The 42nd edition of the Summer Courses sets out to arouse your curiosity for learning more
- The Summer Courses are a meeting point for all stakeholders in society and citizens in general.
- Young people will have a wide range of Summer Courses specially aimed at them, at a reduced price.
- With the aim of debating about the challenges faced by society, themes such as transformative social economy, human rights, education and the future of languages, culture and art, the current challenges facing young people, quality of life, sustainability, and digitalization and artificial intelligence will be analysed.
- The Summer Courses increasingly disseminate knowledge through participative and experiential models.
The 42nd edition of the Summer Courses was presented today in Bilbao. Gorka Moreno, Vice-rector of the Bizkaia Campus of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Laura Poderoso, Deputy Director of Fundación BBVA, and Itziar Alkorta, Academic Director of the Summer Courses, announced the content of this year’s edition.
Enlighten your mind, take sides with knowledge
People have never been as connected as they are now, nor have we been able to access knowledge so easily. Nevertheless, disinformation has crept into our lives surreptitiously, almost without realising it. In the face of such an avalanche of content it is difficult to be discerning, and filtering the true from the false is tricky. Learning requires an effort, and it is easier to let oneself be carried along with the flow rather than making one’s own decisions.
As a Foundation that works to disseminate knowledge, we are experiencing the social phenomenon of disinformation at close quarters. Faced with this enormous challenge, we encourage people to ask questions and think hard about the answers they come up with. Through the Summer Courses we want to help generate critical thinking that will enlighten the future. So, we propose that we light up our minds to take sides with knowledge.
The Summer Courses are a meeting point for citizens and all stakeholders in society
We have programmed 152 Summer Courses this year. Most of the presence-based courses will be held in our centres in Donostia-San Sebastián, Bilbao and Vitoria-Gasteiz, although we will also be present in Navarre and Nouvelle Aquitaine. The option of participating online will also be available.
As for the methodology, more and more courses use participative methodologies; this year, more than 20 will offer this modality.
Our courses are aimed at everyone: academics, scientists, entrepreneurs, professionals, representatives and employees from the Administration, social stakeholders, different generations…, but this year we have programmed content that is specially aimed at young people to attract them to the Summer Courses.
Based on the challenges faced by society nowadays, in this edition the Summer Courses will cover a very wide range of subjects/themes. We will place the emphasis on the following challenges, with art and culture being more present than ever in our programme.
In 2023 Donostia-San Sebastián will become the capital of the European Social Economy. To coincide with this status, we have prepared a wide range of courses on Transformative Social Economy.
In this summer’s edition we will present a variety of economic models with the aim of boosting the career development and well-being of professionals in general. There will be courses on social accounting, showcasing experiences of companies in which workers hold a stake; the key factors in the new economic and financial culture of small and medium-sized companies will be debated, and the latest science and technology applied to the industrial development of Euskadi will be presented, among other things.
This year, special attention will be paid to the younger generation. There will be several Summer Courses for them: for example, they could take a sea trip on the training ship Saltillo for a few days to learn about maritime sustainability and navigation; a course on the benefits of learning to surf, or another on the importance of soccer as a tool for social transformation. There will also be courses on sexology and the influence of music in society.
To help this age group to participate, young people up to 25 years of age will have a special price of 25 euros per course if they enrol before May 31st.
As well as the courses aimed at young people, there will also be a wide range of others in which we will discuss the challenges facing this age group. These courses will analyse the adaptation of youth to the new challenges, opportunities and difficulties that arise for them. Themes such as new models of rented public housing, cyberviolence, the benefits -and injuries- involved in practising sport, and their responsibility vis-à-vis sustainability…
Human rights, in the spotlight once more
Basic rights and freedoms should never be taken for granted; they have been an ongoing challenge in the history of the human race.
In the last edition of the Summer Courses we analysed the situation in Ukraine, and unfortunately the harshness of that war is still being suffered. In Europe, the ‘cradle’ of human rights, the violation of rights has led to basic rights being questioned. We will have three courses on the current challenges facing the European Union and the current situation of Western democracies, plus others led by the Basque Council of the EuroBasque European Movement and jurists from the Court of Justice of the European Union and the Institute of Democratic Governance Globernance.
As well as war, however, there are other Human Rights challenges that we will deal with in this edition, such as equality or the participation of older people in society. We will also discuss violence against women, the right to housing, the limits we impose on persons with disability, the social legitimisation of terrorism, forms of social inclusion, etc.
The future of education and language
We aim to build a better future through education, and in this respect, it is essential to reflect on the future of education itself.
One of the classic cycles in the Summer Courses is teacher training. In this edition the content is particularly extensive: we offer innovative courses on the future of education and training (for example, education for sustainable development and cultural development, practical teaching practice at the Primary school level, and tools for theatre workshops in schools).
Furthermore, in this edition we have placed emphasis on the importance of the future of languages in education, the linguistic development of bilingual children, minority languages in the context of globalization…
The difficulties people experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic highlighted the importance of looking after our quality of life. We are told that we need to change our mindset about our health, based on a responsible approach. This awareness leads us to think about the most important advances in the field of healthcare.
