such as research proposal, case study, paper proposal, writing samples, academic records, etc.), eliminating all paper mailing to the SUN Office.

In addition, applicants will be able to use this system to track their progress and learn the outcome of their admissions evaluation online. Admissions decisions will be available to applicants as soon as they are entered into the system.

Please note that you can only submit one application in the online system. In exceptional cases when an applicant is interested in participating in two courses, which is only possible if the two courses are run consecutively, s/he should contact the SUN Office at summeru@ceu.edu to receive instructions how to submit a second application. Financial aid is only available for attending one course.

The application form is password-protected. 

  1. a) In case you have started an application for our program in previous years, you can use your old login and password and can log in as a "Returning Embark User" (right-hand side of the page). In case you cannot remember your old password, click on the "Forget your password?" link.
  2. b) In case you have not started an application before, please register first in the "New User?" section (left-hand side of the page). For registration please click on "Create an Account" and provide the requested information. Embark will send you your password by email and then you can log in and start your application, this time already as a returning user.

Further user's instructions for the online application are included in the form itself.

Should you have questions regarding the application form, check the relevant Frequently Asked Questions .

  1. Full curriculum vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if any

Please upload your Curriculum Vitae or resume, including a list of publications, if any.

  1. One Letter of Recommendation

Applicants must have one letter of recommendation submitted. Please arrange for a letter of recommendation to be written by a referee (faculty member, job supervisor, etc.) who can attest to your abilities, qualifications and academic/professional performance. Please advise the referee about the title and content of the course you are applying to. The letter must be completed in English and submitted by the referee online via the online application facility.

  1. Statement of Purpose

In the Statement of Purpose please describe how the course is relevant to your teaching, research or professional work, and in what way you expect to benefit from it. Please list relevant courses in the field you have taken previously during your studies. You are advised to consult the detailed course description on the course web page so that the statement of purpose is in accordance with the main objectives of the course.

Optional attachments:

  • A copy of an article in English published recently (if available)

If you have published an article in English, please upload it in the online system.

  • A copy of an English language proficiency certificate for non-native speakers of English ( (if available)

As proof of your English language proficiency, if you have passed a language exam, please upload a scanned copy of your English language exam result in the online application system.

All application materials must be submitted electronically with the online application form. CEU does not accept application documents by e-mail or fax. Candidates who may experience difficulties with the online submission of their documents should contact the SUN Office.

CEU does not return application documents, or copies thereof under any circumstances. Applications submitted after the deadline will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Inquiries

If you need help or more information during the application process, please feel free to contact the SUN staff:

E-mail for inquiry and correspondence: summeru@ceu.edu
Tel: (36-1) 327-3811
Fax: (36-1) 327-3124

Notification

The SUN Office will notify applicants about the selection results around the end of April. Please check the 'Important course dates' section on the relevant course web sites for earlier or later planned notification deadlines. The final decision is not open to appeal.

Important dates and deadlines

General application deadline for most courses: February 14, 2017  

In exceptional cases the application deadline is different from the above. See the list of these courses below:

  • Media Capture: The Relationship Between Power, Media Freedom and AdvocacyMarch 31, 2017

Important program dates (for all courses):

  • Email notification about the decision: mid-April - mid-May
  • Participants confirm acceptance and housing needs: in two weeks after receipt of the acceptance notification
  • Activation of the course-specific e-learning sites with readings and course outlines: end of April - end of May
  • Early-bird deadline of tuition payment for fee-paying participants: March - April, for course specifique early bird deadline see the course website
  • Tuition payment deadline for fee-paying participants: April - May, for course specifique fee payment deadline see the course website
  • Participants needing a visa reserve tickets, confirm exact travel dates to SUN; SUN Office sends out original invitation letter and room reservation for visa application: 6 weeks prior to arrival
  • Participants submit visa applications: 30 days prior to arrival
  • Participant arrivals, hotel check-in, and registration: one day before the course starts
  • Orientation session at CEU: on the first day of the course

