An international Summer School gathering 23 young academics from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Germany, Russia and Turkey was held in Momchilovtsi (near Smolyan) 14-20 August 2016 as a part of the activities of the Center for Excellence in the Humanities “Alma Mater” of Sofia University.
Topics such as cultural diplomacy and public history were in the focus of the Summer School. Key lecturers at the school were Prof. Madeleine Danova, Prof. Jordan Baev, Prof. Rumiana Mihneva, Assoc. Prof. Kostadin Grozev, etc. Among the problems discussed were “The Role of Cultural History in Modern Diplomacy”, “Women in Diplomacy”, “Ethic and Religious Aspects of Relations Among the States in the Western Balkans”.
First International Summer Academy
The First International Summer Academy “Alma Mater” was held at Kamchia Black Sea Recreational Resort from 3rd to 10th July. The topic of the Academy was “Europe and Beyond: Challenges to Knowledge and Research in the Field of Social Sciences and the Humanities$ and was part of several initiatives of the Center for Excellence in the Humanities Alma Mater at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski. The participants, 30 MA and BA students from Bulgaria, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Germany discussed topics from social sciences, history, media studies, European studies and intercultural communication in different interactive formats - lectures, seminars, discussion groups, plenary sessions, practical skills modules and individual tutorials. The lecturers included professors from Bulgaria and Germany.
New Book on Media Literacy and Communcation
International Summer School
„Pedagogy of Media Communication” is the tittle of a new book, published by Sofia University Press realized by the project “Application of Innovative Approaches and Technologies for Development of Media and Information Literacy in the Context of Civic Education”. The book introduces the basic aspects and the new trends in the development of media communication, which became possible with the advent of the numerous digital platforms and their usage for educational purposes. The author of the book Dr. Danail Danov claims that mankind is now in a new phase of development which could be referred to as “digital civilization”.
Senior seminar in the humanities
Prof. Donka Minkova from University of California was awarded Doctor Honoris Causa by the Sofia University. At a special ceremony, carried out on 30 June 2016 prof. Minkova received the award for her high achievements in linguistics and for her great contribution to the international academic exchange. In her academic speech prof. Minkova talked in details about history of language. A graduate from the Faculty of Classical and Modern Philology at Sofia University currently prof. Monkova teaches “English Language History” at the University of California. She has published six monographies and is also a member of the editorial teams of various distinguished academic journals.
