): Democracy DE PL. Deliberation and democracy in civil society in Poland and Germany. Theoretical and practical workshop. [WINTER SCHOOL 17-22 Nov 2024] 3800-DEPL24-S

The main objective of the seminar is to reflect on democracy, its forms and practices, with an emphasis on the differences between Polish and German society. The seminar will enable the participants to deepen their understanding of universal problems of democracy as well as cultural differences in the Polish-German context.

The methodological concept of the seminar is innovative, and its main goal is to go beyond the typical in academic didactics framework of theoretical-descriptive work on the text, in order to complement the reflection on democracy and the individual experience, emotions, and conclusions from direct participation in the process.

Therefore, the seminar is divided into a practical and a theoretical block. The elements of the theoretical block will be each time preceded by a practical part, during which the participants will gain the opportunity to personally experience the dilemmas characteristic of the democratic processes, before reflecting on them theoretically.

The practical module will be implemented using the "Betzavta/Miteinander" method of democratic education, developed by the Adam Institute in Israel and adapted by the Center für angewandte Politikforschung (CAP) in Germany. This module will be conducted by professional educators.

The practical part may require participants to subject their own actions to critical self-reflection in a group plenary. This is an integral part of the cognitive process.

The theoretical module will take the form of an academic conversation in which the experiences of the practical module will be discussed in relation to philosophical theories in order both to generalize the practical experiences and to examine these theories in terms of their potential inadequacies. This module will be conducted by academic staff.

The course also includes a lecture on the history and applications of the Betzavta method to better understand its assumptions and potential in didactics.

The event is the fifth edition of the project.

IMPORTANT:
- The seminar is externally funded and its holding is contingent upon receipt of these funds. Final information on whether the seminar will be held is expected in November. Therefore, please make an informed enrollment,
- Reimbursement of accommodation, meals and travel expenses will be made in accordance with the guidelines of the funding entities. In case of travel costs, the participants will probably need to file in an application by themselves according to received guidelines,
- only people under 26 years of age can participate in the seminar (condition of the funding entity),
- Please take a look at the event page, where you will find details on the conditions and up-to-date information (including the status of obtaining funding): https://sites.google.com/uw.edu.pl/dobrzanski/zajecia/wydzial-filozofii/demokracjadepl

Prerequisites (description)

- The seminar is a joint venture of the WFZ UW, the Kant-Forschungsstelle of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and the Gustav Stresemann Institut in Niedersachsen. It is conducted by a Polish-German team of lecturers (theoretical part) and educators (practical part), - the seminar takes place in Bad Bevensen, Germany, from 17-22.11.2024, - accommodation and meals are provided by the organizers, transportation must be arranged by the participants themselves, it is possible to apply (independently) for a lump sum for travel costs, - implementation of the seminar depends on obtaining external funding and will be finally confirmed in November 2024, - the seminar can be attended by only people under 26 years of age (condition of the funding entity), - due to the need to attach a list of participants to the application for funding, please sign up thoughtfully (please sign up if you are actually able to attend on this date - otherwise the funding will be lost, and I will not be able to take anyone in return). - we especially invite people interested in issues of democracy in the context of Polish-German relations, - the seminar is held in Polish and German with simultaneous translation: knowledge of one of these languages is sufficient, - the seminar also provides for a practical part, during which participants will perform group activities that require them to subject their own attitudes and behavior to critical reflection in a group plenary.

Course coordinators

Michał Dobrzański

Learning outcomes

Acquired Knowledge:
Graduates know:
K_W08 to an in-depth degree - norms constituting and regulating social structures and institutions and the sources of these norms, their nature, change and ways of influencing human behavior
K_W10 - to a deeper extent - the role of philosophical reflection in shaping culture
K_W11 to an in-depth degree - the relationship between the formation of philosophical ideas and changes in culture and society; understand the fundamental role that philosophical ideas play in the formation of works and institutions of culture

Acquired Skills:
Graduates will be able to:
K_U02 determine the degree of significance of theses posed for the problem or argumentation under study
K_U06 use philosophical and methodological knowledge creatively and innovatively in formulating hypotheses and constructing critical arguments
K_U07 formulate precisely, orally and in writing, complex philosophical problems; formulate theses and comment on them critically

Acquired social competences:
Graduates are ready to:
K_K05 actively participate in social and cultural life; take interest in innovative philosophical concepts in relation to other parts of cultural and social life and encourage the implementation of these concepts

Assessment criteria

Active participation at the seminar. Short essay based upon the experiences from the event.

Bibliography

Aristotle, Politics
John Locke, Two Treatises on Government
Immanuel Kant, On the saying, Perpetual Peace
Isaiah Berlin, Two Concepts of Liberty
Jürgen Habermas, Between Facts and Norms
Chantal Mouffe, The Democratic Paradox

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 3800-DEPL24-S in USOSweb