Organizational Psychology program
Are you last year student of Psychology Bachelor or already a graduate and seeking Master‘s Degree In Psychology?
Would you like to familiarize yourself with the Master’s Organizational Psychology program (double degree with Louvain University in Belgium) at Vytautas Magnus University?
Then join us for an open lecture: “Positive interaction between work and personal life: Mission (Im)possible?”
Lecturers: Tadas Vadvilavičius and Loreta Gustaitienė
You will be able to know more about MA programme, enjoy an impactful lecture simultaneously.
Time and place: June 28, 3 PM– 4 PM (GMT+3), Online via MS TEAMS platform.
Register here before the event and leave your questions for discussion or just click here to join the lecture!
Organized by:
VMU PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT AND
VMU INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DEPARTMENT
Interview with Richard Adu about his experience while studying at VMU
Hello, Richard! I am really glad you agreed to be interviewed about your research and experience of Erasmus+ exchange at VMU. Could you please introduce yourself? Where are you coming from? What is your research topic? What is the focus of your dissertation?
Richard Adu is my name, I am a doctoral candidate from the Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan (UI), Nigeria, and an Erasmus+ exchange student at the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, VMU, for the spring semester 2022.
My Ph.D. thesis is on organisational justice, transformational leadership and moderating role of job insecurity on job performance with the focus on civil servants in Oyo State, Nigeria. Literature indicates that civil service in Nigeria suffers setbacks essentially because of the poor performance of the civil servants. Hence, the need to improve the performance of civil servants in Nigeria has been identified as one of the major challenges the country is facing today. The broad objective of the thesis is to explore the role of job insecurity in the link between the organisational justice, its components (distributive, procedural and interactional) and civil servants’ job performance.
- As a PhD candidate, you have chosen to spend several months through Erasmus+ programme at VMU, the Faculty of Social Sciences. Why did you choose this university? And how did you learn about it?
I learned about VMU through the Office of International Programmes of my home university and the call for nomination for the Erasmus+ Programme at VMU. There has been a long-time collaboration between UI and VMU. The UI is one of the foremost universities in Africa, and Nigeria in particular, that does not go into collaboration with half-baked universities. Besides, my research revealed VMU as a well-balanced university that is recognised for its high standard of teaching and research alongside its first-class facilities.
- How would you generally describe your experience at VMU? Also, how do you feel in Kaunas and Lithuania?
My personal experience since my arrival at VMU has been wholesome. In short, I consider myself as one of the most favoured candidates for the Erasmus+ exchange study at VMU for the spring semester 2022. You may ask why? I enjoined the full cooperation and assistance of my thesis supervisor here at the VMU. For instance, the assigned supervisor has read my thesis and provided valuable feedback that greatly impacted my thesis. The professor also linked me up with a training that I profited from in no small way.
Oh! My God, I repeat it to anyone who cares to hear, I am the most cared for Erasmus + programme student for spring semester, 2022. The Department of Psychology and the Faculty of Social Sciences have been wonderful since I arrived to VMU as a visiting PhD student. I was provided with working space and a laptop to work with at the department. The Chair also gave me the privilege to present my thesis at the departmental staff meeting, which, again, further improved the quality of my thesis. Now you will agree with me that I am the most cared for Erasmus+ Programme student at the VMU for the spring semester 2022.
In general, my experience in Kaunas and Lithuania lead to the conclusion that Lithuanians are good people! And great people! Within the first two weeks of arrival in Kaunas, I had trouble finding my way in the city, but I have always found people, young and old, to help me out. In some occasions, even those who do not speak English, still found a way to assist.
- What do you like the most during your stay at VMU?
The most exciting aspect of my stay at VMU is my one-on-one interactions with experts and other doctoral students in my field.
- Would you recommend VMU for other students and researchers who want to study abroad? Why?
I whole-heartedly recommend VMU to other students and researchers who want to study abroad for the opportunity to experience what I have experienced.
- What are your career plans for the future?
I intend to be a university teacher by picking up a long-term position in academia and becoming an integral part of an international team, contributing to its success.
Thank you for the conversation.
