Supported by a grant awarded to the Centre for European Studies by the Visegrad Fund, the aim of the course is to analyse the processes of European integration and their impact on the Visegrad countries. The experience of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia during integration is an interesting study topic as it provides examples of the long-term consequences of the processes initiated in Central Europe. The course aims to offer a comparative perspective, showing similarities and differences in the changes caused by the integration processes in the region. The changes occurring in the four countries will be analysed from both a political and social perspective.

The course will bring together scholars from various fields, working in the Visegrad countries, so as to provide students with specialised knowledge on the selected topics. Lecturers will include:

• Dr Magdalena Gora (Centre for European Studies, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, PL),
• Dr Katarzyna Zielinska (Institute of Sociology and Centre for European Studies, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, PL),
• Natasza Styczynska, Ph.D. candidate, Centre for European Studies, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, PL),
• Professor Ferenc Horcher, Ph.D., (Institute of Philosophy, Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Budapest, HU),
• Professor Vit Hlousek, Ph.D., (Department of International Relations and European Studies and Institute for Comparative Political Research, Masaryk University, Brno, CZ),
• Professor Pocza Kalman,  Ph.D., (Department of Political Science, Pazmany Peter Catholic University, Budapest, HU) .

• understand the major trends in contemporary Central and Eastern European affairs
• gather the knowledge on Central and Eastern Europe and apply it in practice
• assess particular problems, reconstruct and explain the political decisions and decision-making process in the CEE countries and in the European Union
• understand the complicated, multilayered composition of European relations