Project results
The flyer summarises the main results of the Jean Monnet Chair's project "Bridging the Gap between the EU and its citizens". The Jean Monnet Chair's project "BridgE" aimed to bridge the gap between the EU and its citizens by supporting an active debate about the EU. Since 2021, a series of focus group discussions have taken place with students of European Studies at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. The flyer provides an overview of
- the reasons for the perceived distance between the EU and its citizens
- the most polarised and influenceable topics in the EU and
- practical recommendations from EU students on how to bridge the gap.
The results are illustrated by quotes from the students in the focus groups. You can download the flyer here.
Online course on the EU
Based on the results of the Jean Monnet Chair "BridgE" and the Jean Monnet Network "Debating Europe", an online course was developed and uploaded to the online academy of the institute inter.research e.V.. This English-language course is available to all students at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the partner universities of the Jean Monnet Network. It offers specialisation in the EU from a citizen's perspective, drawing on insights from focus group discussions. The structure of the course ensures its relevance beyond the project and aims to provide background knowledge on the EU as well as support ongoing EU-related activities and knowledge transfer. It is aimed at both current and future students and supports continuous learning and engagement.
The link to the online course: elearning.hs-fulda.de/sk/course/view.php
Closing event
"Bridging the Gap between the EU and Its Citizens?!"
On 11 and 12 September 2023, the conference "Bridging the Gap between the EU and Its Citizens?!" took place together with the final event of the Jean Monnet Chair "Bridging the Gap between the EU and Its Citizens?!" under the direction of Prof. Dr Claudia Wiesner at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences. The conference focussed on the question of what causes the distance between the EU institutions and EU citizens. Three public courses were organised as part of the conference. Recordings of these courses can be accessed via the following links.
Roundtable: Bridging the Gap Between the EU and Its Citizens
On 12 September at 17:00, at the degree of the Jean Monnet Chair "Bridging the Gap between the EU and Its Citizens", representatives from political practice discussed the distance between the EU and its citizens and ways for the EU to get closer to its citizens. The panellists were Thomas Berger for Europe Direct, Peter Schaub for Europa-Union and Marianne Müller for Pulse of Europe, as well as Muriel Pluschke, PhD student at Fulda University of Applied Sciences. For more information and access to the discussion, please click on the link https:/vimeo.com/865984138.
Roundtable: Democracy, Citizens, and Europe
On 12 September at 09:30 Claudia Wiesner from the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Virginie van Ingelgom from UC Louvain and Cecile Robert from Sciences Po Lyon presented their research findings on the topic "Citizens, Democracy, and Europe". For more information and access to the discussion, please click on the link https://vimeo.com/865965711.
Roundtable: EU Student and the EU
The interim results of the Jean Monnet Network "Debating Europe"(www.debating-europe.de) were presented on 11 September at 18:00. The members of the Jean Monnet Network "Debating Europe" discussed: Claudia Wiesner from the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, Cecile Robert from Sciences Po Lyon, Willy Beauvallet from the Univerité de Lyon II, Ana Matan from the University of Zagreb, Meta Novak from the University of Ljubljana, Niilo Kauppi and Kim Zilliacus from the University of Helsinki, and Rzha Smilova from the Centre for Liberal Strategies. For more information and access to the discussion, please click on the link https://vimeo.com/865990110.
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030545444
Rethinking Politicisation in Politics, Sociology and International relations
Edited by Claudia Wiesner
The European Central Bank between Financial Crisis and Populisms
Corrado Macchiarelli, Mara Monti, Claudia Wiesner and Sebastian Diessner
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783030443474
On 1 September 2020, the European Committee approved a Jean Monnet Network for Prof. Dr Wiesner. The funding amount is 300,000 euros, plus 75,622.16 euros in co-financing from the participating universities.
The project supports a research project with co-operation partners from six EU countries: Germany, France, Croatia, Slovenia, Denmark and Finland. The inter.research institute at the university is also represented by Thomas Berger and Markus Feßler. Other project participants are: Prof. Dr Cecile Robert (Sciences Po Lyon), Dr Willy Beauvallet (Université de Lyon II), Prof. Dr Igor Vidačak; Prof. Dr Ana Matan, Prof. Dr Tonči Kursar (University of Zagreb); Prof. Dr Damjan Lajh; Prof. Dr Danica Fink Hafner; Prof. Dr Meta Novak (University of Ljubljana); Prof. Dr Niilo Kauppi (Helsinki University); Dr Laura Landorff (Aalborg University).