Interview conducted by Laura Lapinskė, International relations coordinator of the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU
The conference of addressing people in VMU
Public lecture „Deconstruction of Ukrainian identity through the prism of the war between East and West”
Vytautas Magnus University Department of Sociology would like to invite you to a public lecture given by doc. dr. Ihor Lantukh from V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University (Ukraine). The title of the lecture: „Deconstruction of Ukrainian identity through the prism of the war between East and West”.
The lecture will be held on the 19th of May at 5 p.m. (online).
Annotation of lecture
Throughout the history of the Russian Federation «Empire, Union», Moscow has pursued a policy toward Ukraine predicated on the assumption that respective national identities are artificial—and therefore fragile. Nonetheless, Russia’s war has become bogged down in no small part because this calculation about Ukrainian identity has proven dramatically wrong. The war created a new reality in the Ukraine by strengthening the sense of political unity and state identity. It mobilized the population, including Ukrainian Russian speakers, on the government’s side. Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine triggered mass ethnic defection that united the population and boosted their sense of civic belonging. The war with Russia increased the notion of Ukrainian citizenship as opposed to ethnic Ukrainian. The Russian-speaking minority reconsidered not only their sense of national identity but also their stance toward the Ukrainian language. Many individuals started to identify themselves with the Ukrainian language even without knowing it while perceiving it as the symbolic marker of the country.
About the lecturer
In 1997 he graduated from Kharkiv State University with a degree in History and Finance and Credit, Kramatorsk Institute of Economics and Humanities with a degree in Psychology, Kharkiv Institute of IAPM with a degree in Medical Psychology.
In 2001 he defended his thesis and received the scientific degree of candidate of economic sciences. In 2006 he was awarded the title of associate professor of economic theory. In 2020 he defended his dissertation and received a doctorate in psychology.
Author of more than 140 publications, including 35 articles in professional publications, 7 in foreign publications, 6 monographs, 8 textbooks.
Moderator: Head of the Department of Sociology doc. dr. Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė.
To join the event, press this link: https://bit.ly/3MYPTqX
Erasmus+ students from Germany Laura Böttcher and Anne Kleinert
You have spent a semester as an Erasmus+ exchange student at the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU. Why did you choose our university?
VMU is a partner university of the PH Heidelberg, so we found it on the list of potential ERASMUS opportunities. As we both didn´t know a lot about the country, it´s language or its culture, studying in Lithuania was a very interesting experience for us.
How would you generally describe your Erasmus+ experience and your experience at VMU?
We spent one semester in Lithuania with the ERASMUS+ programme. This programme provides a lot of support when it comes to planning and executing the stay (we had mentors in Germany and in Lithuania who we could always ask when problems occurred). When you want to study in another European country for one semester, ERASMUS+ is a great idea as you not only get organizational but also financial support.
In general, VMU appeared as a very modern and futuristic university to Anne. We were very impressed by their social media appearance (Instagram page of VMU with really good photos). The courses were very international as the offer of English courses was quite big. The people we got to meet there were also really nice and became really good friends. We also appreciated that the teachers were always replying so fast to e- mails and that they were very flexible (for example when we had to switch the exam to online very spontaneously because we were in contact with a friend who got the Covid-19).
What did you like the most during your studies at VMU?
We really enjoyed that the courses in general (field of social sciences) had so much focus on discussion. The input of the courses was very interesting.
Which useful competencies do you think you acquired during your Erasmus+ exchange period?
We got to improve our English and Lithuanian. We improved our competences in creative works (creating an Instagram profile, inventing myths, etc.), how to write essays and hold presentations in English. We got more open-minded and learned a lot about history, geography and culture, not only about Lithuania, but also about other parts of the world.
Would you recommend VMU for other students who want to study abroad? Why?
We would definitely recommend VMU for this experience. This is a great chance to learn about history, another culture and yourself.
What are your career plans for the future?
We are studying special education, so we are hoping to work with blind/ deaf people one day.
