ERSTE Foundation PATTERNS_Lectures

Reality Check: Contextualising Higher in Central and South

The university landscape in Europe has undergone significant changes since 1989: After the collapse of socialism the universities in these countries were under immense pressure to introduce reforms due to increasing international competition, the massification of higher education and, more recently, the Bologna Process. The process of making higher education more market-oriented involved the discontinuation of entire disciplines, the construction of new institutions and the complete restructuring of the system.

The main motivation behind the Bologna Process is to increase the degree of convergence of national higher education systems in Europe. It started with the signature of the Bologna Declaration in 1999, which set in motion a lengthy process of complete reconstruction of the existing systems. The key features of the Bologna Process are, among others, the three-cycle system (BA, MA, PHD) and the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). Rising enrolment rates and cuts to public funding have led to the increased influence of the private sector in higher education.

During this two-day conference, higher education experts from 11 countries will address the following key questions in keynotes, panel discussions and presen- tations: What is the current situation of universities in CEE? What trends can be identified in the educational policies in CEE? How do these changes affect the arts in particular? What are the main tensions between the private and public sectors in the field of higher education? What is the impact of a project like PATTERNS_Lectures?

Initiated by Implemented by The conference is hosted by ERSTE Foundation WUS AAAD www.erstestiftung.org www.wus-austria.org www.vsup.cz CONFERENCE

Monday, 27 June 2011, 5 p.m. PATTERNS_Lectures is a project to support the The National University of Arts, Bucharest, development of new university courses in Central , www.unarte.org Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, and South Eastern Europe. 14 courses were selec- Magda Radu (Assistant Professor, Art Prague (Auditorium) ted and taught in 11 countries over the 2010/2011 and Theory) and Ruxandra Demetrescu

academic year. Both the lecturers and representa- (University Professor, Rector) welcome by tives from the universities where the courses were Jindřich Smetana (Rector, AAAD Prague) National University of Music, Bucharest, Romania, held will participate in the conference. Christiane Erharter (Curator, ERSTE Foundation www.unmb.ro Speranţa Rădulescu (Associate Professor, Programme Culture, ) list of participants Musicology) and Smaranda Maria Murgan (Dean, European Humanities University, keynote speech by Faculty of Composition, Musicology and Musical Belarus/Lithuania, www.ehu.lt Renata Salecl (Philosopher and theorist, Pedagogy) Lena Prents (Lecturer, Theory and London and ) Practices of Contemporary Art) and Lomonosov Moscow State University, History Education Between Anxiety and Freedom: Irena Vaisvilaite (Director of Administration and Faculty/Art Department, Russian Federation, What Has Changed in the Transition from Infrastructure) www.hist.msu.ru Socialism to Capitalism? Vera Dazhina (Professor, Department of Art South-West University, Bulgaria, www.swu.bg History and Theory) Tatiana Nikiforova Stoitchkova (Associate Profes- panel discussion with sor, Department of ) and Klavdia Trnava University, Slovak Republic, Christine Böhler Kamburova (Associate Professor, Responsible for www.truni.sk (Director, ERSTE Foundation Programme Culture, Study Programmes, Faculty of Arts) Mária Orišková (Associate Professor, Department Vienna) of Art Education) and Branislav Pupala (Dean, Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, Ruxandra Silvelia Demetrescu Faculty of Education) Bulgaria, www.uni-sofia.bg (University Professor, Rector, National University Kornelia Slavova (Associate Professor, Depart- National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, of Arts, Bucharest) ment of Cultural Studies / Matilda MA Program in Ukraine, www.ukma.kiev.ua Martina Pachmanová Women’s and Gender History) Olga Briukhovetska (Associate Professor, Cultural (Assistant Professor, Department of Art History Studies) and Mykhailo Sobutsky (Head of Depart- University of Rijeka, Croatia, www.ffri.hr and Aesthetics, AAAD, Prague) ment of Cultural Studies) Vjeran Pavlaković (Assistant Professor, Department of Cultural Studies) and Predrag Vjeran Pavlaković patterns_lectures academic advisory panel (Assistant Professor, Department of Cultural Šustar (Dean, Faculty of Humanities and Social Cosmin Costinaş (Writer and curator, BAK, basis Studies, University of Rijeka) Sciences) voor actuele kunst, Amsterdam/Utrecht) Renata Salecl (Philosopher and theorist, London Academy of Art, Architecture and Design Izabela Kowalczyk (Art historian, art critic and and Ljubljana) in Prague, , www.vsup.cz curator, The School of Humanities and Journalism, Zuzana Štefková (Lecturer, Department of Poznan) Veronika Šubrtová (Student, Masters Programme Art History and Aesthetics) and Filip Suchomel Martina Pachmanová (Assistant Professor, De- History and Theory of Design (Vice-Rector for International Affairs) partment of Art History and Aesthetics, AAAD, and New Media, AAAD, Prague) Prague) Hungarian University of Fine Arts, , Georg Schöllhammer (Editor of springerin and do- moderator www.mke.hu cumenta 12 magazines, head of tranzit.at, Vienna) Martina Handler, Project Manager, WUS Austria, Beáta Hock (Visiting Lecturer, Department of Art Theory and Curatorial Studies) Graz concept and organisation Moholy-Nagy University of Arts and Design, Christiane Erharter, Maria Derntl (ERSTE Founda- Hungary, www.mome.hu tion) and Martina Handler, Ines Suh (WUS Austria) Levente Polyák (Associate Lecturer, Institute of Art and Design Theory) and Gábor Ébli (Associate The conference continues with a closed session Professor, Responsible for the MA Programme in on 28 June 2011. Art and Design Management) address Jagiellonian University, Poland, www.uj.edu.pl Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design, Prague Roma Sendyka (Assistant Professor, Polish Vysoká škola uměleckoprůmyslová v Praze Studies) and Tomasz Bilczewski (Director, Centre náměstí Jana Palacha 80 for Advanced Studies in the Humanities) 116 93 Praha 1 George Enescu University of Arts, Iași, Romania, www.vsup.cz www.arteiasi.ro Cristian Nae (Lecturer, Fine Arts, Decorative Arts and Design) and Cătălin Gheorghe (Lecturer, Member of the Council of Artistic Research)

For detailed information about the project, please check the website: www.wus-austria.org/patterns_lectures