University of Tartu - International Summer University

The University of Tartu in Estonia welcomes you to International Summer University. Gain an international academic experience from one of the oldest and most distinguished universities in the Baltic States. We welcome applications from all adults including university students, professionals and other experts, regardless of educational background. Explore the selection of interdisciplinary and subject specific summer programmes in English.

Summer University Programmes 2019

Juri Lotman and the Semiotics of Culture: Contemporary Applications
1–12 July in Tartu
Juri Lotman has been considered one of the most innovative cultural theorists in the 20th century. He established the Tartu-Moscow School of Semiotics – an international group of scholars with diverse background from literary studies, linguistics, mathematics to orientalistics, unified by common interest in semiotics.
The aim of the course is to give an introduction to Lotman’s semiotic theory of culture, its theoretical background and context as well as new developments and applications of his theory in current semiotics and cultural sciences. More specific aim is to offer deeper understanding of cultural mechanisms and a set of tools for practical analysis of culture – cultural texts as well as cultural processes – that would afford new insights into contemporary cultural dynamics.

Educational Change in Times of Rapid Technological Innovation
21–30 August in Tartu
Educational Change in Times of Rapid Technological Innovation is an intensive summer university programme, which aims to examine the development of technology-enhanced teaching and learning in the digital era and introduce different innovative ways of implementing technology-enhanced activities in education. The rationale of the summer university is to empower people to re-imagine modern teaching practices and follow the transformation of education.
In addition to in-class activities, the summer programme will be completed by a number of on-site visits to different educational institutions (e.g. school, university, edTech startup). The visits will provide the opportunity for the students to see how educational technology is incorporated in concrete educational settings.
DAAD scholarships available for German students.

Understanding Russia: Insights into Contemporary Russian Culture and Politics
15–27 July in Tallinn, Narva and Tartu
The recent crisis in Russia’s relations with the United States and the European Union has aggravated the tendency to view Russia through the prism of stereotypes. The summer school invites you to go beyond clichés by looking at some of the key aspects of life in contemporary Russia. Rather than attempting a superficial overview of the standard ‘Russia A to Z’ topics, we will delve deeply into selected themes that illustrate the internal diversity of the Russian society and the multi-dimensional, often contradictory nature of recent transformations. Each day will focus on a specific aspect of societal developments, leading up to a discussion of current political issues – both domestic and international. Classes will be conducted by leading experts based in Estonia, Russia and other countries, each of them possessing unique first-hand insights based on years of conducting internationally acclaimed research.

Current Social Issues in East Asia: Ageing Societies and the Role of Women
12–23 August in Tartu
East Asia is often discussed from the perspectives of global economy, international relations or ancient history and culture. However, there are other economic and societal topics deserving the limelight and discussion in a summer school setting. The summer school Current Social Issues in East Asia: Ageing Societies and the Role of Women brings two topics to the fore.
The topics discussed at this summer school are of interest to students of various disciplines. Economics students will learn about economic challenges and opportunities in the changing setting. Students of culture studies will get an understanding of the conflict between traditional values and contemporary changes. Political scientists will be interested in how politics and regulations are used to tackle these issues or how they have been intensified by misguided politics. The summer university will focus on the cases of Japan, Korea, China and Vietnam with comparisons drawn with Europe and Estonia.

Students’ feedback

“I enjoyed my Estonian experience very much! The lectures were on the highest level, the visits to museums and establishments were very informative and interesting.”

“Very impressed with the academic caliber of the professors!”

“The courses were engaging and my classmates were interesting and diverse.”