Bolzano, Italy

Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management. Focus 2014: Political Participation

when 23 June 2014 - 2 July 2014
duration 2 weeks
credits 5 EC
fee EUR 350

The 2014 edition of the Summer School on Human Rights, Minorities and Diversity Management explores the theme of political participation, with a focus on national minorities, indigenous peoples and migrants, and introduces participants to the standards, laws and institutions that support the participation of minority groups. Participants will critically examine their effectiveness, and assess what alternative tools and strategies are available to members of a minority seeking political participation. They will also discuss the important question why persons belonging to minorities, unlike those belonging to the majority, should have special rights to guarantee their participation, as required by a number of international and regional instruments.

Selected topics:
- Established and innovative forms and instruments of political participation for national minorities, migrants and indigenous people
- Direct democracy and its implications for minority groups
- Political participation of right wing and populist parties in democratic states as a challenge for minority groups.

From 23. 06. 2014 -- 28.06.2014, the Summer School takes place in the town of Bolzano/Bozen (South Tyrol, Northern Italy). Bolzano/Bozen is inhabited by a German-speaking minority, a majority population of Italian speakers, and a third group of migrants and immigrants constituting 13% of the city’s population. The town is the capital of South Tyrol, a province with a large German-speaking population.

From 29.06.2014 – 02.07.2014, the Summer School moves to St. Moritz in the trilingual Canton of Grisons (Switzerland). Free Transport from Bozen/Bolzano to St. Moritz will be offered.

This year’s Summer School is organized by the Institute for Minority Rights of the European Academy Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC) in co-operation with the Foundation Convivenza, Switzerland; Middlesex University, School of Law, London; and the University of Graz, Austria.

Course leader

TBC

Target group

MA and PhD students, young researchers, civil servants, politicians, activists and journalists

Course aim

Who should participate and why:
- MA and PhD students interested in minority issues and political participation
- Lawyers, economists, political and social scientists and others working in non-governmental organizations
- Civil servants from local, regional or national administrations who primarily deal with minority and diversity related issues and therefore require both theoretical and practical training on those issues
- Journalists and teachers interested in recent developments, current theories and advanced training on issues concerning minorities and diversity

Credits info

5 EC
Participants can choose to write an essay after the Summer School and obtain 5 ECTS points from the University of Graz, Austria. The best essays may be published in the European Diversity and Autonomy Papers.

Fee info

EUR 350: Tuition fee including lunch and transport from Bozen/Bolzano to St. Moritz (CH)

Scholarships

5 Scholarships covering accommodation in a 4-bed room at the Youth Hostel in Bozen/Bolzano and in St. Moritz as well as reducing the tuition fee to 150 € are available. Selection is based on merit.