Public Lecture by the Professors of the Canadian University of Moncton
October 24, 2018 at Vytautas Magnus University will attend the Canadian University of Moncton, who will discuss not only university co-operation issues, but also read public lectures (V. Putvinskio St. 23-312, 11:00 a.m.) for Vytautas Magnus University students: Canadian socio-economic policy and its peculiarities North American context; Canada-US-Mexico (USMCA) New Commerce Agreement (English) and Canadian Integration Policy (French with translation into Lithuanian).
Pierre-Marcel Desjardins
Pierre-Marcel Desjardins has been teaching economics at the Université de Moncton since 1990 and is the Director of l’École des hautes études publiques. He has a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas (Austin). His current research projects focus on regional and rural economic development, public policy, and trade. He as been called upon by the governments of Canada and New Brunswick, as well as the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) as an economic development specialist.
Christophe Traisnel
A graduate of the Universities of Lille II, Paris II and Montreal, Christophe Traisnel is an Associate Professor of Political Science and Deputy Director of the École des Hautes Études Public (HÉP) at the Université de Moncton. Associate Researcher at the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities (CIRLM) and associate member of the Center for Studies and Research in Administrative and Political Sciences (CERSA, Paris II), he devotes his work to the international Francophonie, to migrations Canada, the Boreal Francophonie and linguistic minorities in Canada and Europe. In line with his dissertation on nationalism of protest in Canada and Belgium, he has also published numerous articles on political commitment, nationalism, French-speaking immigration and the recognition of minorities, particularly in the journals Lien social et Politics, Politics and Societies, Francophonies of America, Words, Hermes, Sociographic Research, Canadian Studies. He is also the author of The French in Sharing (Timée éditions), and Francophonie, Francophonismes: group of aspiration and forms of engagement (editions LGDJ – Panthéon-Assas).
VMU to Host Annual UNESCO Media and Information Literacy Conference
For the first time in Lithuania, the Baltic States, and the Northern Europe, the Feature Conference of Global Media and Information Literacy Week will be held at Vytautas Magnus University (VMU) on 24-25 October. The event, the 8th Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Conference, will welcome about 300 participants from all over the world, including leading experts from the USA, France, Great Britain, and other countries.
Conference speakers will discuss the changing media environment, the influence of the media on social and political processes, and the competences and skills necessary for sustainable social, cultural, economic and political development of the world. The aim of the event is to promote international cooperation in the development of media and information literacy (MIL), support the role of academic institutions and their relations with other organizations, establish new partnerships, and stimulate discussions on these issues in the public sphere for the advancement of a smart, creative, and sustainable civil society.
“Over the last 40 years, which have been very dynamic in the context of the media, communications, and social change, UNESCO was one of the first international organizations to take on leadership in the development and promotion of international dialogue on MIL issues. From the Grunwald Declaration of 1982 to the Riga Recommendations of 2016, UNESCO has been inviting countries, organizations, creative industries, educational, scientific and cultural institutions to unite and cooperate in MIL networks and implement projects and initiatives”, one of the conference organizers, head of VMU Dept. of Public Communication, Prof. Kristina Juraitė, explained.
The conference is organized by UNESCO, Vytautas Magnus University, University of Latvia, and the national commissions for UNESCO in Latvia and Lithuania. Both VMU and University of Latvia are members of the UNESCO Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Network. The guest speakers at the event will include Prof. Henry Jenkins from University of Southern California (USA), Prof. Sonia Livingstone from London School of Economics and Political Science (UK), Dr. Carl Heath (Sweden), Prof. Paul Mihailidis (USA) etc.
The theme of the conference, and of the entire Global MIL Week 2018, is Media and Information Literate Cities: Voices, Powers, and Change Makers. Discussions and paper presentations will focus on education of media and information literacy in the Baltic states, MIL as mediator between cultural industries and the city, the transformation of information needs in the cities, privacy and bullying online, the impact of digital environments in the age of misinformation, the role of MIL in the struggle for gender equality and women’s empowerment, the fight against hate and intolerance etc.
“The academic community has been given the rather important role at the forefront of the media and information literacy movement, which promotes the need for MIL in a sustainable, civil and democratic society. For this reason, this annual conference is primarily an opportunity for Lithuanian scientists to join international media literacy networks, get acquainted with the latest scientific studies and develop relevant research in the future”, Prof. Juraitė said.
Three years ago, the professor and other VMU scientists conducted a study on media literacy in Lithuania. The study, titled “Education of News Literacy: How to Understand Media?”, involved two public surveys where questions were answered by 15-17 year old pupils and adults (from 18 years old) respectively. The results demonstrated that the more educated individuals tend to assess online content more critically and verify the veracity of the news. The experts also prepared guidelines for the Lithuanian media policy: they proposed to review the methods of promoting and sponsoring journalism, with more focus on public interest, and to reassess the teaching of media literacy at schools.
This year VMU has strengthened its relations with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization: the university has opened the UNESCO Dept. of Media and Information Literacy, which conducts MIL research: analyses media consumption, media policy, citizen participation and empowerment trends, and MIL education initiatives. The department also aims to develop MIL competences of students and educators and disseminate information on these issues in Lithuania and internationally.
