Dear students!
We invite you to join the free certificate program - the course “Civil Society in Modern Conflict Resolution” within the project “Civil Society in Conflict Resolution Process: EU Experience for Ukraine” (101084973 - EURoCoRP - ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH) implemented by the National University of Ostroh Academy with co-financing from the European Union and aimed at promoting the values of EU civil society in conflict resolution and raising awareness of modern hybrid conflicts.
The certificate program will start on May 5, 2025 in an online format. To register, please fill out the form https://forms.gle/einBk4ys7A8gzHC97. An invitation to participate will be sent to the email addresses specified in the form.
A multidisciplinary team is involved in teaching the certificate program:
- Tetiana Sydoruk, Doctor of Political Sciences, Professor, Head of the Department of International Relations, Head of the Center for European Studies at the National University of Ostroh Academy and researcher of European integration in the context of political crises and hybrid conflicts of the last decade.
- Sergiy Ishchuk, Doctor of Law, Professor, Professor of Theory and History of State and Law, Independent Director on the Supervisory Board of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, member of the Qualification and Disciplinary Bar in Rivne Region, attorney at law, defended his doctoral dissertation on “Civil Society in the Context of Ukraine's European Integration: Theoretical and Legal Aspect” in 2021, works in the field of research on the legal aspect of civil society.
- Dmytro Shevchuk, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor, Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs at the National University of Ostroh Academy, specializes in political philosophy and has experience in the Erasmus+ program.
- Kateryna Yakunina, PhD in History, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Philosophy and Cultural Management of the National University of Ostroh Academy, conducts research on the transformation of religious identity in the context of socio-political transformations of recent years.
- Olena Shershniova, PhD in Public Administration, Associate Professor of the Department of Journalism and PR Management, Assistant Rector for Project Activities of the National University of Ostroh Academy, specializes in public administration, media and communication, has experience in cooperation with NGOs in Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions, implementing EU ideas and values in their regional development strategies, and has experience in participating in the Erasmus+ program.
Structure (5 ECTS: lectures: 40 hours; seminars: 20 hours; 90 hours of independent study)
- Topic 1: Theoretical foundations of civil society.
Approaches to understanding civil society. Models of civil society functioning. The structure of civil society. Functions of civil society. Value characteristics of civil society. - Topic 2: Civil society as an integral attribute of modern democracy.
Concepts and principles of civil society functioning. Self-organization as a basic feature of civil society. Structure and functions of civil society. Institutions of civil society. The relationship between civil society and the state. The problem of civil society maturity. The issue of the relationship between individual and collective rights and freedoms in the process of civil society functioning. - Topic 3: Collective and individual participation in the partnership model of interaction between civil society and state institutions.
Legal aspects of interaction between civil society and the state. consultations with the public. Activities of public councils at executive bodies. Public examination of the activities of executive authorities. The problem of the effectiveness of public control mechanisms. - Topic 4: Legislative framework for ensuring the functioning and development of civil society.
General characteristics and principles of legislation in the field of civil society. Norms that define basic approaches to understanding civil society and its interaction with the state. Norms that regulate the activities of civil society institutions. Norms that define the legal basis for collective and individual participation in the process of interaction between civil society and the state. Norms that provide for state financial support for civil society initiatives. - Topic 5: Political parties as a tool for civil society participation in state governance.
Place and role of political parties in the institutional structure of civil society. Functions of political parties. Political parties as a subject of the electoral process. Guarantees of political parties. Features of the activities of opposition parties. - Topic 6: Public sentiment, government and civil society.
The concept of global responsibility: state - civil society. Constitutional principles of interaction between civil society and the state. Comparative analysis of the interaction between the state and civil society in the EU and Ukraine. Characterization of models of interaction between the state and civil society. - Topic 7: Modern practices of civic engagement and self-organization.
Public organizations and movements in the structure of civil society. The concept of public organizations and movements. Public organizations and movements in the EU countries. Public organizations and movements in Ukraine. - Topic 8: Public associations - the basic institution of civil society.
