Candidates

Our constant cooperation with Asian universities (e.g. from India: Manipal University, the University of Calcutta and Xiamen University of China), as well as one American university (Rutgers University) are important influences on the Centre for Europe’s approach to education. Cooperation with our non-European partners allows us to look at Europe from a different perspective. It emphasises the broader perspective explored as part of the programme at the Centre for Europe, which reaches beyond the strict framework of the EU and Europe. This is particularly important in the context of current processes on the global stage and the difficulties in integration processes, such as crises within the European Union. We teach to look at Europe from different angles and in different cultural contexts and we explain how to understand Europe from within the Union, from our Eastern and Southern neighbours, and from an Atlantic, Asian and African perspectives, all of which are very different, but also essential to the understanding of Europe’s place in the world and the processes within it.

The courses at the Centre for Europe are run by a team of experienced academic staff who for years have worked together on the development of the curriculum. The coherence of the programme proves that this cooperation is fruitful and that the Centre for Europe manages to maintain a balance between its key scientific areas and disciplines. Many of the scientific and didactic staff, apart from their considerable academic achievements, have practical experience in the state administration, gained at diplomatic posts, in international and non-governmental organisations. On top of this their research results are fully utilised in the didactic process. This ensures that students are introduced to scientific work both in terms of content and methodology. Apart from full-time academic teachers also external experts are invited to collaborate. All of them boast significant academic achievements and have considerable teaching experience.

Studies at the Centre for Europe are characterised by a wide range of scholarships offered through mobility programmes, covering 33 academic centres across Europe. These fully reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the studies. In this respect, we are especially proud to mention: University College London, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Universiteit Maastricht, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Université Toulouse 1 Capitole, University of Latvia, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Ljubljana.

For many years our students had to amass 120 hours of work experience for their undergraduate degree. Since the 2018/2019 academic year, we have decided to replace this requirement with a course called: ‘Participation in economic and social life’. This will allow our students to continue to apply for the internships of their choice, e.g. in government or local government administration, in private companies or non-governmental organisations. But they will also be able to engage in less formal projects, which will grant them valuable experience useful in their future professional work. Students in their first year of studies will kick off this course by attending obligatory training workshops at the Career Office of the University of Warsaw.

CE is the publisher of two prestigious scientific journals, known and recognized in Poland and abroad, i.e. “European Studies” (12 points from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education) and the Yearbook of Polish European Studies (10 points from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education). In addition, as part of the CE Publishing Programme, we publish numerous books, textbooks and scripts. In 2013-2016, CE employees prepared 20 monographs, 228 articles, 128 chapters and over a dozen books. A significant part of them was published under the CE Publishing Programme, as well as abroad, e.g. in the USA, Germany, Ukraine, Macedonia, India, China, Hong Kong, European institutions (e.g. the European Parliament, the European Court of Auditors).

The Centre for Europe has organised many international conferences and seminars. It has also participated in 8 international research projects. By mid-2017, 13 international events had already been organised. The results of the resulting research and international cooperation are used in the didactic process. CE also supports the scientific activities of students. One example is the possibility to publish excerpts from students’ master’s and bachelor’s theses in the form of an article in the quarterly “European Studies”. Students are also actively involved in international projects, such as the project with the Centre for European Studies Rutgers University which involved an exchange of views on Polish heritage with American students. The students were also involved in an international research project called “Poland and Turkey in Europe – common goals, different experiences”, an international research project entitled “Eastern Policy of the European Union: Achievements and Problems”. In autumn 2017, bachelor students took part in the CURICULLA research project, in which they conducted surveys among the audience of theatres in Warsaw.

We closely follow current events and try to react to them, also in terms of the programme. For example we have a lecture on the EU after Brexit by Professor B. Góralczyk, or on new social and national movements in the EU by Dr. M. Rakus-Suszczewski. An example of this is also the series of monthly public debates “European Wednesdays on Ksawerów Street”, initiated in October 2016, enabling everyone to take part in the discussion on the most important issues of contemporary Europe.

W CE research staff can regularly be seen on TV and heard on radio programmes. In addition, their articles are published in the largest Polish and foreign newspapers and web portals. They explain the complexities of the modern world and the EU in a simple and clear way. At the same time, they display the main advantages of our institution: multidisciplinary, quick reaction to current events and interest in many research areas.

During your studies you will take part in trips and events organized by students for students. CE has an active Student Council whose task is not only to help students with their problems, but also to ensure that the student community is well integrated. The tradition of organizing cultural events goes back quite a few years. This year we will invite you to the next Integration Camp in Sielpia Wielka (watch the videos of the previous camps). Such organized events make it a pleasure to study at CE. You will always find people to talk to, borrow notes from or go out with after classes.

European Studies graduates from the European Centre are the most successful of all European Studies graduates in Poland, both at undergraduate and master level. You can find more information here.