Central Asia (CA) incl. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, lies in the heart of the Eurasian continent and connects Europe, Russia, China, South Asia and the Middle East. Central Asian Studies (CAS) are key study field to understand the geopolitical, economic, security, energy, trade and social dynamics of all these regions CA is of strategic importance for EU eastern foreign policy since 2007 (adoption of “The EU and CA – Strategy for a New Partnership”). According to a recent EU Council’s conclusion on 10 years of implementation of this strategy (June 2017): the EU needs a large big pool of highly-skilled professionals, with broad knowledge and understanding of the political, legal, economic, cultural and social issues of the region. Especially with the prospects of „New Silk Road of 21st century” high-flying careers are waiting for alumni in many sectors connected with CA: trade, energy, infrastructure & transport, sustainable management of natural resources, security & stability services, governance, programs implementing: the rule of law & human rights, reforms in democracy, education and health, etc. But EU higher education is not ready for these challenges according to our in-depth need analysis: Today CAS education at EU universities is fragmented and lacks didactic materials (mainly a comprehensive and modern handbook) to teach CAS in a wide-ranging perspective and cover an insufficient number of learners, with alumni’s skillset and knowledge too narrow for job market needs EISCAS’s main objective is to enhance quality, comprehensiveness, innovativeness and match to market needs CAS education at EU HEIs at MA & PhD level by reaching the following specific goals: 1. Developing innovative educational tools (intellectual outputs): a) state-of-the-art handbook and digital teaching materials (incl. video lectures given by the world-class researchers), transferring the latest research into education b) innovative teaching techniques toolkit c) guidelines for CAS curriculum design 2. Testing, reviewing, evaluating and improving these tools before introducing them to pedagogical practice in and outside partnership 3. Increasing teachers’ skills in using innovative didactic techniques and students’ substantive and generic skills demanded by employers today, via 2 ISPs for students and short-term teacher training 4. Disseminating intellectual outputs intensively via four international multiplier events and a multifunctional digital project platform, facilitating their exploitation by other European HEIs, scholars, students & professionals 5. Stimulating networking, exchange of expertise in CAS and sustainability of the project by establishment of Central Asian Studies European Network (CASEN) 6. Thorough management, monitoring and evaluation of all project activities and results 9 EU, 1 US and 1 partner located in CA, constituting together the most representative and comprehensive European expertise in the field, undertook these above ambitious and pioneering endeavors and aim to expand European participation in global CAS teaching, dominated so far by US scholars. 11 partner universities will strengthen and modernize their CAS programs, their 18 academic staff will be trained in innovative teaching techniques and equipped with up-to-date teaching materials & tools for CAS curricula design, their 54 CAS students will receive intensive substantive training in this field by world-class researchers and expert practitioners, generic skills training and career advice during ISPs in Poznan. The project has the following objectives: • Ca. 80 other EU HEIs in need of development of CAS programs will get Open Access to project’s intellectual outputs • Ca. 1200 students who study CAS and related fields at non-partner universities will use the project’s comprehensive teaching materials: handbook and recorded lectures • Ca. 800 CAS educators/researchers & curriculum designers and other stakeholders specializing in CA issues will get the benefits of the project’s digital platform and 400 will join the “Central Asian Studies European Network (CASEN)” to exchange information, knownledge and increase their networks. (5000 hits expected at the platform.) • Ca. 150 professionals wanting to increase their careers in jobs related to cooperation with CA countries will get Open Access to the project materials. • Ca. 80 stakeholders: policy-makers, research institutions, IOs, NGOs, business centers, newsrooms, media, etc. employing experts, professionals and practitioners in the fields connected with CA-EU cooperation, will benefit from direct dissemination activities. • Dissemination and exploitation in the project is designed to achieve: - A strong impact for HEIs, teachers and students inside and outside the consortium as well as beyond academia - firm sustainability of results (e.g. high quality, uniqueness and universality of the main intellectual output - the multidisciplinary handbook - will ensure its wide and long-term use and international academic recognition)
