Poland & Ukraine
Building a New Reality in Poland and Ukraine:
Challenges, Successes, and Failures
June 10–19, 2008
Itinerary
This 10-day seminar begins in Warsaw (5 nights) continues on to Kiev (4 nights). One-way group travel by air between Warsaw and Kiev is included in the seminar fee. Seminar participants should plan to fly home (or on to further travels) after the seminar from Kiev.
Seminar Fee
CIEE Member: $3,000 Non-Member: $3,200
Academic Content (please note this is tentative and subject to change)
Lectures
- Lessons Learned in the Transition to a Market Economy and Democratic Systems in Poland and Ukraine
- How has Central Europe changed? Poland, The Baltics, Slovakia and the Czech Republic in the EU
- Cross-border Cooperation between Poland and Ukraine: Dimensions, Diversification, Successes and Failures
- Groups of Interest in Post-communist Countries and Their Impact on Politics and Economy
- Creating Ukrainian Statehood after the Collapse of the Soviet Union
- Ukraine’s Neighborhood Policy: Cross-Border Cooperation with EU and non-EU Member States
- Russia’s Regional Influence on Poland and Ukraine
- Outcomes of the Orange Revolution
- Is Ukraine getting close to EU Membership: External and Internal Constraints
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 Kiev
- Visits to Governmental Institutions and NGOs in Kiev
- The Kiev Opera—Ukrainian National Music 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 with 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 and graduate students.
Seminar Leadership
Dr. Bogdan 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.
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