MOST Programme – mobility programme for students and doctoral students
The MOST Student Mobility Programme (http://www.most.amu.edu.pl/) is an exchange programme for students and doctoral students from Polish universities, based on the rules of the Socrates (now Erasmus+) student exchange programme. Since 1999, it has been very popular and has enabled students to study for one semester or the entire academic year at one of over twenty partner universities in Poland. The programme is coordinated by the University Education Commission (Uniwersytecka Komisja Kształcenia – UKK), appointed by the Conference of Rectors of Academic Schools in Poland – CRASP (Konferencja Rektorów Uniwersytetów Polskich – KRUP). The terms of participating in the programme are specified in the Rules and Regulations of the MOST Student Mobility Programme, which can be found below and on the website www.uka.amu.edu.pl. The MOST Programme offers an opportunity to complete part of the programme of studies (a semester or an academic year) at a different university. Participation in the programme is free and does not depend on the mode of studies. To be eligible, students have to have completed the second semester of studies – in the case of first-cycle and long-cycle students, or the first semester – in the case of second-cycle studies.
For a number of years, the Institute of History has participated in the Erasmus (now Erasmus+) programme, addressed to our students (and doctoral students) and employees. On the basis of the signed agreements, our staff and students can participate in short traineeships (employees) and months-long grants (students) in dozens of academic centres in Europe.
The students who opt to participate must set out a programme of studies in the partner institution, the so-called Learning Agreement, which must be approved by the Institute’s coordinator of the Erasmus+ programme before they leave (in our Institute the coordinator is Dr Rafał Szmytka). The general guidelines of the programme recommend for students to obtain 30 ECTS points in the course of one semester (60 ECTS points in the course of an academic year). However, this is not an absolute requirement. As the offer is addressed to students of all three stages of university studies at the moment, long-cycle students and doctoral students frequently prepare Learning Agreements which plan to obtain a smaller number of ECTS points. In many cases this is fully justified, especially if the exchange is meant to facilitate an archive or library query.
The most important information for students who want to apply for an Erasmus+ grant can be found on the website of the International Students’ Office of the Jagiellonian University: https://internationalstudents.uj.edu.pl.
Recruitment to Erasmus+ programme grants
Most documents must be submitted to the USOSweb system; the note confirming your weighted mean grade, issued by the Institute’s secretarial office, and a certificate confirming your foreign language fluency are the only documents you have to scan and email to the Erasmus+ programme coordinator: rafal.szmytka@uj.edu.pl. In the section “For students”, you will find the tab “Student exchange” with an up-to-date list of centres with which the Institute has signed inter-institutional agreements. Please carefully read the agreement with the university to which you intend to apply.
List of required documents:
1. Cover letter, including the name of the chosen university, an explanation of the choice, a plan of the exchange including the planned number of months (between 3 and 10 months during one academic year) and specifying the semester (winter or summer, in the case of a visit up to five months). You can name two additional institutions which you would like to visit if you are not accepted to your first-choice university.
2. CV, including scientific interests, achievements (participation in scientific conferences, publications), activity in the History Club, Student Council, ESN, associations, and non-profit, social and charity work (appropriate documents can be attached).
3. References from a Jagiellonian University research staff member – supervisor or tutor (a maximum of two additional opinions is allowed).
4. Certificate confirming the weighted mean grade calculated for the entire course of studies, issued by the Institute or Dean’s office (not applicable to doctoral students):
All students who receive grants from the Faculty of History’s pool must obtain a weighted mean grade of at least 3.5 overall during the entire course of studies.
5. Document confirming command of a foreign language, in accordance with the specific criteria defined in the agreement with the institution where the candidate wants to study. The following forms of confirmation are accepted: certificates issued by the Jagiellonian University Language Centre or by a language school, standardised language proficiency certificates (in the latter case, certified copies of the original documents are accepted).
Information for students from other faculties
Exchange under agreements signed by units of the Faculty of History is first and foremost granted to students of the relevant units. If there are any “free” spots available, a student of another faculty of the Jagiellonian University who is interested in an exchange visit under these agreements should follow the procedure below:
– obtain a written consent from the coordinator of the student’s home institute;
– consult the decision to apply with the coordinator of the institute whose pool of available spots the student wants to use;
– obtain a written consent of the coordinator of the institute where the student intends to study abroad;
– submit all required documents to the commission for the Erasmus+ Programme at the student’s home faculty;
– if approved by the faculty commission, the Erasmus+ coordinator of the student’s home institute contacts the appropriate coordinator of the Faculty of History to enquire about an available spot.
Applications will be assessed on the basis of the following grading scale:
1. weighted mean grade: 3.5–5 pts.
2. foreign language fluency: 1–3 pts.
3. cover letter: 1–3 pts.
4. CV / scientific and cultural activity, social work: 1–3 pts.
5. references (supervisor’s or research employee’s opinion): 1 pt. + optionally 0.5 pt. (additional opinions)
Maximum of 15 pts.
