About “West University of Timisoara (late) Summer School” - 2nd Edition

Update 1: In the current situation regarding the prevention measures against COVID- 19 (coronavirus) and the prolongation of the state of alert in Romania, the West University of Timisoara (Late) Summer School will be held online.  
Update 2: The deadline for registration has been prolonged to 31 st of July.

     In the summer of 2019, we welcomed students of different nationalities, from 12 universities around the world to take part at the “West University of Timisoara (late) Summer School”. The diversity of nationalities, cultures and languages made the event a great international experience and the dynamic city of Timisoara only strengthened the relationships between students, teachers and staff.

     This year, the “West University of Timisoara (late) Summer School” will be taking place, as the name suggests, at West University of Timisoara, which is located in the city of Timisoara, 2021 European Cultural Capital. The period in which our event will be taking place is beginning with the 31 st of August, up until the 13 th of September. Our Summer School seeks to be an inter and multi-disciplinary one. On top of everything, all students are welcome – national or international, Bachelor or Master level, for the 70 places available.
If you’re looking for the best way to spend your last days of summer and you still don’t believe that not all classes have four walls, you’ve come to the right place!

→ Registration kit and course materials
→ Two weeks of unique, interesting courses in various subject areas
→ Workshops on a variety of topics, perfect for improving personal skills, such as: Public Speaking, Introduction to Romanian Language, or Intercultural Skills
→ Free accommodation in the University’s campus for the whole period of time
→ One free access pass for a touristic objective of the 2021 European Capital of Culture, Timișoara
→ A “Welcome to West University of Timișoara (Late) Summer School” Lunch, to meet and greet your future colleagues, as well as all the lunches during all “school days” (Monday to Friday)
→ A Farewell Dinner, to have a chance to bid your new friends farewell
→ A plethora of fun extracurricular activities to get to know the city and its surroundings better

The courses we are offering this year are the following:

By Seiman Corina

Medical biochemistry combines paraclinical aspects with notions of semiology, means of clinical investigation and imaging for various pathologies. In the course I propose to bring into plan the possibilities of investigation, diagnostic methods, in medical pathologies such as dermatology, ENT, gastroenterology, neurology, physiokinetotherapy, cardiology, internal medicine, diabetes, ophthalmology, urology. Explanation of mechanisms of action of drugs in different diseases, classification of the main conditions framed in these pathologies, and the correlation of biochemical parameters with clinical signs is not only effective but also spectacular as a concept transdisciplinary approach to biochemistry in relation to other sciences, chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, pharmacy, toxicology. I structured the course with the treatment of pathologies, within each classification of the main diseases, mechanisms of action, methods of diagnistic, harvested biochemical parameters, clinical signs and symptoms, treatment symptoms, therapeutic protocols and procedures. Because learning is fascinating by playing, each notion will be determined practically by the students, who will work in teams, they will clear the crossword puzzle, they will stick puzzle pieces to build the clinical picture for each pathology themselves.

In the end, it will end with a course on perfumes, perfume synthesis, personalization of a fragrance according to a palette of individual characteristics, aspects of toxicology and physiopathy, in relation to the skin and emotional reactions of man.

By Sorina Voiculescu

Course description: The course explores cultures and its geographies across the globe in a wider picture that draws from the mutual relationships between people, places, identities and landscapes. Cultural tourism offers the opportunity of the students to draw from the deeper territorial understandings of an important region of Romania and promises a special in-situ outdoor experience.

Objectives: Two majour aspects will be considered: the geographical dimension of culture and the role culture - as a way of life- has on cultural tourism with a close look at the cultural construction of the seeds of the Romanian revolution in 1989. Course related activities: The course will consist of lectures, and field work.

Lectures will bring in-depth approaches on cultural geography and cultural tourism Field work will explore the local way of life with specific focus on history, ethnicity, Roma population.

