STRATEGIZING THE INTEGRATION OF THE EFFECTIVE TRADITIONAL AND INNOVATIVE PEDAGOGIC METHODS AS PART OF THE PROCESS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE JEAN MONNET UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMME IN EUROPEAN STUDIES AT IVANE JAVAKHISHVILI TBILISI STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This article reviews the context and some of the most important aspects of the  process of the  development of the new undergraduate programme in European Studies at the Institute for European Studies (IES) of Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University (TSU). The action was financed by the EU within the  frames of Erasmus+ Jean  Monnet project ‘EUStBA’. This support became a game-changer in terms of enabling the   meaningful participation of the large circle of stakeholders during the different phases of project implementation. Once we had set in train the project of completing our efforts in the building of the  European Studies education at all three cycles of education, the initiatives in this field rapidly came to be viewed within the framework of the institutional development and self-sustainability strategy. This action facilitated not only establishment and accreditation of the new  undergraduate programme, but also synergized well with the  upgrade of the TSU Institute for European Studies across the range of vast spectrum of issues, which ended up in the second mandatory reaccreditation of Master’s programme and successful finalization of the long negotiations on two double degree programmes.
The working package on the effective amalgamation of the traditional and innovative Teaching  Methods was another important dimension across the  various phases of the ‘EUStBA’ project implementation. This sub- action made sure that the  content of the  new undergraduate programme reaches its most important audience in  an  efficient manner.  Hence, the  second part of  this article discusses the  role  of  the  ‘EUStBA’ project in mainstreaming the  elaboration of a coherent and a purpose-driven strategy, which was aimed at incorporation effectively of traditional and innovative teaching methods in the  Undergraduate and graduate programmes of IES. The activities aimed at teaching and learning the EU from the perspective of four different disciplines at Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University was  indeed a challenging endeavor that paved the  way for the  successful outcome in the accreditation process of the newly  developed Undergraduate programme in European Studies.