About the Summer School
Welcome to the Asian Studies Summer School on Methodology of International Peacebuilding: Youth Academy for Asia Peacebuilding, hosted by SWPS University! Our aim is to provide a platform for students and lecturers involved in diverse aspects of peacebuilding. We want to bring together individuals passionate about peacebuilding to exchange their insights and share groundbreaking research in this vital field.
At our Summer School, we are committed to nurturing peacebuilding efforts in East and Southeast Asia by creating a vibrant cross-cultural space for university students from all corners of the globe. Through intercultural and intercontinental engagement, participants have the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions on peace initiatives and develop their own perspectives.
We understand the importance of collaboration and networking in the field of peacebuilding. Therefore, our Summer School endeavors to foster connections among like-minded individuals dedicated to creating a more peaceful world. Additionally, our Summer School serves as a platform to facilitate strategic partnerships among peace and conflict studies departments at universities worldwide.
We invite you to join us and engage in meaningful discussions, gain valuable insights, and forge connections that will extend far beyond the duration of the program. Together, let us explore the pathways to sustainable peace and work towards building a brighter future for Asia and the world.
Class Schedule and Time Zones
To make it convenient for students across different regions, we have listed the class start times in various time zones. Please refer to the table below for the approximate class start times
| Time Zone |
Class Start Time |
Class End Time |
| Tokyo (UTC+9) |
15:00 |
19:00 |
| Beijing (UTC+8) |
14:00 |
18:00 |
| Manila (UTC+8) |
14:00 |
18:00 |
| Colombo (UTC+5:30) |
12:30 |
16:30 |
| New Delhi (UTC+5:30) |
12:30 |
16:30 |
| Warsaw (UTC+2) |
08:00 |
12:00 |
| London (UTC+1) |
07:00 |
11:00 |
Please note that these times are approximate and based on standard time. Keep in mind any regional differences in time zones. To determine the exact class start time in your location, you can use reliable online time zone converters. We hope this information helps you plan accordingly and enjoy our online summer school classes.
Lecturers
Olga Barbasiewicz
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Is a political scientist and Japanologist. She is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian Studies and the Institute of Social Sciences at SWPS University. She is also a Japanese Language Track Coordinator of the undergraduate Asian Studies program. Alongside her academic role, she is an intercultural business consultant for European companies operating in Asian markets. Her current research focuses on memory politics and reconciliation in Japanese-Korean relations, which she compares with Polish-German relations. Before joining SWPS University, she held the position of Assistant Professor at the Institute of the Middle and Far East, Faculty of International and Political Studies, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, Poland. She has co-authored several publications in English, including Historical and Collective Memory in the Middle and Far East, Internal and External Aspects of Japanese Security, and Security Dilemmas and Challenges in 21st Century Asia. She was awarded the JASSO scholarship and pursued her studies in International Relations at Tsukuba University in Japan.
Saya Kiba
Ph.D. / Associate Professor
Is an Associate Professor at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies in Japan. She is a political scientist with a diverse background in Southeast Asian studies, civil-military relations, and security sector governance. In addition to her academic role, Saya Kiba is a member of the Expert Panel for the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. She has served in diplomatic capacities at both the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines and the Embassy of Japan in Thailand. Additionally, she worked as a staff member for National Diet member and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Seiji Maehara during his tenure with the ruling Democratic Party of Japan from 2010 to 2012. She co-edited the book Pathways for Irregular Forces in Southeast Asia: Mitigating Violence with Non-state Armed Groups (Routledge, 2022). She also authored a chapter "Opposition" in Power and their Foreign Policies 2009-2012: Legacy of DPJ through Policy Comparison, published in Japan's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century: Continuity and Change (Lexington Books, 2020; edited by Lam Peng Er and Purnendra Jain).
Karolina Rak
Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Is an Assistant Professor at the Institute of the Middle and Far East, Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. She researchers gender issues within modern societies of the SWANA region, focusing particularly on feminist narratives.
Joseph Tun Khaing (Khong)
Is a researcher, educator, and advocate for peace and human rights within religious institutions. He has been contributing to the educational capacity building of religious leaders and their organizational development across Myanmar by facilitating training and workshops and the publication of the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) training manual. He instructs undergraduate and graduate courses on human rights and peace within the Peace and Development Studies programs of the Liberal Arts Program at Myanmar Institute of Theology. Beyond academia, Joseph Tun Khaing engages in international advocacy work, advocating for the participation of faith actors in regional and global affairs. He actively addresses religious freedom and peace issues by contributing to initiatives such as the Network for Religious and Traditional Peacemakers in South East Asia, South Asia Religious Freedom Networks, and the Salzburg Global Seminar forum.
