The BaPIS, UPF’s new cross-disciplinary programme promoting internationalization
Contra el genocidi i contra la violació dels drets humans, a Gaza i arreu del món
Peace comes when you talk to the person you most hate. And that’s where the courage of a leader comes.
Desmond Tutu (1931-2021), first recipient of an honorary doctorate from UPF
These words, spoken by Desmond Tutu, the first person ever to be awarded an honorary doctorate by UPF, are more applicable today than ever. The UPF condemns, and will always condemn, the use of violence to settle disputes. At UPF, we advocate approaching political or territorial conflicts based on dialogue and respect for all peoples and minorities.
As a university, we also want to show our support to the academic community in countries at war. Universities and scientific institutions are more necessary than ever in these regions. Access to education and the promotion of critical thinking, in the context of strong independent institutions, are the way to ensure the informed debate and reflection that can open the door to new avenues for finding solutions.
At UPF, we are aware of the university community’s concern for the human rights violations we are seeing in the conflicts around us. That is why on this website you will find information about campaigns and actions related to current conflicts, as well as opinion pieces and institutional statements. We also offer a dedicated e-mail address – [email protected] – to contact the university and let us know about your interests and concerns.
The BaPIS, UPF’s new cross-disciplinary programme promoting internationalization
A new programme that will provide the students of the University and from throughout the world with the best opportunities to enjoy an academically high quality, creative, inclusive international experience.
For the 2020-2021 academic year, Pompeu Fabra University, in its strategy to expand and diversify its international outlook, is launching a new institutional project, the Barcelona Program for Interdisciplinary Studies (BaPIS), designed to provide advanced training with the participation of all its faculties and the aim of becoming a benchmark programme.
In the words of Isabel Valverde, vice-rector for internationalization projects: “This new programme is the result of one of the key aspects of our internationalization strategy; that of offering our students the best opportunities to enjoy an academically high quality, creative, inclusive international experience”.
Its uniqueness lies in its innovative character: due to the subject matter, which takes creativity as a human factor as the main thread, and because it targets both students of UPF and from other universities around the world. Thus, students of the University will be able to enjoy an internationalization experience from home and international students will be able to participate in an immersion programme.
Its uniqueness lies in its innovative character: due to the subject matter, which takes creativity as a human factor as the main thread, and because it targets both students of UPF and from other universities around the world
The BaPIS stands out for its unique, ground-breaking features: on the one hand it builds bridges between disciplines and enables taking subjects in which creativity is the subject of study and the learning method. On the other hand, it builds an ideal setting for “internationalization at home”. It has evolved from the Hispanic and European Studies Programme (PEHE), which for over fifteen years has been hosting international students from US universities at UPF. Now, the BaPIS is expanding on and enriching the old PEHE, opening up to students from all over the world as well as from all of the University faculties, who will be able to share an international experience without leaving home, thus complementing the opportunities for mobility provided by the University. Thus, the BaPIS is set to continue and strengthen the Barcelona International Summer School (BISS) model, which has achieved great success in just three editions.
The programme will be offered regularly in the first and second terms of each academic year, and will begin in January 2021. It will enable UPF students to extend their curricular options for which they will receive free-elective cross-disciplinary credits. Registration will take place during the first term of the 2020-2021 academic year, on dates soon to be announced on the BaPIS website.
Creativity, the human factor
In this new millennium, society poses and is facing unprecedentedly complex challenges. In this setting, as a place of critical thought the university must assert itself as a space for reflection, innovation and participation. the BaPIS aims to provide students with knowledge and tools to meet these challenges by centring creativity, as the human factor. Students will be guided by internationally renowned teaching staff, from different departments of the University with an outstanding track record in teaching and research.
Students will be guided by internationally renowned teaching staff, from different departments of the University with an outstanding track record in teaching and research
The seventeen courses kicking off the programme in January 2021 deal with current issues such as exploring what sets the human brain apart, how the visual arts are perceived from the neuroscientific point of view, and how analytical methods are developed for improving organization and logistics or how the implications of new technologies related to copyright are explored from the legal point of view. Students will also investigate the innovations introduced by artificial intelligence in governance, how great ideas have changed the world, the city of Barcelona as a creative space, and discussions on so-called independent films, and many others.
The courses include practical workshops, trips supervised by professors to relevant sites and institutions, guided tours, company visits, seminars and sessions given by guest speakers who share their experiences and views.
The courses are worth 6 credits (ECTS) each and will be taught in English and Spanish. They will take place over 11 weeks lasting 45 hours, similarly to undergraduate courses, so that they can be easily combined with each other and with regular courses.
Thus, BaPIS courses will present students with a personal, intellectual journey to compare different cultural and disciplinary standpoints.
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