Program Costs

  • Tuition Fee: 550 EUR (Early Bird fee: 500 EUR)
  • Accommodation in CEU Residence Center:
    • In Single room: 28 EUR/ night / person - including breakfast
    • In Shared Double room: 17 EUR/ night / person - including breakfast
  • Estimated living costs: 210 - 250 EUR

Financial Aid

As the number of scholarships available is limited, funding offered by institutions or individuals is welcome so that we can invite more well qualified applicants. When choosing the financial aid package, please consider if you or your institution can contribute to the program expenses. Faculty and Ph.D. students are advised to approach their home departments for travel grants; researchers may have research grants available which can cover their participation; professionals may turn to their employers to fund their training at SUN. You can also consult some non-CEU funding opportunities listed in our FAQ sectionWhile selection of applicants will be based on the academic merit of the applications, those willing to bear the participation costs fully or partially will be preferred in case of equally strong applications.

Financial aid is available in the following categories:

  • tuition waiver
  • accommodation grant
  • travel grant (full or partial)
  • Participants from Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union and Mongolia, as well as those coming from emerging countries worldwide can apply for financial aid in all categories listed above.
  • Participants from developed countries are expected to pay tuition fee. However, there are a limited number of tuition waivers available on a competitive basis. Those who wish to apply for a tuition waiver should send a separate cover letter specifying their reasons.
  • Participants are NOT eligible to receive financial aid if they attended two CEU funded Summer University courses within a four-year period.
  • In case an applicant is accepted to two courses, which is only possible if the two courses are run consecutively, financial aid is only available for attending one course. 

SUN Packages

All packages will include the following:

  • a minimum of 24 tuition hours per week
  • a certificate of attendance
  • access to course E-learning page (with readings, assignments, etc.)
  • access to CEU facilities (Library, IT services, sports centre including the use of the indoor swimming pool, tennis courts)
  • some social and cultural events depending on the course schedules (e.g. welcome and farewell reception / outings /fieldtrips / film screenings, etc.)
  1. Fee-Paying Package

Financial aid: N/A
Participant's own contribution: tuition, travel, accommodation, health insurance and living expenses

Payment deadlines

  • April 30 (Early Bird fee)
  • May 28 (Full tuition fee)

Cancellation Policy

In the event of cancellation, CEU will refund the tuition fee as follows:

  • Before May 28 - CEU will fully refund the tuition fee.
  • Between May 28th and 14 days prior to the course starting - 80% of the tuition fee will be refunded. 
  • Within 14 days of the course starting - no refund for tuition fees will be given. 
  1. Financial Aid packages
  • Tuition Waiver
    Financial aid: tuition fee waived
    Participant's own contribution: health insurance, travel, accommodation and living expense.
  • Partial SUN Scholarship
    Financial aid: tuition fee waived and free accommodation in a double room
    Participant's own contribution:health insurance, travel and living expenses
  • Full SUN Scholarship
    Financial aid: tuition fee waived; free accommodation in a double room and a full or partial travel grant
    Participant’s own contribution: health insurance and living expenses. 

The Full SUN Scholarship includes a full or partial travel grant which can be applied for on a competitive basis and will be available in a limited number. Visa costs and short domestic trips are not reimbursed. The citizens of the following countries are not eligible to apply for a travel grant: Bosnia, Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia and the western part of Ukraine and qualify therefore for a Partial SUN Scholarship.

Target group

Applications are invited from (post-) graduate students, researchers and scholars working on constitutional building in Africa, as well as practitioners, with considerable field experience.

Pre-requisites

Prior knowledge of the field is required, field experience is an advantage.

Language requirement

The language of instruction is English, thus all applicants have to demonstrate a strong command of spoken and written English to be able to participate actively in discussions at seminars and workshops. Some of the shortlisted applicants may be contacted for a telephone interview.

For more information click "Further official information" below.


This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

https://summeruniversity.ceu.edu/constitution-2017

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