Our Continent – Our Culture (Hannover, 2010)

Our Continent – Our Culture2009-2010

International Meeting “OC – OC”Hannover, March 11-15th2010

Universidade SéniorUniversidade da CoruñaSpain

Senior University – University of A Coruña

• The University of A Coruña is a public university, established in 1989 and located in the cities of A Coruña and Ferrol, Galicia (North West of Spain).


• The Senior University is a degree for over 50s that are unemployed and demand an updated education according to their cultural interests.

• This degree consists of four courses, lasting 8 months each course (from October to June). The students have 3 or 4 lessons per week.


• After the four years, the students will qualify for: Título de Graduado Senior pola Universidade da Coruña. This title doesn´t give a professional qualification.

• Each student has to study two compulsory subjects per year plus one that they can choose. Examples of the subjects are: Sociology, Computing, Psychology, Health Education, Legal issues in every-day life, English,…

• There are also workshops that the students can join if they want to (e.g. European Workshop OC-OC)

European Workshop “Our Continent – Our Culture”

• During the academic year 2009-2010, OC-OC group from the Senior University was formed by 48 students, in two geographical areas (Ferrol & A Coruña).

A Coruña

Ferrol

European Workshop “Our Continent – Our Culture”

• Our methodology was based on team and individual activities, with 2-hour meetings fortnightly, plus small-group work.

• In the first sessions we analyzed general notions about culture, identity and citizenship, and comented essays about EU construction process.

• Every wednesday, there are two hours of tutorial to solve doubts about the research process and new technologies.

OC-OC Activities

ICT Lessons:• The aim was to enhance the knowledge and use of IT

tools, such as internet, email, blog design, the Project website, and the NING Social Network amongst students.

OC-OC Activities

Other activities:– Visit to the Exhibition "Europe was a Way“ about St.Jacques’ Way

as an european route of culture and knowledge

Languages:– We started basic lessons of Italian language. – We started sessions of conversation in English.

OC-OC Activities

Seminar about the European Union “Culture, Identity and Citizenship” – Lecture about the Lisbon Treaty by Dr. Jorge Quindimil.– Lecture about the European Citizenship by Dr. Gabriela

Alexandra Oanta.

OC-OC Activities

Seminar about the European Union “Culture, Identity and Citizenship” – Workshop about the European Union and citizens

participation: Senior students and students of a Postgraduate Course on EU Studies collaborated in small groups

OC-OC Activities

• Visit to the EU Institutions in Brussels– February 2010– Involving 35 students and staff (senior and junior

learners)– Visiting Parliament, Commission, Consilium,

Commitee of Regions and Galicia-Europe Fundation

OC-OC Working groups – Essays

• There are two groups currently working on this figure.

• We have chosen Salvador de Madariaga because we consider him to have been one of the predecessors of the European Movement.

• Salvador de Madariaga was born in A Coruña (Spain) in 1886 and died in Locarno, Switzerland, in 1978.

Salvador de Madariaga and Europe

OC-OC Working groups – Essays

• We have analyzed his book “Outlines of Europe” where he reflects his concern for the European problems and he offers the solution of its perennial conflicts.

• For his biography we looked up in some encyclopedias. We also searched the web.

• We found Madariaga to be a man of vast culture and a remarkable figure.

OC-OC Working groups - Essays

• There are two groups (Ferrol & A Coruña) working about the relationship in the Medieval Age, between A Coruña and Flanders, through the Maritime Trade Routes.

Maritime Trade Route between Coruña and Flanders


• The group in Coruña thought this work was going to be very interesting, because this age was rather unknown to most of the common people, but many difficulties arisen on starting to find information.



• We had to pick up pieces of information among other activities concerned to those years, in order to find the thread that let us build up an idea of what kind of goods and how they were transported and sold, and how much that trade affected the life of both countries, Flanders and Spain and their inhabitants.


We’ve scarcely found small references in the many books we consulted, and always they appeared linked to other Northen ports;


• It’s a huge challenge for us, but we are sure we’ll achieve it, and afterwards, we’ll know further, not only about the Past of our country, but also, about other European countries.



• The group in Ferrol chose this topic based on originality, to learn more about the beginnings of the port of Coruña in the navigation and trade.

• The reality is that it was a fascinating subject and we were captivated from the beginingin in spite of the difficulties of their preparation, in addition to the information you acquire along such search.

• Dr. Ferreira work has been the main source of information we have used.

• Other authors referenced have been useful to recreate the period and illustrated the routes, ships and instruments for navigation.



From Saint Jacques’ Tower in Paris (France) to Cathedral in Santiago of Compostela (Spain):

A CULTURAL ROUTE


WHY?:

• Because it was a very interesting topic and also very nice culturally. Moreover, we thought that it could be useful for any foreigner who is in our group and is thinking about doing pilgrimage to Santiago from Paris, on account of the Holly Year.

• When we speak about the St. James´Way we are always referring to Roncesvalles, but the French part is not very well known to us and this has led us to learn about it.

From Saint Jacques’ Tower in Paris (France) to Cathedral in Santiago of Compostela (Spain)


HOW DID WE PLAN IT?:• Our group joined to look up information from Saint Jacques’

Tower to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela and we divided our work into sections. This work is focused on the “Cultural Route” but it could have been done in many different ways.

From Saint Jacques’ Tower in Paris (France) to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela (Spain)


• The most difficult thing for us was to begin our work. First of all we had to speak seriously about where we could find some references and information, and at last, we found “Xacobeo Routes of Galicia” in a book, which helped us a lot because it had a map of this route, which made it easier for us.

From Saint Jacques’ Tower in Paris (France) to the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela (Spain)


• “La Gran Enciclopedia gallega”, “Guías Visuales de Francia”

• “Guías del Camino de Santiago”, “Wikipedia (La enciclopedia libre)” e “Internet”.

• When we used the INTERNET to check the truthfulness of the information, it took us hours and hours of work, but in the end we were all satisfied with the result.

From Saint Jacques’ Tower in Paris (France) to Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela (Spain)

BOOKS USED FOR THIS PURPOSE:


• When we started this investigation, we wondered if there was some features that could define an European identity, and how it could be shared amongst the population and if it was a common feeling among European citizens.

EUROPEAN IDENTITY AND INTEGRATION PROCESS


• It was also interesting for us to know the problems of the integration process for people that comes from other countries and their possible causes.

• So we began to study different social problems: territorial distribution, wealth production and distribution, situations of internal nationalism of each member state, demography, culture, linguistic, flowing immigration and the treatment given to these events by the EU and by the member states.



• Having identified two population groups, mainly immigrants, we wanted to approach our social neighbouring in order to get information of this population in the city of A Coruña, Galicia and Spain.



• Now we are making interviews with several foreigner people to see if in their answers we could find common elements to explain features and common problems.

• The objective of a part of the research is to know the legal and personal situation of the immigrants in our city A Coruña and to compare it with that in yours.



• Besides personal interviews to the immigrants to know their points of view and experiences, we based the information on statistics, data from organizations, and NGOs.

• We work on the hypothesis that EU must prioritize the cohesion of policy member states with the aim of achieving an effective integration of immigrants.


SOURCES OF INFORMATION:• Statistics from Eurostat and INE. • Special publications, articles, editorials and lectures within

the OC-OC workshop.• Information given by several EU civil servants during the

last visit we did to their offices in Brussels. • Personal interviews to foreign people.• And of course, we added also our point of view.



Other two groups are searching information about:• EU Institutions • Comparative study of the Social Security Systems and

National Health Services in the partner countries.

OTHER TOPICS

Documents

Our Continent – Our Culture (Hannover, 2010)