4.0738 Estonian Institute of Human Sciences (1/58)
Elaine Brennan & Allen Renear (EDITORS@BROWNVM.BITNET)
Wed, 21 Nov 90 23:24:52 EST
Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 4, No. 0738. Wednesday, 21 Nov 1990.
Date: Mon, 19 NOV 90 17:31:34 GMT
From: AEB_BEVAN@VAX.ACS.OPEN.AC.UK
Subject: Estonian Institute of Human Sciences.
The EIHS opened in October 1990 and claims to be the first and only
private education facility in the Baltic States.
Entry is through the submission of a written essay, followed by
interview. Students take courses for the first three years, then spend
two years writing two papers of publication standard.
All students study foreign languages. Two EIHS students of Italian are
already spending a period abroad - in Siena University. It is hoped
that one-semester placements for more students can be arranged in North
American Universities, starting in Spring 1991.
A particular emphasis seems to be the reconstruction of rigorous courses
in history and philosophy (that is, courses not tailored to meet the
requirements of an official state ideology). For example, the philosphy
course looks at the dialectic in its historic context streching back to
Heraclitus. Students are encouraged to familiarise themselves with a
number of Humanist disciplines outside their main area of study.
EIHS has 70 faculty members who teach on a rota basis. There are a
number of foreign teachers, currently from Italy, Finland, Japan,
France, Britain and the USA.
In the future EIHS hopes to produce teaching material for people abroad
wishing to study Estonian, and it is planned to have places for 15 or so
foreign students wanting to do intensive studies of Estonian language,
history and culture.
At present there are intense difficulties caused by the lack of a
permanent building -teaching is scattered across severall temporary
addresses in Tallinn.
I suggest that this initiative deserves the support of the Humanist
community worldwide.
Are members of the HUMANIST list interested in making contacts with
the EIHS?
Appropriate help might include locating semester placement opportunities,
participating directly in teaching or research work, and helping EIHS
faculty keep in touch with the activities of their fields.
I can try to pass messages on to the organisers. Through the BALT-L
networking project we have reasonably direct electronic mail links with
people in Tallinn who could pass messages on. And there is no reason
why the EIHS could not come directly onto this List if the necessary
equipment could be obtained.
Please note that I do not have a definite contact adress for the EIHS at
this moment: I am e-mailing my Estonian contacts to try to get this
information as soon as possible and will post it up here. I do know
that the EIHS director is a Mr. Raud.
Edis Bevan
Editor BALT-L Baltic Republics news and discussion list
Open University
Britain