The most astonishing thing in the modern model of education is that it has become a tool of disinheritance from Latin culture. Members of our civilization have been systematically deprived of contact with its foundations and unique sources and do not know the masters who created them. Today’s education is focused, with widespread approval, on the production of specialized living tools for various fields of industry and business. It has lost its formative dimension of shaping the human as a person. This is followed by the decay of reason, and in consequence, not only a profound economic and civilizational crisis, but also a crisis of humanity, and of morality. It is time to recognize this correlation.
Our students come into living contact with European cultural heritage. They are taught, in an expanded way compared to other universities, about the cultural heritage of Greece, Rome, the glorious Middle Ages, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and Romanticism. They analyze the intellectual, cultural and economic currents that have led to the crisis of a great civilization since the beginning of the modern times. This gives our students insight into what is happening in the world. It allows them to read reality not in a superficial way, but with a deeper understanding and enables them to assume important roles in the future society.
Studying at Collegium Intermarium provides an elite education for people who demand much from themselves and who do not accept mediocrity. The selection of subjects and lecturers ensures that the students acquire knowledge of foundations of classical philosophy, the principles of classical education and various ideologies in the modern world. Our university provides reliable and factual arguments in favor of what is classical and traditional.
In addition to the real intellectual benefits, rigorous academic erudition, the program also gives great satisfaction in discovering things that are valuable, true, and beautiful.
Collegium Intermarium is meant as a response to the crisis of academic life.
In times of waning sense of order, purpose, and meaning, our university has a firm point of reference in the unchanging ideas of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
When there is less and less room for free academic debate, the Collegium is a space for scholars and students who are not afraid to pose serious questions. Undertaking bold challenges is not only the right, but the duty of everyone who contributes to the university community.
When education becomes mass, one-dimensional, and reproductive, we are reminded that the goal of education is always integral human development. In the reality of the university, its condition is the direct cooperation of master and student.
The Collegium brings together the elites of the Intermarium from the region between the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Sea, whose nations were deprived of the possibility to create their own academic institutions for many decades. It is not only a space for discussion of the common culture and diversity of the region’s traditions – but above all, discussion of scientific, social, and economic cooperation today and in the future.
Our university is also a haven for all those who, in their search for freedom and order, are not afraid to refer to the achievements of previous generations, including the sources of our civilization – Roman law, the Greek love of truth, and the living heritage of Christianity.
Upholding the classical idea of a university, Collegium Intermarium invites students to study and participate in postgraduate courses that develop the knowledge and skills of professionals.
The mission of Collegium Intermarium is to provide education based on the classical values of European civilization: Roman legal culture, Greek philosophy, and Christian ethics.
Europe’s modern legal systems draw on the heritage of Roman law, which was creatively developed by theoreticians and practitioners over the following centuries. It is from it that the basic principles of the creation and application of law originated. The Romans were the first to develop the concept of the “law of nations”, discovering that there are legal norms that apply regardless of cultural differences. At the same time, they created the concept of harmonization of legal orders, which recognized the importance of diverse traditions and recognized their value.
Educating a lawyer requires providing him not only with a sound knowledge of the applicable norms and equipping him with practical skills, but also enabling him to understand the cultural and historical context in which legal institutions are embedded.
The points of reference for representatives of classical European thought are the objective ideas of Truth, Goodness and Beauty.
The cradle of European philosophy was ancient Greece, and without the doctrine of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle there would be neither medieval scholastic philosophy nor modern European thought. All major branches of philosophy have ancient roots.
Collegium Intermarium’s mission includes rooting knowledge in a living and enduring classical realist philosophy. In-depth courses in philosophy and the history of ideas will enable graduates to discover and shape a hierarchy of values and confront the key challenges of modern times.
European civilization was built on Christian foundations. It was Christianity that brought the world the awareness of human dignity and that ethical norms are universal and apply to everyone. The Christian tradition is not only the past, but the present and future of Europe.
Collegium Intermarium educates students in the spirit of seeking the truth about the world and man, and integral mental and social development.
