Sustainable Human Development: From International Frameworks to Regional Policies

The course is the fourth edition of the summer courses conducted jointly by the Central European University and the United Nations Development Programme alongside other Human Development (HD) / Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) related activities being implemented or managed by UNDP. The course in 2009 will have an explicit policy focus and will bring together practitioners, mid- and high-level policymakers, academia, and civil society activists from countries in the region as well as experts on issues of HD and MDGs, both from UNDP, CEU, and other European institutions.

The overall aim of this summer school is to address the deficits in understanding and applying the concept of sustainable human development to development challenges in the region. It will consist of several mutually reinforcing topics and will be conducted involving a wide range of actors - experts from Bratislava Regional Centre, universities in the region, and UNDP country offices. Experience so far suggests that a combination of theoretical exposure and practical experience makes the course unique and interesting for participants not just from Europe and CIS but also beyond the region.

In 2009 the main purpose of the course will be to equip participants with a deep understanding of sustainable human development, MDGs, and their policy relevance in respective countries in a creative, out-of-the-box manner. It is an important objective of the course to expose its participants to different development paradigms, help them understand the rationale behind them, and understand their relevance in specific development contexts.

The course will consist of two modules - an online self-learning module (conducted in March-April 2009; fee-paying participants should pass this module in June) and an in-residence course at CEU (conducted in period 6-17 July 2009). The self-learning module helps participants to familiarize themselves with the main theoretical approaches in the area of sustainable human development in a guided manner, in interactions with course faculty. It also prepares participants for in-campus assignments, both group and individual. The in-residence module intends to go in-depth into practical aspects of development issues and will be a combination of advanced lectures, practical exercises, and role-play. During Module 1 participants will develop country case studies, which they will use later on throughout Module 2. Participation in Module 1 and the online discussions and passing the post-module 2 test will be a precondition for attending in-residence Module 2.

Module 1 will be structured by thematic areas moderated by individual Lead Lecturers. Each thematic area will have its electronic library and forum as a vehicle for the exchange of views and discussions among the participants. The Lead Lecturers will be moderating the online forums and will be assessing the quality of individual participants' contributions.

During the in-residence module through advanced lectures and practical exercises, the participants will extend their knowledge acquired during Module 1 bridging it with practical dimensions using the experience of practitioners from the region. Each day of the in-residence course will be devoted to one topic (following the topics of Module 1) and will be structured in two parts - one devoted to theoretical aspects of the topic and the second addressing practical dimensions and experience (how theory translates or does not translate into policy practice). Broad involvement of participants is envisaged and practical exercises will be based on country case studies elaborated during and after Module 1.