19.03.2026
international
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Uta Kührt
Uta Kührt
MA (Translation)
Faculty of Social Sciences
Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
Erasmus Coordinator and Project Manager
+372 737 5154
Lossi 36–301

Erasmus+ BIP course „Contested Concepts. Unravelling Meanings Across Europe“

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The words we use to make sense of the world do not mean the same thing to everyone—their meanings shift across time, space, languages, and political contexts, shaping how we understand ourselves and others. This Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) offers an opportunity to explore how key political and social concepts are interpreted across different European contexts.

The course consists of:

  • an introductory online session in May
  • three online sessions in September
  • an on-site intensive programme from 5–9 October 2026 in Bielefeld, Germany

Participants will study in an international environment together with students from universities in Lille, Santiago de Compostela, Lviv, Mainz, Bielefeld, and Tartu. The course is co-organised by the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu, and teaching will be provided by an international team of lecturers, including Professor Eva Piirimäe and Research Fellow Juhan Saharov.

The BIP course is part of the lexi.eco project.

Poster BIP Bielefeld
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At Bielefeld University, there is a centre for the study of conceptual history, originally founded by the renowned German historian and political theorist Professor Reinhart Koselleck (1923–2006). His school of thought continues to be active in Bielefeld to this day, although conceptual history has by now become an international discipline. During the BIP, a lecture will be given and discussions with students led by one of the most prominent contemporary representatives of this tradition, Professor Willibald Steinmetz.

To complete the course, students must participate in both the online and on-site components. Upon successful completion, 6 ECTS credits will be awarded and transferred to the University of Tartu curriculum.

The course is open to:

  • BA and MA students at the University of Tartu
  • PhD students, provided they are not employed at the University of Tartu as Junior Researchers

A maximum of 6 students will be selected.

Application deadline for this course is 15 April 2026.
If you have any questions concerning the application and/or the course, please feel free to get in touch with Skytte institute Study abroad coordinator Uta Kührt, [email protected] .
Please make yourself familiar with the terms and grants of Erasmus+ blended mobility before submitting the application!

Erasmus+ blended mobility application should be submitted via the SoleMove platform as follows:
  1. Select University of Tartu as your home university from the list
  2. Log into the system by using your UT credentials
  3. From the menu at left side bar, choose "Applications". The student mobility application templates are not listed in case you have an employee status at UT. Please e-mail [email protected] and kindly ask to add outgoing student status to your SoleMove user.
  4. Click "Create new application" to start creating an application (application type: short student exchange).
  5. Choose “Study" for the type of mobility
  6. Select application period (competition call) from the list: “Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme (BIP)”
  7. Click "save" to save the draft and start filling out the application.

Start filling out the application from the tab "Exchange information", not from the first (personal data). It is important because choosing the study abroad exchange programme defines the fields of the application template accordingly. Once the study abroad exchange programme has been selected, the application template gets changed, before that it is displayed as a general template.

Then fill in all the remaining fields (including personal data):
  • Exchange study information: Bielefeld University, Germany D BIELEFE01
  • Exchange program: Erasmus+ Europe
  • Mobility: Blended
  • Additional information (name of BIP): Contested Concepts. Unravelling Meanings Across Europe
  • Home institution: Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies
  • Departmental coordinator: Uta Kührt
  • Duration of your exchange: Other (please specify): 5-9 October 2026
  • Enclosures: upload a short letter of motivation (in English)

Application deadline for this course is 15 April 2026.

If you have any questions concerning the application and/or the course, please feel free to get in touch with Skytte institute Study abroad coordinator Uta Kührt, [email protected] .

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