“This acknowledgement is a result of long cooperation with UNESCO and other international organizations in the field of MIL research and studies. In their development of media research, VMU scientists have been actively involved in UNESCO-initiated MILID and GAPMIL networks and the activities of international scientific associations ECREA, ICA, BAMR, and AABS”, the head of VMU Dept. of Public Communication explained.
According to Prof. Juraitė, the UNESCO conference should be of particular interest to scholars of a wide variety of fields, including communication, journalism, education science, sociology, politics, public administration, arts, creative industries and other areas, as well as education and media policymakers, NGOs, businesses and start-ups.
The 8th annual UNESCO Media and Information Literacy and Intercultural Dialogue (MILID) Conference will be held on 24-25 October in Kaunas, at Vytautas Magnus University (S. Daukanto g. 28). On 26 October, the participants will attend further events in Riga organized by the University of Latvia.
Ambassador-at-large for Hybrid threats will give a public lecture
Eitvydas Bajarūnas, Ambassador-at-large for Hybrid threats will give a public lecture “Hybrid warfare in the EU: influences and response strategies”. Lecture discussion will take place at VMU Faculty of political science and diplomacy, room 311 (Putvinskio str. 23, Kaunas) on October 5, start at 16.30h. We invite you to join and participate!
The Riga Conference 2018 commences with questions on our future
28th -29th of September, the largest security and foreign policy forums in the Baltic Sea region – The Rīga Conference 2018 – commences at the National Library of Latvia. Over the two days the conference welcomed heads of states, experts, diplomats, academics and media representatives together with some 700 experts from around the world discussing touching questions to the Western alliances.
The conference was opened by President of the Republic of Latvia H.E Mr Raimonds Vējonis. The former President of the Republic of Latvia, Prof. Dr. Vaira Vīķe Freiberga, together with the former Minister of National Defence of Poland, Mr Antoni Macierewicz, and Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security, Mr Sven Sakkov will look back over the last century, seeing what lessons we can learn and whether sovereignty of states in Europe can be secured in a hostile environment.
The second panel whether we can count on NATO for the century ahead. The ministers of Defence of Latvia and Lithuania, Mr Raimonds Bergmanis and Mr. Raimundas Karoblis, respectively, will join Lt.Gen (Ret.) Frederick Benjamin Hodges, of CEPA and Prof. Dr Julian Lindley-French to assess whether NATO can remain an important player in defence of peace in the region.
The first day of the conference was concluded by understanding the mid-term economic outlook for the European Union. The Vice-President for the Euro and Social Dialogue, Mr Valdis Dombrovskis, together with Ms Dana Reizniece-Ozola, the Minister of Finance of the Republic of Latvia, Mr Christian Whiton, Senior Vice President at Banner Public Affairs, and Prof Dr Michael Eilfort of Market Economy Foundation provided their opinions.
The conference discussions will be streamed live on the DELFI portal/ our informative partner portals and The Rīga Conference 2018 website www.rigaconference.lv. As always, the online audience is encouraged to participate in discussions via Twitter, using #RigaConf18. The language of the conference is English.
Arūnas Molis professor of Political Science and Diplomacy and lecturer Donatas Vainalavičius participated in a conference.
Public Lecture Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union: how it works
Department of Political Science of Vytautas Magnus University has a pleasure to invite for public lecture titled Committee of Permanent Representatives in the European Union: how it works?, which will take place on 1st of October, at 1 pm, in room 311 (Putvinskio st. 23, Kaunas).
The topic will be presented by Darius Šimaitis, head of COREPER II Division in European Union Department in Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.
Before becoming head of COREPER II Division Darius Šimaitis has worked as a Legal Counsellor in the Permanent Representation of Lithuania to the European Union.
VMU student G.Čepulytė awarded by Sakartvelo institutions for UN model simulation
On the 12-16th of September, 2018, in Kutaisi city, Sakartvelo it was organized the international UN model simulation. Model UN simulations are usually meant to expand the views of the students, to help them better understand the daily work of the United Nations and attain practical skills in negotiations and decision-making. These events are mostly organized and run by students.
The faculty of Political science and diplomacy of Vytautas Magnus University was represented by Gertrūda Čepulytė, Artūras Matusevičius, Evelina Batakytė, Sandra Kudzmaitė, Vaineta Kazlauskaitė and Ieva Jakubavičiūtė.
This event, UN model simulation in Kutaisi, attracted students from 11 different countries, who took the tasks and participated in the simulation while representing different assigned countries- UN member states. The best participants of the Model UN were rewarded in different categories: Best public speaker, Best Delegation, Best position paper.
Gertrūda Čepulytė received an award ( first place) for the public speech in the category “best public speaker” while representing the position of the Republic of Yemen. Gertrūda was also awarded with gifts from the Kutaisi City Hall, Peace Corps, and LDA Georgia organisations.
Congratulations!
Rethinking Regional Studies: the Baltic-Black Sea Connection
Name of the project: Rethinking Regional Studies: the Baltic-Black Sea Connection (BBSR)
Duration: 15 October 2017 – 14 October 2021
The project’s goal was to modernise regional studies at the Ukrainian partner universities, internationalise their study offer and provide support in implementing international projects.
