Doc. I.Unikaitė-Jakuntavičienė – a co-author of a new book
Dr. S. Rakutienė’s visit to Japan
Public Lectures by prof. Alpo Rusi
VMU visiting professor Alpo Rusi, who previously served as Finnish Ambassador and political adviser to Finnish President M.Ahtisaari, gave public lectures at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy:
October 18 – EU relations with Russia: economical sanctions and positions towards EU after Crimea annexation; 12:00-13:30, Don.52 -613;
October 19 – Russia’s attitude and relations with Black sea regional countries; 12:00, Ged.44 – 202.
Prof. Alpo also visited VMU between 10-12 October and gave public lectures:
October 10 – Becoming diplomat or political adviser: skills to be acquired ; 13:00-14:30, Ged. 44-302
October 11 – The Lithuania’s and Finland’s position on security in the Baltic sea region. 14.30 – 16.00 Ged.44 – 301;
October 11 – Diplomatic reporting during the Digital age. 16.15-17.45, Ged. 44 – 301.
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has granted a one-off fund of 20 000 euros for the Rudolf Holsti named Professorship at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, in the Faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy.
Vytautas Magnus University has appointed Dr. Alpo Rusi, Ambassador emeritus, Adjunct Professor at Helsinki University, to this named Professorship. Dr. Rusi has been a visiting professor at Vytautas Magnus university since March 2016.
As countries in the Baltic Sea region Finland and Lithuania have common interests both in security policy as well as in the European union. The named professorship will promote the common knowledge about issues related to the Baltic Sea co-operation in particular for the future challenges. It also will facilitate the deepening of co-operation between the universities of our two countries.
“Ambassador Alpo Rusi has a long and meritorious career in the Finnish foreign service as well as in the international assignments benefitting Finland. His appointment to the Rudolf Holsti named professorship to Kaunas is a valuable step for Finland and Lithuania”, Foreign Minister Timo Soini has stated.
The launching of the professorship will promote the knowledge concerning Rudolf Holsti (1881-1945) and his lifetime achievements as foreign minister of Finland during the early years of Finland’s independence 1919-22 and during the difficult times in the years 1936-38. He also served his country as a Special Envoy to Riga, Tallinn, Bern and the League of Nations between 1919 and 1940.
Brill Published Book Co-Edited by Prof. Egdūnas Račius
The Netherlands-based publishing house Brill has published Islamic Leadership in the European Lands of the Former Ottoman and Russian Empires, which is edited by Professor Egdūnas Račius from the VMU Dept. of Regional Studies and Antonina Zhelyazkova from the International Centre for Minority Studies and Intercultural Relations.
In the book, the history and contemporary development of Islamic leadership in over a dozen of Eastern European countries is analysed. The studies are presented through a double prism: the institutional structures of the Muslim communities and the place of the muftiates in the current national constellations on one hand, and the dimension of the spiritual guidance emanating from the muftiates on the other. The latter includes aspects such as the muftiates’ powers and role in supervision of mosques and other religious institutions, production, dissemination and control of religious knowledge and discussions on traditional and non-traditional forms of Islam engaged in by the muftiates.
This is the first comprehensive edited volume on the subject.
Contributors are: Srđan Barišić, Ayder Bulatov, Marko Hadjdinjak, Olsi Jazexhi, Memli Sh. Krasniqi, Armend Mehmeti, Dino Mujadžević, Agata S. Nalborczyk, Egdūnas Račius, Aziz Nazmi Shakir, Vitalii Shchepanskyi, Jakob Skovgaard-Petersen, Daša Slabčanka, Aid Smajić, Irina Vainovski-Mihai, Mykhaylo Yakubovych, and Galina Yemelianova.
Prof. M. Holmila Public Lectures on Alcohol’s Harm Issues
We are pleased to invite to the lectures on alcohol’s harm to children and protection issues to be held by research professor Marja Holmila on 20th-22th of September, 2017 at Vytautas Magnus University (Putvinskio Street 23-312, Kaunas).
