Welcome to the Third International Graduate Summer School and Forum at Lund University, Campus Helsingborg, Sweden, June 3-16, 2006.
Universities and research institutions all over the world are presently undergoing rapid changes. In addition to the traditional role of providing understanding and explanation of the world, they are now considered crucially important for the economic and social development of the societies of which they are part.

Politicians, business leaders and university administrators agree that increased spending for research and development is extremely important, and that everyone who is qualified should be offered a place at a university.

In addition, close and increased cooperation between businesses of various kinds and research institutions including universities is encouraged and considered highly desirable.

Inside the universities and established research institutions the traditional structure is changing as well, partly as the result of the changing external needs, but also as a result of rapid developments in the sciences, especially by the various branches of biology.

New and exciting scientific problems need to be resolved and a new social, political and economic reality – partly the result of these scientific developments – effects re-drawing of disciplinary boundaries, invention of new programs, and confront us with difficult moral and political problems.

Aim/Objective:

These changes inside and outside universities and research institutions create a great need for a comprehensive critical discussion of desirable research strategies and adequate methodologies for the various sciences and humanities; and a thorough discussion of the role and impact of the sciences and research on society at large, including the values and principles that are fundamental for maintaining an Open Society.

Format:

This aim is satisfied by the creation of a Forum, where researchers, students and representatives from media meet and discuss the present challenges.

Three intensive two-week courses and a number of discussion groups and workshops, led by internationally distinguished scholars, fellow researchers, students and journalists from different disciplines and media generate the ideas for the discussions.

The three courses, focusing on different aspects of the overall problematic, will take place every morning Monday-Friday during the entire two weeks, and will be followed by discussion groups and workshops.

Papers in progress will be presented during afternoons, as well as supervised work on papers and dissertations.

Participants who are unable to participate for the entire two weeks and/or would like to “sit in” on a few of the lectures and discussions are welcome to do so. Everyone is also welcome to submit papers in progress for discussion.

In 2006 there will be an additional course offered during three evenings of the first week, which will be open to the general public and take place at the Dunker Cultural Center, Helsingborg.

In addition, there will be a public debate on “Media and the Open Society” with distinguished participants; and a number of social events and activities, beginning the weekend before the courses start and continuing throughout the two weeks.

The School is organized and hosted by the Institute of Communication, Lund University, Campus Helsingborg, Sweden in cooperation with prof. Steve Fuller, University of Warwick, England; prof. Jeremy Shearmur, Australian National University, Australia; prof. Fathali Moghaddam, Georgetown University, USA, and prof. Rom Harré, Oxford University, England, and Georgetown University, USA.

Last year 90 researchers and students from 27 countries participated (out of 350 applicants from 39 countries), and the year before, 2004, we had 70 participants from 24 countries.

For information, please contact*:

Alf Bång, Director
alf.bang@icomm.lu.se

Daugiau informacijos: http://www.icomm.lu.se/summerschool/index.html