The project achieved its main goals, which were:
– creation of an English-language MA programme (the first corresponding to Bologna principles) on Baltic and Black Sea Region Studies at Ivan Franko National University of Lviv thereby modernising regional studies in Ukraine; overall 22 new courses were developed in the four Ukrainian universities;
– creation of modules on regional studies at other Ukrainian universities, embedded in the international relations studies;
– new knowledge and skills in regional studies and international relations;
– facilitating innovative ways as well as the quality of teaching and learning at Ukrainian universities by the purchase of equipment, including smartboards, anti-plagiarism software, access to online resources, and thematic books;
– in addition to equipment, an adequate training was provided for both teachers and students on academic writing and integrity, plagiarism, innovative teaching methods, blended courses etc.
Among other achievements:
– the students of Ukrainian universities have received international learning experience both at a winter school in Estonia as well as in Mariupol;
– the project has intensified other cooperation between the Ukrainian partners themselves and with the EU partners;
– thanks to the project, decrees have been adopted at IFNUL about the international cooperation and projects; project results have been disseminated on the project webpage and Facebook page, at different conferences and meetings, as well as regional newspapers and TV. The project has contributed to the internationalisation of curricula at partner universities, more effective use of online learning methods, raised awareness of both teachers and students on plagiarism.
Partners:
University of Tartu, Estonia
Ivan Franko National University of Lviv, Ukraine
Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland
Lund University, Sweden
Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania
Mariupol State University, Ukraine
Odessa National I. I. Mechnikov University, Ukraine
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Ukraine
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Lecture about Israeli Security Concept
Department of Political Science has a pleasure to invite prof. Dima Adamsky for public lecture titled Change and Continuity in the Israeli National Security Concept, which will take place on 12-th of September, at 2.30 pm, in room 412, Putvinskio st. 23.
Prof. D. Adamsky is working in The Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya , private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian research college in Herzliya, in Israel. He is famous scholar in area of international security.
Prof. Dima Adamsky is a Head of the BA Honors Track in Strategy and Decision Making. Prior to joining the school in 2010, he has been a pre- and post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University, a visiting fellow at the Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University and at the Norwegian Institute for Defense Studies. His research interests include international security, strategic studies, cultural approach to IR, modern military thought, nuclear strategy, American, Russian and Israeli national security policy. He has published on these topics in Foreign Affairs, Journal of Strategic Studies, Intelligence and National Security, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Journal of Cold War History, Defense and Security Studies and has contributed chapters to edited volumes and encyclopedias on modern military and international history. His books Operation Kavkaz (Hebrew) and The Culture of Military Innovation (English/Hebrew) earned the annual (2006 and 2012) prizes for the best academic works on Israeli security. In addition to his academic career, in his positions in the Israeli Ministry of Defense, Dr. Adamsky has carried out intelligence analysis and strategic policy planning. In the latter capacity, he served as assistant secretary of the committee charged with formulating Israel’s national security concept.
Book “The Colours of Parallel World” presentation
At May 4th, President Valdas Adamkus library holds the presentation of a book, written by former political prisoner and VMU student, Mikalai Dziadok.
“The Colours of the Parallel World” is a collection of stories, describing Belarusian prison system in a genre, which author calls “a prison analytics”. Systems of control, used to break a will prisoners in Belarusian prison, insanity and sexual violence, deliberate pressing on political prisoners, orchestrated by KGB, systematic humiliations – all these realias find their description and scrutiny in 16 novellas, along with advices on how to behave yourself to save your mind from decrepitude, how to remain faithful to your ideas, how to revolt against unjust and opposing system while isolated.
During the presentation author will describe his criminal case, which made him spent around 5 years in prison, tell about an anarchist movement in Belarus and informal prison hierarchies in post-soviet prisons and answer the questions of an audience.
“Prison is the most concentrated reflection of what we see outside it, like is being complementary to what is happening here. We all first go to school, then to army, then to work, there we are influenced by certain oppressive and exploitive institutions, after this if you step outside of the systematically designated frame for you and pose yourself against the system, then you are being oppressed again by risking to be jailed. People who come to work in prison and behave sometimes worse then criminals already inside it, they were educated in our society and absorbed its norms and values. When we speak of reforming the prison, we must think about radical reforming of whole society.”
Language of a presentation: English
Place: President Valdas Adamkus library (S. Daukanto str. 25)
Time: 11.00 a.m. 04 05 2018.
Public lecture on Israel politics by visiting professor
Celebrating the 70-th anniversary of modern Israel, Department of Political science has a pleasure to invite everyone for two public lectures on Israeli state and society, on 30-th of April. University will host PhD Sarin Ben Shabat from Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya.
She will give a lecture titled Israeli geopolitical situation in the context of the European Union, USA and Middle East, on 30-th of April, 11.15 am, Putvinskio 23 – 311; and the second lecture Israeli political system and political tradition will take place, on 30-th of April, 4.30 pm, Putvinskio 23 – 103.
