Development Projects
International collaboration and development are the key dimensions of the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies activities.
We participate in various educational consortia and international projects aimed at research, teaching, international partnerships, mobility of the students and lecturers, and cooperation between universities and society. The Institute has a variety of international partners among universities and research institutions. The cooperation is based on agreements to foster student and staff mobility, research, and higher education cooperation.
The staff of the Institute is involved in several professional networks, both in the form of institutional and individual membership. Co-operation networks aim to represent the shared interests of their members and to serve as forums for exchanging ideas on matters related to higher education and research.
- Timeframe: 2020-2023
- Funding: Jean Monnet Module (Erasmus+)
- Coordinators: Stefano Braghiroli, Anna Beitane
- Partners: the University of Tartu and partnering experts from Albania, Armenia, Finland, Montenegro and Poland
The proposed module aims to create new knowledge, tools, and resources related to Europeanization towards the European Union’s Eastern neighbourhood, candidate countries, and - more in general - wider Europe. The context that requires such effort is one in which the ‘expansive’ potential of European integration is increasingly unsettled and challenged by alternative models of regionalism.
This Jean Monnet action is functional to creating and supporting a new “European Union –Russia Studies” module within the framework of the master’s programme in “International relations and regional studies” at the J. Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu. Within the module's framework, emphasis will be given to coherently and synergically integrated innovative teaching methods, bi-directional interactivity, blended learning, and open educational resource (OER) material. The module offers a multi-disciplinary and diverse methodological perspective on the process of European integration, the EU’s relations with its Eastern neighbourhood and Russia and with different alternative models of regionalism in Europe and Eurasia. The offer of in-class and online courses as well as the other activities developed with the framework of the module has been attentively crafted to ensure the best balance of multi-disciplinary and methodological diversity.
- Timeframe: 2022-2023
- Funding: Nordplus (Higher Education)
- Coordinators: Anna Beitane, Andrey Makarychev, Alexandra Yatsyk
- Partners: the University of Helsinki, University of Tartu, University of Latvia, Vilnius University
The Baltic-Nordic Network for the Advancement of Methodology in Area Studies (BAMSE) promotes state-of-the-art research and education in area studies in the Baltic-Nordic area by concentrating on the theoretical and methodological underpinnings of area studies. The network is a meeting point for ideas and people aiming to reevaluate and advance area studies theories and methodologies. BAMSE is a collaboration of teachers, researchers, students, and stakeholders from various partner institutions.
One of the key activities of the BAMSE is organising an intensive course for advanced bachelor’s students and master’s students in Vilnius (2021), Tartu (2022), and Riga (2023).
The joint courses highlight area studies' significance and embedded potential in understanding transnational challenges regarding underlying changes in power structures/relations, identity constructions, communication, symbolic politics, and culture.
- Timeframe: 2022-2025/li>
- Funding: Erasmus+ Strategic Partnerships
- Coordinator: Anna Beitane
- Partner: Istanbul University; the University of Tartu, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore), University of Ljubljana, Istanbul Commerce University, University of Bucharest
The objective of DD-Tech is to develop a “Digital Diplomacy Module” that enables our students to develop skills to carry out digital diplomacy culture, apply it in innovation processes and improve their technological response/solutions capacities. This project aims to develop a digital-based standard curriculum among European countries within the scope of a Digital Diplomacy course for a future-based education model, the use of digital education and communication tools, training of “future diplomats” who can comprehend the global trends to create joint projects, to increase collective design capabilities, to promote a culture of collaboration.