By Darius-Borovic

This course will focus on the necessary skills and knowledge to develop in a participative manner advocacy and social action projects. These projects are meant to contribute to the development of the communities of the participants. The course provides transdisciplinary student-centered teaching and learning and active participation. The project based learning activities are constantly related to the concrete action on a social level in accordance with the purpose proposed by the students. The advocacy projects will start with the observation of the physical and social environment, the identification of community problems/needs. Trough interaction with main community actors, gathering of information students will identify a solution to the prior identified problem and will develop an advocacy plan that reaches out to community and can be used in an advocacy campaign. The social action projects start similar by identifying problems of the local community, or the school environment.

Contrary to the advocacy projects where students try to influence authorities to make a change, in social action projects students will develop projects meant to solve problems by their own powers and through direct involvement. Solving problems with their own power gives students the confidence of their strength as a group and leads to social inclusion.

During this process differences between students will lead to different roles in the project which should make them be viewed as individual strengths. Very important for the methodology is the Blended Learning approach which combines face to face learning with online activities and the use of non-traditional resources and means for learning (phones, tablets, laptops, social media).

By Blidisel Rodica

The course addresses the changes in taxation and accounting focusing on international challenges, in particular, taking into account digitalization of economies.

The implementation of new regulations and harmonization of taxation and accounting in EU countries influence investment and decision-making of companies and limits establishment of tax-efficient capital structures (mixtures of debt and equity) by companies, increase effective tax burden and boost tax compliance costs.

Digitalisation of the economy, driven by development of FinTech companies, has brought the international corporate tax debate to a critical point. Therefore, during the last period OECD developed Framework on domestic tax Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and Action Plans aiming to tackle tax avoidance through multinational enterprises exploiting gaps and mismatches between different countries' tax systems, improve the coherence of international tax rules and to ensure a more transparent tax environment. The course will contribute to the development of accounting and tax management skills and competencies to the potential employees of internationally operating businesses.

The students will apply multidisciplinary approach to analyze the aims, practices and consequences of taxes which affect the business process. The attendance of the course will facilitate participants’ development / enhancement of technical knowledge and analytical skills on:

1. Current attempts at Tax Harmonization within the European Union including:
- EU Anti-tax Avoidance Directive (2016),
- OECD Framework on domestic tax Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and Action Plans,
- Proposed Financial Transaction Tax (FTT),
2. Regulations of taxation of digital businesses and their implications on businesses,
3. Accounting practices in the Digital Era at national, European and international level,
4. Effects of business taxation and accounting on firm-level decisions (including tax-efficient capital structures (mixtures of debt and equity)). The course will contain real world case studies related to taxation and accounting in international digital context and will use digital tools and innovative practices according to collaborative teaching and learning methods (problem base learning).
The learning process will be based on the use of open educational resources and free open source educational software, aiming to develop according to DigComp 2.0 European frameworks digital competences as information and data literacy, communication and collaboration, digital content creation, safety and problem solving.
The course will provide Pilot Case studies aiming to explore the effects of accounting and business taxation on firm-level decisions, arising from corporate tax harmonization and taxing digital businesses.

By Ioan Roxana

Currently, the enormous stock market capitalization and the ongoing contagion of economic crises lead to a major exposure of stock market investments. For instance, in 2018 the stock market capitalization of New York Stock Exchange was around US$ 23 trillion, while the USA GDP in the same year was around US$ 20.5 trillion. Under these circumstances, it becomes obvious that a proper risk assessment and management are the key features that any investor should consider, in order to protect his investments.

The lecture aims to address multiple issues related to the concept of risk, starting from technical issues concerning the price formation, and ending with concepts related to risk hedging. In this respect, the main themes that we will try to approach (time permitting), during this class, will concern the following problems:

• Financial Assets – main characteristics;
• Stock Market Price formation – several technical aspects;
• Investors’ Attitude Towards Risk – risk profiles;
• Computation of Return and Risk of traded Financial Assets – a short guide;
• Behaviour of Investors during Stock Market Crashes – a connection between psychology, finance and econometrics;
• Technical Analysis – using Stock Market Technical Indicators;
• Hedging of Capital Market Risk.
Also, an extensive applicative part will be conducted in order to illustrate the approached themes, meant to provide the participants with certain skills regarding risk calculation and hedging.

