Perspectives on Europe

Beginning with the university research magazine, and continuing through the traditional Hegel Week and Children’s University events, the 2017 summer semester at the University of Bamberg is all about Europe. The occasion is the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region’s Wissenschaftstag (science day) which is being held in Bamberg on 28 July 2017. As the host of the event, the University of Bamberg chose Europe as this year’s topic.

So why is it that this international community is so important to the University of Bamberg? “Europe concerns everyone,” says University President Godehard Ruppert, adding, “Due to our broad spectrum of subjects in the humanities and social sciences, were essentially predestined to question what’s to come, to engage various experts in academic conversation and contribute to the design of scenarios for Europe’s future.” It’s no coincidence that seven of the university’s professorships, an affiliated institute and a competence centre all have Europe in their names.

Bamberg’s multifaceted perspectives on Europe

The thematic programme for the year is particularly wide-ranging. Even the recent Children’s University (Kinder-Uni) event was dedicated to the topic of Europe. The final evening of the Hegel Week (Hegelwoche), which will be held from June 27 to 29, will also address the question of a European identity under the topic “We Europeans”, and this year’s edition of the uni.vers research magazine deals with University of Bamberg scholars’ perspectives on the collection of states know as Europe.

The climax of this thematic year is the Wissenschaftstag itself. It will take place on 28 July in the Bamberg concert and conference hall and the university’s Marcus-Haus. The organisers are particularly pleased to announce a very special guest who will deliver the event’s opening address: Günter Verheugen, the former European Commission vice-president and commissioner, will be in the historic cathedral city to kick off the conference with a talk on the European Union.

A window to the region’s academic expertise

Scholars from the University of Bamberg have assembled four expert panels for discussions on the following topics:
•    Integration and Mobility – Changing Labour Markets
•    Europe’s Heritage – Heritage Conservation in Transition
•    Diversity – Societal Transformation in Europe
•    The Europe of the Future – The Future of Europe?
Each year, the Nuremberg Metropolitan Region’s Wissenschaftstag is organised and hosted by a different university and serves as a forum for academic discussion and networking between all realms of society. The event’s “academic window” format serves to promote an exchange between the sciences, the economic sector, politics and education, with the end goal of facilitating interdisciplinary contact and initiating collaborative endeavours and joint projects.

“We would like to use the Wissenschaftstag and the accompanying package of measures to present the public with the University of Bamberg’s expertise on the topic of Europe,” explains Godehard Ruppert.

Participation in the Wissenschaftstag is free, but it is necessary to register by the 17 July deadline. More information on the event and the official programme and registration form can be found in German at wissenschaftstag.metropolregion.nuernberg.de.