Erasmus+ and International students

Обща информация

Information for incoming Erasmus students

 

Congratulations on your arrival to the Faculty of Philosophy of Sofia University! We are glad you are coming and we hope that your experience here will be unique and rewarding. Here is some useful information that will help you:

 

The Erasmus incomings section on the official website of Sofia university contains the most important information for the incoming exchange students.

 

The Practical guide is an information guide for Erasmus students of Sofia University. In addition to listings about International Relations Department (part of the central administration), Faculties’ coordinators in charge of Erasmus students, student-related services, resources and facilities, this publication includes key information about accommodation and administrative procedures. It is important for exchange students to be familiar with these texts and it is advisable to take some time to read them in the beginning of the Academic Year.

 

Programs and courses taught in English section contains information about the courses offered by the Faculty of Philosophy. You can find updated timetables in Schedules section. Information on the duration of semesters and exam sessions can be found in the Academic calendar section. If you are interested in courses in Bulgarian language please visit Bulgarian language for incoming Erasmus students subpage.

 

Programs and courses taught in English

BA Program: EUROPEAN UNION AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

The new European Union and European Integration (EUEI) BA Program to be taught in English has been designed primarily for citizens of states which are not EU members and for citizens of countries preparing for membership in the Union. Its duration is eight semesters and the students are accepted after an exam in English.

The EUEI Program has both a holistic and interdisciplinary character. While allowing the students the possibility to analyze the process of European integration within the context of various subjects, it provides the opportunity to go beyond the limitations of geography. It also gives an opportunity to become fluent in three European languages. The students graduate after successfully defending a BA thesis and taking a state exam in English.

The main objective of the EUEI Program is to prepare experts who will utilize the Bulgarian experience in regional integration, in preparing for EU membership, and in negotiating UE accession. At the same time it will provide a fully integrated environment for combining EU Law Studies, International Relations, Politics, and Economics with language and Cultural Studies. After the second year the students can continue their studies choosing one of the five specialized modules in the above-mentioned areas.

In addition, top-level experts from Bulgaria and other EU governmental and academic institutions will be able to share with the students their practical experience of working with and in the European Union. Visits by the graduates to EU institutions will contribute to enhancing their practical skills. Thus they will acquire the necessary skills to work as experts on European integration issues within their area of specialization, and to participate in negotiations, in economic, cultural and political interactions with the institutions and employees of the EU.

Information on courses for 2015/2016 academic year, winter semester

Schedules - Winter semester

 

 

 

BA Program of Psychology

Information about all the courses offered within the program can be found on the following link:

http://phls.uni-sofia.bg/article/483

 

 

 

 

MA Program: Cultural Liaisons and Geopolitics of the European Union

 

The MA Program Cultural Liaisons and Geopolitics of the European Union is a specializing program taught in English open to students who have graduated from a Bachelor’s degree program in one of the subject areas from the field of the humanities and social and political sciences, economics and law with an average grade not less than “good”. The program aims at further enhancing the expertise of the students in the field of cultural diplomacy both as a theoretical and practical field of study. It has a strong interdisciplinary character, focusing on the cultural liaisons and the use of soft power in the European Union geopolitics.

The MA Program Cultural Liaisons and Geopolitics of the European Union is a three-semester program with a wide range of compulsory and elective courses. The courses are taught by experts and distinguished academics in the fiеlds of politics, history and international relations of the European Union. The Program offers a choice of internships and summer school courses, as well as participation in a Diplomatic Seminar with outstanding current and former diplomatic officers, ambassadors, and foreign ministers. There is an opportunity for participation in international exchange programs as well. The completion of the course of study is with a defense of an MA thesis.

 

Information on courses for 2015/2016 academic year, winter semester

Schedules - Winter semester

 

 

MA Program: General Psychology in English

Information about all the courses offered within the program can be found on the following link:

http://phls.uni-sofia.bg/article/217#tab218

 

 

 

ERASMUS AND ERASMUS MUNDUS (BASILEUS AND HERMES) COURSES IN PHILOSOPHY TAUGHT IN ENGLISH

 

WINTER SEMESTER

• Philosophical Anthropology: Systematic Approach, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Valery Dinev

• Philosophical Method, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Aneta Karageorgieva

• Social Philosophy, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Maria Dimitrova

• Philosophy of Intercultural Relations, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Plamen Makariev

• Ethics, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. Nelly Videva

• Philosophy of Culture, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Gungov

Asst. Prof. Dr. Darin Drossev

• Philosophy of Subjective Action, 5 ECTS

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesselin Dafov

 

