European Culture: Between Humanities Education and the Job Market – Reflections and Perspectives

On Thursday 4 and Friday 5 July, the Archiginnasio Library and Palazzo Hercolani will host students, alumni, professors, and technical-administrative staff from the eight partner universities of the international curriculum in European Literary Cultures (CLE), coordinated by the University of Bologna as part of the Erasmus Mundus Master’s Degree in Italian Studies and European Literary Cultures.

These two public meetings will feature guests from Dakar, Lisbon, Mulhouse, and Mumbai, sparking reflections on European cultural identity in dialogue with humanities professionals.

The first meeting, scheduled for 3 pm on 4 July in the Stabat Mater Hall of the Archiginnasio Municipal Library (Piazza Galvani, 1 – Bologna), will open with speeches by Antonio Parenti, Representative of the European Commission in Italy, and Anna Lisa Boni, Councillor for International Relations of the Municipality of Bologna. Following this, Ute Heidmann, a comparatist from the University of Lausanne, will present her reflections on the plurality and interaction of European-language literatures and will introduce a new comparative method. Antonietta Sanna, a French studies scholar from the University of Pisa, will then discuss a historical moment in Europe when intellectuals aided politics and committed themselves to the formation of a European society of the spirit.
A round table discussion will follow, featuring coordinators from the non-European partner universities of the CLE consortium and a former student who is now a professor. They will share their views on European culture, moderated by Roberto Vecchi, Vice Rector for Teaching and Education at the University of Bologna.

The relationship between humanistic education and the job market will be the focus of the meeting on Friday 5 July, starting at 9:30 am in the Sala Poeti of Palazzo Hercolani (Strada Maggiore, 45 - Bologna). This session will feature alumni and some associated partners of the consortium who work in professional fields favoured by CLE graduates, including research, publishing, non-fiction writing, and cultural promotion.

What new professions have emerged in recent years? How are the skills acquired during university studies applicable in the job market? What is the value of a humanistic education? These are some of the questions that will be addressed