Overview
On-site in Tartu 28 July - 7 August, online 12-23 August
The Summer School „Civic Competence in Creative Cities: How Digital Innovations Contribute to Durable Democracies“ will focus on how to use digital innovations in public administrations to unlock and implement civic competence.
The Summer School will consist of an in-person part that takes place in Tartu (28 July - 7 August) and a facultative online part (12 August – 23 August). The Summer School is a unique opportunity for students from around the world to learn about the promises, proliferation, and perils of digital democratic innovations, with a special emphasis on experiences in Estonia, arguably one of the most advanced digital societies in the world. The summer course will focus on learning and reflecting on state-of-the-art academic knowledge on digital democratic innovations, as well as on student research projects on digital innovations in Estonia (particularly in the city of Tartu). The European Capital of Culture 2024 events also allow for ample opportunities for students to experience Estonian culture and acquire skills to present research outcomes in more creative (oral and audiovisual) ways (rather than in the form of a regular academic paper). This Summer Course builds upon experiences we gathered during two successful previous Summer Courses (Building Digital Governance. 2022, and Agile Governance in a Digital Age, 2023). The online study will take place from August 12 to 23 in the Moodle environment and will consist of three broad thematic blocks - digital representation (electronic elections with an emphasis on Estonia’s experiences with Internet voting) – e-participation (technology-enabled participatory budgeting) and e-deliberation (political participation on electronic platforms, notably social media). The virtual learning will consist of live lectures, video lectures, and independent work with academic resources. Each thematic block will be finalised with a small exam.
Programme Structure
ONSITE PART: 28 July-7 August History and context of digitalisation in Estonia Digital Era Governance Workshop on storytelling and how to present findings in creative ways
Models of democracy, digital democracy and participation Instruction on how to analyse qualitative data Assisted group works (gathering data in the field, production ofanimated video, etc)
Excursion to Tallinn: visit to Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium and E-Estonia Briefing Center
Class about impacts of e-voting in Estonia, meetup with former president Toomas Hendrik Ilves Impacts of e-voting in Estonia
Open data and public participationPresentation of preliminary findings by student groups Public innovation and digitalisationPublic values in public innovation
Impact and valorisation of researchFinal presentations and feedback
ONLINE PART: 12 - 23 August
Digital representation: Internet voting in Estonia Digital participation: e-budgeting
Audience
MA/PhD, advanced BA
Lecturers
- Prof Dr Joep Crompvoets, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
- Dr David DueñasCid, Kozminsky University, Poland
- Toomas Hendrik Ilves, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Dr Mihkel Solvak, University of Tartu, Estonia
- Prof Dr Vincent Homburg, University of Tartu, Estonia
Key information
Duration
- Full-time
- 23 days
Start dates & application deadlines
- Starting
- Apply before
-
Language
Credits
+2 ECTS for online part
Delivered
Disciplines
Public Administration Political Science DiplomacyAcademic requirements
We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.
English requirements
We are not aware of any English requirements for this programme.
Student insurance
Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:
- Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
- Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
- Liability
- Home contents and baggage
- Accidents
- Legal aid
We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.
Get your student insurance nowStarting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.
Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at University of Tartu and/or in Estonia, please visit Student Insurance Portal.
Other requirements
General requirements
- MA/PhD, advanced BA
- Online application form
- Application fee of 25 EUR
- Motivation letter (up to 1 page) that demonstrates the applicant’s motivation to participate, his/her expectations about the programme, how participation in the summer programme relates to his/her studies and interests, and how the applicant plans to use the gained experience and knowledge in the future.
- Transcript of academic records
- Copy of passport
Tuition Fee
-
International
700 EUR/fullTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 700 EUR for the full programme during 23 days. -
EU/EEA
700 EUR/fullTuition FeeBased on the tuition of 700 EUR for the full programme during 23 days.
Living costs for Tartu
The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.
Funding
1. Estonian National Scholarships at StudyinEstonia.ee.
You can read more about the scholarships on the homepage of StudyinEstonia.ee.
2. ENLIGHT scholarship
More information and the application form are on the ENLIGHT scholarship page: https://ut.ee/en/content/enlight-scholarship
3. DAAD scholarship
More information and application form on the DAAD scholarship page: https://ut.ee/en/content/daad-scholarship
4. Partial tuition fee coverage scholarship
More information and the application form for the partial tuition fee coverage are on the scholarship page: https://ut.ee/en/content/scholarships-summer-programmes