Summer School Program / Solidarity Summer School

Summer School program

The following classes will be offered as part of the Summer School:
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The History of the Idea and Practice of Solidarity against the Backdrop of Economic and Political Changes (19th and 20th centuries)

The planned lectures will present the impact of the idea and practice of solidarity on the evolution of Western European capitalism and Eastern European communism. The first two lectures will present the social effects of the industrial revolution in England and its impact on European societies.

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In this context, strategies for defending workers' interests will be presented: from revolutionary (the Communist Manifesto) to reformist (the encyclical Rerum Novarum). The circumstances of the emergence and conditions of the operation of trade unions in continental Europe, the reform of the socio-economic system (insurance, pensions), and the extension of civil rights (such as the abolition of property qualifications, the granting of voting rights to women, etc.) will be analyzed.

The last two lectures will present the Polish experience of solidarity and its impact on the fall of communism. Solidarity was the largest mass, peaceful movement of opposition to totalitarian communism, demanding respect for workers' rights, regaining civic subjectivity and national sovereignty, and denying culture. Its existence undermined the Yalta division of Europe, and the widespread sympathy it aroused in Western societies prompted the governments of the Euro-Atlantic countries to revise their foreign policy towards Moscow. For Eastern European societies, Solidarity was an example of an effective fight against a totalitarian system. As a result, Solidarity became the most important initiating link in the whole chain of factors that led to the peaceful collapse of real socialism in the 1989–1991 period.

Solidarity in the Global Economy

In the national economies of Europe, market economies exist only within the framework of a strong welfare state, above all, in the Lutheran-Protestant tradition of Scandinavia. Therefore, the normative challenge arises to address the relationship between global markets and solidarity, as well as the limits of international solidarity.

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Multinational companies play a central role in global markets, which means that questions must be asked about corporate social responsibility. Beyond companies, there are diverse actors practicing and organizing transnational solidarity, such as families (e.g. through remittances by migrants), local North-South-Partnerships, civil society organisations, bilateral state development assistance, and global organisations. At present, many emerging and developing countries are heavily indebted abroad, which raises the question of whether the principle of solidarity does not require debt relief. Solidarity not only affects the present, but also the relationship with succeeding generations in the context of climate change and environmental protection.

Solidarity as a Response to the Problems Resulting from the Globalization of the Economy and Socio-cultural Life

The class's discussion will center around the meaning and role of Christianity in shaping the Polish experience of solidarity. Students will be asked to think about the Polish experience of Solidarity and the concept of "human ecology". For working people, the Eucharist was a source of Christian life and a deepening of the experience of interpersonal communion. The idea of solidarity, which forty years ago became concrete in the testimony of Polish workers and the Solidarity Trade Union, has not lost its relevance. It requires deepening and creative development due to the political and economic changes of the contemporary world.

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A developed and modernized understanding of the idea of solidarity, expressed in the light of Catholic social doctrine, has the potential to solve the crises faced by people working all over the world. This is reflected in Pope Francis's new encyclical, "Fratelli Tutti". In modern times, Pope Francis is the main advocate of the poor, marginalized, and excluded. In light of this, the class will also look at "The Economics of Francis". Together with the teacher, the students will discuss the potential of globalization of the Polish experience of Solidarity.

Solidarity in Europe

During the classes, participants will have the opportunity to explore various sources of European culture and their influence on the development of the idea of solidarity in the modern world. They will also explore the idea of solidarity in cultural, religious, and social contexts. Participants will engage in debates on the extent to which Christianity and theology have had a real impact on the emergence and development of the idea of solidarity in socio-economic life.

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They will also discuss the presence of the idea of solidarity in various sectors of public life. This will push the group to consider to what degree the principle of solidarity is sufficient in conducting a dialogue between states on the presence of immigrants in Europe. They will ask whether, and to what extent, solidarity is at the heart of the EU.

The Ethics of Solidarity in Poland: the Role of John Paul II and Józef Tischner

This class discusses the Christian picture of the world and its fall during the Enlightenment, as well as the modern world view: - which features individualism, liberalism, and capitalism. The lectures will cover the main themes of personalism in terms of Karol Wojtyła, in particular: "the concept of the common good", "the meaning of participation in a community", "freedom", "the dignity of people". The students will work to extract the essential elements of Józef Tischner's Ethics of Solidarity (which includes concepts such as: "solidarity means a bond", brotherhood, and "bear one another's burdens").

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With the professor, they will analyze human work as a form of dialogue (looking at the problem of alienation, subjectivity of the employee and the employer, and production of the common good). The class will finish by examining the new culture of work that manifested itself in the Polish experience of Solidarity and understand how it had an impact on neighbouring nations (inspired by the Polish narrative of solidarity abroad).

Workshops in small groups

Workshops in rotating groups, held for two hours each day of the Summer School. The workshops will focus on topics discussed during the lectures. They will serve as a forum for open dialogue: participants will confront their reflections with people from different countries and cultures, and will have the opportunity to engage with issues that interest them personally. Additionally, the workshops will include elements of Polish culture and history.

Poland - a country of Opportunities for Life, Work and Studies

It presents the most important information about Poland, as well as selected key facts related to living, studying, and working in the country.