Professor Marja Holmila is one of the leading researcher in the field of alcohol’s harm to others, and currently work in The National Institute for Health and Welfare in Finland. She has an expertise on Community-based prevention of alcohol related harms; Family and alcohol Harms to children of alcohol abusing parents; Alcohol and violence; Women’s drinking.
20th – 21st September from 2pm till 5pm. V.Putvinskio St . No 23, room 312.
Themes:
Epidemiological knowledge on harms to children related to parental alcohol use
The discussion and action developed for child protection (emphasis on children’s’ individual rights, support to the whole family, the role of child welfare organisations, strengthening local health care and social services, national alcohol and drug policies.)
Child protection and child custody services – dilemmas and solutions
22st September from 11am till 1pm. V.Putvinskio St . No 23, room 311..
Theme:
Changing the culture and educating the parents, information campaigns, listening to the children
Please register or/ and for further information contact Birute Jogaite by email: birutejogaite@yahoo.com
Visiting Lecturer about Czech Republic Elections
On September 26 th, 2017 (Tuesday) at the Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy (Gedimino st. 44 – 203) a public lecture was given by Vladimír Naxera, Ph.D. of Department of Political Science and International Relations, Faculty of Philosophy and Arts, University of West Bohemia on the subject „Czech Republic on the Way of Parliamentary Elections“.
Vladimír Naxera, Ph.D. is a lecturer and researcher on the Department of Politics and International Relations at University of West Bohemia. His dissertation thesis was focused on the corruption and its perception in the post-Communist Czech Republic. His current field of interest lays in the instrumental politicization of history and field research of public political ceremonies and their role in the processes of re/enactment of specific form of discourses. He also deals with politics in Central Europe, contemporary Russian society, Russian Orthodox Church and (geo)politics.
Public lecture was organized by Department of Political Science, Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy.
New Publication on Nuclear Geopolitics in the Baltics
Professors of the Faculty of Political science and diplomacy dr. Giedrius Cesnakas and PhD candidate Justinas Juozaitis published the research paper “Nuclear Geopolitics in the Baltic sea region”. The paper was issued in Atlantic Council . To read the full publication please visit Atlantic council
CEU Assoc. Prof. Pogonyi Discussed Populism at VMU
“In the past decade, populist parties throughout the world have become major political players. New populist political parties emerged and, at the same time, different variations of nativism and nationalist populist rhetoric have become common among mainstream left- and right-wing parties. In some cases, populist parties have been associated with anti-democratic movements, while in other cases, populists claim to reinvigorate democracy”, Szabolcs Pogonyi, Associate Professor in the Nationalism Studies Program at Central European University (CEU) says.
Szabolcs Pogonyi visited Lithuania upon invitation of the Open Society Fund Lithuania (ALF). On September 8, he gave public lecture at the VMU Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy about the spectre of populism, which has recently been gaining prominence in the political world.
According to Pogonyi, populism has often been used as a synonym of reckless demagoguery. In everyday politics, the broad and often controversial use of the term rendered ‘populism’ as an analytically confusing, empty concept. In this presentation, the lecturer will focus on the specificity of populist politics in the post-Communist space.
“First, I give a conceptual and historical overview of populists movements. Second, I identify the main features of contemporary populist parties. Finally, I turn to national populist parties in Central and Eastern Europe and explain their specificity”, says Assoc. Prof. Szabolcs Pogonyi.
The public lecture of Szabolcs Pogonyi, ‘The spectre of populism’, was held on 8 September, 1 p.m., at the VMU Faculty of Political Science and Diplomacy (V. Putvinskio g. 23, Room 311).
MFA Supports Rudolf Holsti Named Professorship at VMU
Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland has granted a one-off fund of 20 000 euros for the Rudolf Holsti named Professorship at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, Lithuania, in the Faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy.
