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Challenges in Europe: Student Conference at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Written by Benedetta Toledo on . Posted in Courses, Events.

Organised within the activities related to Aurora educational hub Cultures: Identities and Diversities, this third edition of the course on Challenges in Europe culminated with a Student Conference from 4 to 6 June 2025 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Challenges in Europe is one of the two courses that make up Understanding Europe, a joint educational programme offered within Aurora. This year, it was realised in cooperation with the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and the Università Federico II of Naples (UNINA), and was highly appreciated by participating students.

Instructors, staff and students in the Challenges in Europe course at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

Addressing European Issues Through Challenges in Europe

The main objective of the Challenges in Europe activities was to present and have students address some of the most relevant challenges that Europe is facing and will face in the near future. To meet this objective, the course is subdivided into two tracks on Sustainable Tourism instructed by UDE, and Imag(-ing) Cities instructed by UNINA. The course started on 14 April 2025 with an introductory lecture on the general objectives of the course and specific thematic in-depth studies. It further included a didactic phase consisting of 6 online lectures, and concluded with in-person activities organised from 4 to 6 June 2025.

To this end, students had the opportunity to choose a track related to a specific United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), with a focus on SDG 11. Sustainable Cities and Communities and SDG 12. Responsible Consumption and Production. They were then able to delve deeper into the topic and analyse diverse case studies of contributions from different disciplines.

In total, the course had 7 instructors, with two coming from UDE (Florian Freitag and Zohra Hassan-Pieper) and 5 from UNINA (Francesca Scamardella, Benedetta Toledo, Giovan Giuseppe Monti, Francesco Casalbordino, Maria Fierro). 12 students from five Aurora universities UDE, UNINA, Universität Innsbruck, Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC) and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, attended the course.

Presentation on the Imag(-ing) Cities track instructed by UNINA
Students from Aurora universities attended Challenges in Europe course held at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

 

Diversity In Learning Approaches

Under the supervision of the instructors, students first developed their own research projects on their chosen topics. Then, they carried out a workshop activity with the aim of working together by sharing new approaches and methodologies across the diverse topics. The combination of support from Aurora universities, lecturers and the active participation of students ensured that the course resulted in high-level training, knowledge acquisition, and growth in personal development. The course was also an important moment of international networking, where multicultural and transdisciplinary approaches allowed critical, unprecedented and stimulating perspectives to be opened up for the challenges ahead.

 

Launch of EURIDICE’s European Joint Master DIGISOC – Digital Society, Social Innovation, Global Citizenship

Written by Benedetta Toledo on . Posted in Calls, Courses, News.

We are excited to announce the new European Joint Master DIGISOC – Digital Society, Social Innovation, Global Citizenship. Offered as part of the EURIDICE Project, DIGISOC is a pioneering study programme born within the European university alliance Aurora. Its graduates will be jointly awarded the Degree in Digital Society, Social Innovation and Global Citizenship from three Aurora universities: Università Federico II of Naples (Italy), Universität Innsbruck (Austria), and Palacký University Olomouc (CzechRepublic). 

The programme is designed to train a new generation of highly qualified socio-digital innovators capable of leading and managing digital transformation processes in diverse societal contexts. Students will learn how to develop, prototype, and promote digital solutions that are not only technologically sound but also ethically grounded and socially impactful. 

About DIGISOC

The programme consists of 120 ECTS credits, culminating in the writing of a Master’s thesis. It incorporates compulsory and elective modules, short-term mobility phases (Summer Schools), provisions for individual learning paths, Internships and Service Learning, respecting the needs and interests of a diverse European student body. DIGISOC is taught in English and mostly delivered in an hybrid mode.

With DIGISOC, students benefit from:

  • an excellence-oriented, research-based and highly interdisciplinary teaching program
  • a diverse learning environment, innovative teaching methods, and international mobility
  • a joint transnational education, resulting in a joint degree and joint micro-credentials (for all learning activities, including the elective courses attended at Associated Universities)
  • a hybrid, seamless, collaborative and challenge-based educational environment
  • Interdisciplinary Education

A unique feature of DIGISOC is its Collaboratorium for Blended International Hybrid Learning, a new educational concept which combines onsite in-person interaction and collaboration, scaling possibilities of online teaching and student collaboration.