SUMMER SEMESTER

• Philosophical Anthropology: Main Trends and Thinkers, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Valery Dinev

• Existential Dialectics, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Maria Dimitrova

• Axiology, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. Nelly Videva

• Meaning and Truth, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. habil. Aneta Karageorgieva

• Continental Philosophy, 5 ECTS

Prof. Dr. Alexander L. Gungov

Asst. Prof. Dr. Darin Drossev

 

Schedule - Winter semester

 

Courses offered by the Department of Political Science:

 

1. Course title: Comparative studies of democratization and sustainable development

Lecturer: Dr.  Rumyana Kolarova, Associated professor

Course duration: 30 academic hours

Course description:

The course is aimed at discussing the current instrumentarium for comparative studies of democratization. The applicability of the basic indicators used is discussed with regard to the different regionalization of the recently democractized European states – South European, East and Central European, Sotheast European states. A special attention is paid to the emerging sets of universally applicable criteria and the outcomes of recent comparative studies , which use alternative “democratization indexes”.

The compatibility/congruency between the two reform-policy models – democratization and sustainable development is discussed by comparing the regular reports on democratization and human development concerning specific states from the Balkans (Bulgaria, Romania), Baltic states (Litva, Latvia) and Central Europe (Slovakia, Slovenia).

 

 

2. Course title: International Dimensions of Democratization

Lecturer: Dr. Rumyana Kolarova, Associated professor

Course duration: 30 academic hours

Course description:

The course examines the international dimensions of democratization considering the essential differences between the transition and the consolidation phase. The teaching is based on analyses of specific national trajectories and common regional tendencies characterizing South European and Post-Communist tranzions to democracy.

The course is aimed at defining the principal international agents and the evolution of their activities concernimg the democratization process. Special attention is payed to the monitoring process and the applicability of the different democratization indecies and regular reports. Another aspect will be the analysis of the evolution of democratic assistance from democracy promotion to democracy protection. The third issue is the evolution of the conditionality and especially the role of conditionality in the policy of European Union towards the accession countries and the attitudes of political elites and the general public towards conditionality.

The course is practice based and relies on learning-by-doing techniques.

 

3. Course title: NATIONAL SECURITY

Lecturer: Dr. Denitsa Lozanova

Course duration: 30 academic hours

Course description:

The first part of the course outlines the main political, military, economic and humanitarian aspects of national security. It explores how the international and governmental institutions, military forces and intelligence services collaborate in order to protect national security.  The first part proposes discussion on several national security strategies of the leading global powers – USA, European Union - Great Britain, France, Germany, Russia, China and others.

The second part applies the theoretical framework to the Bulgarian national security. The students should investigate how Bulgarian national security legislation and policy accommodate in order to meet the challenges of current threats and the interior security problems (such as terrorism, WMD, organized crime, ecological disasters).

 Why is national security so important in the contemporary world? What is the cost to be secure and how do the states protect their citizens, resources, territories? What tools do states use to meet the challenges of global risks?

Solutions to these and other similar questions are explored within the framework of the elective course on National Security. It is both a theoretical and practical course, because in the seminars the students are encouraged to participate in group discussions, simulation games, case investigations and policy paper writing

 

 

4. Course title: Economic Methods of Analysis in International Relations

Lecturer: Dr. Ruzha Smilova,

Course duration: 30 academic hours

Course description

This course is an introduction to rational choice theory and its application as a method for analyzing political behavior, and for explaining political phenomena and processes more generally. It is intended for advanced, MA level students in political science. It offers an in-depth analysis of such already covered in their prior studies areas of politics as theory of the state, power and constitutional politics, political parties’ and voters’ behavior, conflict resolution, party competition, the characteristic features of bureaucracies and hierarchies, of fiscal and re-distributive policies, etc., which utilizes formal assumptions about political actors as rational utility-maximizers, and based on these assumptions builds explanatory models.   

 

 

5. Course title: Contemporary Political Theory

Lecturer: Dr. Ruzha Smilova

Course duration: 30 academic hours

 

 

6. Course title: Political Parties and Movements

Lecturer: Prof. Georgi Karasimeonov

Course duration: 30 academic hours

 

7.  Course title: INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA

Lecturer: Assistant prof. Strahil Deliyski

Course duration: 30 academic hours

Course description:

The course give students a reference point for more effective knowledge and understanding of international communications and media functioning. The “compass” points are the role, the meaning and the results of communication intercession in the international and regional relations. It not realistic to present this problematic entirely, that’s why our goal will be focus on two discussing problems:

- International communication (theoretical field);

- Balkan region (field of practical problems).

