Caucasus International University
Educational Project – “What the Black Sea Says”
The educational competition – “What the Black Sea Says” - is an event dedicated to the International Black Sea Day. The competition is announced for the first time this year by Caucasus International University with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science. International Black Sea Day has been celebrated on October 31 every year for the last twenty-five years. It was founded in 1996 with the signing of the Strategic Action Plan for the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea by the six countries of the Black Sea Basin - Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, Georgia, Russia and Ukraine.
- The aim of the event is to help students better understand the importance of the Black Sea in terms of both the economic policy and foreign relations of Georgia, to get acquainted with the scientific issues related to the Black Sea and interpretations of the Black Sea community in Georgian mythology, literature and art. The project will develop participants’ research, thinking, communication and collaboration skills in a competitive environment; Facilitate contact between schools and higher education institutions; Get acquainted with the activities of the university on a large scale and jointly organize future educational projects.
The competition is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the International Black Sea Day.
The educational competition consists of 2 sections (a contestant must choose only one section):
- Journalism;
- Essay writing.
10th, 11th and 12th grade students from all public and private schools throughout Georgia can participate in the project.
The contestant must select only one section, fill in the form and send it together with the competition materials to the following e-mail: schoolprojects@ciu.edu.ge
Form - Journalism Section – “What the Black Sea Says”
Form - Essay writing – “What the Black Sea SayS” (“My Homeland is a Maritime Country”)
Journalism Section
(“What the Black Sea Says”)
- The aim of the contestant participating in the journalism section is to prepare a scientific-popular format video on the Black Sea and any related topic, which will demonstrate the contestant’s analytical vision and research skills. The contestant is also not limited in his/her choice of genre. Video timing should not exceed 3 minutes.
Group work is allowed (maximum 2 pupils);
- The story submitted by the contestant, depending on the theme of the contest, should be related to the Black Sea, any issue related to the Black Sea (people, events, circumstances). In order to love the sea and see its function and the events around it, it is not necessary to be a sailor;
- If you do not live in a seaside town or have never seen the sea, the competition material can be prepared on an interesting story, legend, history, tradition, etc. related to the sea. (The sea seen with your own eyes);
- The life of people living in coastal regions is interesting. The story may relate to the daily life, customs, traditions, etc. of people living in coastal regions;
- There is another important historical-political aspect - part of the Black Sea is lost to Georgia today due to the well-known events in Abkhazia. Therefore, the competition material prepared on this topic is relevant.
- The sea also has inhabitants. The video of the story made in this direction may be partially non-original (not shot by the author).
* Video recording can be made by any technologies.
Stages:
• Registration and submission of video material: September 1-7.
• Review and selection of works by the committee: September 8-17.
• Presentation of the works which moved to the II stage (via online platform Zoom) and identification of the winners (I, II, III places): September 18.
Evaluation criteria:
The video submitted by a contestant is evaluated by the jury on a ten-point scale, according to the following criteria:
- Study of the issue: how deeply the issue is researched / discussed - 2 points;
- Understanding the issue: how obvious is a contestant’s scientific understanding of the issue and how well are the contestant’s research / analytical skills visible - 2 points;
- How understandable, interesting, the work is for the viewer - 2 points;
- Significance of the topic- 2 points;
- Creative vision: how original, creative, valuable the work is from a creative point of view - 2 points.
The contestant should use the information and videos spread on the Internet to a minimum; The presentation must indicate the literature used and Internet resources.
Scientific-Popular Essay Section
(“What the Black Sea Says” – “My Homeland is a Maritime Country”)
The aim of the contestant in the essay section is to prepare a scientific-popular essay on the topic of the Black Sea, which will present the contestant’s analytical vision and research skills. The essay must be 3-5 pages of A4 format (font size 12).
Topics:
- The Black Sea as the main artery of Georgia’s foreign relations, economy and trade;
- Black Sea coast as an important source of development of Georgian tourism;
- Abkhazia – Georgia’s pain / history and pride;
- Black Sea themes in mythology, literature and art (myth of “Argonauts”, Otar Chiladze’s “One Man was Walking on the Road”, Nodar Dumbadze’s “HELLADOS”, etc.).
Stages:
- Registration and submission of essays: September 1-7;
- Review and selection of essays by the committee: September 8-17;
- Presentation of the essays which moved to the II stage (via online platform Zoom) and identification of the winners (I, II, III places): September 19.
The contestant chooses one of the proposed topics; Evaluates the importance of the Black Sea in the context of Georgia’s economy and foreign relations, the potential for tourism development and reasonably analyzes specific myths or works of art.
Evaluation criteria:
The essays submitted by a contestant is evaluated by the jury on a ten-point scale, according to the following criteria:
- Reasoning and logical thinking - 2 points;
- Knowing the history and important information about the Black Sea - 2 points;
- Scientific-analytical reasoning, providing evidence, parallels and arguments - 2 points;
- Essay composition and adequacy - 2 points;
- Essay language and style - 2 points.
The contestant should use the information and videos spread on the Internet to a minimum; The presentation must indicate the literature used and Internet resources.
