14th South-East European Summer School for Democracy, Belgrade 19-23 September 2011

The Fourteenth South-East European Summer School 
for Democracy
 
Entitled
 
EU Perspective of the Western Balkans: 
Challenges and Opportunities
 
to be held in Belgrade, Serbia 
 
from 19th till 23rd September 2011
 
 
Organisers
The School is organized by the Hellenic Observatory and LSEE (LSE Research on South East Europe) of the London School of Economics and Political Science and the Anglo-Serbian Society, Belgrade
The Co‑Directors of the School are: Prof. Vukasin Pavlovic, Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade and Dr. Spyros Economides, Hellenic Observatory/LSEE, LSE, London.
 
The School's Council is composed of two co-directors and additional five members: Prof. Margaret Blunden, former Provost of the University of Westminster, Prof. Vojislav Stanovcic, member of the Serbian Academy, Prof. Christopher Coker, London School of Economics, Prof. Kevin Featherstone, Hellenic Observatory/LSE and Prof. Slobodan G. Markovich, Executive Director of the Summer School.
The Background of the Idea
The School was established in 1998 and was originally organised by the Faculty of Political Science of the University of Belgrade and the University of Westminster. This annual summer school has been held since 1998. The School was originally called The Yugoslav-British Summer School for Democracy, but was later re-named The International Summer School for Democracy. Due to the repressive Bill on Education enacted during the reign of former Yugoslav dictator Slobodan Milosevic, the School was placed under organisational control of the Anglo-Yugoslav Society and the Centre for the Study of Democracy, who directed it from 1999. The AYS and the CSD co-organised the Summer School till 2007. In 2004 the Anglo-Yugoslav Society changed its name to the Anglo-Serbian Society. Since 2005 scholars from LSE have lectured at the School and since 2008 the School has been co-organised by the Hellenic Observatory (and later with LSEE as well)  of the London School of
Economics and the Anglo-Serbian Society under a new name and a modified format.
 
The 1998 course was: DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL CHANGE,
The 1999 course was: MODERNITY AND THE STATE - EAST, WEST
                                   (CIVIL SOCIETY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE),
The 2000 course was: THE DEMOCRATIC RECONSTRUCTION OF SOUTH-
                                               EASTERN EUROPE,
The 2001 course was: GOOD GOVERNANCE - GLOBALISM AND LOCALISM,
The 2002 course was: CONSOLIDATION OF NEW DEMOCRACIES 
The 2003 course was: DEMOCRACY, GLOBALISATION AND SECURITY
The 2004 course was: GLOBALISATION, THE EUROPEAN UNION AND THE WESTERN BALKANS
The 2005 course was: CULTURAL IDENTITIES AND DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE AND IN THE BALKANS
The 2006 was: NATIONALISM AND DEMOCRACY
The 2007 course was: TRANSITION, ISLAM AND DEMOCRACY
The 2008 course was: EUROATLANTIC INTEGRATIONS AND DEMOCRACY IN THE BALKANS
The 2009 course was: GLOBAL IMPACT ON STABILITY AND SECURITY IN THE BALKANS
The 2010 course was: ENLARGEMENT FATIGUE AND EU PROSPCETS OF THE WESTERN BALKANS
The 2011 course is: EU Perspective of the Western Balkans: Challenges and Opportunities 
The Mission of the School
- To improve junior faculty skills in modern democratic theory and European studies;
- To create networks of young scholars, political and NGO activists in SEE dealing with democratic theory and European studies;
- To analyse conditions and possibilities for democratic social changes, especially in so‑called transition societies;
- To develop and promote academic exchange between Western universities, Serbia and SEE countries.
- To improve regional academic co-operation and to overcome mutual stereotypes and preconceptions.
 
 
 
Participants and Lecturers
The main target group of participants are junior faculty, young political and NGO activists. There will be up to 30 participants altogether. Fifteen participants are to be selected from Serbia and an equal number will come from elsewhere in the region of South-Eastern Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Hellenic Republic, (F.Y.R.) Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Slovenia). Participants should have at the very least a BA degree, and preferably an MA degree in the social sciences or humanities. All other nationals are welcome to apply but the organisers can contribute only partially to their transportation costs.
 
            All accommodation costs and all transportation costs within the region of SEE for selected participants are covered by the Summer School through donations.
 
The course lecturers (resource persons) are professors and associates from the Hellenic Observatory/LSEE of the London School of Economics, from the University of Westminster, the University of Belgrade and occasionally professors from other SEE countries, Western Europe, and the United States.
Objectives 
1. The strengthening of existing networks from previous schools and the creation of new networks of critically oriented, open-minded individuals from the field of social sciences endeavoring to contribute to the process of democratization and European integration in SEE both theoretically and practically.
2. Dissemination of democratic theory among young political leaders, junior scholars and NGO activists in the region of SEE, thus facilitating the consolidation of democracies in the region. 
3. Promotion of Euro-Atlantic integration.
Rationale
The School was initiated during the authoritarian rule of Slobodan Milosevic, and has always endeavoured to foster regional co-operation and keep Serbian and SEE political and NGO activists and young scholars open to experiences and practices of Euro-Atlantic community. It was established at a time when Serbia faced xenophobia and ethnic hatred and this was an effort to overcome such attitudes. In the meantime the School has been developed into an active promoter of democratic values and tolerance in the region of SEE and it has become a regional Balkan School open to participants from other European countries as well.
Time and Place
The School lasts one week and is organized in Belgrade from September 5, till September 11. 
 
