OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE · HIGHER EDUCATION SUPPORT PROGRAM
REGIONAL SEMINAR FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING

URAL STATE UNIVERSITY
URAL CENTRE FOR ADVANCED STUDIES AND EDUCATION
CENTRE OF MODERNIZATION OF UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

We are pleased to announce that a regional seminar in COMPARATIVE
POLITICAL THEORY will take place from 2004-2007 under the
auspices of the OSI ReSET programme. We are NOW inviting
APPLICATIONS from eligible candidates.

SEMINAR DESCRIPTION

The Seminar will involve approximately 30 participants and six
resource persons. Activities are scheduled throughout the three
years of the seminar, but the central meetings will take place in
Ekaterinburg, Russia, in the summers of 2004, 05, and 06. Between
these sessions, there will be a number of smaller meetings as
well as internet conferences, e-mail discussions, and so on.

PARTICIPANTS' EXPENSES - INCLUDING TRAVEL AND ACCOMMODATION -
WILL BE MET BY THE OSI THROUGH URAL STATE UNIVERSITY. READINGS
AND OTHER MATERIALS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE CO-DIRECTORS.

SEMINAR CONTENT

The project is devoted to discussion of methodology in
comparative political thought. Questions of method, however,
cannot be separated from questions of substance, so the approach
will be to tackle methodological issues through discussion of
substantive questions of political theory. The seminar programme
will address various trends (liberalism, communitarianism,
multiculturalism, feminism, etc.) as well as different "cultures"
in political philosophy. Special attention will be paid to such
problems as toleration and human rights in the framework of
multicultural societies. In addition, the problem of exporting
liberal doctrines to CEE/fSU countries will be discussed.

RESOURCE PERSONS

The co-directors of the seminar are:

Professor Maxim Khomiakov of the Ural State University and the
Ural Center for Advanced Studies and Education (CASE).

Dr. Matt Matravers of the Morrell Studies in Toleration Programme
at the University of York.

Other Resource Persons include:

Cary J. Nederman, Professor, Department of Politics, Texas A&M
University

John C. Laursen, Professor, Department of Politics, The
University of California, Riverside

Anna Elisabetta Galeotti, Professor, Department of Politics, The
University of Vercelli, Italy

Peter Wagner, Professor, Department of Political and Social
Sciences, European University Institute, Florence, Italy

Nenad Miscevich, Professor, Department of Philosophy, central
European University, Budapest, Hungary

Leokadiya Drobizheva, Director of the Institute of Sociology,
Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

Valery Mikhaylenko, Professor, Dean of International Relations
Department, Ural State University, Ekaterinburg, Russia

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

Young (under 35 y.o.) academics in Philosophy, Political Science,
and cognate disciplines in Central and Eastern Europe and the
former Soviet Union.
Note, to be eligible, applicants must be in a position to deliver
curriculum and other reforms at higher education institutions in
the region. This means that candidates are required to hold a
university or other equivalent post (or to be post-graduate
students at institution of higher education).  

The language of the seminar will be ENGLISH and all candidates
must demonstrate a good command of both written and spoken
English. Auxiliary language of the school is Russian.


APPLICATION PROCEDURE

Candidates must send, in English, a CV, and A LETTER OF INTEREST
to Uralreset@yahoo.co.uk by June 15, 2004.

Candidates can expect to here whether they have been successful
by June 25, 2004. Any candidate who has not heard by that date
should assume that s/he has not been selected.

Further information will be available from the following website:
www.ural.iriss.ru

If you have any further questions or concerns, please, contact
Prof. Maxim Khomiakov (Uralreset@yahoo.co.uk)