SIU Meets CES Conference
The Council for European Studies (CES) is based in New York at Columbia University and is one of the biggest academic organizations in the world that produces and funds multi-disciplinary research on Europe and European Studies. The 26th Annual Conference of the CES was held at Carlos III University in Madrid from the 20-22 of June this year, and it attracted more than 1100 scholars from all over the world in almost 200 panels. The overall topic this year was Sovereignties in Contention: Nations, Regions, and Citizens in Europe.
Schiller International University’s Madrid campus was represented by a panel dedicated to the Catalonian separatist movement under the title “Catalan Separatism: Causes and Consequences.” It was organized by Fernando de Vicente, Lola Romero, Chris Kostov, Alexandra Aaron and Aranzazu Narbona.
Professor de Vicente’s presentation, “The Catalonian Crisis: Legal Implications and Consequences,” dealt with the constitutionality of the attempted referendum in Catalonia, while Professor Romero’s presentation, “The Catalan Language in the Sovereignty Process: Linguistic Implications,” tackled the importance of the Catalan language for the formation and maintenance of a strong Catalan national identity. Professor Kostov addressed the issue of the manipulative use of the educational system and quasi-embassies abroad called Catalonian houses by the Catalonian separatist leaders in order to promote their separatist agenda domestically and abroad in his presentation, “Textbooks and Delegations Abroad as Pathways to Catalonian Independence.”
SIU Madrid Registrar and Professor, Alexandra Aaron, who is also a Schiller Alumnus, analyzed the impact of the illegal Catalonian referendum for the largest companies based in Catalonia during her presentation on “Economic Consequences and Market Analysis Driven by Political Instability in Catalonia.” Professor Narbona’s presentation “New Evidence onFirms’ Location Decisions: Is Catalonia Losing Appeal?” focused on the impact of the Catalonian referendum on future investments in the Spanish region.
All of the Schiller faculty presentations were very well accepted and will be published in an academic volume on Nationalist and Separatist Movements in Europe next year.
Bangladesh Meets SIU Madrid
They say there are no two countries that are the same, therefore, it is important to see every country as an opportunity to explore and learn something new. This is the idea behind our International Days, it gives every student the opportunity to know more about culture, history and people previously unknown.
We were honored and pleased to meet his Excellency Mr. Hassan Mahmood Khandker, Bangladeshi Ambassador in Spain, who opened our eyes to a country and history that has sometimes been overlooked. His Excellency shared about the rapid development of the nation, both politically and economically, giving us a positive outlook of the tourism industry in Bangladesh.
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Graduating at Schiller Madrid
There are places in life that are just a temporary stop throughout your journey, places you call home for just a short period of time. But no matter how brief the stay, these places help shape you, create character and foster wisdom, sometimes stemming from failures, but more often than not from victories earned with heartfelt effort.
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Meet Schiller Paris Faculty member – Costas Miltiades, former senior diplomat from Cyprus
Costas Miltiades joined SIU in May this year and he is teaching the IR&D Workshop on International Negotiations focusing on the theories and aspects of international diplomatic negotiations. This course also examines traditional and emerging negotiation strategies with a view to providing students an insight to the complexities of the international negotiation process.
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SIU Talk – Understanding Spanish Politics
It is vital for every International Relations student to understand the political situation they find themselves in. It is only by this understanding that communication and diplomacy can develop and flourish. This week at Schiller’s Madrid campus, renowned journalist Cristina Lladó, came by to talk to our students about the current political sphere and how this will affect elections in Madrid later this month. Lladó studied International Relations in Boston University, is fluent in three languages (Spanish, English and French) and most of her professional career has been dedicated to political journalism, covering more than ten elections to date.
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