Core concepts in European Culture
During the first semester each student acquires a set of key competences (knowledge and skills), which form the foundation of the programme. Students are acquainted with the core issues of trans-, inter- and multiculturality, current political governance, national versus transnational identity and evolving social-political processes. These issues are considered on the basis of 4 core concepts, namely: Communication, Mobility of Citizens, Cooperation and Citizenship. These four concepts form the basis of teaching, learning and assessment within the programme:
(1) Communication: Contact settings, either temporary or permanent, include cultural exchange and the exchange of meaning through communication. “Cultures” themselves are most likely a product of contact situations, at least their conceptualisation and self-awareness. Cultural notions and concepts are subject to change through communication processes, which can be observed at all levels of society. The aim of this conceptual field is to analyse cultural meanings as a variable result of social and cultural interactions, direct or mediated contacts, perceptions and transmissions. It includes the study of media, discourse and the (institutional) settings in which communication takes place.
(2) Cooperation: Cooperating to build a common Europe in the world after the two World Wars was the basic intention behind the EU project. However, cooperation has also been an important matter for relations with non-European areas, in particular within the process of decolonisation. Cooperation is analysed in terms of institutional relations, visions and concepts of integration and interrelation, attitudes and perceptions of shared European and/ or global identities, projects and examples of transnationalism and transculturalism. It covers activities to promote and transfer certain cultural concepts, values and standards or even bureaucratic procedures. Since perceptions of these interventions vary significantly between European and non-European observers this is an indispensable conceptual tool to analyse the sensitivity of cultural issues.
(3) Mobility of Citizens: As a consequence of (forced) migration, tourism and globalisation, individual or group mobility have become a determining factor for the contact settings of European and trans-Europeanrelations. Through concept the focus is placed on the socio-economic processes of Europe’s recent and future changes, including migration cultures, policies of migration and mobility (like “Schengen”), or temporary mobility like travel practices within and outside Europe. These different kinds of mobility have led to fundamental changes in the social composition and the cultural horizons of European societies. Issues such as (ethnic) identities, citizen values or religious attitudes are often discussed in relation to mobility. In all cases cultural perceptions and concepts figure prominently in the policies and practices of mobility contacts.
(4) Active Citizenship: Social cohesion at regional, national and European level requires knowledge and a good understanding of historical developments of the present dynamic society. This requires also insight into its multicultural, social and formalised aspects for its citizens, as well as the rights and duties associated with various conceptions of citizenship. This basic requirement is lacking among many European citizens to a large extent.
Euroculture graduates are expected – in the different functions they will hold – to take leadership in the process of shaping and creating understanding of a European plural society regarding its political, socioeconomic and (multi-) cultural aspects, which is facilitated by means of integrating these core concepts into the curriculum. The integration of the above mentioned core concepts into the programme is structured in the following way:
- A number of shared texts about methodology, concepts and historical/institutional background. These texts are read and discussed by all students;
- A number of examples of European and trans-European relevance. These examples are agreed upon in the curriculum discussions of the network and are shared as topics to be studied by all students;
- Specific regional or national examples taught by each partner university. This makes the integration of the respective profile of each university into the programme possible.
This component of the programme involves seminars and targeted assignments resulting in written and/or oral exams and the preparation of one or more papers and other forms of assessment. The content is tuned yearly by the teaching staff as well as the Management Committee (MC) of the Euroculture network during at least three meetings.
last update: 28.9.2011
