School of International Studies

From 2 to 11 April 2013, the Dean of the JU Faculty of International and Political Studies, Prof. dr hab. Bogdan Szlachta paid a working visit to South-East Asia. At a number of meetings with diplomats and members of academia, he discussed the issues of collaboration in research and education, crucial for the further development of the Faculty. One of the goals of the visit was to find partners for cooperation in the creation of the specialization in temporary Indian and South Asian studies within the newly established programme: Asian Studies, speciality: Far-Eastern Studies. During his stay in Vietnam, the Dean met, inter alia, with the Vice-President of the Vietnam National University in Hanoi, Prof. Nguyen Hai Thanh, the Deputy Director of the University's Department of Cooperation and Communication, Mr. Nguyen Dang Huy Dang, and the Deputy Chief of the Academy Office at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nguyen Thi Thin.

Two academic collaboration agreements between the JU Faculty of International and Political Studies and two above mentioned institutions are currently being prepared as the result of the meetings. The issues related to student exchange and the preparation of academic publications about the ongoing changes in Vietnam and the neigbouring countries are also under discussion (the researchers associated with the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology are also to be among the authors of the papers). The Dean's visit was organized and coordinated by the Polish-Vietnamese Friendship Association.

The Dean's visit in India begun on April 8 with the meeting with the members of the authorities of the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, including the Dean for Alumni Affairs and International Programmes, Prof. Ambuj D. Sagar and the Dean for Research & Development, Prof. Suneet Tuli. On the same day Prof. Szlachta met with the Dean of International Relations at the University of Delhi, Prof. Anand Prakash and the Head of Slavonic and Finno-ungarian Studies Department of the same University, Dr. Ranjana Saxena. On April 9 the Dean visited the BPS Women University in Sonipat, where he has received by its Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Pankaj Mittal and by Director of the Center for Indic and Asian Studies, Prof. Kapil Kapoor. On April 10, Prof. Szlachta participated in the meeting organized by the Consular Division of the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi, during which he listened to a speech on the issues related to a foreign student admission in the context of EU/Schengen visa policy. Then he met with the head of the Center for the Study and Developing Societies, Prof. Rajeev Bhargava. The final meeting of the visit was with Director General of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Dr. Suresh Kumar Goel.

The talks initiated the efforts to sign academic collaboration agreements between JU Faculty of International and Political Studies and the Indian academic institutions: the Indian Institute of Technology and the BPS Women University in Sonipat. Other plans for future include organization of joint seminars, study visits by academic staff members, student groups exchange, and the cooperation on the publication of a special issue of the Faculty journal "Politeja", which will be devoted to contemporary Indian and South Asian affairs.
The Dean's visit in India was organized and coordinated by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in New Delhi.