In this edition we will look at the options available when choosing the most suitable care alternatives. Under the title of Quality of Life, we have prepared a series of courses covering areas related to well-being: diet, mental health, old age…
Culture and art are an important part of the Summer Courses, and this year they will be more present than ever.
We will look at the work of well-known Basque artists such as Benito Barrueta, Eduardo Chillida, Anjel Lertxundi and Ruper Ordorika, among others, and we will do so from a number of artistic disciplines: music, film, literature, theatre, dance… In this edition we would particularly mention the course given by Igor Yebra and Lucía Lacarra, international references in classical dance. Basque dance will also be present in our reflection, led by Jon Maia, a pioneer in contemporary dance using Basque dance as a starting point.
The discovery of the oldest text written in euskara (the Basque language) has gone round the world. In this edition we just had to include a course on the mano (hand) of Irulegi. It will give us the opportunity to get to know the secrets of this bronze piece and visit the archaeological site where it was discovered accompanied by an expert. Furthermore, this year our content in the ethnographic and archaeological area will focus on the contribution of José Miguel Barandiarán, through the Chair that bears his name in the UPV/EHU. Another course on our legal and cultural heritage that will improve our historical knowledge will be the one on the management of communal land in the Aezkoa valley.
People interested in cultural management will be able to take courses -organised by Kulturgest Bilbao- on intangible heritage, cultural spaces, and initiatives and innovations. The second edition will be held this year following the success of the courses offered last year.
Sustainability has been a core theme in the Summer Courses for more than 25 years. This year we will approach the theme from different angles.
First, we will be highlighting the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by offering a course in which we compare experiences that are taking place internationally for the implementation of the Agenda, and we will examine the transition and mobilisation of citizens in the face of the energy and climate crises.
The future of mobility, proposals for the transformation of urban areas into instruments to improve people’s health, water management and fighting forest fires are just some of the themes we will examine in this edition.
To round off this cycle on sustainability we will present - together with IHOBE - a number of actions to disseminate the new Euskadi 2030 Environmental Framework Programme. It will provide an in-depth vision of strategic projects in Euskadi in the field of sustainability over the next decade.
Furthermore, the Donostia Sustainability Forum (DSF), set up in 2020, will continue throughout 2023 with activities that are free of charge and open to the general public.
Digitalization and artificial intelligence
The digital transformation is one of the main drivers of competitiveness in all areas of society. In this context, artificial intelligence has become a subject of growing interest, and we will have the opportunity to go into detail on it with the help of experts, to take stock of the latest controversies that have emerged around AI.
There will be opportunities to learn more about artificial intelligence applied to specific sectors such as digital healthcare, a data-based legal system, photonics and artificial intelligence, industry 4.0…
UIK in the world
The Summer Courses projects an open perspective. As well as evidence-based knowledge from participating experts, the Summer Courses offer relationship networks with academic, business and society stakeholders, making them an international benchmark in the field of knowledge. As well as speakers and students attending in person, more and more people participate internationally online in the extended universe of UIK.
In this edition we have a long list of courses with international scope.
The fact that the Grand Départ of this year’s Tour de France is taking place in the Basque Country is a clear example of the importance of Euskadi within sports diplomacy. As a result, we have organised a course titled “Sports diplomacy challenges and opportunities in the 21st century”.
The International Law courses on International Relations will bring together a large number of international students in Vitoria-Gasteiz.
In the course titled “Europe and Latin America as a global community”, key stakeholders from both sides of the Atlantic Ocean will hold an encounter to analyse the main factors for cooperation in the next few years.
The international online seminar titled “From personalised diet to detailed diet”, will be attended by experts from a number of South American countries, and we would highlight the participation of the American Society of Nutrition and the IMDEA Food Institute, top-level benchmarks in the field.
As well as the Summer Courses, the Summer Courses Foundation (UIK) organises workshops or intensive courses throughout the year, with several international experts intervening. Among them, we will have two Nobel Prize-winners this year, Klaus von Klitzing and Jack Szostak, who will participate in seminars organised by DIPC.
Enrolment
•Period: from 20 April to the start of each course.
•Registration at www.uik.eus
•Information on the Summer Courses on the www.uik.eus website
Partnerships
The Summer Courses of the UPV/EHU are the result of joint efforts by the UPV/EHU and a number of public and private institutions. We would not be able to offer this programme without them. We would like to express our gratitude to the members or our Organising Committee, essential in carrying out the Summer Courses: Fundación BBVA, the Basque Government, the Territorial Administration of Gipuzkoa and San Sebastián City Council. We would also like to thank Irizar, Osakidetza and Bilbao City Council for their support, and all the sponsors of the courses.
Together with them we would like to extend our gratitude to the course directors and speakers for their help in putting together the 42nd edition of the courses.
Finally, our thanks go to journalists and the media in general for their work to disseminate information about the Summer Courses. We share the aim of arousing curiosity around knowledge in society, and they are essential travelling companions for UIK.