Collegium Intermarium aims to restore the classical idea of the university, creating an academic community deeply rooted in the traditions and culture of Europe. Learning and research are conducted with respect for the achievements of previous generations and with hope and optimism for the future.
Collegium Intermarium strives to play a leading role in the Polish and international arena by developing scientific research for the benefit of society. Scientific research carried out at Collegium Intermarium is both fundamental and applied in nature.
The university also hosts international scientific conferences on key problems in the fields of law, economics, and social sciences, as well as on the most important challenges of modern civilization.
Of particular importance, both in the area of research and scientific conferences organized at the University, are those scientific, social, and economic issues that are not the subject of debate in other centers or the discussion around them is not balanced.
The following areas in particular are of strategic importance for our university:
- Promoting classical realist philosophy.
- Restoring the value of the Christian tradition in the modern world.
- Rebuilding the idea of the university as a forum of open intellectual discussion.
- Propagating classical education.
- Building relationships with universities in North America and Asia to promote the values of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
Ancient Greece
Philosophy and logic
Athenian democracy
Culture and art
Ancient Rome
Roman law
Rhetoric
Republic
Middle Ages
Christianity
Universities
Art
Renaissance
Painting and sculpture
Great geographical discoveries
Man
Baroque
Life sciences
Art
Poetry of unrest
Enlightenment
Absolutism
Revolution
Encyclopedia
Romanticism
Poetry and literature
Painting
Music
Belle Epoque
Industrial revolution
Empires
Culture
20th and 21th century
Ideologies
Personalism
Digital revolution
The elite
nature of the study
Students entering the Collegium Intermarium has already completed the basics of classical education. Thanks to this, they are ready to expand their knowledge and acquire the education and practical skills necessary for future professional work. Thanks to the interdisciplinary nature of the curriculum, the practical form of education, the universal tutoring system and the high level of internationalization of the studies, graduates of the Collegium stand out among those of other higher education institutions in the country.
The interdisciplinary approach
Collegium Intermarium is a university offering, above all, uniform Master’s degree courses in law and post-graduate studies in fields that have no equivalents at Polish universities. The university’s curriculum is focused on the practical and interdisciplinary character of education. In order to provide the graduates with skills necessary for their future professional practice, the teaching process involves recognized attorneys and legal advisors, judges (including Supreme Court and Supreme Administrative Court judges), parliamentarians with an academic experience, leaders of local and foreign think tanks, and managers of listed companies. In contrast to competitive law studies, Collegium Intermarium offers its students a wide range of specialized lectures and seminars, the subject matter of which indirectly relates to law, significantly touching upon issues from other social sciences – economics, philosophy and history. This makes the graduates not only experts in their fields, but also comprehensively educated and ready for future professional challenges.
Academic freedom and solid public debate
The foundation for the functioning of the university is to ensure free academic debate, without which it is impossible to fulfill the fundamental mission of science – the search for truth through unhindered exploration of the surrounding world. Collegium Intermarium will always be open to suggestions, advice, and constructive criticism from the academic world and all people of goodwill. We believe that peer review and self-monitoring contribute to the dynamic development of healthy intellectual exchange, raising the level of public debate and increasing the knowledge in society. The university is committed to actively defending its students and lecturers against harassing attacks that limit academic debate and any attempt to ideologically censor or intimidate members of the academic community. Collegium Intermarium will not compromise on the quality of teaching, professed values and search for truth. It rejects paradigms or ideologies that are contrary to reliable research and honest teaching. At the same time, the university wants to make a measurable contribution to the culture and quality of public life. The university’s mission includes broad civic engagement. We strive to ensure that social life is set in the context of the highest philosophical, historical, ethical, and legal ideals, and that public debate is based on well-established principles and values and thoughtful reflection rather than momentary, short-term, and impulsive insights.
