Center for North American StudiesCNAS

UNIVERSITY OF ECONOMICS IN BRATISLAVA

University of Economics in Bratislava

International Programmes Institute

The Center for North American Studies (CNAS) at the University of Economics in Bratislava is currently the only study program of its kind in Slovakia. At the Center, candidates can get a more comprehensive understanding of the political,

economic and cultural aspects of life in the United States and Canada.

Accredited courses offer an interdisciplinary approach to the North American region and help students think critically about the role of the U.S. and Canada in the world, as well as about the successes and problems of American and Canadian society and economy. The United States and Canada play an important role on the global stage. They are allies of Slovakia and our partners in the Euro-Atlantic project of democracy, security and common shared values. The academic offering allows students to discover what U.S. and Canadian experiences might be relevant for us, to see what we have in common and where we are different.

Courses are taught in English. Instructors are domestic and foreign experts and academicians. The program connects top managers and businessmen with analysts from the academic environment. The Center applies non-hierarchical, dialogue-based teaching methods that encourage students to think and communicate independently.

Center for North American Studies:

Innovative Education

Area Studies

Case Studies

Academic-Business Cooperation

International Teaching Staff

Applicable Knowledge and Skills

Videoconferences in Education

Amb. Martin Bútora, Academic Guarantor of the Center for North American Studies

MINISTERSTVO ŠKOLSTVA,VEDY, VÝSKUMU A ŠPORTU SLOVENSKEJ REPUBLIKY

Institutional Partners:

Main Partners:

Partners: Media Partners:

Michal Kovács, Executive Director

Center for North American Studieswww.euba.sk/cnas

Lukáš Chocholáček, President of the Euro-Atlantic Center“The Center for North American Studies is a concrete example that effective cooperation between the public sector and the

third sector is possible and we are proud to be a part of this project.”

Natália Pindrochová, Student of the University of Economics in Bratislava“The Center for North American Studies offers an outstanding alternative to the standard educational process at the UoE in Bratislava. I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality, friendly approach to students and system of learning. I think that innovative trends in education contribute to a student’s motivation and awake his or her interest in the course content even after finishing the study.”

Rudolf Sivák, Rector of the University of Economics in Bratislava “The investment in the students is an investment in the future of the country. The University is here to train outstanding

economists and the Center for North American Studies contributes significantly to our mission.”

H.E. Theodore Sedgwick, Ambassador of the USA to the SR“There could be no more important program than the Center for North American Studies in promoting a greater understanding of the United States. I have thoroughly enjoyed my numerous conversations with CNAS students and look forward to many more.”

Georges Lemieux, Chargé d’Affaires a. i. of Canada to the SR“In a global, interconnected world, all aspects of social life, including education, are linked. The innovative organisations, like CNAS, have seen and understood the trend. By its activities, CNAS invites students to develop a better understanding

of one key region in this equation: North America.”

Eugen Jurzyca, Minister of Education, Science, Research and Sport of the SR“I believe we will advance the Slovak educational system so as to help our students become citizens who like their country, who are able to pursue their interests and who think critically and in context.”

Jake Slegers, Executive Director of the American Chamber of Commerce in the SRThe American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia (AmCham) greatly appreciates CNAS’s innovative approach, which directly reflects AmCham’s efforts to positively contribute to developing the Slovak educational system. We truly believe in the importance of fostering intense cooperation between business and academia, and therefore enhancing the competitiveness of Slovakia.

What we doNorth American StudiesThrough the wide range of accredited courses, workshops and other educational and cultural activities, we offer an interdisciplinary approach to the study of the region. By internalizing teaching staff; focusing on interactive learning, applicable knowledge and case studies; using videoconference technology, as well as engaging students in study preparation and evaluation, the Center strives to offer an innovative educational model, which is not common in Slovak higher education.

Extracurricular ActivitiesBesides the foreign guest lecturers program for high schools and the accredited university courses offered for the Bachelor and Masters levels, the Centre offers programs also for PhD. students. In addition, the Center is actively involved in cultivating and fostering a productive dialogue between partners from the academic, business and public sectors. It seeks to promote the educational process by hosting not only expert dialogues, workshops, lectures, but also with cultural activities enriching the academic life.

Institutional PartnershipsAt the institutional level, the Center’s priority is the development of cooperation with other universities and with the corporate sector in the U.S. and Canada. The aim is to enhance the possibilities for academic and student mobility and to promote joint research. At home, the Center enjoys the cooperation and support of the Embassies of the United States of America and of Canada, the Fulbright Commission and the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia, as well as of the Euro-Atlantic Center (NGO).

University of Economics in Bratislava

International Programmes Institute

Cooperation between Academia and BusinessThe Center again constitutes an example of an innovative approach to education by the implementation of an effective and mutually beneficial academic-business cooperation. The program is designed to allow students to extend not only their theoretical knowledge, but also their practical skills. By cooperation with people from business, the students receive information about the practical functioning of the business environment and get to personally know representatives of the selected companies. Corporate partners gain access to talented students and are encouraged to take an active part in the improvement of the educational system within the context of knowledge-based economy development.

