Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu

Host Organization:    Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu

Website:          http://www.ut.ee or https://skytte.ut.ee/en

Organization Profile:

The University of Tartu is Estonia's leading institution of research and higher education. Founded in 1632, it is one of the oldest universities in Northern and Eastern Europe. Today, the UT is the only Baltic university ranked among the best 350 universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2018,  Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018). It is also ranked as the best university in “New Europe” – the 13 nations that have joined the European Union since 2004 (Times Higher Education New Europe Ranking 2018). The UT’s competitive edge stems from research excellence and impact, as well as the quality of its learning environment.

The UT has about 13, 000 students (including over 1000 international students from 70 countries) and about 3000 employees (including 1500 academic staff members). It has four faculties, including the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Faculty Science and Technology.  During the 2018/2019 academic year, the UT had 56 BA curricula, 68 MA programs, and 33 doctoral programs. The UT has about 1300 doctoral students and awards more than a half of all doctoral degrees issued in Estonia. The UT has 80 partner universities in 31 countries. It offers a wide range of support services to its international students and staff.

City: Tartu, Estonia.

The UT is located in Tartu, Estonia’s second-largest city with a population of 100, 000.  Widely considered to be the intellectual and cultural hub of Estonia, Tartu is simultaneously historical and modern, quaint and vibrant. It offers its inhabitants a safe, friendly and green living environment, free of the hassles associated with life in major metropolitan centers. Further information: https://visittartu.com/

Internship Format: Virtual/remote or In-person (pending Stanford, host country, and host organization travel policies)

Internship Department:     Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies

Department Profile: The Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies at the University of Tartu combines top-level scholarly research with a dynamic, international learning environment at all three levels of higher education. It offers a Political Science BA program at the bachelor’s level (in Estonian), five MA programmes (International Relations and Regional Studies, Democracy and Governance, EU-Russia Studies, European Studies, Central & East European, Russian & Eurasian Studies) in English and in Estonian, as well as a Political Science PhD program (in English). The institute has over 430 students and about 20 academic staff members. The Skytte Institute is one of the most international units of the University of Tartu, both in terms of staff and students. The Institute is ranked as one of top three political science departments in the new member states of the European Union (QS University Ranking by Subject 2019).

Research conducted at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies encompasses the main subfields of political science (comparative politics, international relations and political theory), as well as area studies (Baltic, Russian, East European and EU politics) and, more recently, research on the usage and impact of information and communication technologies. The main research directions of the Institute include:

• democracy, elections, and government, including e-governance and e-voting.
• identity, sovereignty and international relations.
• memory politics and transitional justice.
• Baltic politics and history.
• Russian and East European Studies, with a focus on politics and international relations.
• European integration and transatlantic cooperation.

The Institute’s research activities are organized under several clusters, including the Centre for Baltic Studies, the Centre for EU-Russia Studies, the Centre for IT Impact Studies, and a multi-disciplinary Centre for Applied Social Science. The Institute also hosts the Estonian National Election Study as well as the V-Dem Regional Centre for Eastern Europe and Russia.

The Institute has been successful in obtaining competitive research grants, including from the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, the Estonian Research Council and other domestic and international funders. Since 2011, the Institute has been very active in hosting and supporting foreign visiting scholars, post-docs and PhD students, and has developed a reputation as a reliable organizer of large-scale international conferences in political science and area studies.

Project description:  We offer three possible ‘tracks’ for the internship (which can also be combined, depending on the interests and competences of the intern):

1) Russia and Eastern Europe track. Main activities include:

a) assisting the Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies with the organization of the Sixth Annual Tartu Conference on Russian and East European Studies, entitled ‘Which Way is the Future? Progress and Tradition in Eastern Europe and Eurasia’ held 12-14 June 2022, in Tartu, Estonia. The intern would be involved in the preparation and running of the event, communicating with the participants, and helping with follow-up analysis and reporting

b) assisting with other activities (such as summer schools, training events, research and study-related projects) implemented by the Centre for Eurasian and Russian Studies.

2) E-governance and e-democracy (including internet voting) track. Main activities include assisting the ERA Chair in E-Governance and Digital Public Services (a large EU funded project, implemented by a multinational team of researchers) with a range of activities, including research on e-governance and e-democracy, outreach activities, preparation of teaching and learning tools, event organization, and preparation of funding proposals. 

3) Comparative European politics track. Main activities include providing research assistance to a team of researchers focusing on elections, voters and parties in Europe. Topics covered could include democratic backsliding, the rise of populism and extremism, political polarization, and attitudes on climate change and environmental issues. Specific tasks could include finding and summarizing relevant academic literature, compiling datasets, and conducting basic statistical analysis. The intern could also be asked to contribute to preparing grant proposals focusing on these and related topics.

Number of Opening(s):     1 or 2

Work Hours and Internship Start/End Dates: (Monday to Friday, June

20 –August 12, 2022):   Five days and 35-40 hours a week (flexible working hours)

Dates:  preferably June 9 or 10 – August 5, 2022, for the Russia and Eastern Europe track (see description above; note the dates of the conference).

*For all other tracks: flexible dates, ready to accommodate the intern’s preferences and needs. 

Work Attire:     Casual

Local Language:     Estonian. Not required. English and Russian are also widely spoken.

Additional desired intern qualifications: 

  An ideal candidate for the position:

- has very good communication and writing skills (in English);

- is motivated, punctual and reliable, and able to work effectively both independently and as part of a team. 

- has an interest (and at least some background) in one of the internship tracks described above.

- is interested in learning about Estonian, Baltic or possibly Russian cultures and societies.