DIGISOC Application Process

The DIGISOC Call for Application is open until 20 June 2025. 

Candidates have to fill and send in relevant information through the DIGISOC Application Form. For study year 2025-2026, there will be a maximum of 90 students admitted to DIGISOC, evenly divided over the three universities (30 students per university).

Read the important details to know about the Call for Application.

APPLY NOW

For more information, go to: Joint Master DIGISOC.
For any queries, contact: euridice@unina.it

Rethinking Food Systems in the Anthropocene

Written by rostanetek on . Posted in Courses.

The Aurora Hackathon ‘Rethinking Food Systems in the Anthropocene’ – was organised by the University of Naples Federico II and took place in Palazzo Gravina, seat of the UNINA Department of Architecture, from Monday 23 to Friday 27 October 2023. The main goal of the activity was to co-create conceptual solutions to rethink the food economy of a specific area of Naples, drawing inspiration from university seminars, and workshops hosted by representatives of sustainable entrepreneurial local activities and from on-field excursions conducted in the local markets.

The following subjects were covered in the lectures and seminars: Anthropocene/Capitalocene (by Adam Arvidsson); Rethinking the City through Food (by Ramon Rispoli); Service Design in the Food Ecosystem (by Afi Soedarsono); Housing experiments for food collectivization (by Ciro Priore); Jugaad, Informal Economy and Technological Disobedience (by Benedetta Toledo, Cristina Trey). For more info on the program please download the Flyer.

According to the hackathon design challenge, the participants had to develop a design proposal to guarantee ecological resilience, economic sustainability for producers and consumers, and organizational feasibility. The long-term goal would be the generation of new communities involving consumers and producers in a specific area of Naples, around Palazzo Fuga, which was the main building involved in the design proposals.

Moreover, design proposals had to include:
– sustainable and community-based solutions for urban gardening (community gardens, vertical farms, and the like);
– solutions for waste reduction based on circularity (composting, recycling, upcycling, etc.);
– physical and digital spaces able to connect producers and consumers in a direct way (farmers’ markets, consumers’ groups, apps and digital platforms);
– sense-making strategies (promotion of local food and recipes; collective events, initiatives, and campaigns related to food, also as a vehicle for social and cultural integration, community building, and cooperation).

The hackathon involved 54 participants, a strong increase compared to the previous two editions: 12 students from the Copenhagen Business School, 6 students from the University of Iceland and 36 students enrolled in the UNINA Master of Science in “Design for the Built Environment” (DBE). The added value of this experience for the students has been the transdisciplinary learning environment, as students were coming not only from all over Europe but also from different backgrounds (Design; Social Sciences; Business Administration; Service Management; Industrial engineering; Environment and Natural Resources, Renewable Energy Sustainability, Economics, and Policy).

On the final day, the students had the opportunity to showcase their project proposals in front of a jury. The best projects, selected for their creativity, social innovation, sustainability, economic feasibility, and business model, have been nominated for the “Seismic Awards”, a competition held by CBS (Copenhagen Business School) to promote creative and innovative social entrepreneurs.

The participants’ comments reflect the value of the initiative.
We asked the students what they appreciated from this experience and all the lectures, and some of their answers were:
I appreciated that all the lectures were extremely related to what would be our project, giving us a practical approach to problem-solving”
“I appreciated that they presented our photos and cases of food from all over the world and markets in Naples, I was also interested in seeing how cities are organized”
“They provided us with a complex and systemic way of thinking, moreover I was interested in the in-depth knowledge gained of Anthropocene and the problems faced in Naples”
“I enjoyed visiting Neapolitan markets and interacting with people because we had some genuine experience, also we could discover the food system in Naples and the culture from the local perspective and get inspiration”
“Seminars gave me amazing insights to the area of Naples, but also by gathering and visiting the markets I understood more about the big and small markets in the city, I enjoyed getting knowledge by experiencing”
“My favourite activity was when we went in “The Florist Bar” because it was interesting to hear a direct experience of the growth of an activity like that, it was inspiring”