Thirty foreign experts came to Olomouc at the beginning of November to give lectures and workshops on theology, social work, social pedagogy, and media ethics at the Sts Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theological, Palacky University Olomouc. The guests traveled long distances – some lecturers came from Kenya, others from the USA or Western Australia. ITW is also an opportunity to meet international students – nearly 40 young people from Hungary, Poland, Croatia, and Germany arrived in Olomouc.
The topics of the lectures were exciting this year: Eduard Sablon Leiva from the Ukrainian Baptist Theological Seminary talked about the dangers of studying theology, Gabriel Eichsteller from Ireland drew the audience into his model of the relational universe (he uses it when working with children with difficult family situations), Stephan Lund spoke about burnout syndrome and self-care (a topic heard by audiences across disciplines), and Michael Kimotho chose an uncomfortable topic - the effects of climate change in Africa. But in the end, he had everyone dancing and conveyed a passion for caring for our planet in the spirit of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato si'.
The foreign guests enjoyed their stay in Olomouc. "I am grateful for the opportunity to experience Europe – I admire the efficient public transport, your consideration for the environment and time sensitivity, the calm culture, and the fact that people are considerate of others. I also appreciate your use of advanced technology at all levels," said Jennifer Munyua from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Kenya.
The fourth edition of the International Teaching Week, which took place from November 5 to 8, 2024, was organized by the Foreign Department of CMTF UP under Dominik Opatrný, CMTF UP Vice Dean for International Relations.
"ITW was really successful this year: the lecture halls were full, and many teachers were surprised by the number of listeners. Several lecturers came to me wishing they would return next year and take their students with them. I was delighted when a Polish student asked me about possibly coming to study at our faculty through the Erasmus program. This is also one of the goals of ITW: to offer foreign students the opportunity to experience the Faculty of Theology in Olomouc and to encourage them to choose it for their exchange stay," evaluated the 4th year of ITW Opatrný.
The International Teaching Week offers students and the general public the opportunity to meet experts from abroad and learn how teaching is done at foreign universities. The event is also a great opportunity to get to know Czech and foreign students. The participants were supported by the CEEPUS and Erasmus+ programs.
Full programme: https://www.cmtf.upol.cz/international-teaching-week/