Between September 2018 and December 2021 the EISCAS project, encompassing 10 partners organizations, created a set of educational tools to improve the study and quality of education on Central Asian Studies (CAS) for European and other Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), answering to the EU priority of “Open education and innovative practices in a digital era” for this field. OUTPUTS - After our educational experts set up a precise didactic vision and work methodology with editors, project authors were trained to prepare handbook chapters based on intended learning outcomes (LOs). Already at proposal stage, we carried out a need-analysis to define the scope and target audience of this book. Surveys and interviews made it possible to assess which academic approaches dominate the multi-disciplinary Area Study of CAS and to analogically identify several fields that – by grace of the sheer size of their target reader groups – were expected to benefit most from EU-funding. History, Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science (including International Relations) turned out to be currently the most prominent disciplinary lenses to study Central Asia, and hence became our main focus for designing chapter the LOs. Publishing the ‘European Handbook of Central Asian Studies: History, Politics, and Societies,’ was the most ambitious task of the project. It is currently the only up-to-date educational tool of such size and scope, and it is going to be instrumental to improve the quality and prospects of teaching of CAS in the EU as well to transfer the latest research findings into education and help teachers prepare these materials for classroom settings. Additionally, the book places European research traditions, European perspectives and insights at the center of the research field by becoming a reference work for CAS all over the world. The final handbook contains 1065 pages, with 22 chapters (2 introductions, 1 didactic user-guide, and 19 topical chapters) and 6 additional case studies, written by more than 22 authors. Each topical chapter contains a didactic dimension (learning outcomes, pre-reading, main-, follow up questions, class exercises, assignments, teaching instructions). The book features links to 17 online lectures (YouTube) and 6 case studies connecting chapter insights. A special chapter is devoted to guide educators and other readers how to apply the handbook for teaching or self-study. Other features are: guidelines on transliteration, a full glossary (over 130 entries), a list of abbreviations, 34 maps (of which 27 original maps especially created by editors and authors), 51 info boxes, 36 tables & figures, an overview of learning outcomes and a smart index (names, concepts, places, events). For aesthetics and user-friendliness we used explanatory footnotes and placed scholarly references in the margins. Historical postcards from Tashkent are used as decorative elements. Each chapter has a ‘how to cite’ and recommended literature list. The online publication is freely available through Open Access on the EISCAS (www.eiscas.eu) and publisher’s website (ibidem Verlag). There the paperback version can also be purchased for €99.90. In line with the EU priority to develop curricula relevant to the labor market and societal needs the EISCAS project created a report with course creation guidelines for CAS educators and institutions titled: “How to Improve Central Asian Studies? Recommendations for Institutions and Students.” Since CAS at EU HEIs are taught within various disciplines and in different forms (a set of elective courses, a specialization module, a full study, etc.), it was impossible to develop a one-size-fits-all course curriculum. Therefore our recommendations focus on student needs, career advice, common pitfalls, key elements of CAS courses for various formats, and shared insights from other educators. EVENTS - To promote these outputs and strengthen the capacity of our own consortium the EISCAS project organized the following events: - A Staff Training in Prague for its authors, organized by Charles University - November 2018. - A Master Class for deserving students in Poznan, Poland, organized by Adam Mickiewicz University - May 2019. - An International Conference in Ghent, Belgium, titled: “Past, current and upcoming dynamics in the Central Asian region, and their (possible) impacts for Europe” - organized by UGent - September 2021. - A Book Launch with lectures in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, organized by IFEAC and the OSCE Academy - November 2021. - A Webinar: “Editors on Central Asia: New Handbooks for a Maturing Field,” organized by George Washington University - December 2021. ACHIEVEMENTS - By the end of the project we were able offer our handbook to over 10.000 scholars and students, provide classes and online lectures to over 3000 students, and share our curriculum design recommendations with over 150 educators located all over the world.