By Mihai Lisetchi

"Here’s the thing: lofty ideals are not enough. Wanting to do good is one thing. Actually doing good is another. "Getting the changemaker mindset: reinvent yourself as a social entrepreneur" will help you understand the process of social entrepreneurial problem-solving, arm you with some of the practical skills required for a social value centered project and empower you, as a change agent, to make a difference starting right now.

Like it or not, the modern world stimulates us to constantly reinvent ourselves. And the reinvention process requires an entrepreneurial mindset. You will be challenged to get out of your comfort zone and start engaging with the diverse community problems around you.

So,what do you have to do to create, develop and apply innovative and effective solutions to community problems? This course is for anyone who wants to make a difference. Whether you are already familiar with the field of social innovation or social entrepreneurship, working for an organization that wants to increase its social impact, or just starting out, this course will take you on a journey of exploring the complex problems that surround us and how to solve them.

The course guides you step by step to create your own project concept. You learn to develop from the intersection of your strengths and a specific social need an actionable project idea. In a nutshell, you'll learn to apply entrepreneurial skills to social problems and design lasting solutions. You bring your passion and the cause. The course curriculum provides the actionable tools to get you started and step up your game.

By the end of the course, you will have formed your own approach to social entrepreneurship, and you will have begun to develop the concepts, mindset, skills, and relationships that will enable you to start and evolve as a changemaker. Do not hesitate! Use this outstanding opportunity! Join in since places are limited! Or, you already know what social entrepreneurship means and why is it important? Than why don’t you just step in and share your experience with us?"

By Dumitru N. Vulcanov

Starting from the ideea that scientific and religious knowledge also involves establishing the place and role of humanity in the universe, modern science (physics) has established a series of coordinates that comprise the scientific knowledge and description of the dynamics of the universe from its birth to its present form, using mathematical and experimental means. That is why this field, although extremely interesting and appealing to the general public especially since the direct detection of gravitational waves in LIGO project – awarded with the Nobel prize for physics in 2017- , is accessible only by the mathematical and scientific knowledge of the person who is approaching it. In addition, day by day cosmology and astrophysics are becoming an element of contemporary culture and the idea of a graduate student (of any specialty or field) with no knowledge of the Big-Bang, black holes or the expansion of the universe is inconceivable.

This is the role we expect this course to have, without formulas, without mathematical calculations or sophisticated explanations from physics, but with an illustrative description of the main concepts and ideas of modern astrophysics and cosmology. In addition, we will give special attention to people and their history that have developed this field, which is the greatest adventure of the human mind of modern times.

Dr. Dumitru VULCANOV is a professor at the Faculty of Physics, West University of Timisoara, . Specialist in computational methods applied in cosmology and gravitation theory, he teaches lectures on these subjects at the Faculty of Physics. He was the beneficiary of two NATO advanced research fellowships and, for 9 years, a collaborator of the numerical relativity group from the Albert Einstein Institute, Potsdam, Germany working in numerical simulations for black-holes colisions and violent processes in astrophysics. He has been collaborating with the Romanian Space Agency on different projects since its establishment to the present day.

By Coralia Sulea

The course focuses on exploring the challenges of the digital age and understanding how leadership skills can help teams and organizations navigate through complexity, challenges and uncertainty.

The course has a theoretical part and a practical one. First, we discuss the current perspective on the future of jobs and skills and the main drivers of change. Here, we debate based on central psychological frameworks to understand the underpinnings of individual, organizational, and societal processes and reactions to change. Second, analyze core work- related abilities such as creativity, problem solving, emotional intelligence, and people management, focusing on understanding how such skills are relevant for leadership effectiveness and how can be developed. Here, engage in individual and group exercises and assignments to grasp the applied perspective of skill development in self and others. At the end of this course, you should have a better understanding of the relevant skills for leadership development and how they can be developed at a personal and organizational level.

By Valentina Muresan

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an opportunity to develop their competences concerning delivering a speech in public, both in a formal/academic context and an informal one, regardless of whether it is a shorter 2 minute address or a longer 15-20 minute presentation. The course will build on existing knowledge and abilities, inviting students to experiment with different speaking contexts and media for the delivery of the content, to plan and structure a shorter/ longer speech with a particular function, to learn to anticipate audience reactions and adjust their content to the different contexts.