Interview conducted by Laura Lapinskė, International relations coordinator of the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU
Easter greetings from Faculty of Social Sciences
Erasmus+ student Yeray Halifi Morales about his experience while studying at VMU
Yeray Halifi Morales from Spain is studying as an Erasmus+ exchange student at the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU. He kindly agreed to share some insights and tell about his experience at our university.
- You have spent a semester as an Erasmus+ exchange student at the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU. Why did you choose our university?
I chose VMU because it was the university that was offered to me in Lithuania at my home university in Spain for the Erasmus programme. When I looked into it, I found it similar to my university in Spain and with interesting courses and that’s why I chose it. Besides, I wanted to go on Erasmus to a country where it was not common to travel from Spain.
- What programme are you studying? Why did you choose to study it?
I am studying a bachelor’s degree in Social Work in Spain, so I am here taking subjects for the master’s degree in Social Work and the bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences, related to Sociology, etc.
I chose to study Social Work because I have always had a critical thinking about social problems and phenomena and I would like to contribute my work and vision to change some of the structural problems that affect the general population.
- How would you generally describe your experience at VMU?
I would describe it as good, I have learned a lot and it has been interesting to have the opportunity to study different subjects from other contexts and in a country different from mine. Perhaps what I like the least is that you always have to do a lot of papers but thanks to them I have learned a lot and they have helped me to acquire the general and specific knowledge of each subject.
- What did you like the most during your studies at VMU?
The way they work is much more flexible than my home university and the teachers try to motivate you with good marks if you do your work well. I also like the holiday time in Lithuania, which has allowed me to enjoy Christmas, something that doesn’t happen in Spain because the first semester exams are in February. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to meet different people in class and make friends with them.
- Which useful competencies do you think you acquired during your Erasmus+ exchange period?
I think I have gained independence, I have opened my mind more, I am more tolerant, critical and positive about my surroundings. Living in another country, with a totally different culture and climate has helped me to see things differently and to understand and appreciate things that I didn’t before. Also, meeting people from so many different places has been a pleasure and something that I will always take with me. Having the opportunity to do Erasmus abroad is great.
- Would you recommend VMU for other students who want to study abroad? Why?
Yes, I would recommend VMU to more people in my faculty because I think that living in Lithuania is an experience and I liked VMU as a university because it allowed me to learn in a different way and I liked the way it works, its flexibility as I said before.
- What are your career plans for the future?
I would like to work full time as a social worker and that’s why I’m studying it, I don’t know if in Spain or abroad because it’s difficult if you don’t speak the mother tongue of the specific place but I would really like to focus on social policies or the international scene, European Union… it would be great to get it, although I’m a bit scared because it’s difficult to get a job in Spain.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
I wanted to thank Laura Lapinske for her work and for giving me the opportunity to express myself in this interview. It has been great to have her as a teacher in the first semester and to have been able to develop my critical thinking in Social Work. I hope this semester will be as good as the first one!
Interview conducted by Laura Lapinskė, International relations coordinator of the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU
VMU invites to a Seminar about Anthropology and Climate Change
The Center for Social Anthropology at the Faculty of Social Sciences at Vytautas Magnus University cordially invites to the online research seminars given by graduates of Social Anthropology Master study program at Vytautas Magnus University.
Coming presentation is on 22 February, 2022, 5:00 p.m. Lithuanian time.
Presenter: Daina Pupkevičiūtė (doctoral student of the Institute of Cultural Research at the University of Tartu, Estonia).
Presentation: “Anthropology and Climate Change: Reflections On and Insights From Ongoing Ethnographic Fieldwork in France”.
Abstract: Climate crisis has been in the making for several decades now. As such climate crisis extends beyond an ethnographic object and – due to its all-encompassing nature – is a backdrop of any and all (research) activity we are undertaking at present. Once starting my doctoral research project in an Alpine storm struck valley, I focused on what role relationships we cultivate have in shaping the understanding of climate crisis as well as action in the context thereof. I was and still am interested in relationships between the humans and their non-human kin, which, for me, means non-human-species, landscapes and various agents within them. The storm of a magnitude previously unseen, according to the field participants, in the valley I am currently based, was a point of departure for the exchanges with the inhabitants of the valley. As expected, the question I came with proved to be rather vast and I soon found myself at a loss in the entanglements of beings and things, power and history, all of which transgress the physical boundaries of a series of valleys and canyons etched into ancient rock. However, while I am redesigning, rethinking and reevaluating my steps in the mountains, a question I am asking myself and my colleagues – those in the field as well as those in the discipline of anthropology is – how can the knowledge we are entrusted with through encounters and experiences be feedforwarded to make our research practice useful.
