Higher Education Support Program (HESP)
of the Open Society
Institute (OSI)
is pleased to invite
the junior faculty teaching at the social sciences and humanities departments
at the institutions of higher education in the countries of Central,
Eastern Europe, the
Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union (NIS)
and Mongolia to participate
in the 2002 sessions of its
Summer Schools Program
The Summer Schools
Programcontributes to HESP’s on-going efforts to promote change in
higher education in post-communist countries at the classroom level. The
goal of the Summer Schools is to provide young university teachers of the
social sciences and humanities with the experience and tools for updating
the courses they teach, both in terms of content and teaching methods. The
Schools focus on developing curricula, training in and dissemination of methods
that promote interactive, cooperative learning, discussion and development
of critical thinking. The Schools provide teaching materials, practice and
support that will enable the participants to utilize and share this experience
at their home university departments. By targeting university teachers in
their home regions, often in their own languages, the Program encourages
the widest dissemination of new knowledge and skills, and aims to facilitate
participant interaction within the regional and global academic communities.
In the summer 2002,
HESP is supporting a diverse program of forty-one Schools offering a variety
of courses in subjects and topics within the social sciences and humanities
and in interdisciplinary fields. The Schools present models for course design,
selection of materials and assignments, effective methods that facilitate
learning in class and through a variety of extracurricular activities – all
of which are transferable to the participants’ home teaching environments.
Each School will invite 25-30 junior university teachers for 2-4 weeks to
engage in a variety of learning and curriculum and teaching methodology development
activities facilitated by international teams of highly qualified resource
persons.
How to apply
This Brochure contains
a detailed listing and description of the Summer School sessions offered from
June-September 2002. Interested junior faculty members, who satisfy eligibility
criteria and teach in the discipline areas same or related to the themes
of the Summer Schools, are invited to apply by writing to the organizers
of the specific Schools according to the Contact Information for Applicants
provided for each School. The applications are accepted and participants
selected separately for each individual School. As a rule, all expenses of
the participants from countries of Central, Eastern Europe, NIS and Mongolia,
are covered by the organizers. All participants are required to have an adequate
command of the working language of the Schools to be able to engage actively
in advanced academic activities. Please note that the Schools will normally
have a deadline for submitting applications for admission between 6-8 weeks
before the starting date of the School.
General Program inquiries
Higher Education Support Program
The International Higher Education Support Program
(HESP) was established in 1991 with the aim to support advancement of higher
education in the humanities and social sciences throughout the region of Central
and Eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union and Mongolia. HESP operates as
part of the Open Society Institute, a non-profit organization established
by philanthropist and financier George Soros. HESP attempts to promote the
creation of democratic and transparent education systems that respect academic
and individual freedom, to stimulate critical thinking and to embrace tolerance.
HESP actively promotes the concept of multicultural education, and provides
proactive assistance for the education of underprivileged minorities in the
region.
HESP activities can be classified into two categories:
support to institutions and support for regional and international initiatives.
With the aim of building capacity in the social sciences and humanities,
HESP generously invests in the creation and building of innovative teaching
institutions in the region. HESP has joined forces with other large international
donors to strengthen efforts towards the development of sustainable institutions
that are built on democratic principles and operate in the spirit of open
society values. The profiles of institutions receiving assistance range from
undergraduate universities and invisible colleges to doctoral programs and
centers for advanced study. HESP institutional support is structured to assist
institutions with a focus on sustainable development, curriculum and faculty
development and the improvement of teaching and learning methods. Through
carefully structured support and the creation of a network of institutions,
HESP furthers change in higher education at large throughout the region.
Beyond direct support for a number of diverse and
innovative institutions in the region, HESP's commitment to higher education
change is manifested through wide-ranging in-service initiatives targeted
at individuals working with and for HESP's network of institutions and other
individuals committed to professional development. HESP proactively supports
the development of new curricula and teaching and research methodologies,
faculty development, training in university administration and planning,
the education of minorities and the creation of regional academic networks.
With the same objectives in mind, HESP's regional
support is distributed primarily through large regional programs such as
the Civic Education Project, HESP Summer Schools Program, Central Asia Research
Initiative and other regional faculty development programs. Also at the regional
level, HESP cooperates closely with Central European University through its
Office of Special and Extension Programs (SEP) which implements a variety
of outreach programs: the workshops of the Curriculum Resource Center, the
Course Development Competition, the Junior and Senior Visiting Fellows Programs
and others.
In addition to pursuing the overarching regional
priorities, HESP works with nearly 30 national Soros foundations on the development
of their higher education strategies based on national priorities. HESP also
provides technical assistance to large-scale social science development projects
undertaken by the national foundations.
Contact Information:
Open Society Institute
Higher Education Support Program
P.O.Box 519, H-1397
Budapest, Hungary
Telephone: +36 1 327 3850
Fax: +36 1 327 3864
E-mail: hesp@osi.hu
Internet: http://www.osi.hu/hesp