By Radu-Pop Ana-Maria

The aim of this course is to provide knowledge of basic Romanian language and concepts related to Romanian culture and civilization, all in an interactive way, so that you can make the most of real-life situations and enjoy Romanian culture and lifestyle. The course is based on a communicative approach, each unit focusing on topics about current events and everyday issues, and uses authentic materials such as songs, radio and TV podcasts, newspapers, etc. It also includes a series of activities that use the urban linguistic landscape, i.e. inscriptions, billboards, commercial and official signs, graffiti, etc. found in the public spaces of Timișoara, in order to connect you with the real life of the city.

By Stefaniga Sebastian

Course Description:

This course aims to introduce the principles and techniques of securing computers and computer networks. The main topic of this course should help students understand cryptographic and security concepts as hash functions, key exchange protocols, encryption and decryption algorithms, digital signatures, public key certificates and infrastructure, data protection principles, secure communication, internet threats prevention, including how classical and popular algorithms work (e.g. DES, RSA, digital signatures). Authentication techniques and security protocols, especially those used on Internet today (considering blockchain as a breakthrough technology for cryptography and cybersecurity) will be covered towards the end of the course. This knowledge will help students in designing and developing secure applications and network protocols, as well as building secure networks.

More details:

http://staff.fmi.uvt.ro/~sebastian.stefaniga/courses/cs415/cs415.html

By Constantin Tovarnitchii

It is a very practical course inspired by acting techniques, in order to gain personal comfort and self-confidence in front of the public / audience. The course involves a series of acting exercises and games that will lead to anchoring in front of the public, to relax, to obtain an optimal comfortability, using breathing, relaxation and body repositioning exercises. Will be studied also the body language before speaking, pauses and the power to be silent in front of people.

We will work one by one, customized, according to the needs and abilities of each participant, in several types of presentations.

Following this course, the participants will acquire skills that will allow them to be more confident, to hold a coherent speech in front of an audience, an interview, so that they can demonstrate their own qualities and abilities.

By Simona Bader

Nowadays to be properly informed could be, sometimes, a challange. This course adress to all who are involved in the process of public communication, emitors and receivers as well. It raises and try to answer some basic questions:

• Where from one can find correct and true informations?
• How one could make difference between qualitative and fake news?
• Which are the main skills for writing intresting news for citizens?
• Which are the interrelation between mass-media and institutions and what are the premises for a good colaboration?
• Which are the common points and the main differences between journalists and PR specialists?
• How might journalists and communicators find precise and quick informations from a public or private institutions?
• How can a PR specialist built a social campaign using mass-media means?
We will try to provide some answers which could be used adequately in the actual social and cultural context. This course is adressed to both future journalists and PR specialists interested in developing means, skills and instruments for their profession.

Registration

Here you will find the link with the registration form. The application fee is 75 EUR and you will have to pay this amount should you be accepted. In this case, you will receive an e- mail containing the details of the bank account where you will have to deposit the registration fee.

After filling in the registration form, you have to pay the application fee of 75 EUR, in the following account:

Beneficiary: Universitatea de Vest din Timișoara (West University of Timisoara)
University adress: Bv. Vasile Pârvan, No.4
Bank name: Banca Comercială Română (Romanian Commercial Bank)
Bank adress: Sucursala Timișoara (Timisoara Branch), No.11, Calea Aradului St.
IBAN Code: RO 56 RNCB 0249 0492 9471 0008
SWIFT: RNCB RO BU
Payment: 75 EURO, Registration Fee.

*It is necessary to send the copy of the receipt (or a copy of the document proving the payment) at the e-mail address: international@e-uvt.ro

Accommodation

During the entire period of your staying in Timișoara, you will receive free accommodation in one of the University’s dormitories, in the Students’ Complex (Complexul Studențesc), which is a 10-minutes-walk from the West University of Timisoara (X marks the interest spots of your staying and studying place).

As you can see, it is also at a short distance from the Historical City Centre, and various museums of different interest areas.