The registration is necessary – registration link
Junbin Shao from China about MA studies in Social Work at VMU
Junbin Shao from China is finishing his MA studies in Social Work at VMU. He kindly agreed to share some insights and tell about his experience at our university.
- Junbin, you are about to graduate and receive the MA diploma in Social work. How did you decide to study social work? And why did you choose VMU?
I grow up in a brain-drain area with many social problems. I keep thinking about the causes and try to figure out the solutions. So I decided to study social work in my undergraduate study, and then it was not a surprise that I would continue the exploration. I noticed that the social work programme in VMU offers some interesting courses, and it is not too clinical-oriented. So I decided to study at VMU.
- How would you generally describe your experience at VMU?
It is inspiring and fairly good. Although I had to conduct my first-year study remotely, my learning experience was still satisfactory. I seized the opportunities provided by VMU, took part in an academic conference, exchange study, summer school and gained valuable experience and progress.
- What did you like the most during your studies at VMU?
I feel supported by teachers and other staff. They are willing to provide me supports based on needs and upon request, without which it will be hard for me to achieve what I want.
- What are your career plans for the future?
I plan to take a job in the social service field first. There are too many factors that remain unknown, but I hope I can contribute to social justice in the ways I like.
- Which useful competencies do you think you acquired during your studies at VMU?
I have certainly improved my skills in intercultural understanding and communication. Also, I advanced my critical thinking.
- What would you like to wish for future students of social work?
When doing assignments or research, focus on what attracts you and be as creative as possible. In this way, you may be well driven, full of enthusiasm, and harvest something valuable. Otherwise, it may be painful…
- Thank you for your answers and good luck with your future projects, Junbin!
Interview conducted by Laura Lapinskė, International relations coordinator of the Faculty of Social Sciences at VMU
Visiting Lecturer dr. Kelly Melekis in Social Work at VMU
This semester, Kelly Melekis is a Visiting Lecturer in Social Work at Vytautas Magnus University. Dr. Melekis is here as a U.S. Fulbright Scholar and will be available for lectures and consultation in social work education, research methods, and gerontology. An Associate Professor and Chair of the Social Work Department at Skidmore College in upstate New York, Kelly received her BSW from the University of Vermont (UVM), MSW from the University of California at Berkeley, and PhD in Sociology and Social Work from Boston University. She holds a Certificate in Gerontology and is certified as an End-of-Life Doula.
As a gerontological social worker, Dr. Melekis’ scholarship focuses on 1) the health and well-being of vulnerable and oppressed older adults, particularly in terms of homelessness, housing, and social environment, and 2) the education and training of social workers, especially in terms of interprofessional practice in health and aging. Underlying the substantive content of her research are methodological considerations rooted in social justice and a commitment to including the voices and perspectives of marginalized populations and those who serve them, thereby providing a comprehensive sense of what works, for whom, and in what ways. Her work contributes to improved policy, program development, and effective interprofessional practice.
Kelly teaches courses on social work practice, research methods, and death, dying and bereavement. A gerontological social worker, her research and scholarship focus on improving the life conditions or experiences of vulnerable older adults, such as those experiencing homelessness, abuse and/or neglect. She conducts primarily community-based research, with an emphasis on collaborative, participatory methods. Kelly has practiced as a clinical social worker in geriatric mental health and substance use, and taught social work practice, policy and research at Boston University, University of Hawaii, and University of Vermont. In addition to precious time singing, dancing and laughing with her two daughters, and cooking yummy vegetarian food with her husband Mark (who is also a social worker!), Kelly loves traveling, reading memoirs, live music, the original Star Trek series, and maple lattes.
