European Partnership for an Innovative Campus Unifying Regions
The EPICUR alliance of eight European Universities has targeted to put the idea of a European Campus into practice. To realize the long-term objective of the European University Liberal Arts and Sciences Bachelor (LAS) as a joint study track, innovative teaching/learning and research formats are currently developed and tested. Multilingualism, blended learning, co-teaching, unification of regions as well as innovative forms of mobility are key objectives in this process.
Together with KIT, Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań (Poland), University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (Germany), University of Haute-Alsace (France), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences in Vienna (Austria), University of Strasbourg (France), and University of Southern Denmark in Odense (Denmark) build the EPICUR alliance.
EPICUR
The Alliance receives start-up funding from the European Commission's European Universities Initiative through Erasmus+ from 2019 to 2022. At KIT, the pilot phase is additionally funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts Baden-Württemberg (MWK). The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) provides an accompanying program for the pilot phase until 2022.
The Liberal Arts and Sciences project development is an initiative of the Dean of the Faculty. It is currently funded by the KIT Presidential Fund.
EPICUR SHAPE-IT
The successful multilateral cooperation on the levels of Liberal Arts and Sciences teaching development and numerous further academic collaborations will be extended from 2022 to 2028: EPICUR SHAPE-IT is among the 20 European Universities selected for the follow-up funding program EUR-UNIV in Erasmus+ by the European Commission.
Current information about the overall project can be found on the pages of International Affairs at KIT.
Name | Function | Phone | |
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Scheibe, Annegret | Project Development and Coordination Liberal Arts and Sciences & EPICUR – European University | annegret scheibe ∂ kit edu | +49 721 608-44759 |
Haag, Marie-Claire | Project staff EPICUR – European University & Study Program LAS, responsible for EPICUR activities (currently on leave) | marie-claire haag ∂ kit edu | |
Düppe, Claudia | claudia dueppe ∂ student kit edu |
Weekly office hour:
Each Monday, 1-2 pm |
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Please register via annegret.scheibe∂kit.edu in advance. |
Liberal Arts and Sciences
Together with all eight partner universities, KIT is working on Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) implementation in general. In addition, the project team at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is involved in reviewing and developing an interdisciplinary Liberal Arts and Sciences undergraduate program. The LAS development takes place in close communication with local partners and the whole EPICUR consortium.
EPIC Missions 2022/23
With an intensive kick-off week, the EPIC Missions 2022/23 have started their first physical round after a virtual pilot in 2021/22: From August 22-26, students and mission guides from the EPICUR partner universities were guests at BOKU Vienna to form a total of six EPIC Mission Teams. The teams will work on their respective EPIC Missions from September 2022 to January 2023. In doing so, they learn to work internationally and goal-oriented on real projects.
This year's missions are provided by six stakeholders: ECOLAS, Social City Vienna, La Nef des Sciences Mulhouse, Solare Zukunft e.V. Freiburg, Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, and the Municipality of Thessaloniki giving students the exclusive opportunity to engage with influential social institutions and a wide range of topics.
The EPIC-Missions 2023/24 kick-off event will again take place at one of the 9 EPICUR universities.
Interested?
Students of KIT as a member university in the EPICUR network have the possibility to acquire 6 CP in the EPIC mission phase (September to January) and additional 3 CP in the solo mission phase (February to August). The same rules apply for credit in one's own curriculum as for all courses earned in the EPICUR Campus. Since EPIC Missions are project seminars, there may be course-specific conditions for recognition.
Information opportunity for KIT students, KIT faculty, or institutions interested in participating as stakeholders: EPICUR Geistsoz weekly office hour
Expansion of cooperation with Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh)
After Prof. Jannis Pangalos (AUTh School of German Language and Literature) and Prof. Maria Kavala (AUTh School of Political Sciences) have already co-organized the first EPICUR lecture series with the participation of three partner universities (AUTh, AMU, KIT) in spring 2022, further cooperations are in the pipeline: Among other teaching projects, an Erasmus+ contract between several humanities and social science institutes of AUTh and the KIT Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences is being prepared in order to both perpetuate the existing connections and to enable the mobility of students and academic staff of both partners in the future.
