KNU-FAU Alliance: Summer school with students from Ukraine and Turkey

Group photo.
Image: Yaroslava Larionova
August 13, 2024

At the end of July, FAU and its Ukrainian partner university Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU) organized a one week summer school with the title “State Building in (Post)War Reality”. Supported by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the program offered a number of opportunities for rich cultural and educational exchange.

17 students from different disciplines

The school was attended by 17 students from KNU, FAU and TU Istanbul, covering a wide range of disciplines including international law, political science, psychology and medical informatics. This year, two professors from the Ukrainian partner university also came to Erlangen to support the summer school and intensify the bilateral collaboration.

During the week, the students took part in presentations and discussions focusing on various aspects of building democracy in the (post) war context. As well as researchers from FAU and KNU, representatives from the International Nuremberg Principals Academy and two Ukrainian NGOs were also invited. During the summer school, students had the opportunity to record podcasts together with Thomas Bauernschmitt from the FAU broadcasting studio.

Podcasts from the KNU-FAU summer school

Methods of Countering and Preventing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence in Ukraine and Post-Conflict States

Cultural Heritage Preservation and Democratic Stability

Justice for Ukraine: Establishing a Special Tribunal for Russian Crime of Aggression against Ukraine

War on Nature: Tracing Ukraine’s Reality

The complete series on fau.tv

Quotes from participants

  • “This event brought together extremely interesting people: Ukrainian and German students of various specialties, doctors and professors, which was the key to informative lectures, interesting discussions and gaining new experience in recording a podcast.” – Yulia Horbach, student of International Law (KNU)

  • “Thanks to the KNU & FAU summer school, I met many other students who participated in the project from KNU, as well as foreign colleagues. It was interesting to learn more about the branches of international law, the work of the ECHR, the protection of cultural monuments, etc.” – Daryna Kudrenko, student of International Economic Relations (KNU)

  • “The lecture topics revealed international law in a new and extremely interesting way! I am very grateful to the teachers and students who made the summer school truly unforgettable.” – Anna Kryzhanivska, International Law (KNU)

  • “The KNU-FAU summer school 2024 was an incredibly useful experience for me. I especially remember creating a podcast, which provided me with practical skills that will be useful in the future.” – Sofia Shylko, International Communications (KNU)

  • “Even if I do not have an academic background in human rights, I have always been in interested in human rights, law, inflation and history. So the lectures were really interesting and informative, I learnt so many things about human rights, law, inflation and history. I am glad that I had the opportunity to listen to all these experts and professors.” – Akın Kılıç, Electrical Engineering (TU Istanbul)

  • “To learn from different experts from different academic subjects and find out their perspective on certain issues and developments regarding the war in Ukraine was very exciting. For me this interdisciplinary approach helped me to understand problems in a more holistic way and shed light on new topics. Especially learning about the concept of transitional justice and the connected aspects of truth commissions and the discussion about reparations was one of the most interesting sessions for me personally. What added greatly to the experience was the possibility to talk and have discussions with the Ukrainian students.” – Marcel Wilfert, Medical Process Management (FAU)

Further information