The construction of European public sphere can be heurishcly analyzed trough specific cross of the two fields.

 

8. Course title: CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Lecturer: Prof. Tatyana Dronzina

Course duration: 30 academic hours

 

9.  Course title: U.S. Foreign policy

Lecturer: Dr. Iskren Ivanov

Course duration: 30 academic hours, 4 ECTS

 

10. Course title: International political economy 
 

Lecturer: Prof. Alexander Tomov

Course duration: 30 academic hours, 4 ECTS

 

 

Other courses offered by the Faculty of Philosophy:

 

National Security Policy-Making, 5 ECTS, 30 hours lectures, Assistant Professor Denitza Hinkova, PhD, d.hinkova@gmail.com

The course on National Security Policymaking is an elective course, taught to the Political Science and ERASMUS+ Program students at Sofia University, Bulgaria. The main objective of the course is to present the most important aspects of national security and stimulate further research and discussions on the contemporary issues of security. The main principle in teaching the “art” of national security policy-making, is to focus on the “readiness” and robustness of the actors to respond to uncertainties and vulneralilities with resilience, sustainability and adaptation in dynamic environment.

Thursday, 11-13, room 117, block 4, floor 1, Campus “East”

Syllabus

 

 

Conflict Management, 5 ECTS, 30 hours lectures, Assistant Professor Denitza Hinkova, PhD, d.hinkova@gmail.com

The course on Conflict Resolution explores the theoretical framework of conflict management, transformation and resolution in an international perspective. The course identifies a range of conflict resolution approaches, but focuses mainly on practical aspects of  negotiation, mediation and conflict prevention through the lenses of different cases. The course is mainly dedicated to the transformation of violent and ethno-political conflicts, as well as post-conflict reconstruction methods and settlement practices.

Wednesday, 14-16, room 117

Syllabus

 

Strategic Management, 5 ECTS, 30 hours lectures, Assistant Professor Denitza Hinkova, PhD, d.hinkova@gmail.com

An introductory course on strategic management and governance, focusing on the main theoretical schools, concepts and paradigms, as well as on "strategy-as-practice" and "good governance" concepts. The course presents ten stages of strategic planning cycle and elaborates further on the approaches to strategic thinking in the 21st century, the main principles of strategic managements and practical aspects of the strategy process. The course is based on case studies and practical excercises.        

Friday, 10-13, room 117       

 

“Governmental and Civil Policies in a Time of Genocide: Bulgarian Case during Holocaust”, 30 academic hours, Associate Professor Albena Taneva, taneva@phls.uni-sofia.bg        

Course outline:

This course is designed to introduce knowledge and understanding of the events in Bulgaria during World War II regarding the fate of the Bulgarian Jews. The narrative history is analysed through the concept of the modern leadership theory and generally in the context of the political theory.

The course presents information about all types of repressive acts against Jews in Bulgaria and about all rescue efforts and rescue events during the period 1940-1943. The story of the rescue of Bulgarian Jews is presented in a threefold scheme:

1)      European context of the period and facts about Nazi German pressure on Bulgarian government;

2)      Politics of the Bulgarian government regarding Jews in Bulgaria

3)      Policies of Bulgarian civil society led to the final rescue of Jews in Bulgaria.

It also describes important facts of the Bulgarian history and of the European history of that period in order to reconstruct relevant context for understanding of the basic subject.

The course is taught in 30 interactive contact hours. It is designed to involve students in discussions on the basis of the given information. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the relationships between Bulgarians and Jews during WWII as to a successful model to defend civil rights and liberties in critical social situations.

 

 

Last updated: 09 November 2015

 

 

Programs and courses taught in other languages

Master’s program: MEDIA, COMMUNICATION, CULTURE – 4 semesters , full-time, in French and German (bilingual), with the University of Frankfurt (Oder), Germany, and University of Nice, France

 

Schedule for Winter semster 2015/2016 Academic year

Schedules

BA Program: EUROPEAN UNION AND EUROPEAN INTEGRATION

Winter Semester, 2015/2016 Academic year

• Timetable: first year, winter semester
• Timetable: second year, winter semester
• Timetable: third and fourth year, winter semester

 

MA Program: CULTURAL LIAISONS AND GEOPOLITICS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

Winter Semester, 2015/2016 Academic year:

• Timetable: first year, winter semester
• Timetable: third year, winter semester

 

MA Program: MEDIA, COMMUNICATION, CULTURE in French and German

Winter Semester, 2015/2016 Academic year:

