Warsaw: Security and Society Summer School

The program combines four weeks onsite in Warsaw, including a study trip to Berlin, with a research internship that begins alongside the course and continues remotely for three weeks after the onsite program concludes.

During the four weeks in Europe, students attend lectures, workshops, site visits, and research seminars while developing the topic and methodology for their individual research project. The final three weeks are dedicated to completing the research paper remotely under the guidance of mentors from the Terrorism Research Center.

Central Europe and Security Issues

Central Europe and Security Issues examines contemporary security challenges facing Central and Eastern Europe, NATO, and the European Union while placing the region within the wider Eurasian security environment. Students consider how developments across Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and neighboring regions interact with and influence broader international security.

Topics include the war in Ukraine; NATO and EU security policy; terrorism and radicalization; contemporary warfare and peacebuilding; migration and human trafficking; energy security; cybersecurity and critical infrastructure; disinformation and information warfare; geopolitical competition; and global power shifts. Particular attention is given to the growing role of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in cybersecurity, intelligence, military capabilities, and hybrid threats.6 ECTS (3 US semester credits)

This 4-week period culminates with a presentation of your proposed research project.

Research Internship

The applied research internship at the Terrorism Research Center begins during the onsite course as students select and develop an individual research project from topics proposed by their mentors. Research may address hybrid threats, terrorism, information security, energy security, geopolitical competition, AI-driven technologies, or other issues connected to the course.

Research seminars and an academic writing workshop introduce students to methodology, academic sources, citation practices, information verification, and responsible use of AI in research. Following the onsite program, students work remotely with their mentors for three weeks to complete the paper.

Papers that successfully complete the academic and editorial review process will be considered for publication in Security and Society in the Information Age. 2 ECTS (1 US semester credit)

The Terrorism Research Center, founded in 2006, is a research unit of Civitas University specializing in contemporary security issues. Its work includes research, analysis, education, and public engagement focused on terrorism and counterterrorism, hybrid and emerging threats, and their impact on states, institutions, and society.

Note that the final three weeks of your program, dedicated to this research internship only, are remote. You may choose to stay in Warsaw (accommodation is not included) or you may return home or travel. There will be online meetings with advisors during this period, timed to align with Europe or US time zones. Your final paper is due firmly the Saturday ending this three-week period.

Warsaw & Berlin

Warsaw serves as the program’s primary academic base, while a four-day study trip to Berlin provides an additional perspective on European history, politics, and security. Guided programming examines the historical experiences and political developments that have shaped contemporary Central Europe and the European security environment.

2027 Syllabus and Program Schedule

Summer School Syllabus

Due to the current nature of the topics addressed, course content may be updated closer to the program start date to reflect current events.

Partner University: Civitas University was founded in Warsaw, Poland, in 1997 under the auspices of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Founded at a time when Poland was still working to rebuild itself after the Communist era, Civitas University was intended to be a new, forward-looking, modern institution to help create the next generation of Polish leaders. Close ties are kept with the academy today, as well as with a range of respected international partners, and many current and former diplomats and politicians lecture regularly at Civitas.

Housed in Warsaw’s historic Stalinist skyscraper, Civitas University is focused on modern issues of global importance such as security, demographics, social welfare, information security and new media. The university is active in supporting democratic institutions and nurturing multicultural societies.

Transcripts and Credit Transfer: Students completing both components receive a Civitas University transcript for 8 ECTS (4 US semester credits): 6 ECTS (3 US semester credits) for Central Europe and Security Issues and 2 ECTS (1 US semester credit) for the research internship. Always seek pre-approval before embarking on any study abroad program to ensure credit transferability.

Graduate Students:While not specifically designated on the transcript, this program is considered by Civitas University to be both Graduate and Upper Division Undergraduate level due to the specificity of the topic and the research. 

• Transcripts for optional extensions: for those on either of the add-ons listed below, your transcript for the full program will be issued by our School of Record (Stetson University) and will reflect: for language extension: REES 390: Security Issues and Central Europe (4 credits) and Russian language course numbers based on your level (6 credits); OR for Crossroads extension: REES 390: Geopolitics and Security in the Caucasus (4 credits).

For more on transcripts, credit transfer, and other academic issues, click here.

Housing: Housing is provided in a nearby hotel in shared twin rooms, with breakfast included. A single-room upgrade is available for an additional fee. Housing is not provided during the three-week remote internship period following the onsite program. Students may return home, travel independently, or arrange their own accommodation if they choose to remain in Warsaw.

Warsaw, Poland is an exceptional vantage point from which to study the complex political, security, and societal challenges shaping Europe and the wider world. Poland has been partitioned and dominated by foreign powers multiple times, and it suffered some of the worst atrocities of the Second World War and the Holocaust. This historical experience has left Poland highly conscious of its national security and regional position. Following the fall of communism, Poland moved quickly to join both the European Union and NATO, and has since played an increasingly active role in regional and transatlantic security initiatives.

Poland has strengthened ties with neighboring states, particularly Ukraine and the Baltic countries, and is an active participant in the Three Seas Initiative, the Bucharest Nine (focused on NATO’s eastern flank), and the historically important Visegrád Group. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Poland has been one of Kyiv’s most dedicated supporters, welcoming hundreds of thousands of refugees and serving as a critical hub for diplomatic, humanitarian, and security cooperation.

Today, Warsaw is a dynamic, multi-Slavic city where Polish, Ukrainian, Russian, and Belarusian are commonly heard on the streets. The city combines a vibrant student culture—with cafés, nightlife, and green spaces—with easy access to archives, policy institutions, and international organizations. Centrally located and well connected to its European Union neighbors, Warsaw also serves as an excellent base for further academic exploration of Europe.

• Programs in Poland
• Living in Warsaw
• Polish Food
• Polish History
• Polish Language
• Polish Holidays
• Conversation with Dr. Katarzyna Maniszewska: Security Studies in Poland
• SRAS Debrief with Student Kat Lytkowski

Extend your time abroad with our six-week Russian as a Second Language (RSL) session in Tbilisi, Georgia. Open to all levels of Russian. This option already includes a $1,400 discount.

The Russian language program begins while the three-week remote research internship is underway. Students completing both will need to manage their independent research and online meetings alongside their Russian language studies.

For those looking to broaden even further their study of security issues, we invite you to consider continuing your summer by joining the Crossroads: Geopolitics and Security in the Caucasus

program immediately after the in-country summer school session ends. For those enrolling in both programs a $1200 discount is applied to the latter program. Contact us if you are interested in this option.

Budget Breakdown: Summer budget breakdown 

Scholarships and Grants:

• Federal aid can help pay for your program if your university pre-approves credit transfer and agrees to manage payment. Check with SRAS and your university for details.
• All Scholarships and Grants that we know of that can be applied to our programs are listed on our site.
• SRAS Program Grants are stackable! 
• SRAS Ambassadors can write while abroad or educate students at home after their return – and earn stipends!
• SRAS Online Research Internshipsaward partial scholarships for study abroad.

1. Complete our application (press the “Apply Now” button to create your SRAS account — you will be able to return to the application later).
2. Alert your home university (if you are currently a student).
   Some universities have deadlines for study abroad that are much earlier than SRAS deadlines -— so involve your home university’s study abroad office in the process as early as possible! They can help ensure that all goes smoothly with credit transfer and financial aid, and perhaps point you to additional funding sources.
3. See our Planning Guide for more important information about academics, health and safety, and more.

If you are still unsure this is the right program for you, please join an SRAS Info Session or schedule an SRAS advising session to discuss how we can help fulfill your goals and needs!