Functions of public associations in the structure of civil society. Concepts and principles of formation of public associations. Principles of interaction of public associations with public authorities, authorities, local self-government bodies. Features of the formation and functioning of public associations. Legal status of members of public associations. - Topic 9: Anti-corruption activities of civil society organizations.
Civil society and anti-corruption. Tools and activities. Internal and external success factors. Impact of anti-corruption activism in Ukraine. - Topic 10: Peculiarities of civil society functioning in the economic sphere.
The place of economic relations in the structure of civil society. Middle class as a result of the development of freedom of civil society members in the economic sphere. Direct financial support for civil society institutions. Indirect financial support through the establishment of tax benefits for civil society institutions and initiatives. Social services as an economic form of interaction between executive authorities and local self-government bodies and civil society institutions. - Topic 11: Mass media as a controlling and informational resource of civil society.
Mass media as a means of forming and a channel for expressing public opinion. Media as a “controlling resource” of civil society. Legal framework for the functioning of the media in Ukraine. The concept of “civic media” and the peculiarities of its implementation in Ukraine. Peculiarities of using the institution of refutation in the process of media activity. - Topic 12: Volunteer movement in Ukraine.
Principles of the volunteer movement. Forms of volunteer movement. The Russian-Ukrainian conflict as a factor in the activation of the volunteer movement in Ukraine. The role of the volunteer movement in deterring Russian aggression until 24/02/2022. - Topic 13: Main trends in youth activity and self-organization.
Youth public organizations as a tool for socialization and formation of an active public position. The level of youth involvement in the activities of youth organizations. The level of civic and socio-political activity of young people. Youth activity and social capital. Self-organization of youth and self-organization of society. - Topic 14: Effective responses to threats to the country's security: opportunities for civil society.
Security aspect of civil society functioning. The role of civil society in the process of resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Public initiatives to resolve the conflict. Information and advocacy activities. - Topic 15: The Orange Revolution and the Revolution of Dignity as manifestations of the maturity of civil society in Ukraine.
Ways of formation of civil society in the process of modernization of modern Ukraine. Bodies of self-organization of the population as a factor in the development of civil society in Ukraine. The role of mass media in building civil society. E-democracy as a factor in the development of civil society. - Topic 16: Realization of the right to civil protest and peaceful assembly.
The concept of public protest and its forms. Constitutional principles of realization of the right to peaceful assembly. The rule on the legislative subject of legal regulation of freedom of peaceful assembly. Grounds for limiting the right to peaceful assembly. State obligations regarding the realization of the right to peaceful assembly. - Topic 17: Identity: cause or precondition of conflicts.
Types and forms of identities. Conflict and integration potentials of the problem of identity. The problem of “identity conflicts”. The problem of identity formation and the national interest of the country. Value perceptions of the country's identity as a conflict prevention. The role of identity policy in the cognitive dimension of hybrid conflicts. - Topic 18: International standards for the realization of the right to peaceful assembly and problems of their implementation in Ukraine.
General description of the European Court of Human Rights case law on peaceful assembly (Article 11 of the Convention). Issues related to the quality and necessary focus of a regulatory act in the field of peaceful assembly. Restrictions on the right to freedom of peaceful assembly: a three-part test. The rule on prior notification. Peculiarities of holding simultaneous assemblies and counter-assemblies. - Topic 19: EU interaction with civil society.
The importance of civil society in the EU. Influence of civil society on the processes of European integration. Participation of civil society in the public life of the EU countries. The influence of civil society organizations on EU foreign policy. - Topic 20: Civil society in the Eastern Partnership countries.
Civil society forum. Thematic priorities of activity. Ukrainian national platform. Initiatives. Forum statements on conflict situations in the Eastern Partnership countries.
For more information:
Website of the project “Civil Society in Conflict Resolution: EU Experience for Ukraine” (101084973 - EURoCoRP - ERASMUS-JMO-2022-HEI-TCH-RSCH): https://eurocorp.oa.edu.ua/uk/
