Building Bridges Through Education: A Week of Learning at KNU-FAU Summer School 2024
From July 22 to 26, 2024, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) hosted a one-week Summer School entitled “State Building in (Post)War Reality” in close cooperation with its Ukrainian partner university, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU).
Held for the second consecutive year with the support of German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Summer School provided a platform for rich cultural and educational exchange, fostering deeper understanding and cooperation among students from different backgrounds. This year’s initiative attracted 17 students from KNU, FAU and Istanbul Technical University (Turkey) representing a wide range of disciplines including International Law, International Relations, International Communication, World Economics and International Economic Relations, Political Science, Law, Psychology, Medical Process Management, Physical Geography, Autonomous Technologies, and Electrical Engineering. The KNU-FAU Summer School 2024 has given a significant contribution to the development of the KNU-FAU Learning, Innovation, Science Alliance.
During the week, students had the opportunity to attend sessions that explored the various aspects of democracy building in war and post-war contexts. These sessions included lectures and discussions held in person, facilitating open dialogue between students and professors from FAU and KNU. Notably, this year, two professors from a Ukrainian partner university travelled to Erlangen to support the Summer School and enhance bilateral cooperation. Consequently, the students benefited from sessions led by the following esteemed speakers, who have not only theoretical but also significant practical knowledge:
- Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Heiner Bielefeldt (FAU): The Political Potential of a Human Rights-Based Democracy
- Prof. Dr. Jürgen Kähler (FAU): Ukraine’s Monetary and Exchange Rate Policy During and After the War
- Prof. Dr. Vadym Popko (KNU): Global Impact of the Local Self-Government Organisations in Post-War Reality
- Dr. Yevhen Popko (KNU): The Role of Sport and Sports Law in Peace Building and Post-War Reality
- Prof. Dr. Moritz Florin (FAU): Teaching and Researching Ukrainian and Eastern European History in Germany. Before and After the Full-Scale Invasion
- Prof. Dr. Benjamin Jörissen and Dr. Tanja Klepacki (FAU): “Cultural Resilience” as Collective Transformative Learning: Resourcefulness, Belonging, and Resistance
The Summer School participants also had the privilege of attending a lecture by Dr. Mykola Gnatovsky, Judge of the European Court of Human Rights in respect of Ukraine, titled “The European Court of Human Rights Helping Ukraine Become a Strong European State.” Following the lecture, participants engaged in a Q&A session with Dr. Gnatovsky, allowing for an in-depth discussion and further insights.
For the second year running, the KNU-FAU Summer School was supported by the International Nuremberg Principles Academy (INPA). Despite the coincidence of the programme with the Nuremberg Moot Court, INPA Project Officer Dr. Pablo Gavira Diaz and INPA Senior Project Officer Kiran Menon were among the distinguished speakers. They led the following informative sessions, which engaged the students deeply and served as a base for further project work:
- Dr. Pablo Gavira Diaz: The Protection of Cultural Property under International Criminal Law
- Kiran Mohandas Menon: Transitional Justice and Nuremberg Legacy
Moreover, two Ukrainian NGOs joined the Summer School programme to enrich the students’ learning experience. Speakers included representatives from Center for Civil Liberties, a 2022 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, and Regional Center for Human Rights, a 2024 Democracy Award Laureate. Students engaged with Oleksandra Romantsova, who spoke on the “Importance of Human Rights in Overcoming the Consequences of War”, and Kateryna Rashevska, who discussed “Cognitive De-Occupation and Reintegration of the Liberated Territories of Ukraine”.
A key component of the Summer School was the group work activity where students participated in four interactive sessions on podcast recording and editing led by Thomas Bauernschmitt, Head of the Broadcasting Studio at FAU. Under his expert guidance, four groups successfully produced podcasts on topics related to the Summer School agenda. You can listen to the result here:
Podcast 1. Methods of Countering and Preventing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ukraine and Post-Conflict States by Anna Kryzhanivska (KNU), Daryna Kudrenko (KNU), Kateryna Kot (KNU), Yuliia Horbach (KNU)
Podcast 2. Cultural Heritage Preservation and Democratic Stability by Alisa Kozhukhalova (KNU), Borys Subotenko (KNU), Akin Kiliç (ITÜ), Olexandr Ferbei (KNU)
Podcast 3. Justice for Ukraine: Establishing a Special Tribunal for Russian Crime of Aggression against Ukraine by Kateryna Strilets (KNU), Yuliia Shevel (KNU), Marharyta Maliar (KNU), Viktoriia Holovnia (FAU)
Podcast 4. War on Nature: Tracing Ukraine’s Reality by Sarah Feldmann (FAU), Daryna Romanovska (KNU), Sofiia Shylko (KNU), Marcel Wilfert (FAU), Lorenz Finn Eberhard (FAU)
The students concluded the Summer School with a cultural program in Nuremberg, which included guided tours of the Memorium Nuremberg Trials and the Street of Human Rights.
The Summer School Organising Committee would like to express its sincere gratitude to the esteemed speakers from FAU, KNU, and the International Nuremberg Principles Academy, as well as to representatives of civil society for their tremendous support. We also extend our thanks to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) for providing us with the opportunity to organize the Summer School. We hope that the students will use the knowledge gained during the Summer School in their research and professional careers.
Project “State Building in (Post)War Reality” funded by DAAD.
Further information:
FAU PACT4Ukraine Team
fau4ukraine@fau.de
