Sharing Experience

I met yesterday a Bologna Expert from Turkey (this is how he calls himself even if he is questioning the term). During his visit in our Centre this week, he gave a presentation on the current developments in the implementation of the Bologna Process in Turkey.
It was quite interesting to observ the commonalities between the importance of the Bologna Reform for Turkey and for Romania: European integration, globalization of higher education and a framework for the reform of the national higher education system.

I found it amusing when he stated about the change to the new cycle structure: "Well, we have cycles since 1981, so it was not a real challange to design the new structure to 4(BA)+2(MA)+4(PhD)". Probably, Turkey belongs also to those countries who just moved forward or backward the time of graduation from the first cycle. Recently, Prof. Teichler commented, in a TV show, the problem of the new Bachelor-Master structure in Germany. The phenomenon, which in my eyes seems to happen in the majority of the European higher education systems, is that all systems want to keep their previous levels of qualification (e.g. 'Diplom' or Master), sqeeze somehow the former courses into the new Bachelor programmes and make hereby a "Bonsai-Bachelor" (Teichler, 2009).
The story of ECTS is also funny. In Turkey an own credit system is used, based on contact hours. ECTS is mainly an instrument for recognition of mobility periods. Therefore, the calculation of ECTS points for a course in Turkey is very simple: 30 credits a semester for 6 mandatory courses... that means 5 credits per course.
At least, in Germany, they tried to take over some principles of ECTS, but they tend to fall to the other extreme and increased in this way the student workload very much (which is never evaluated!!): papers, presentations, reviews for each session/course and the obligatory TEST at the end of the semester for each discipline.
German students and pupils started a national education strike last week, against the new system, against tuition fees, against grades for behavior, against the 12th grade high school degree, for more authonomy, more student participation and student voice: Education for all and for free!
We discussed this issue with our guest as well and I was surprised to find out about the the different levels of internalisation of students rights among the student community in Turkey: the social dimension is confused with social activities and the opportinity for a student representative to talk to his/her students in an university event, should be given by the professors. I find this quite sad and it will take some time to change the mentality of students and other stakeholders of the universities in favour of collaboration and partnership. Nevertheless developments in this direction start to appear, because our colleague in Turkey was also student representative before he started his PhD and got a job at the university. And he is very much involved in student information and awareness campaigns, as well as in fostering change in the university through several projects: new teaching techniques trainings for young lecturers, trainings for the students' unions, building a student centre where social and learning activities will be combined, etc.

One student... reminds me on my first contacts with this issue, on Traian and then Vlady and then the community of Bologna Instigators...

We change education! ;)

Reference:
Teichler, U. (Author) (June 16. 2009). Prüfungen im Bachelorstudium [Television broadcast]. 3Sat. Retrieved June 26. 2009 from URL: http://www.3sat.de/mediathek/mediathek.php?obj=13231&mode=play.

Se intampla lucruri...

Inca tot mai citesc si scriu la tema aia despre Gender si am gasit ceva ce m-a facut sa zambesc... asa un zambet a satisfactie.

"Proiectul Cartea neagra a egalitatii de sanse intre femei si barbati in Romania din 2005, in care am realizat o analiza a principalelor hibe ale miscarii de femei si am initiat un dialog pe marginea lor, s-a nascut pornind de la un nume despre care am intuit ca ar prinde la finantator (imi picase intamplator in mana o brosurica intitulata 'Bologna - cartea neagra scrisa de studenti'). Pe marginea lui am cladit un proiect de reflexie critica colectiva care ne-a depasit asteptarile in ceea ce priveste impactul la diverse niveluri." (Grünberg, 2008, p.26)

Chiar daca proiectul imi pare putin timpuriu pentru a avea legatura cu BBB-ul nostru, este totusi un semn bun!

Reference:
Grünberg, L. (2008). biONGgrafie. AnA - istoria traita a unui ONG de femei. Romania, Bucharest: Polirom

What is a culture?

I'm sitting in the train to Dortmund, surrounded by many people, but most of grannies… modern grannies, with mobile phones, digital photo cameras, mp3 players, etc. That's not my image of a grandmother. And if you ask me, why not, maybe I would say… it's not like this in my culture, it's not like grandmothers behave in Romania.

But now I am really thinking if there is not even a grandma in Romania having a mobile phone? I think there should be! At least, having one of those big mobile phones with big buttons, to keep in contact with the young family members. Or there are grannies, having their own satellite antenna, even if it's just a Digi.

Coming back to "it's not like this in my culture, it's not like grannies in Romania behave": It's very common to find this kind of "excuse": this is how WE do it, this is how WE think, this is how WE behave. But who is this WE? Me and my family, me and my friends, me and my university colleagues, me and the people in my city, in Transilvania or in the whole country?

