Creation of the Rule of Law Society in Post-Communist Europe

Faculty of Law
Volume: 24 ECTS
Level: open to all levels
Semester: Autumn
Tuition fee: 1500 EUR
Director: Irene Kull, irene [dot] kull [ät] ut [dot] ee

The substance of the course should prove of interest to students of political science, sociology and other disciplines whose professional interest includes study of transitional societies. For students from Western Europe, the attractiveness of the programme lies in the opportunity to study dynamic aspects of sweeping transitions carried out in a relatively short period of time. For students from other regions of the world, the course offers insights into European traditions of human rights, rule of law and marketplace economics from the perspective of a society faced with the daunting challenge to fill the void left from the collapse of communism.

There are two main points of emphasis that single out this programme among its peers in the West. First, Estonia, having transformed itself in little over a decade from a communist republic of the former Soviet Union to a democratic market economy rooted in the European Union (EU) founded on the rule of law, has necessarily accumulated a wealth of first hand experience with societal transition. Central in this development has been the need to provide for the protection of fundamental human rights while establishing legal institutions necessary for creation of vigorous market economy. Second, Estonia’s strategic location at the crossroads of the Western and Russian civilizations, serves as the EU’s border to the Russian Federation and thus provides more than ample opportunities to compare in vivid detail different approaches and practices in societal development in post-communist Europe. Both of these aspects will be explored in the programme.

Click on the course code to find the course description. If your university requires course syllabus for program approval and credit transfer, please contact Programme Director Irene Kull, irene [dot] kull [ät] ut [dot] ee.

To the top...