On the 12th of September the Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University was attended by honourable guests – Associate Professors from the Central European University of Budapest Matteo Fumagalli, Head of the Department of International Relations, and Youngmi Kim, Head of the School of Public Policy within the framework of an educational seminar. Its aimwas to familiarize Belarusian students with the Central European University, its departments and international programmes.
The Central European University is about 25 years old and it can be characterized as an internationaleducational establishment in the system of further education. For the time being it lists about 1,500 students, master’s students and PhD students. The geographical representation of the students’ origin embraces more than 100 countries, while the dominantones are Central European countries and former Soviet Republics.
One of the major objectives of the Central European University is to attract brilliant minds through the promotion of critical thinking. The official language of instruction is English. So, it is one of the opportunities for improving Englishspeaking skills. In the process of instruction lecturersof the CEU apply modern techniques and latest achievements.
The Faculty of International Relations at the CEU was opened in 1993 and it was among the first. It can offer a range ofprogrammes. Master’sdegree programmes can last for 1 or 2 yearsand are characterized by an interdisciplinary approach and focus on the EU, East Asia, the Middle East, etc. The two-year Master's degree programmewasopened in 2015: one semester is given for doing research work andwriting the thesis. At the endof learning you need to score 40 points (32 points for courses and 8 for the master's thesis and its defense). The doctoral programme is centered on the development of research skills, academic writing and public speaking skills. Notably, the Central European University can offer some innovative projects, like, for instance, the "Global E-school Project".
The instruction course "Korea in International Relations," is read byAssociate ProfessorYoungmi Kim, Head of the School of Public Policy. Her classes are chiefly held in the form of the debate that allows everyone to participate in the educational process and understand the proposed material better. Subsequently, students can be inspired by the theme and write a scientific work, which is much appreciated.
The Faculty of International Relations of the Belarusian State University will continue to cooperate with the Central European University in order to improve the quality of education by borrowing the most efficient educational techniques.