Vytautas Magnus University has appointed Dr. Alpo Rusi, Ambassador emeritus, Adjunct Professor at Helsinki University, to this named Professorship. Dr. Rusi has been a visiting professor at Vytautas Magnus university since March 2016.
As countries in the Baltic Sea region Finland and Lithuania have common interests both in security policy as well as in the European union. The named professorship will promote the common knowledge about issues related to the Baltic Sea co-operation in particular for the future challenges. It also will facilitate the deepening of co-operation between the universities of our two countries.
“Ambassador Alpo Rusi has a long and meritorious career in the Finnish foreign service as well as in the international assignments benefitting Finland. His appointment to the Rudolf Holsti named professorship to Kaunas is a valuable step for Finland and Lithuania”, Foreign Minister Timo Soini has stated.
The launching of the professorship will promote the knowledge concerning Rudolf Holsti (1881-1945) and his lifetime achievements as foreign minister of Finland during the early years of Finland’s independence 1919-22 and during the difficult times in the years 1936-38. He also served his country as a Special Envoy to Riga, Tallinn, Bern and the League of Nations between 1919 and 1940.
Italian D.Calzoni: VMU has a modern system
What expectations and goals did you have before starting your studies. Why did you choose Lithuania?
After I finished my studies in Italy, I wanted to continue my academic education abroad and in English. Surfing the Internet, I found http://www.studyinlithuania.lt/, which allowed me to overview the many study programmes offered in Lithuania in English. I finally chose Lithuania because I had the opportunity to visit the country earlier and I was positively impressed by both VMU’s programmes and the city of Kaunas.
Why did you select to study International relations and diplomacy? What was your background of BA studies?
My BA background was in Foreign Languages, but with a focus on International Relations. Throughout my BA I developed a passion for International Relations and other subjects related with Political Sciences, therefore I decided to take the chance to continue my studies attending VMU’s programme in International Relations and Diplomacy. I thought it would be a great possibility to further my knowledge in International Relations at the same time as I could study such an interesting and wide subject in English.
Is Lithuania’s education system very different in comparison with Italian one?
Yes, Lithuania’s higher education system is quite different compared with the Italian one. The Lithuanian system is definitely more modern: firstly, in the relation between the university and the student, in Lithuania (or, at least, in VMU) bureaucracy is reduced to the minimum (which is any Italian’s dream!); secondly, in the organization of university activities, divided in lectures and seminars, with readings to be prepared for every seminar and papers to be written for nearly every subject, something that Italy’s university system still lacks. Also, the two systems are different because of the vast amount of courses taught in English that students can find in Lithuania’s university, which is one of the many reasons why it is possible to find so many international students, either Erasmus or full-time.
Was it challenging to go study abroad in a completely different environment?
Since I didn’t go on Erasmus, my two years in VMU were my very first study experience abroad. For this reason the experience was challenging, but I could say overall always in a positive way. At first it was difficult to study in a format that was very different from the one I always experienced (in Italian universities, most subjects are taught through frontal lectures, with little or no interaction by students); the same for the language, studying in English felt hard at the beginning. But with time it felt more and more natural and now I couldn’t think of another way to carry on my studies. I wish some features of the Lithuanian system could be implemented in Italian universities!
I wanted to congratulate you on successfully defending your master’s thesis and receiving your diploma. What are your plans for the future?
Thanks! For the future I am planning to look for a job in an International Organization and gather some practical working experience. In the long term, I would like to go for PhD studies.
What would you say to people who are still wondering whether it is worth it to study at VMU’s faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy?
I would definitely suggest to enroll, they will not regret it! In VMU they will find a top level environment for studying, plus an university that cares for its students; also, the quality of the courses that are taught is very high. In particular, I would suggest them not to miss the chance to enroll in one of the courses of VMU’s faculty of Political Sciences and Diplomacy because its professors and instructors are very well prepared and very available for students, always providing challenging and interesting lectures and seminars in very different subjects.