Multilateral Partnership with Adam Mickiewicz University Poznań
The exchange between KIT Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and Adam Mickiewicz University of Poznań (AMU), which has existed since the beginning of the EPICUR project, is being expanded at both the teaching and research levels: After a joint research proposal and a delegation visit of the faculty in 2021, Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU Faculty of History) was part of the first EPICUR Lecture Series involving three partner universities (AUTh, AMU, KIT). In July 2022, we were pleased to welcome Adrian Trzoss M.A. (AMU Faculty of History) to our faculty as part of a research visit. Currently, Adrian Trzoss (AMU), Jessica Langenstein, Annegret Scheibe and Marie Haag are working under the supervision of Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU) and Prof. Andreas Böhn on a joint research project on historical narratives in social media. In fall semester 2022/23, Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU) and Prof. Andreas Böhn will jointly offer a hybrid seminar. Further teaching and research collaborations are being planned.
KIT Humanities and Social Sciences delegation visits Aristoteles University Thessaloniki
Being Greece’ second largest city and cultural and economic center of its region Macedonia, Thessaloniki is one the most pulsating EPICURean places. Besides getting to know its rich cultural, religious and geopolitical history, KIT EPICUR LAS team had the chance to explore Aristoteles University campus in the heart of Thessaloniki during their stay in October 2021. The virtual platform EPICUR Inter-University Campus (EIUC) [LINK] is one of the alliance’s flagship achievements and hosted by the partners at AUTh. KIT Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offers a lecture series together with several colleagues at AUTh to be held in spring semester 2022 via EIUC. Therefore, the delegation was happy to meet Prof. Maria Kavala and Prof. Jannis Pangalos and talk about the lecture’s topic. Further exchange possibilities were discussed during a meeting with ERASMUS coordinator Prof. Eftychia Teperoglou. Especially in the field of LAS development the discussion with Prof. Konstantinos Katsifarakis was an important exchange of ideas. KIT LAS team enjoyed experiencing Thessaloniki’s cultural, societal and culinary atmosphere and most of all meeting the EPICURean friends at the partner university AUTh.
Study visit at Bard College Berlin
What is the essence of a Liberal Arts and Sciences study programme? And how do you design a corresponding curriculum that meets the challenges of the 21st century? Those questions are crucial in developing LAS and KIT EPICUR LAS team therefore took the chance to talk to Prof. Florian Becker, Managing Director of Bard College Berlin – Germany’s first Liberal Arts and Sciences College founded in 1999. Though the structural college setting differs considerably from the one given at KIT university campus, a lot of important aspects could be discussed by means of Bard College’s programme and its strategy concerning internships, tutoring, teaching formats, and extracurricular activities. EPICUR LAS team and Prof. Becker left it that the mutual exchange, especially on inter university networking opportunities, should be continued soon after this initial meeting on September 29th 2021.
KIT Humanities and Social Sciences delegation visits Adam-Mickiewicz-University Poznań
The EPICUR LAS project team, dean of the Faculty Prof. Michael Schefczyk, Prof. Andreas Böhn, Annegret Scheibe, Marie-Claire Haag, and Anna-Natascha Hemlein visited the partner university AMU. After a very warm welcome on September 22nd, the delegation was invited to AMU’s city campus in the heart of Poznań where they had the great honor to meet the vice president Prof. Rafał Witkowski at the rector’s office on September 23rd.
On September 24th, the team had the great opportunity to talk with Wojciech Nadobnik about Liberal Arts and Sciences study track, starting in winter semester 2020 at AMU. At AMU’s Morasko Campus in the north of the city, several further meetings about future collaboration with the research team around Prof. Wiktor Werner and Adrian Trzoss took place. The faculty’s fruitful exchange with AMU will be continued with Prof. Agnieszka Jelewska and her research team as well.
