CIVICA ESR
COURSE CATALOGUE

Seminar offered by Dondena Research Center (Spring 2026 seminar series) ----- March 16th 2026 12:45-2:00pm (UTC+1) ------ CIVICA ESR can attend ONLINE only. Zoom meetings link will be available upon registration. ------ SEMINAR DESCRIPTION: The public’s consistent preference for high-skilled over low-skilled immigrants has led scholars to suggest that immigration may be more politically sustainable in selective admissions systems. We evaluate this implication via an analysis of the Canadian immigration system, which uses points-based admissions for economic migrants. ----- BIO: Jeremy Ferwerda is an Associate Professor of Government at Dartmouth College. His research examines immigration, social policy, and populism within developed democracies. He is an affiliate of the Immigration Policy Lab, where he has worked with a variety of governments to improve economic and humanitarian migration policies.
Teachers:

• Jeremy Ferwerda ()

Sensitive interviews include interviews about emotionally difficult topics or deeply personal issues, interviews with vulnerable populations or research that could have negative consequences for participants. The ethical considerations when conducting such interviews are complex. The session will address a range of questions and is designed to equip researchers conducting sensitive research with the understanding, tools and strategies they will need in the field. Specifically, the session will consider what are the risks for respondents and how should these be these managed? What will researchers need to consider in order to gain ethical approval for sensitive research? What are the researcher’s responsibilities? What skills and competencies are required in the conduct of sensitive interviews? What issues might arise in practice and what strategies can researchers use to manage these? What are the possible impacts for researchers and how can these be addressed? Participants are invited to bring their own research projects and examples, experiences, questions and concerns to the session.
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Has the plan for your PhD been thrown off by events beyond your control? Are you unsure about how to proceed or what your next steps should be? This online workshop will offer a safe space for students to reflect on how their PhD plans have changed. We will discuss how to re-evaluate PhD plans and let go of aspects of the original plan which may no longer fit. After exploring the many different paths towards pursuing a PhD, we will discuss how to construct – and ultimately embrace – a PhD Plan B.
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In this workshop, we look at how to approach academic writing "as a conversation." We explore the broad principles underlying academic writing – what makes academic writing distinctive, how to situate your argument within a broader literature, and how to structure a coherent argument.
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NOTE: Participants must previously take Foundations or contact elkanacenter@ceu.edu for exemption! In spring term: Mondays and Thursdays 10.50-12.30 CET. Second in a two-part sequence providing a systematic approach to teaching fundamentals, focusing on course design and assessments. Participants must previously take Foundations or contact elkanacenter@ceu.edu for exemption. “Learning by Design” is a semester-long, intermediate-level course focused on how students learn and how instructors can facilitate student learning. Building on Foundations of Teaching in Higher Education (which is a prerequisite), it shifts the focus even more firmly from the teacher to the student. In their roles as designer, facilitator (and assessor) of learning, course participants explore how they can guide students in their learning and how to make that learning longer lasting and more significant. During our sessions we will unpack assumptions that surround student learning, delve into theories of how students learn, and explore corresponding principles and approaches to teaching that seek to align learning, teaching, and asessment. We will discuss how to better understand your students, recognize several implications of student diversity for student learning, and explore how to support different types of learners and different types of learning. We will explore, at some length, how to assess student learning, including assessment design, grading, and feedback. Throughout all of this, we will constantly reflect on our own growth as scholars in the process of becoming facilitators of learning.
Teachers:

• Tamara Kamatovic (Central European University)

Entry requirements: Participants must previously take Foundations or contact elkanacenter@ceu.edu for exemption!

The course is a semester-long, foundational course for doctoral students preparing for their role as teaching assistants and future scholar-teachers (in Spring term on Tuesdays between 13.30-15.10 CET). This course also forms the basis of the comprehensive certificate program for teaching in higher education offered by the Yehuda Elkana Center for Teaching, Learning, and Higher Education Research (The Elkana Center). The course fosters an understanding of the university teacher as a professional scholar ready to engage in teaching informed by research, models of good practice, a spirit of inquiry, and critical intellectual engagement. Our approach to teaching in higher education combines knowledge of theoretical foundations, a strong practice orientation, and an appreciation for collaborative, inquiry-driven, and technology-enhanced learning environments. This course will allow for the development of your own teaching approaches and values through a combination of reading, reflective writing, and practical tasks. You will gain a research-driven foundation for your work as twenty-first century scholar-teachers through the study of key issues and experimentation in a variety of approaches. First in a two-part sequence providing a systematic approach to teaching fundamentals, focusing on the design and delivery of lessons/sessions.
Teachers:

• Mátyás Szabó (Central European University)

Note: Only applications submitted through our official registration form will be considered for this course. Link for the registration form: https://forms.office.com/e/txh2H45pc5 . This workshop introduces participants to the principles and practices of conducting mixed methods research, which involves the integration of quantitative and qualitative research methods in a complementary manner in order to better or more comprehensively answer research questions. Directed at early-career researchers, it will cover the rationale behind using mixed methods, how to design and implement studies that integrate both data types, and types of mixed methods approaches. Participants will then apply their knowledge to further develop a project of their own choosing, gather feedback, and create an implementation plan.
Entry requirements: All-year PhD researchers

In Spring term on Wednesdays between 10:50-12:30, 1 US credit (2 ECTS). Guided creation of a teaching portfolio, primarily using materials from previous CEU teaching courses. (only for students who have completed all YELC credits, including 2 credits of electives: Democratic teaching and learning, Foundations and Learning by Design are generally prerequisites).
Teachers:

• Tamara Kamatovic (Central European University)

Entry requirements: only for students who have completed all YELC credits, including 2 credits of electives: Democratic teaching and learning, Foundations and Learning by Design are generally prerequisites).

We all know that we learn in different ways. But what are the consequences of this for our teaching? Do we really take this into consideration when planning our courses? Maybe we plan our courses according to our own preferences for learning? During this session, we will first look at different preferences for learning, including your own preferences. We will then apply this on your teaching, and you will have the opportunity to review this, and see how you perhaps could change it? Finally, you will learn about ideas that other participants have about how they could change their teaching. After this session you are expected to be able to: - Recognize the diversity of ways of learning. - Analyze your own teaching in relation to different
Teachers:

• Pär Mårtensson (Stockholm School of Economics)

We will explore some of the benefits of bringing coaching approaches to your work with students, including in assisting them in setting goals, increasing their sense of ownership and providing them with a safe and constructive space in which to develop, and practice the approaches with peers.