24. 2. 2017
Navzdory destabilizující se situaci ve středovýchodní Evropě se rozhodla univerzita v belgické Lovani (Leuvenu) zlikvidovat tamější obor středo- a východoevropských studií. Bez konzultace s kýmkoliv byl tento bakalářský a magisterský studijní obor zrušen v prosinci 2016. Kdo by se zajímal o nějakou střední či východní Evropu a o to, co se tam děje, že?
Petice, kterou můžete podepsat, vyzývá univerzitu, aby své rozhodnutí změnila a studium středovýchodní Evropy obnovila:
https://www.change.org/p/ontdek-jezelf-begin-bij-west-europa-save-ku-leuven-s-slavonic-eastern-european-studies
Save KU Leuven's Slavonic and Eastern European Studies
In December 2016, the Faculty of Arts at KU Leuven decided to freeze, or in other words, suspend, the bachelor and masters degrees in Slavonic and Eastern European Studies because of "faculty recovery measures".
This is a choice that seems difficult to understand in the light of the societal relevance of the discipline in the current geopolitical situation. The same applies to the other small and not so small disciplines being subjected to budgetary cuts as well..
Moreover, the budgetary measures were implemented without consulting any of the parties involved. Given the exemplary role university is to play in society, we were dissapointed by KU Leuven’s undemocratic and non-transparent position during and after this decision-making process.
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We should consider how we could safeguard the further existence of disciplines that do not prove efficient from a market logic perspective, but do nonetheless produce valuable knowledge and expertise.
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With this petition, we would like to advocate for reconsidering the suspension of Slavonic and Eastern European Studies at KU Leuven and encourage a democratic and transparent discussion on the topic, during which justifications and financial figures would be made available for open discussion. In this way, an attempt could be made to reach a more widely supported alternative.