M. C. Rasmin
Ph.D.
Is a media and peacebuilding practitioner. Currently, he serves as a senior lecturer at SLTC Research University in Sri Lanka and a member of the governing council of the Foundation for Advancing Critical Thinking in South Asia (FACTS). From 2008-2018, he served as the director and CEO of the Sri Lanka Development Journalist Forum (SDJF). With a professional background in radio drama, Dr. Rasmin is a professionally trained radio drama director who has produced more than 300 dramas that shed light on the post-conflict transition in Sri Lanka. He is also an accomplished media researcher who contributed to over 25 scientific studies encompassing published books, book chapters, journal articles, conference papers, learning and training curricula, and reviews. In addition, Dr. Rasmin has served as a visiting lecturer at prestigious institutions such as the University of Jaffna, the University of Vocational Technologies, the University of Peradeniya, the University of Colombo, and KIIT University in India. Notably, he was a curriculum strategist and lead trainer for one of the largest university-based media training programs funded by the European Union from 2021 to 2022.
Lu Deting
M.A.
Is a research fellow at the Institute for Peace Studies and the UNESCO Chair of Peace Studies at Nanjing University. She is also a certified trainer for Level One Kingian Nonviolence. In addition, she serves as a steering committee member and facilitator at the Northeast Asia Regional Peacebuilding Institute (NARPI) and a committee member of the International Relations Committee of the Peace Studies Association of Japan (PSAJ). She is also a Ph.D. candidate in Peace and Conflict Studies at Osaka Jogakuin University, Japan. Her research primarily focuses on the development of a trauma-informed and healing-center approach aimed at improving China-Japan grassroots relationships by revisiting the historical traumas of Nanjing and Hiroshima. In 2022, her book, Hiroshima, Japan, was published by the Nanjing Normal University Press as part of the International Cities of Peace book series.
Kate Ramil
Is an Assistant Professorial Lecturer at De La Salle University Manila, Philippines, where she teaches Gender Studies and Literature and works as a consultant in Gender and Development. She specializes in gender, equity, diversity, and social inclusion. She is a development practitioner and sustainability advocate. She also considers herself a lifelong learner. Kate holds a European Master's degree in Women's and Gender Studies, which she earned from the University of Hull in the UK and Universidad de Granada in Spain. She is a recipient of the Asia Peace Fellowship at Salzburg Global and the Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
Marta Tomczak
M.A.
Is the Head of the Oriental Library at SWPS University and the journal secretary of the Asia-Pacific Journal, which is co-published by SWPS University and the University of Warsaw. She obtained her Master's degree in Linguistics and Information Science from Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Poland, and in International Economy from Renmin University in China. Having resided in China for ten years, she gained extensive experience in management and business negotiations in both China and Turkey, as well as overseen various cultural and academic projects. She shares her expertise by teaching Chinese language and socio-political history of modern China. Her research interests include political aspects of cultural heritage management and international relations in China.
Ryan MC Chiu
M.S.
Is committed to creating a generation of peacemakers. He is co-president of Strait Talk (ST), a non-partisan nonprofit movement empowering young people across the Taiwan Strait and other societies to engage constructively in the Taiwan Strait and other conflicts. As co-president, Ryan is responsible for ST’s program design and evaluation, tailoring and facilitating multiple dialogue workshops every year to each specific context. He is also responsible for identifying and training future facilitators to expand ST’s capacity to democratize conflict studies. In addition to his work at ST, Ryan also serves as a communications coach and operations consultant for multiple organizations around the world. Ryan was born and raised in Taiwan, has an M.S. degree in Conflict Analysis and Resolution from George Mason University, USA, and is currently based in Shanghai.
Organizer
Partners
Event held under the auspices of
Scientific Committee
Olga Barbasiewicz, Ph.D. / Assistant Professor
Chair of the Scientific Committee
SWPS University, Poland
Saya Kiba, Ph.D. / Associate Professor
Kobe City University of Foreign Studies, Japan
Joseph Tun Khaing (Khong)
Peace Studies Center, Myanmar Institute of Theology, Myanmar
Foundation for Advancing Critical Thinking in South Asia (FACTS), India
Institute for Peace Studies, Nanjing University, China
De La Salle University, the Philippines