2016 Human Science Summer School in Fukuoka

The Human Science International Course in the Graduate School of Design, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan, invites Graduate School students studying outside of Japan to the 2016 Human Science Summer School. Those of you eligible and interested in the education of our International Course are encouraged to apply. We offer financial support and course credits, as well as course education and laboratory experience.

The Human Science Summer School provides a program consisting of 15 lectures of 90 min in combination with research experience at a laboratory of a faculty member of your choosing (afternoons). The lecture course, Advanced Design and Technologies for Human Science, is designed as an overview of the whole curriculum of the Human Science International Course.

Eligibility

In order to be considered eligible to apply, you must fulfill all of the following criteria:

• Graduate School students of universities/institutes outside Japan;
• Those who are interested in education and research of our Human Science International Course;
• Those with sufficient English capability to follow 15 lectures and do laboratory work;
• Those who can get a recommendation from their current supervisor.

Scholarships

• Full or partial support is provided for an economy-class air ticket to and from Japan, accommodation, and meals. The total amount may vary among participants, taking account of the participants’ total amount of air fares,the available budget, and whether you have support from your university or not;
• You will stay at a dormitory room with a kitchenette and free LAN.

Please note that Undergraduate or Doctoral students cannot apply.

How to apply?

Application documents:

1. An application form;
2. A recommendation letter from your supervisor;
3. Transcript of your academic record (BA and MA, if available);
4. A letter of motivation in English, (800 words, describing why you are interested in joining the Summer School transcript of your academic record (BA and MA, if available)).

Please send the above 4 application documents (in .pdf) by e-mail to Ass. Prof. Gerard Remijn at: remijn@design.kyushu-u.ac.jp latest by 13 June 2016, 17:00 JST (Japan Standard Time).

For more information, please visit the official website.

World Forum for Democracy 2016

Education and democracy: how to bridge the social divides? Strasbourg, 7-9 November 2016.

Education is central to democratic societies. Schools, universities, civil society organisations and other learning institutions should encourage the acquisition and practice of values and skills which are essential for democracy.

However, the economic crisis and unemployment have lead many countries to focus education mostly on preparing learners for the labour market. Education is instrumental for community-building, social cohesion and a sense of belonging to society. In today’s increasingly diverse, interdependent societies, the capacity to engage across cultural and other differences and transcend a narrow understanding of a national interest in order to address the common challenges for humanity, is becoming crucial. Is it possible to build upon successful innovative initiatives from across the world to strengthen the democratic mission of education?

The World Forum for Democracy 2016 will focus on how education can help bridge the social divide and become a real asset for our diverse democracies. The Forum will analyse the impact of education systems on democracy and identify innovative initiatives and practices which can make education (both formal and non-formal) more democracy-centred, and critically assess their potential to trigger systemic change. It will focus on the issue of how education can become better at nurturing citizens as active members of society who engage in public space – and how grassroots innovation can be enhanced to promote change in education practice on a greater scale. The Forum will discuss not only what Education can do for Democracy but also what Democracy can do for Education.

The World Forum for Democracy is a platform for dialogue and innovation dedicated to democracy which promotes the Council of Europe principles across the world. A unique event of its kind, it deals with challenges facing democracy taking as a starting point innovative initiatives and practice, and fostering debate between different actors in order to find SOLUTIONS. The Forum highlights and encourages democratic innovation to strengthen the foundations of democratic societies. A democratic exercise in itself, the Forum aims at giving the people – demos – their rightful place in political decision-making. It thus contributes to the evolution of democracy towards more participatory and inclusive structures and institutions.

The labs are the heart of the World Forum for Democracy. Their idea is to address specific issues through the critical analysis of tested initiatives. The initiatives will be presented in short speeches of ten minutes and critically assessed by multidisciplinary panels and participants in the labs. Cartoonists will illustrate the sessions live. The key conclusions and lessons learnt from the labs will be discussed in a summing up session in order to prepare the overall conclusions for the Forum.

Interested organisations/institutions worldwide are invited to express their interest in presenting an example/initiative to make education more democracy-centred or to revitalise democracy through education, by answering the questionnaire in the appendix and sending it to forum_democracy@coe.intby 15 May 2016. The World Forum Task Force will select the most interesting and relevant proposals in June 2016.

One presenter for the selected initiatives will be invited to Strasbourg to take part in the World Forum. Funded places are available. Any public or private organisation is eligible to apply.

Online registration for the Forum will open in September. The Forum is open to the public and participation is free of charge.

For further information about the World Forum for Democracy 2016, please visit the following websites:

www.world-forum-democracy.org

www.facebook.com/wfdemocracy