EPICUR: Research on Interculturality
Femke Boersma, master graduate at the Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance at Utrecht University, examined if and how European University Alliances create, promote and request intercultural competences. Therefore, she explored several Alliances including EPICUR and consulted a selection of staff members: KIT EPICUR LAS team members Annegret Scheibe and Marie Haag took part in the research project as interview partners. The whole thesis with all interesting results can be accessed via Utrecht University Repository: CAN EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY ALLIANCES CREATE INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCES? (uu.nl)
EPICUR Campus
As one of the first pilot projects starting in spring semester 2021, the virtual EPICUR (Inter-University) Campus offers EPICUR students the possibility to attend selected courses at the alliance’s nine member universities. Lecturers all over the alliance offer seats in their courses exclusively in EIUC to interconnect European students.
EIUC’s course portfolio comprises different sectors: Besides European Track course catalogue that might be of special interest for students in Humanities and Social Sciences, there is the opportunity to attend courses in Languages & Culture and Language Training for Mobility. Special networking offerings include project courses within EPIC Missions and graduate courses within the Entrepreneurial Lab. The Internship & PhD-Exchange Programme and the EPICUR Community provide offerings for further academic groups.
Each semester’s timelines are published along with the course catalogues. All KIT students can access EPICUR Campus with their KIT accounts and apply for the courses. In order to integrate EPICUR courses in someone’s own curriculum individual options can be discussed with respective foreign student advisors or study track / module coordinators. We would be pleased to support within the weekly EPICUR consultation hour.
The Faculty‘s EPICUR Campus course offerings
Winter Term 2023/24
Apply from May 18th until June 12th 2023 for EPICUR European Tracks & EPICUR Campus Offerings for Winter term 2023/24 and design your individual EPICurriculum!
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences will offer the following course in the upcoming semester:
- Prof. Andreas Böhn, Prof. Jannis Pangalos (AUTh), Prof. Maria Kavala (AUTh), Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU), Prof. Michael Schefczyk, Annegret Scheibe M.A., Jessica Langenstein M.A.
Representations of Historical Injustice in Media: First EPICUR lecture series by three partner universities (Aristoteles University Thessaloniki, Adam-Mickiewicz-University Poznań, and KIT)
Any Questions? See the FAQ or send an email to annegret.scheibe∂kit.edu.
Previous Courses
Spring Term 2023
The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences currently offers one course in EPICUR's European Tracks:
- Prof. Andreas Böhn, Prof. Maria Kavala (AUTh), Prof. Jannis Pangalos (AUTh) & Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU)
Critical Aspects of European History: Memory Wars in Media: Blended Seminar – 4 online sessions, inernational discussion groups & 5 days on place seminar in Thessaloniki
Winter Term 2022/23
- Prof. Andreas Böhn & Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU)
Media and various forms of memory wars: Blended seminar, 10 online meetings & 3 days on place seminar in Poznań
Spring Term 2022
- Prof. Ines Langemeyer & Prof. Athanasios Marvakis (AUTh)
Collaboration to develop a wiki on socio-cultural learning theory: Asynchronous co-teaching course in collabration with Aristoteles University Thessaloniki (AUTh) - Dr. Claudia Pinkas-Thompson & Dr. Marie-Hélène Adam
Crisis Cinema. (Post-) Apocalyptic and New Worlds on Screen: Block seminar on dystopic movies about climate change and covid pandemic - Annegret Scheibe M.A.
What do we learn from Foucault's models of epidemic outbreaks for today's society? Block seminar - Prof. Andreas Böhn, Prof. Jannis Pangalos (AUTh), Prof. Maria Kavala (AUTh), Prof. Wiktor Werner (AMU), Prof. Annette Leßmöllmann, Prof. Michael Schefczyk, Annegret Scheibe M.A.
Representations of Historical Injustice in Media: First EPICUR lecture series by three partner universities (Aristoteles University Thessaloniki, Adam-Mickiewicz-University Poznań, and KIT)
Name | Function | Phone | |
---|---|---|---|
Scheibe, Annegret | Project Development and Coordination Liberal Arts and Sciences & EPICUR – European University | annegret scheibe ∂ kit edu | +49 721 608-44759 |
Haag, Marie-Claire | Project staff EPICUR – European University & Study Program LAS, responsible for EPICUR activities (currently on leave) | marie-claire haag ∂ kit edu | |
Düppe, Claudia | claudia dueppe ∂ student kit edu |