The University of Kent will be hosting a series of events to celebrate Europe Day on Wednesday 9 May. International Partnerships is hosting a ‘European Opportunities Fair’ from 2-4pm in the Gulbenkian. The event will showcase the University’s activities in Europe and raise awareness of the many opportunities available to staff and students. There will also be live European music performed by the band Golden Fleece in the Gulbenkian café, 12.30-1.30pm, drawing on Eastern European traditions.
On the following Monday, 14 May 2018, Shane Weller, Professor of Comparative Literature and Head of the School of European Culture and Languages, will deliver an open lecture entitled ‘Europe: The History of an Idea’ at 6.30pm in the Grimond Building, Lecture Theatre 1.
The question of Europe has become one of the defining questions of our time. But what exactly do we mean when we speak about Europe? Is it to be understood in geographical, political, economic, philosophical, or cultural terms? And can we identify a shared sense of a distinctly European civilisation?
The lecture will consider the history of the idea of Europe from its origins in Ancient Greek culture to the present day, reflecting on both the advantages and the disadvantages of championing the idea of Europe in the age of globalisation.
The lecture is free and open to all. For more details, please see the event page here: www.kent.ac.uk/secl/events/index.html?eid=32002
Finally, the Europe Day celebrations conclude on Wednesday 16 May with a ‘Global Hangout’ event to mark out connections with European partners, from 5-7pm in the Gulbenkian.
For further details of Europe Day at Kent, please see the page here: www.kent.ac.uk/european/europeday.html