It
gives me great pleasure to announce the sixth annual Democracy
& Diversity Graduate Summer Institute in Cracow, scheduled
for July 13 through August 2. At its castle site overlooking the
Vistula, we again offer junior scholars from Eastern Europe, the
U.S., and other parts of the world the equivalent of a full semester's
study in society, politics, and culture.
Designed by the East and Central Europe Program of the Graduate Faculty, New School for Social Research, the Institute has become a more broadly international, but still intimate, forum for the lively, but rigorous, examination of common issues. Our core faculty from the New School's GF will be joined by distinguished scholars and guest speakers from Israel, Poland, Russia, and South Africa. In addition to our traditional (but always evolving) offerings on citizen participation and the role of gender, the Institute's annual public policy workshop will emphasize the role of media and communications in the development of policy.
On completion of the Institute, U.S. graduate students receive credits and non-U.S. participants receive certificates. But, as I think any alumni will tell you, the experience is unique, invaluable, and unforgettable. I hope you will consider applying.
CURRICULUM
Citizenship and Continuity in Democratic Politics
David Plotke, Dept. of Political Science, GF, NSSR *
How can democratic practices and institutions be sustained?
This is an urgent question in newer democracies and in many more
established democracies as well. To try to answer this question
we will examine relations between citizenship and democratic continuity.
How should we understand the concept and practice of citizenship?
What should citizens do to sustain a democratic polity? On what
do citizens need to agree for democratic politics to continue
over time? We will examine possible sources of democratic continuity
in law, civic commitments, and political values. And we will look
at areas of sharp contention where democratic continuity may be
at risk.
Nation, Identity, Community
Shlomo Avineri, Dept. of Political Science, Hebrew University
of Jerusalem, Israel
Elzbieta Matynia, Committee on Liberal Studies, GF, NSSR *
Aristide Zolberg, Dept. of Political Science, GF, NSSR *
Whether defined as philosophical concept, ideology, attitude,
or group's state of mind, nationalism continues to be a major
idee force of the last two centuries, leading to successive
reconfigurations of the world map. This course will discuss the
origins of modern nationalism both in the Enlightenment and in
the romantic movement, and will survey the current social science
literature, discussing various approaches to the study of nationalism
as an historical phenomenon. The reemergence of nationalism in
some post-communist societies will also be examined on both the
social and the ideological level. Finally we will also explore
the impact of the relatively recent phenomenon of mass migrations,
the incorporation of immigrants in western societies, and the
emergence of a transnational civil society.
Politics of Culture in Repressive and Liberal Regimes
Jeffrey Goldfarb, Department of Sociology, GF, NSSR *
In the course the politics of culture will be studied as they
have manifested themselves in East Central Europe and in America.
Special attention will be given to how the Communist project of
politicizing art has effected the cultural life in that part of
the world. The social bases of independent public expression in
a communist context will be explored. The implications of turning
off the censor will be examined, and the long term legacies in
the post communist context of the systematic political control
of culture will be appraised. Comparisons will be made between
the systematic distortion of cultural life by international markets
and totalitarian politics. The goal of the course will be to arrive
at an understanding of the situation of culture after the fall
of communism.
Theories of Gender in Culture
Professor Ann Snitow, Committee on Gender Studies and Feminist
Theory, GF, NSSR *
Now in its sixth year, this course keeps changing to include
developing debates, from both East and West, about the ways in
which gender structures social and political life. This summer,
the course will introduce a wide range of discourses about male
and female as key variables in both private and public experience.
We will discuss a variety of feminist movements - both their theories
and practices - including a critical assessment of the current
globalization of feminist ideas and action.
Workshop
Public Policy, Citizen Involvement & Communications
Elaine Zimmerman, Executive Director, Connecticut Commission on
Children
This workshop will address several major policy issues in
contemporary North America and Europe such as child care, education,
and social welfare. We will look at the practical side of policy
making, turning good ideas into legislation, how policy becomes
law and how to ensure that good policy is financed in state budgets,
enacted, and evaluated. What are the outcomes of a policy and
how can law be improved over time for the public good? Public
policy is a democratic process with citizen participation, discourse,
and public expectations of elected officials within government
who turn policy into law. This workshop will discuss strategy,
methods of citizen involvement and use of the media to bolster
public awareness of policy issues.
* The Graduate Faculty of Political and Social Science, New School for Social Research, New York
Why
Cracow?
Cracow, the ancient capital of Poland, seat of the second
oldest university in Europe (1364), has been a center for scholarship
and politics for many centuries. It has traditionally served as
a link between the cultures of the East and the West. A city of
Gothic convents, Renaissance arcades, baroque churches and Art
Nouveau coffee houses, Cracow has always been an intellectual
and artistic center. As a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire,
19th century Cracow was closely associated with Vienna, the intellectual
and artistic avant-garde of the West. The famous sociologist Ludwig
Gumplowicz was a native of Cracow, and so were anthropologist
Bronislaw Malinowski and writer Joseph Conrad. At the turn of
the century, Cracow developed its own branches of Art Nouveau
and Expressionism. After World War II, the avant-garde tradition
was continued by the Cracow School of Painting, the theaters of
Tadeusz Kantor, Andrej Wajda and Jerzy Grotowski, and the music
of Krzysztof Penderecki. Cracow is also home to two Nobel laureates
in literature, Czeslaw Milosz (1980) and Wislawa Szymborska (1996).
Accommodations:
Przegorzaly Castle (just outside of Cracow), which is on a
wooded hilltop with a view of the Tatra Mountains, is easily reached
from the city by public transportation. The accommodations will
be comfortable double rooms with bath and telephone.
Facts about the Program:
All participating students must have completed undergraduate
studies and currently be enrolled in a graduate program. The classes
at the Summer Graduate Institute will be conducted four times
a week, in morning and afternoon sessions. All books and course
materials are provided. One day per week will be devoted to the
cultural program, which will include exploration of architectural
and historical landmarks, visits to museums, meetings with artists
and political figures, and various field trips.
Graduate Students from American Universities
The cost of the Graduate Summer Institute is based on the
1996/1997 Graduate Faculty tuition rate and includes full room
and board. The participation fee for those who wish to audit is
only $1,650. Travel costs are not included. For an application,
please call Cynthia Mueller, Director of Admissions, Graduate
Faculty, 65 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003. Tel: (212) 229-5710,
Fax: (212) 989-7102. If you are calling from outside the NYC area
please call 1(800) 523-5411.
Graduate Students from Universities in East and Central Europe
Interested students should send a letter which includes the
following information: Full name, address, telephone/fax number
(very important), educational background, degrees received, institutional
affiliation, and evidence of English language skills. Also include
one letter of recommendation and 1-2 page statement of your educational
goals and reasons for applying to the Institute. Mail or fax these
to: Ina Breuer, East and Central Europe Program, New School for
Social Research, 65 Fifth Avenue, Room 404, New York, NY 10003,
Fax: (212) 229-5894. VHS video cassettes of a documentary film
of the 1996 Institute are available in our New York office and
at regional Soros Foundation offices.
For
more information, please e-mail Ina Breuer at Breuer@newschool.edu.
Photography used by kind permission of Ina Breuer