The Faces of Justice

About the program

Our intensive course seeks to deepen participants’ awareness of justice not only as a normative ideal but also as a lived and contested reality. By engaging with diverse perspectives, the program encourages critical reflection on the social foundations of law and its role in contemporary political orders.

Theoretical background

Eugen Ehrlich, one of the founding figures of the sociology of law, proposed a now-classic thesis: for law to be effective, it must not only be codified in legal statutes but also socially recognized and accepted. In other words, legal norms must resonate with the values and expectations of the community they aim to regulate.

Ehrlich’s insights were grounded in his empirical research in Austrian Bukovina, where he observed that even among largely illiterate rural communities, a distinct and functional understanding of core legal concepts, such as contracts, debt, and inheritance, existed. Although these interpretations frequently diverged from the formal doctrines of the Austrian Civil Code, they nonetheless guided daily life. Ehrlich argued that the source of these norms was not state-imposed law, but a shared sense of justice embedded in social practices—what he termed the “living law.”

According to Ehrlich, legal norms are truly effective only when they align with a society’s moral and normative order. Law’s legitimacy and enforceability thus depend not solely on institutional authority, but on collective recognition and social relevance. More than a century later, the question of law’s societal embeddedness remains a central concern in legal theory and political philosophy. As Martin Krygier has observed, “in a well-functioning rule-of-law system, the law must rule.” Yet the rule of law cannot prevail unless legal norms are perceived as just and legitimate by the communities they govern. Social and economic fairness, public trust, and cultural narratives continue to shape the conditions under which legal systems function.

What will you learn:

Through an interdisciplinary lens, the program will explore legal and extra-legal dimensions that shape collective understandings of justice. Topic will include:

• Constitutionalism and the formation of political communities
• Influence of historical memory
• Moral values.
• Economic relations
• competing narratives of legitimacy in liberal-democratic societies.

If you are interested in law not merely as a set of rules, but as a dynamic institution embedded in society, this intensive course offers a unique opportunity to engage with cutting-edge scholarship at the intersection of law, politics, and justice.

Application Process

Before you start your application process, please prepare the following documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae (max. 2 pages)
2. An essay on why justice is important to you, especially from an interdisciplinary perspective (max. 1,000 characters)
3. CEFR B2 English proficiency certificate, for example, we accept TOEFL, CAE, IELTS, or FCE (B2). Alternatively, a letter confirming your English skills, printed on your home university’s letterhead, signed by one of your university lecturers.

Application deadline: September 20, 2025.

Funding

Students who are accepted to the program, can apply for travel and accommodation funding at their home university's ERUA Office.

Meet your lecturers

Bachmann, Klaus

Bio

Tak

Specialization

historian, political scientist, lecturer in German, specializies in issues of European integration, totalitarian regimes and transitional justice

Permanent employee

Tak

Role in the Faculty

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Role in the Department

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Role in the Institute

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First and last name

Klaus Bachmann

Academic degree or title

Professor

Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Discipline

political-science-and-public-administration

Position

profesor

Role in the Research Center

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Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

Professor Klaus Bachmannhistorian, political scientist, lecturer in German, specializies in issues of European integration, totalitarian regimes and transitional justice

Cyuńczyk, Filip

Bio

Tak

Permanent employee

Tak

Role in the Faculty

{"funkcja-na-wydziale0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Faculty of Law in Warsaw"}}

Role in the Department

{"funkcja-w-katedrze0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Department of Public and International Law"}}

Specialization

Laywer specializing in sociology and history of law

First and last name

Filip Cyuńczyk

Academic degree or title

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor

Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Discipline

law

Position

adiunkt

Role in the university

Rector's Representative for Student Affairs

Role in the Research Center

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Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

Role in the Institute

[]

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Filip CyuńczykLaywer specializing in sociology and history of law

Kuna, Dominika

Bio

Tak

Permanent employee

Tak

First and last name

Dominika Kuna

Academic degree or title

M.A. / Teaching Assistant

Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Discipline

law

Position

asystent

Role in the Faculty

{"funkcja-na-wydziale0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Faculty of Law in Warsaw"}}

Role in the Department

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Role in the Institute

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Specialization

lawyer

Role in the Research Center

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Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

M.A. / Teaching Assistant Dominika Kunalawyer

Novikova, Kateryna

Bio

Tak

Permanent employee

Tak

First and last name

Kateryna Novikova

Academic degree or title

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor

Role in the Faculty

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Role in the Department

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Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Position

adiunkt

Specialization

sociologist

Role in the Research Center

{"funkcja-w-centrum0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Center for the Study of History and Justice"}}

Discipline

Array

Faculty

Array

Institute

Center for the Study of History and Justice

Role in the Institute

[]

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Kateryna Novikovasociologist, historian, and translator

Zaród, Marcin

Bio

Nie

Specialization

sociologist

Permanent employee

Tak

First and last name

Marcin Zaród

Academic degree or title

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor

City

warszawa

Discipline

sociology

Position

profesor uczelni

Role in the Faculty

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Role in the Department

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Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Role in the Institute

{"funkcja-w-instytucie0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Institute of Social Sciences"}}

Role in the Research Center

{"funkcja-w-centrum0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Center for the Study of History and Justice"}}

Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

Ph.D. / Assistant Professor Marcin Zaródsociologist

Żerkowska-Balas, Marta

Bio

Tak

Specialization

sociologist and political scientist

Permanent employee

Tak

First and last name

Marta Żerkowska-Balas

Academic degree or title

Ph.D. / Associate Professor

Email

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

City

warszawa

Discipline

political-science-and-public-administration

Position

profesor uczelni

Role in the Faculty

{"funkcja-na-wydziale0":{"Funkcja":"Dean's Representative for the Quality of Education","\u0141\u0105cznik":"at the","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Faculty of Social Sciences in Warsaw"}}

Role in the Department

{"funkcja-w-katedrze0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Department of Politics and Public Policy"}}

Role in the Institute

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Role in the Research Center

{"funkcja-w-centrum0":{"Funkcja":"","\u0141\u0105cznik":"","Nazwa w mianowniku":"Center for the Study of Democracy"}}

Faculty

Array

Institute

Array

Ph.D. / Associate Professor Marta Żerkowska-Balassociologist and political scientist, specializing in theory and practice of democracy

Organizers

Partners

Funding sources

The project is co-funded by the European Union.

Contact

USWPS Office for International Cooperation: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.