If you have any enquiries, please contact rafal.szmytka@uj.edu.pl.
According to the agreement signed with the University of Orléans, students of our Institute have an opportunity to study in France. The offer is addressed to first year students of second-cycle studies whose topic of Master’s degree thesis is somewhat related to the history of France. During the second year of the second-cycle studies, they can complete one or two semesters in Orléans and graduate from both Universities, obtaining a double diploma. The main requirement for this exchange is a command of French at level B2 or above. Another requirement is a good command of English, as a four-page summary of the Master’s degree thesis must be submitted in this language and the Master’s degree examination is conducted in English (or in French) with the participation of a representative of the University of Orléans. In accordance with the agreement, neither side provides the funds for travel or accommodation. Therefore, it is necessary for students to win a grant (Erasmus+, French government’s scholarship etc.)
Please note that although theoretically five of our students can take this opportunity, the agreement operates on the principle of parity, which means that the number of students from Poland must equal the number of students incoming from France. If the number of interested students exceeds the number of available spots, recruitment will be carried out based on the subject matter of the Master’s degree thesis and fluency in French. Please direct any queries to the Deputy Director for Student Affairs.
Since 2015, the Sub-department of Historical Anthropology has organised scholarships to Belgium for students who participate in courses on micro-history in the Modern Era, taught by Dr Rafał Szmytka. The mobility is organised in close cooperation with the Universiteit Antwerpen, in particular Professor Guido Marnef.
The scholarships have two major objectives:
1. to build on the knowledge of urban history taught during classes in Poland and to place it in the direct context of the subject of study;
2. for students to participate in an international symposium held at the Universiteit Antwerpen, devoted to selected aspects of urban history. The Belgian side is represented by students who take Professor Guido Marnef’s course in Cultuurgeschiedenis: Nieuwe Tijd.
On 23 April 2015, the workshop and symposium entitled “Urban history: myths and clichés in the history of Antwerp in the times of Reformation and Catholic Revival” were held, and on 25 April 2016 the discussion focused on iconoclasm and the so-called Wonder Year: “Hedge preachings and the Beeldenstorm in popular culture. 450 anniversary of the Wonder Year”. The last meeting, which took place on 27 April 2017, focused on joyous entries to the cities of the Duchy of Brabant: “Joyous Entries to the cities of Brabant in the early modern period. Continuity or discontinuity of a medieval tradition?”.
A symposium conducted in English requires its participants to prepare beforehand; students from Antwerp and Krakow are given the same literature, primary sources and a list of discussion topics in advance. Prior to the shared workshops, they form small groups which prepare for a discussion on one of the “subtopics”. The symposium itself consists of two parts: a workshop, during which small Polish groups join their Belgian counterparts and discuss the assigned “subtopic” and an open plenary session, during which task groups present the results of their work. A general discussion follows.
The idea behind the cooperation with the Universiteit Antwerpen is to create a future Polish-Belgian course on the history of culture and urban history, which would improve opportunities for student mobility. So far, the scholarships have been very successful. Participation in them and confrontation with the foreign counterparts during the symposia improved the Polish and Belgian students’ confidence, encouraged them to take on new challenges and taught them curiosity of the world.
Additionally, during each exchange, meetings with experts were organised, relevant to the subject of the workshops. In 2015, a special exhibition of old prints was organised in the Erfgoedbibliotheek Hendrik Conscience (a branch of the Belgian National Library), prepared by Steven Van Impe, head of the department of old prints and manuscripts. In 2016, the exchange students visited West Flanders and Westhoek, where the “image storm” began in 1566, and attended a lecture by Professor Guido Marnef, who specialises in the Reformation in the Low Countries. In 2017, the visit to Belgium included a day trip to the Netherlands, whose main purpose was to meet Rosalie van Gulick, a curator of Dutch art and a member of the CODART, who presented the Het Mauritshuis collection during her lecture. Additionally, thanks to the kindness of the OCMW Antwerpen, in particular the curators Daniel Christiaens and Dirk Kint, the participants were able to learn about the social welfare system in Early Modern Era Antwerp and to visit the Het Maagdenhuis exhibition (a former orphanage for girls), guided by Dirk Kint. In this form, the scholarships fit the criteria of a Renaissance peregrinatio academica – a journey abroad which shapes personality and opens students up to the multicultural character of the Old Continent.
Together with Professor Guido Marnef, we would like to continue this cooperation and organise two seminar meetings per year – one in Belgium and one in Poland.
Scholarship objectives:
– to increase student mobility;
– to challenge stereotypical perceptions of Old and New European countries;
– to take theoretical knowledge gained in university lecture halls into urban space;
– to improve the skill of conducting a reasoned discussion;
– to improve individual interpersonal skills;
– to gain self-confidence;
– to use English in a discussion pertaining to history.
Scholarships in numbers:
number of participants: 10–15 students of historical anthropology;
number of workshop participants: 25–30;
number of days: 5–7.