Poland & Ukraine
Building a New Reality in Poland and Ukraine:
Challenges, Successes, and Failures
June 9-18, 2009
Itinerary
This 10-day seminar begins in Warsaw (5 nights) continues on to Kyiv (Kiev) (4 nights). One-way group travel by air between Warsaw and Kyiv is included in the seminar fee. Seminar participants should plan to fly home (or on to further travels) after the seminar from Kyiv.
Seminar Fee
CIEE Member: $3,175 Non-Member: $3,375
Academic Content (please note this is tentative and subject to change)
Lectures
- Lessons Learned in the Transition to a Market Economy and Democratic System in Poland
- Poland and the European Union: Do Poles Accept Their Country’s Membership in the EU?
- Cross-border Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine
- Concepts of EU Foreign Policy: the dilemma between a common EU foreign policy or single country/ regional interests in foreign policies
- The EU and the Georgian/Russian crisis: Poland’s Role in Helping Ukraine and Georgia Join NATO and the European Union
- Groups of Interest in Post-Communist Countries and Their Impact on Politics and the Economy
- Creating Ukrainian Statehood after the Collapse of the Soviet Union
- Problems of Cultural Post-Colonialism in Ukraine: Identity in Independent Ukraine
- Russia’s “New Imperial Policy” and its Regional Influence on Poland and Ukraine
- Transitional Economics: 15 Years of Economic Changes in Ukraine
- Outcomes of the Orange Revolution
- Ukraine and the International Community
Co-curricular Site Visits & Field Trips
- Guided City Tour of Warsaw
- Visits to selected Economic and Political Institutions in Warsaw
- The Polish National Opera and/or the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
- Guided City Tour of Kyiv
- Visits to Governmental Institutions and NGOs in Kyiv
- Lavra Cave Monastery Tour
- The Kyiv Opera and/or Concert
Rationale
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine turned its attention toward developing ties with Western Europe. However, it was passed over during recent waves of EU expansion, which marked the inclusion of Poland, a nation with strong historical ties to Ukraine. Poland has committed to promoting Ukraine's desire to be integrated with the EU, obtain market-economy status, and join the WTO. By examining the relationships between Poland and Ukraine, participants analyze the political, economic, social, and cultural impact of the transition to democracy in both nations. How have the ties between these countries changed following the collapse of the Soviet Union? What impact has Poland's accession to the EU had on these neighboring nations? What are the current trends in East-West relations within Europe? What are the current implications of Ukraine’s Orange Revolution? What will Russia’s regional influence mean for both countries?
Host Institutions
The seminar is jointly hosted by the Warsaw School of Economics (WSE) in Poland, and National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (NaUKMA) in Ukraine.
Established in 1906, the Warsaw School of Economics, formerly the Central School of Planning and Statistics (1948–1990), is the oldest and largest economics university in Poland, with 16,000 students and a teaching staff of 1,100. WSE, where the CIEE Study Center is located, offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs in economics, international economics, management, statistics, computer science, demography, and public sector economics. WSE has developed close contacts with universities and institutes abroad and its academic staff plays an active role in the private sector and state administration, as well as in numerous domestic and international organizations.
Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the historic predecessor of NaUKMA, was established in 1632 and was one of the most distinguished places of learning in Eastern Europe, bringing Renaissance ideas eastward. Closed in Soviet times, NaUKMA as it exists today was opened in 1991. NaUKMA enrolls approximately 3000 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students.
Seminar Leadership
Dr. Bogdan Radomski is the faculty leader for the Warsaw portion of the seminar and will travel with the group to Kyiv. Dr. Radomski received his M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Economics from the Warsaw School of Economics. Dr. Radomski is Director of the Center for International Program Development and an Associate Professor of International Finance at WSE. In addition, he serves as the Resident Director of the CIEE Study Center in Warsaw, a position he has held since the program's inception in 1989. A native of Poland, he strongly believes that personal contacts—developed by living with people of different nationalities, cultures, and habits—helps eliminate stereotypes and xenophobia, and thus, furthers better understanding in today's world. In his free time, Bogdan enjoys classical music concerts, jazz, and reading 19th Century French literature.
Larysa Chovnyuk is the faculty leader for the Kyiv portion of the seminar. Ms. Chovnyuk received her MA from the National University of “Kyiv-Mohyla Academy” (Comparative Literature) and another MA from the Central European University in Budapest, Hungary (History of Central and Eastern Europe). Her main academic interest is the City Image in 20th Century Fiction. Ms. Chovnyuk is the NaUKMA Vice President for Foreign Cooperation and is responsible for arranging and supporting different kinds of international activities at NaUKMA. Among those are summer programs for international students and faculty members, very interesting and pleasant ways to experience her country firsthand, as well as to meet Ukrainian colleagues.
Click on the links below to learn more about participating on an IFDS.