The report presents theoretical framework of relationships between terrorist organisations and media, and it describes them as an interactive modelling of a message. It introduces the concept of mediatisation of terrorism, and it offers a definition of this process. Moreover, the report develops it with six theoretical hypotheses related to: influence of media on selection of terrorists’ targets, adaptation of an act of terror to the ‘logic of media communication’, personalisation of terrorism and celebritisation of terrorists, creation of biased and oversimplified stereotypes, transformation of terrorist objectives into catch-phrases, as well as a role of political violence in agenda-setting of main news broadcasts. The presented concept will be verified in the ongoing comprehensive, quantitative-and-qualitative study on mediatisation of terrorism in American television, that will investigate the process between September 11, 2001 and the Boston Marathon Bombing in 2013. 

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The Scientific Conference under the name “Świnoujście LNG Terminal and the energy security of the region and Poland” was held at the Institute of Political and European Studies in Szczecin on 13th-14th November 2013. The Conference was attended by many eminent scientists and practitioners from all over Poland. Employees of inter alia AGH University of Science and Technology, Warsaw University, Jagiellonian University, Graduate School of Humanities and Journalism, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan, Western Institute and University of Wroclaw were present. Lack of experience in the execution of such investments in Poland and lack of national legislation adapted to the task required preparation and introduction of new laws and organizational solutions. Adopting the relevant legislation was treated as a priority by the Polish government and it helped to improve energy security and intensify the development of the Polish gas market. The location of the Świnoujście Terminal LNG in the Baltic Sea will provide the possibility of importing LNG from anywhere in the world and the distribution to operators in the country. The adoption of such solutions will be a viable diversifi cation of gas resources. This is important from the point of view of strategic Polish interests.

The Third Polish Conference of Chairs and Departments of Political Systems was held in the Palace in Ostromecko near Bydgoszcz on April 3 – 4. This time this event was organized by the Chair of the Political System of the Republic of Poland of the Faculty of Political Sciences and International Studies at the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń in cooperation with The Fund for International Cooperation Support n.a. Professor Czesław Mojsiewicz, Adam Marszałek Publishing House, and Eastern Studies Center. The event was held under the scientific patronage of the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń and Polish Political Science Association, while PiK Radio provided media patronage. Prof. Danuta Plecka (NCU) acted head of science, while Zuzanna Osmólska, MA, Katarzyna Miętkiewicz, MA and Paweł Jaroniak, MA were secretaries during the conference. The organizers suggested “Citizen and His Role in Shaping the Political System” as main theme of this year’s meeting. The plan of the conference included two lectures of valued experts on political systems theory and discussions. Among the speakers were the outstanding experts on the subject matter: Prof. Andrzej Antoszewski from the University of Wrocław and Prof. Tadeusz Godlewski from the Nicolaus Copernicus University. However, among participants were representatives of almost all university centres in Poland dealing with political systems. Amongst nearly fifty guests were scientists from the University of Warsaw, the University of Gdańsk, the University of Wrocław, the University of Silesia in Katowice, the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, the University of Łódź, the Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, the University of Rzeszów, the University of Zielona Góra, the Kazimierz Wielki University, the University of Szczecin, the Pedagogical University of Cracow, the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, the Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw, and, of course, the Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń.

W dniu 19 października w ramach szerszego projektu „Demokracja współczesna – wymiar polski i międzynarodowy” w Uniwersytecie Ekonomicznym w Krakowie odbyła się Międzynarodowa

Konferencja Naukowa „Współpraca demokratycznych krajów Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej z Federacją Rosyjską: nowe wyzwania”. Konferencję zorganizowała Katedra Nauk Politycznych UEK we współpracy z Fundacją Wsparcia Dyplomacji Publicznej im. M.A.M. Gorczakowa, Instytutem Europy Rosyjskiej Akademii Nauk i Fundacją GAP. Wsparcia konferencji udzieliło także Centrum Polsko-Rosyjskiego Dialogu i Porozumienia. Podczas konferencji prowadzono dyskusje w następujących obszarach:

• nowe uwarunkowanie geopolityczne a poszukiwanie współpracy między Rosją i krajami Europy Środkowo-Wschodniej;
• nowe podejście do analizy stanu stosunków Rosja–Europa Środkowo-Wschodnia;
• nowe wyzwania dla współpracy gospodarczej Rosji i krajów Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej;
• wpływ gospodarki, polityki, kultury i historii na poziom współpracy krajów EŚW i Rosji.

It is already the third time when the International Scientifi c Conference has taken place in Torun, attended by more than 100 scholars from all scientific centres as well as several participants from abroad. The initiator and scientific manager of all so far conferences has been dr Joanna Marszałek-Kawa, assistant director of the Faculty of Political Sciences of Nicolaus Copernicus University. The conference was arranged by the Asia – Pacific Society and the Faculty of Political Sciences, Faculty of International Studies of Nicolaus Copernicus University and Polish-Chinese Friendship Society.

From 20 to 21 April 2009, in the cinema room of the Town Hall in Toruń, there was a two-day National Academic Conference entitled “Local Government: What it Should be Like?”. The conference was organised by the Institute of Political Studies at the University of Nicolaus Copernicus (UMK). The session’s initiator, as well as the academic director, was Prof. PhD (Prof. Dr Hab.) Alfred Lutrzykowski, a specialist and an expert of the subject of local governments. The organiser of the session chose as his main goal to explain the idea of local government in a state, as well as to define the direction of local governments development in Poland and in the world. Local government is an important and inseparable element, which decides about the level of democracy of both society and the state. It constitutes an arena, on which both smaller and bigger interests of various social groups are defined, but it is also an area in which the interests can be fully presented.

On the 21st and 22nd of May 2009, an International Scientific Conference "The Faces of Asian Statehood. Civilization, Cultural, Political, Legal and Economic Aspects" was held in Toruń, Poland. The event took place thanks to the joint initiative of the Asia and Paci! c Society and its Chairman Adam Marszałek – the main organizing institution, Institute of Political Science & Institute of International Relations – University of Nicolaus Copernicus, Toruń, Poland, as well as local (President of Toruń) and regional (Marshal of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region) authorities. Joanna Marszałek- -Kawa was the Scientific Manager of the sessions. Members of the Organizing Committee include also Lucyna Osińska, Robert Gawłowski, Joanna Modrzyńska and Mariusz Popławski.

In spring 2005 I received an invitation from the US Department of State to visit the USA. Under an international research project International Visitor Leadership Program I took part in more than 70 different appointments, panel discussions, conferences and lectures. My stay was an individual and open one which means that it was arranged for a single person and several months in advance I was able to indicate the towns, universities and institutions I would like to visit and name the persons I would like to meet. The stay was also arranged in a way that provided me with an opportunity to become well acquainted with the United States both through the perspective of US cities (such as New York, Boston and Seattle), middle-sized towns (e.g. Buff alo and Indianapolis) and US provinces. The differences are by no means trivial both with respect to sizes and infrastructure as well as cultural and moral aspects. Diff erences may also be observed when comparing the East and West Coast. The complete itinerary of my visit included Washington – Hartford – Buffalo – Chicago – Indianapolis – Bloomington – Minneapolis – Seattle – Boston – New York.

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