First Asia and Middle East related summer university held at University of Tartu

The first Asia and Middle East related summer university at University of Tartu concluded successfully last week.

The international summer university „Asia and the Middle-East: Differences and Commonalities“ was two weeks long (13-24.08). The purpose was to educate students in Asian and Middle Eastern economies, societies and politics, and thereby contribute to their ongoing studies or previous experience.

The aim of the program was to help students to understand, analyse and predict developments in Asia and the Middle East, take advantage of the related opportunities, and mitigate potential threats. The summer school was interdisciplinary and future oriented. The curriculum consisted of a selection of subjects including Asian and Middle Eastern contemporary societies, women’s rights, internal- and foreign politics, economies and role in the world economy. By focussing mainly on present-day Asia, an alternative was offered to the existing Asian studies curricula which concentrates on Asian philosophy and ancient culture.

The summer university was a great opportunity for the students to meet with practitioners of the field. Representatives of Enterprise Estonia, the Estonian Defense Industry Association, Johannes Mihkelson Centre and Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared their specific knowledge with the students. The program also had different cultural events.

The full program can be found here.

Nine students from Estonia, USA, People’s Republic of China (including Hong Kong) and Pakistan took part in the summer school.

The Asian Centre plans to organize another Asia and Middle East themed summer school next year.

The summer school was organized by the UT Asian Centre and the UT Lifelong Learning Centre. The organizers thank all the students for their active participation and presenters for their insightful lectures.