In 18 focus group discussions with citizens, the researchers will analyse and compare the reasons for criticism of the EU. In addition, there will be numerous publication and media activities and a targeted dialogue with citizens and decision-makers.
Founded in 2021, the Point Alpha Research Institute (PARI) is a cooperation between the Point Alpha Foundation of the city of Geisa, Fulda University of Applied Sciences and the University of Erfurt. It is supported by the Thuringian State Chancellery. PARI is an inter- and transdisciplinary research institute that conducts and supports research in three areas:
- The Cold War and its impact on the present
- Border Studies
- Democracy and the global order
PARI brings together junior and senior scholars in the social and cultural sciences, manages research projects, organises symposia, conferences and workshops, and offers doctoral, post-doctoral and senior fellowships as well as conference scholarships. PARI also organises public discussion events. PARI is active in citizen science and aims to support exchange and debate between researchers, politicians and citizens.
Practising Transnational Politics (PATRAPO) is a project led by researchers from the Fulda University of Applied Sciences, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the University of Zagreb as well as the associated partner Mac Ewan University, Edmonton. The aim of the project is to develop freely accessible transnational teaching kits and a manual for online blended learning seminars that train students for attendance at United Nations Model Simulations (MUN).
Based on previous experience in both MUN and EU projects, the partners will jointly develop, set up and implement the following elements at their universities, to be delivered on an annual basis:
- a teaching package for preparatory joint blended MUN training seminars (1st semester of each academic year) at all participating facilities, including: syllabuses, seminar plans, material, content, explanations, organisation and training video collection.
- a teaching package for joint blended MUN seminars or analogue MUN seminars (2nd semester of each academic year), including: procedures, technical solutions, organisational advice and detailed description of "how-to".
- a manual with instructions (intellectual property of the partners) and user notes for third parties for the two teaching kits.
- four short training courses for staff: the project is a learning system that also comprises further education for teaching staff.
- Mixed student mobility supports attendance at virtual and analogue MUNs.
Students, doctoral candidates and professors from six countries and four continents are taking part in the "Transnational Governance and Human Rights" project. The project will expand the international network of the Department of Social and Cultural Sciences at Fulda University of Applied Sciences and establish lasting partnerships by the end of 2024. To this end, the department has successfully acquired funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in the amount of one million euros from the Fachhochschule.International (HAW.International) scholarship programme. The project supports a variety of exchange programmes with six selected partner universities globally. These include the State University of New York (SUNY) in Cortland, USA, MacEwan University in Edmonton, Canada, the German-Jordanian University in Amman, Jordan, Birzeit University near Ramallah in Palestine, Sciences Po Toulouse in southern France and University College London (UCL), UK. In addition, collaboration between research and practice will be strengthened and the "Fulda Centre for Transnational Governance" will be founded, which will include the MUN activities in Fulda. In addition to the internationalisation of university studies and Teaching, the project focuses on the development of an international research environment at Fulda University of Applied Sciences.
www.centreoftransnationalgovernance.de/
The Fulda Centre of Transnational Governance (CoG) aims to transfer knowledge between academia and political practice, building on the Anglo-Saxon tradition of research and its "schools of governance". It cooperates with experts, politicians and representatives of international and supranational organisations as well as business enterprises, NGOs and think tanks - from representatives of the European Committee, the European Parliament and the Hessian State Representation to the EU to chambers of foreign trade and enterprises.
The Fulda Centre of Transnational Governance bundles, systematises and professionalises these international cooperations and organises a course and research programme, guest lectures and workshops by and with practitioners from transnational institutions. The international guests will be involved in teaching and research. Presentations and workshops are planned in analogue and digital formats. Activities include curriculum-relevant field trips (e.g. to Brussels, Luxembourg and Berlin), guest lectures and teaching and research stays (incoming and outgoing). In addition, the centre is involved in the attendance of international simulation games of the United Nations ("Model United Nations", MUN) under the leadership of the PATRAPO project, which is to be continued and further developed.
Prof. Dr. Claudia Wiesner Vice Dean for Research and International Affairs / Jean Monnet Chair
Political Science with a focus on European Integration