Timetable: winter semester

 

ERASMUS AND ERASMUS MUNDUS (BASILEUS AND HERMES) courses in PHILOSOPHY TAUGHT IN ENGLISH

Timetable: Winter Semester, 2015/2016 Academic year

 

Last updated: 07 October 2015

2015/2016 Academic calendar

 

 

 

I. Winter semester

Length	Holidays	Session (regular)
Full-time studies 02.10.2015 - 22.01.2016 15 weeks	25.11.2015 - Sofia University Patron's Day 08.12.2015 - Bulgarian Student's Day Christmas and New Year Holidays 24.12.2015 - 02.01.2016	25.01.2016 - 19.02.2016
Part-time studies Face-to-face sessions 14.09. - 30.09.2015		I: November- December 2015 II: January - February 2016

 

II. Summer semester

Length	Holidays	Session (regular)	Session (supplementary)
Full-time studies 22.02.-10.06.2016 15 weeks	03.03.2016 - The Liberation Day 29.04. - 07.05.2016 - Easter holidays 24.05.2016 - Official Holiday	13.06. - 18.07.2016	22.08. - 09.09.2016
Part-time studies Face-to-face sessions 25.01.-19.02.2016		I: March - April 2016 II: June - July 2016	22.08. - 09.09.2016

 

Source: https://www.uni-sofia.bg/index.php/eng/students/academic_calendar2

Last updated: 05 October 2015

 

Bulgarian language for Erasmus incoming students

The Faculty of Slavic Studies of Sofia University offers courses in Bulgarian for incoming Erasmus students. interested students should contact  Prof. Reneta Bozhankova at bozhankova@slav.uni-sofia.bg .

Administration

Department of Student Affairs

 

Office hours:
Monday - 09.00 - 12.00
Tuesday - 13.00 - 16.00
Wednesday - 09.00 - 12.00
Thursday - 13.00 - 16.00
Friday - 09.00 - 12.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Useful links

• Courses in English offered by the  Department of English and American Studies: http://eas.uni-sofia.bg/erasmus/
• Bulgaria Discovered guide in English: http://old.hrdc.bg/fce/001/0125/files/Discovered%20Bulgaria_2013.pdf
• Urban Mobility Center (official website of the public transportation in Sofia):http://www.sofiatraffic.bg/en/
• Eurodesk (service providing  access to international mobility information for young people): http://eurodesk.eu/
• European Youth Portal: https://europa.eu/youth/

 

News

No upcoming events

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Archived:

The Erasmus+ team at the Department of English and American Studies have the pleasure of inviting you to a public lecture by
 

Dr. Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova and Dr. Renata Povolná,
Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
Monday, Oct 19^th, 18:00 p.m., r. 243, Main University Building

 

EDUCATING FUTURE TEACHERS OF ENGLISH IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC

The first part of the presentation provides information about Masaryk University in Brno, in particular about Faculty of Education and the courses offered to future teachers of English at the Department of the English Language and Literature.

DEVELOPING ACADEMIC WRITING SKILLS IN ENGLISH ACROSS THE UNIVERSITY CURRICULUM

The second part of the presentation brings results from the two-part research into academic writing skills of university students. The first part is based on present needs analysis while the second part is corpus-based and focuses on the use of discourse markers and the construal of an authorial voice.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

Olga Dontcheva-Navratilova is Associate Professor of English Linguistics at the Faculty of Education, Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. She specializes in discourse analysis, genre analysis, stylistics and pragmatics, with a focus on political and academic discourse. She has published the books Analysing Genre: The Colony Text of UNESCO Resolutions (2009) and Coherence in Political Speeches (2011) and co-authored the volume Cohesion and Coherence in English Discourse (2012). She is co-editor of Coherence and Cohesion in Spoken and Written Discourse (2009) and Discourse Interpretation: Approaches and Applications (2012) published by Cambridge Scholars Publishing. She is also co-editor of the linguistics journal Discourse and Interaction.

Renata Povolná is Associate Professor of English Linguistics at Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic. Her research interests lie in the area of discourse analysis, pragmatics and conversation analysis, concentrating mainly on academic discourse. She has published the books Spatial and Temporal Adverbials in English Authentic Face-to-Face Conversation (2003) and Interactive Discourse Markers in Spoken English (2010) and co-authored Cohesion and Coherence in English Discourse (2012). She is co-editor of Coherence and Cohesion in Spoken and Written Discourse (2009) and Discourse Interpretations: Approaches and Applications (2012) published by CSP. She is co-editor of the linguistics journal Discourse and Interaction.