Best qualifications andeducation methods
Collegium Intermarium is the only institution of higher education in Poland where the universally accepted principle of education of each student is the tutoring system. At the start of university education, each student is assigned with a tutor, who plays the role of a mentor and, on the basis of a “master-student” relationship, guides him/her through the education process. The selection of tutors is individualized, in an effort to best harmonize the intellectual needs of the students with the profile of their mentors. In addition to the list of regular candidates for tutors, persons not formally associated with the university are invited to take up the duties of tutors. That includes experienced practitioners (attorneys, legal advisers, judges, mediators, managers, social leaders) and Polish and foreign scientists. In order to support its academic offer, Collegium Intermarium creates a framework for collaboration and partnership with civic organizations and the business community, including businesses, religious communities, non-governmental organizations, law firms, legal institutions, the media, governmental institutions, and educational institutions in Poland, the Intermarium region, and other countries.
Research
Scientific research carried out at Collegium Intermarium is both basic and innovative. The university also organizes international scientific conferences dedicated to key problems in the field of law, economics and social sciences, as well as to the most important challenges of our civilization in the present day, with particular emphasis on the challenges for the countries of the Intermarium region. Both in the area of research and scientific conferences organized at the university, those scientific, social and economic issues are of particular importance. Furthermore, they are not the subject of debate in other education centers or even if such a discussion exists, it is not sustainable. In particular, the following areas are of strategic importance: 1) Determinants of economic activity, with particular emphasis on factors affecting the economic subjectivity in Poland and other countries of the Intermarium area; 2) Effectiveness of the functioning of the judiciary and public administration; 3) Problems of protection of human rights and civil liberties, taking into account international and national conditions; 4) Family and demography.
Intermarium
region development
The name of the university reflects our intention to support and cooperate with the community of the Intermarium region. Collegium Intermarium assumes a leadership role in this regard in Poland, in the heart of Europe, and beyond, encouraging similar activity by its staff and students.
Geopolitica context
The university’s mission is in the context of cooperation between the countries of the Intermarium area – in particular, the 12 European Union member states that are part of the “The Three Seas Initiative” established in 2016, among the countries situated in the regions of the Baltic, Black and Adriatic Seas. In addition to the countries that are part of the “The Three Seas Initiative”, Collegium Intermarium will initiate close and lasting cooperation̨ with centers in countries that are not members of the European Union, whose geographical location, cultural proximity and common traditions offer̨ prospects for lively cooperation̨ in the fields of science, economy and politics. These include Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Moldova, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and North Macedonia. These countries, which historically belong to the group of the Intermarium countries, have much to offer in the field of science and education, and therefore research and teaching institutions operating in them should become a natural partner for Collegium Intermarium. However, the interest in scientific cooperation with the countries of this geographical space is justified not only by the perspectives offered by̨ current political and economic circumstances. Although the region is still struggling with the negative legacy of communism, it is at the same time free from many problems that affect the western part of the continent. The Intermarium is seen as a valuable investment area and is of interest to major players in the global economy. However, none of the countries in the region has sufficient potential to conduct equivalent talks with the world’s leading partners on its own. In order to cope with the momentous challenges faced by the countries of the Intermarium area, it is necessary to educate the right people who will lead changes and development. New perspectives require innovative actionss on a level beyond the current model. The solution lies in the creation of Collegium Intermarium.
International cooperation
One of the pillars of Collegium Intermarium’s strategy is the intensive development of cooperation with scientific, social and business partners abroad. The international dimension of activities and openness to foreign partners are necessary in the era of global economy and dense network of interdependencies between countries. This is important both for the didactic offer and for the comprehensive development of students who, upon graduation, must possess similar competencies as their future professional partners from the most developed countries in the world.
Collegium Intermarium’s international cooperation strategy is based on three main levels: (1) cooperation with academic teachers, businessmen and public administration of the countries of the Intermarium area, (2) cooperation with academic centers, businessmen and think tanks from the United States, and (3) inclusion in the study programme of classes taught by practitioners with experience in the area of operation of international organizations and enabling students to undertake internships in institutions of the European Union, the Council of Europe and the United Nations. An important area of international cooperation is also represented by Western European countries, in particular those which are members of the European Union along with Poland.