Lecturers
-          Prof. Margaret Blunden, Formerly Provost at the University of Westminster
-          Prof. Christopher Coker, London School for Economics and Political Science
-          Dr. Spyros Economides, Hellenic Observatory, LSEE, LSE
-          Dr. James Ker Lindsay, LSEE, LSE
-          Dr William Bartlett, LSEE, LSE
-          Prof. Slobodan G. Markovich, Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
-          Prof. Vukasin Pavlovic, Vice-Dean at the Faculty of Political Science, Belgrade
-          Ms. Sonja Licht, President of the Belgrade Fund for Political Excellence
-          Dr. Eric Beckett Weaver, University of Debrecen 
            Format
There will be three morning lectures every day from 10.00 till 13.30 with a lunch break till 15.00. In the afternoon times Afternoon Workshops will be held from 15.00 till 17.00. 
All lectures are divided in half-an-hour to 45-minute introductions to the topic and the remaining time is dedicated to debates and questions for the lecturers. 
Afternoon Workshops
 
All the selected participants are expected to prepare either a short presentation (15 minutes long) or an essay (3-5 pages) dealing with one of the following topics:
 
-          How do EU prospects or lack of such prospects affect democratization and transformation of my native country (for nationals coming from the Western Balkans only)
-          European perspective as a tool for stabilization of aspirant and candidate countries  
-          How could enlargement fatigue affect the region economically
 
Presentations and essays can be either descriptive or analytical depending on preferences. 
 
For presentations all technical equipment is available including: power point presentations, over-head projector and flip charts.
 
The organizers will attempt to publish those essays that can be upgraded to good-quality papers in the South-Slav Journal.
Accommodation and Transportation
The Summer School will be held in a centrally located hotel in Belgrade (accommodation is in double rooms) in the very heart of Belgrade, Serbia, based on half-board. There are lunches for all participants organised in down town restaurants.
 
The organisers will cover adequate transportation costs to Belgrade from the region. Travel costs of applicants applying outside of the region of SEE may only partially be covered, but applicants from countries outside of SEE are very welcome to apply.
 
Arrival Day 
All the participants should arrive to Belgrade on Sunday, September 18, 2011, in afternoon or evening hours. 
Rooms in Hotel in down town Belgrade are double. The hotel is situated in the very heart of down town Belgrade.
 
Departure Day
All the participants should depart from Belgrade on Friday evening (September 23)
 
 IMPORTANT NOTE: All the participants are expected to attend all the lectures. Organisers are not in a position to offer places to participants who will be able to attend only part of lectures or who will not be in a position to be present at the summer school during its whole duration.
 
VISA REGIME: Nationals of the EU countries and EEA, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Albania do not need visas for Serbia. 
 
DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS:
Applications may be sent in the period from July 26, till August 12, 2011
 
By August 14, 2011 the Selection Committee will have selected applicants.
 
Selected applicants will receive e-mails and will be asked to confirm their participation and will be informed what transportation costs the organisers can cover. After confirming their participation they will receive official letters of invitation.
 
REQUIREMENTS:
 
1. Applicants should have at the very least a BA degree, and preferably an MA or PhD degree in social sciences or humanities. Applicants without completed BA degrees will not be taken into consideration.
 
Applicants should be researchers or lecturers. They can also be political or NGO   leaders in their community (provided that they have at least a BA degree) 
 
2. All participants should be proficient in English since all the lectures are in English.
 
3. Participants should preferably be nationals or residents of SEE countries or other neighbouring countries. Nationals of other countries can also apply but the organisers can not guarantee that they will be able to cover all their travel costs.
 
All transportation and accommodation costs for selected participants from SEE are covered by sponsors of ISSD.
 
APPLICATION PROCESS:
 
All prospective applicants are expected:
1.               To send their CVs. 
2.               To send a short letter of motivation explaining in up to two hundred words why they wish to be participants of the School
3.               To send a letter of recommendation written by a university lecturer or a researcher.
4.               To fill in the application form available at www.anses.rs

All the applications should be sent in digital form only to:
 
Ms. Milica Bogdanovic,
Programme Co-ordinator 
e-mail: angloserbiansociety@gmail.com
phone: +381-11-3629-734
fax: +381-11-2686-471
Address: Kraljice Natalije 21,
11 000 Belgrade, Serbia