By: Georges Labrèche    May 21, 2015

Summer is fast approaching and with it we prepare to greet the Diaspora in their annual homecoming. For the Kosovans who live and work abroad, it is a moment many cherish as an opportunity to reconnect with their hometowns and families.

The Diaspora who come to spend the summer in Kosovo also bring their families. Among them are youths attending universities abroad who hardly, if ever, grew up in Kosovo. Consequently, they may be less enthused with the idea of spending their summer in their parents’ homeland.

It is often expected for these youths to seamlessly integrate in Kosovo despite actually being brought up abroad in countries such as Germany and Switzerland. This can be quite a challenge in terms of having them develop a strong sense of Kosovan identity and getting them to engage with the local culture.

The American University in Kosovo has recognized these challenges and responded by offering the young Diaspora an opportunity to sign up for summer courses that will put them in touch with local peers in Kosovo’s academic scene. The courses are offered during the summer period  from June 1 to July 31, 2015 and are aimed at university level students.

Degree credits are awarded by Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, USA. Signing up for one or several of these courses will certainly keep students busy and engaged during their summer in Kosovo.

The regular summer offerings are:

• BUSI 205 Managing the Workforce
• BUSI 221 New Venture Development
• BUSI 324 Introduction to Logistics and Transportation
• BUSI 510 Project Management
• COMM 201 Public Speaking
• MTSC 111 Interdisciplinary Mathematics I
• MTSC 211 Introduction to Statistics I
• POLS 220 Global Political Economy
• POLS 335 Politics in Developing Countries
• POLS 345 Politics and Public Policy
• TCOM 365 Video Production

There is also a Summer Program in Peacebuilding courses:

• POLS 205: Ethics and International Politics – the course covers topics related to institution-building, journalism and human rights in conflict situations
• POLS 525: Special Topics in Political Science – the course covers topics related to war, diplomacy and peace in Yugoslavia during the 1990s
• ECON 448: Development Economics – the course deals with economics and social development in post-conflict societies
• POLS 525: Special Topics in Political Science – the course covers peacekeeping and conflict transformation in international conflict situations

Furthermore, regional trips are offer which are sure to provide a greater sense of The Balkans:

• Trip 1: Montenegro, Bosnia, Serbia (June 28 – July 4, 2015)
• Trip 2: Albania, Greece, Macedonia (June 28 – July 4, 2015)

There are also day trips withing Kosovo; to Prekaz, Prizren, Sharri Mountains, Peja, Decan, Gjakova and more.

For more information on the summer programs offered at AUK and how to register, check out their Summer Program 2015 page.

Georges Labrèche

CEO and Founder of Assemblio LLC; a Prishtina-based ICT company with a team of software engineers dedicated to social good and open data for good governance, transparency, and accountability. Founders of Open Data Kosovo.

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