Think a little bit how you present your country, your culture, and your traditions to foreigners? I remember the country presentations at the 2007 EFPSA Congress in Turku. We did a presentation of Romania, including all stereotypes about the 3 regions: Transylvania citizens are slow but very tidy, and are dancing in a circle, when they go out. Moldova citizens are poor, starting the day with a glass of "palinca", and are dancing "hora" every evening, Muntenia citizens are hectically, loud, rich and dancing on the bars. I'm sure my friends from Bucharest will laugh and say, that it's kind of true, remembering my way of saying "Uuunde va grabiti?" (= Where do you hie?) but you got the point. Oh I don't want to think about Germany's presentation

I could tell you tones of stories about Germans, and this only because I always meet so many different Germans that I cannot say anymore: They are like THIS ! (friendly, but distant; clean; tidy; organized; always on time; have good food; etc.)

Although, there is always a group you belong to, a group that has some characteristics. But people don't belong anymore only to one group (Feuser, 2008). You have one nationality, live in another country, study at one certain university, work in a certain company, have certain friends, go to sports, play in a band, or in a theatre, live in a WG etc, etc. And think that all these groups have an influence on you

I always hear from people who get to know me: "You are not like Romanians!" (he? How are they?), or "This is your German part" Do you believe me, that I'm more often on time in Romania then in Germany, and that it happened in Germany, that I couldn't finish a task on time and that nobody killed me?

Well, my train is almost in Dortmund! So… Happy glocalisation! (Ups, my spell checker doesn't know this word)

Ha, can you believe it that I was able to write this post in a German train, because trains in Germany use to have plugs!

Reference:
Feuser, F. (2008). Intercultural Communication. Training for tutors. University of Kassel. Germany

Women, as agents of change, in Romania

Trebuie sa scriu un articol pe tema "Gender Management". Cred ca e cea mai dificila tema, despre care trebuie sa scriu ceva. Nu pentru ca nu ar fi bibliografie suficienta sau pentru ca n-as avea o idee, dar parca mi se pare oarecum inutila. Nu ma simt eu asa instigand pe aceasta tema.
Am un titlu care zice asa: "Women, as agents of change, in Romania". Mi s-a parut impresionanta povestea d-nei prof care ne-a predat cursurile, ca ea, facand doctoratul undeva in SUA, s-a lovit rau de tot de aceasta problema a puterii functiei, de care barbatii faceau abuz. Pana atunci vroia sa se faca si ea ministru (zic ca si ea, pt. ca mai stiu pe unii) si atunci a realizat ca va putea contribui mai mult la schimbarea mentalitatii oamenilor, predand cursuri studentilor pe tema "Gender & Change Management".
Asa, si eu pe tema care mi-am ales-o, trebuie sa fac un studiu de caz, intervievand o doamna cu functie inalta la noi in tara. In timpul modulului, cautand materiale pentru un curs unde trebuia sa prezint ceva despre Gender in tara mea, dau peste d-na prof. Miroiu. De atunci am citit mult despre ea si de-ale ei si ma impresioneaza de fiecare data cu abordarea ei realista si totodata fair. Si asa am stiut ca ea va fi (sper) cazul meu. Cel mai mult mi-a placut "R-Estul si Vestul" (poate si pt ca a scris cu Mircea Miclea); a fost o carte la care cu greu ma opream din citit. Stiu ca o voi reciti in curand.
Da, si problema mea acum este ca imi planific de catva timp sa-i scriu si sa ma programez in audienta la dansa, stiind ca in 3 zile ma zbor catre tara. Si ce, inafara de introducerea pe care am scris-o deja din mai, nu am mai scris nimic la partea teoretica. Citesc articole de-mi sar capacele si nu-mi place nici unul: cum facem femeile mai tehnice? Ce bine ca s-au mai inmultit in functiile de conducere, dar nu vorbeste nimeni, sau mult prea rar, despre cum sa facem barbatii educatori de gradinita (asta in cazul in care eu la liceul pedagogic am avut un singur coleg) sau de ce le spune coordonatorul de practica de la facultatea de sociologie fetelor doar sa observe in timpul practicii, pt. ca oricum nu vor invata sa faca nimic si macar sa aiba ceva de scris in raport.
Si mai citesc despre legi si regulamente si despre asociatii feministe care ne sustin. Na, stiu, e nevoie, altfel n-am ajunge nici aici unde suntem, dar problema este in mare parte inca in mentalitatea oamenilor, care nu se schimba, numai daca vor ei. E tot firul ierbii care e de partea noastra, right instigatori?
Na, pana una alta sa se joace fetele mai departe cu papusi si baietii cu masini... si ce-i rau in asta?

Earth Hour, March 29, 20:00 - 21:00

Crosetam la lumina lumanarii timp de o ora.

Ei s-au angajat sa o faca:

• Lugoj
• Timişoara
• Baia Mare
• Sighetu Marmatiei

http://www.earthhour.org/