What do human rights mean in different social and cultural contexts? And what are the different scientific perspectives on the current challenges? These were the questions considered by 24 Bachelor’s students from five central and eastern European countries in the summer school “Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Human Rights” held at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU).
Over the course of a week, the participants got to grips with fundamental issues and current challenges in the area of human rights. The program combined lectures and workshops with interactive formats and excursions. It became clear just how varied the subject area actually is. The content ranged from discrimination, to the benefits of human rights education, to migration, language rights and digital security.
Human rights in focus: European students at FAU
The Summer School brought students from different disciplines together with researchers, some of whom conduct research at the Cluster of Excellence “Transforming Human Rights” at FAU. The program covered a number of areas in which human rights currently play a major role: from climate justice to academic freedom in authoritarian political systems as well as more hand-on formats such as workshops and interactive presentations.
From Erlangen to Bayreuth and Nuremberg
The program included excursions to Bayreuth and Nuremberg. The Summer School focused not only on academic exchange, but also on providing opportunities for intercultural encounters and international networking. Students with different academic backgrounds entered into conversations with each other, shared experiences and developed new perspectives on current human rights issues. During the excursions, students gained insights into the human rights landscape in the region and into academic institutions that deal with the topic.
In Bayreuth, the students visited the University of Bayreuth and took a closer look at regional human rights systems. The program also included a tour of the Margravial Opera House.
During the excursion to Nuremberg, the participants gained insights into the Master’s degree program in Human Rights and explored the Street of Human Rights. The summer school connected academic approaches to exploring human rights with visits to various locations and institutions in the region.
The summer school was made possible thanks to funding from the Bavarian Academic Center for Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (BAYHOST) and to collaboration between several faculties at FAU, the FAU Research Center for Human Rights Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU CHREN) and the University of Bayreuth.
Participants’ views
Carmel Pyszkowska
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznán (Poland)
“I didn’t only learn a lot from the lectures and workshops, I also met a lot of great people from different countries, who I intend staying in contact with for a long time to come.”
Yuliia Shevel
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv (Ukraine)
“The program covered very many different aspects of human rights. Before the summer school, I didn’t realize just how diverse this field actually is. A great experience that will also benefit me in my future career.”
Ewaryst Kowalczyk
Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznán (Poland)
“I found the practical workshops really fascinating. For example, we analyzed how to combat disinformation and carried out a simulation on climate change. Those were my favorite parts of the program.”
Contact
Elzbieta Garza
Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Theology
Administrative staff