The Civil Society Educational Network is a project under the Canada-European Union Programme for Cooperation in Higher Education, Training and Youth: Transatlantic Exchange Partnerships that is funded by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Education and Culture.

 

The Civil Society Education Network links three European universities (the Freie Universität Berlin, Sheffield Hallam University, and Trento University) with three Canadian universities (Carleton University (Ottawa), McGill University (Montreal), and Winnipeg University).

 

Advanced undergraduate and graduate level students from a variety of disciplines (political science, public administration, urban studies, business administration) will be recruited to participate in the transatlantic exchanges, including those seeking careers as practitioners and leaders of civil society organizations and social enterprises, policy analysts and program officers in government, community investment managers in corporations, grant officers in foundations; and, fund developers and consultants in the community. Students enrolled in any of the three European universities can study for credit at one of the three Canadian universities. The objectives of the Civil Society Educational Network are to enhance the educational experiences and skills of these Canadian and European students seeking a variety of careers related to civil society organizations and social enterprises; to support the development of new curricula to teach civil society in a range of disciplines; to facilitate the collaboration between Canadian and European universities to expand their programs in civil society studies; and, to provide a forum for the exchange of educational materials, resources, and tools for Canadian and European faculty, students, and researchers in civil society studies.

 

Fellowships include roundtrip travel expenses (up to Euro 1000) and four months living stipend (700 Euro per month for a total of 2800 Euro). As part of the reciprocal arrangement among the universities, students who study abroad pay tuition to their home university at the normal tuition level of the home university. No tuition payments are expected to the host university although some student fees may apply.

 

To apply for a fellowship send a one page abstract of your research interests, a curriculum vitae, a letter explaining which of the three Canadian universities you would like to study at and why (more than one choice is advisable), and a letter of recommendation. Additionally, the applicant may choose to send in a sample of his or her writing dealing with some aspect of civil society (can be a paper for a class, an article, or section of a thesis). TOEFL or equivalent language test scores are also necessary for students wishing to study in Canada. In your letter, be sure to include a contact address, email address, and telephone number.

 

The fellowship competition is open to students at the advanced BA (3rd or 4th year), MA, or Ph.D. levels.

 

Deadline for application for the summer semester (in most cases starts in April or May) is February 15, 2010. Specifics can be discussed. Application materials should be sent to:

 

Prof. Miranda Schreurs

Forschungsstelle für Umweltpolitik

Ihnestraße 22

Berlin, Germany 14195

Tel 030-838-56654

Questions can be addressed to: miranda.schreurs@fu-berlin.de

 

More information about the exchange, the universities and their programs can be found

at:

http://www.cms.fu-berlin.de/v/civil_society/cooperations/index.html