Every spring, we traditionally bring together political science alumni and students with scholars and practitioners for a meaningful dialogue about important issues. This year, the event was held on May 27 as part of the alumni discussions “Political Institutions and Systems Matter”, organized by the Department of Political Science with the participation of the student society “Polis”, the NGO “Center for Political Studies. Lviv”, and other participants.
The program was divided into two substantive blocks:
The first thematic block was devoted to discussing the academic courses “Comparative Political Science: Political Institutions and Systems of Western European Countries” (for bachelor’s students in Political Science) and “Comparative Analysis of Political Institutions and Systems of Central and Eastern European Countries” (for master’s students). Both courses are taught within the Jean Monnet Module “Political Institutions and Systems in Europe: Comparison and Experience for Ukraine” and provide an in-depth study, analysis, and comparison of various power institutions in European countries and the EU. Students have the opportunity to examine both effective examples of political systems’ functioning and their weaknesses, as well as different models of interaction between the head of state, government, and parliament. The goal of this discussion was to establish quality feedback between students and lecturers in order to further improve the courses according to students’ expectations and recommendations.
The second block focused on an open discussion in which all participants actively engaged. The central theme was exploring possible directions for the development of Ukraine’s political system and institutions, as well as political education and science, taking into account both successful and controversial examples from Western and Central-Eastern European EU member states. This format of interaction is important not only educationally but also for fostering critical thinking, especially in the context of Ukraine’s European integration course and the need for further democratization and institutional reforms in the country. The discussion was lively and substantive, reflecting differing views among participants.
As a result of this year’s alumni discussions, a set of recommendations was developed for the further improvement of the academic courses implemented within the Jean Monnet Module “Political Institutions and Systems in Europe: Comparison and Experience for Ukraine.” These findings were included in the latest final report of the event “Political Institutions and Systems Matter,” available for download in both Ukrainian and English. A special value of the report lies in the results of surveys and teaching quality assessments (conducted before and during the discussions), which will serve as the basis for further development and potential adaptation of the courses.
We sincerely thank all participants for their active involvement and genuine interest!
The event is organized by the Department of Political Science, the Center for Political Studies, and the student society “Polis” with financial support from the European Union under the Erasmus+ Programme, Jean Monnet Actions for Higher Education (module “Political Institutions and Systems in Europe: Comparison and Experience for Ukraine”, No. 101126702).
