The University of Belgrade hosted an international summer school for Master's students from the Circle U. alliance universities. The school took place from June 2nd to 6th, 2025, in Belgrade, as part of the Circle U. Democracy Knowledge Hub, in cooperation with the University of Oslo and other alliance partners.
The summer school, titled "The Crossroads of Democracy and Development: Challenges and Innovations," gathered around forty student participants from Germany, Belgium, Norway, France, Italy, Austria, and Serbia. Among the participants were also numerous international Master's students from Circle U. member universities, originating from Russia, Ukraine, Colombia, China, Taiwan, Iran, and other countries.
Lecturers from Circle U. alliance member universities introduced participants to the main theoretical and empirical approaches in the study of democracy and development through a series of lectures and interactive discussions including the following:
- Democratic Governance and the Politics of Poverty: An overview of the agreements and disagreements (Prof. Dan Banik, University of Oslo)
- Second World, Third World? Socialist models of development and democracy, past and present (Prof. Sophie Coeuré, Université Paris Cité)
- The Role of AI in Democracy: Potentialities and Risks (Prof. Francesco Marcelloni, University of Pisa)
- The Re-Emergence of Trade Wars in the 21st Century - Between the Stalling of Multilateralism and the Limits of Regionalism (Prof. Marko Jovanović, University of Belgrade)
- Education as the Path out of Poverty? The Role of International Organizations (Prof. Jens Jungblut, University of Oslo), Democratic Peace and its Alternatives (Prof. Nemanja Džuverović, University of Belgrade)
- Global Governance in Transition: Democracy, Development, and the Challenges of Multilateralism (Prof.Dan Banik, University of Oslo)
- Discussing Democratic Backsliding and Resilience by Taking a Critical Look into Modernisation Theory (Dr. Claudia Matthes, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).
A special focus was placed on student group work. Over four days, students prepared 10-minute team presentations on topics of their own choosing, based on lectures and literature, as well as beyond them. Students prepared presentations in multidisciplinary teams with colleagues from other universities, which many found to be one of the most valuable experiences.
During their stay in Belgrade, participants had the opportunity to get to know the city through an organized walking tour of Kalemegdan and the Old Town, and a guided tour of the Museum of Yugoslavia.
Glimpses from the summer school
Students attended the event "Open Conversations – Voices of Resistance – The Role of Student Protests in Shaping Serbia's Future", part of the Open Conversation Series. This event is a component of the broader Circle U. Open Campus initiative and was held on the last day of the school.
This interdisciplinary course is offered as part of the Circle U. alliance, enabling students to gain insights from experts across Europe on topics related to democratic and economic governance. It represents the fruit of cooperation within the Circle U. Knowledge Hub on Democracy, through which collaboration on the co-creation of modules and study programs among member universities is realized.