Current Offer – Selection of Courses:Interdisciplinary Introduction to North American StudiesThe course aims to stimulate interest in North America through lectures devoted to various political, economic, security, cultural, legal, geographical and sociological attributes of the region. The course is run through personal participation and video conferencing with lecturing academics and experts from the USA, Canada and Slovakia. It is organized in cooperation with the U.S. State Department connecting the speakers through videoconferences with students in several towns in Slovakia and abroad.

American Business Culture and EthicsThe course presents the details of American business culture and the impact of ethics on economic relations. It discusses the basic characteristics of the U.S. economic system and focuses on the dimensions of business values and on the social and environmental aspects of trade. Instructors are mainly business executives associated with the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovakia. The study of the North American economic and business environment is combined with case studies presented by business optics.

Managing Multiculturalism in Practice: Canadian ModelThe course examines the Canadian model of multiculturalism, its history and prospects, offering detailed analysis of its various aspects by using case studies. It discusses the advantages, the disputes and the possible applications of the Canadian approach to multiculturalism. The course encourages critical thinking and cultivates students’ ability to assess various public policies based on the application of the model in practice.

Campaigning and Communication with Public in US ContextThe course introduces students to the management of campaigns and public communication within the American context. It helps them understand the relations between politics, media and the corporate sector, while providing them with practical experiences from political marketing, media and election campaigns, and online marketing.

Center for North American Studieswww.euba.sk/cnas

University of Economics in Bratislava

International Programmes Institute

North American MediaThe semester-long course provides the introduction to mass media in Canada and in the United States while focusing on the historical background and the main trends of the media market in North America. The course also includes several case-study exercises and encourages the pursuit of alternative roles and activities for the region’s media in the future.

Foreign Policy Dilemmas of US presidentsThe course examines foreign policy challenges faced by the most relevant American presidents since the formation of the United States up to the present. When examining examples of the conflicts and dilemmas these presidents have faced, the course explains the traditions, the principles and the contradictory tendencies within U.S. foreign policy. The course follows the rise of the U.S. to the position of a global power, as well as related dilemmas between U.S. national interests and moral principles.

E-Society: Microsoft Case Studies of Introducing IT technologies in Life and BusinessThe course aims to acquaint students with the experiences and the specifics of introducing IT technologies into the everyday life of business and society. It offers a unique opportunity to study the subject based on a combination of practically-designed case studies and of a scientific study of U.S. company Microsoft’s impact on the Slovak economy.

100 Years of the US Economy Through the Eyes of IBMThe course provides a synopsis of the history, current status and future prospects of the U.S. economy through the eyes of one of the largest corporations in modern U.S. history: IBM. By analysis of the economic system, students learn to decipher the basic indicators of development allowing them to anticipate future trends. With access to IBM corporate archives, students explore the reasons for the successes and failures of corporations on a case-by-case basis and thus learn to formulate retrospectively policy recommendations useful in analogous cases.

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution in the US ContextThe course enables students to get familiar with the particulars of negotiation within the North American context, particularities in the area of trade and international relations. It focuses on the essential features of bilateral and multilateral negotiations and on the settlement of conflicts. It also explains the principles and recommended actions in a long negotiation process. Using case studies and practical exercises, the course leads students to acquire negotiating procedures and practical skills.

Summer School in BerkeleyThe Center for North American Studies as a specialized department of the University of Economics in Bratislava administer an institutional partnership with the University of California Berkeley (UCB) as a UCB Summer Sessions registration center. During the summer months, it offers students and graduates in the V4 region the opportunity to study more than 500 courses in 70 disciplines at one of the most prestigious universitiesin the world. The selection of offered courses include for example foreign languages, humanities, social sciences, architecture, trade, business, economics, education, engineering, public health, modern art and many more.

AmeriCan Letters Magazine and PortalThe magazine and online portal, which will become available in Autumn 2011, will consist of a combination of information services for young people on careers as well as study and scholarship opportunities in North America with feeds on news, columns and interviews focused on American culture, business, politics, economics, literature and lifestyle. It will allow the readers to contribute with their own views, experiences and observations from the U.S. and Canada as well as with their blogs on topics dedicated to higher education. Part of the portal will become an online platform for an ongoing evaluation of the Center’s courses and for the active participation of students in the preparation of the educational program. (Starting Autumn 2011, find out more at: www.euba.sk/americanletters)

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Center for North American Studieswww.euba.sk/cnas

University of Economics in Bratislava International Programmes Institute

ContactCenter for North American Studies

International Programmes InstituteCampus of the University of Economics in Bratislava

Dolnozemská cesta 1852 35 BratislavaSlovak Republic

tel: +421 2 6729 5164fax: +421 2 5441 8134

www.euba.sk/cnascnas@euba.sk

Designed by Tomáš Gajdoš and Ľubomír Billý