Should the Politicos be telling us how to teach History?

If we tell the truth about the past, then we shall be capable of telling the truth about the present” - Statement by Ken LOACH at the Cannes Film Festival during the presentation of his film “The wind that shakes the Barley”, based on the Irish war of Independence.

Is there any such a thing as “magical” causality, as Carl GUSTAV JUNG once hinted? In any case, something of the sort seems to me to be applicable to two apparently unrelated events: the French no vote at the European referendum and the debate concerning the “Lois mémorielles” (recent acts of France’s Parliament regulating historical commemoration).

Read more: Should the Politicos be telling us how to teach History?

Les Grandes Questions Juives

Séminaire de Monsieur Jean-Marc Chouraqui, Professeur à l'Université de la Méditerranée.

Synthèse

Les grandes questions juives:

L'idée du questionnement est au coeur de l'identité juive. L'importance de la capacité à se poser des questions chez les Juifs peut se comprendre,selon leur tradition, par le fait que les Hébreux seraient un peuple sorti de l'esclavage d'après le récit biblique. Par conséquent, une fois libres, ils auraient le devoir de se poser des questions car la liberté est la capacité de s'exprimer, de poser et de se poser des questions.De nombreux textes de la tradition étayent ce point.
M. Chouraqui aborde trois grandes questions au cours de ses séminaires:

Peuple élu, peuple d'élite?
Terre Promise, Terre permise?
Attendre le messie, est-ce une question juive?

Nous avons assisté aux trois premières séances relatives à la notion souvent source de malentendus de Peuple élu .
Cette notion pose question comme deux autres induites par le concept de monothéisme.

Read more: Les Grandes Questions Juives

Pope Pius XI's Crusade for Human Rights and His hidden Encyclical "Humanitas Generis Unitas", against Racism and Anti-Semitism

In 1938, Pope Pius XI quietly commissioned the drafting of an encyclical by an American Jesuit, John La Farge, author of “Interracial Justice”. The Pope had spoken out several times on the terrible moral evils of these times: exaggerated nationalism, racism and violations of human rights. He was incensed by anti-Semitism. He was encouraged by the German bishops and even begged by Dr. Edith Stein to issue an encyclical. Others within the Vatican urged a more diplomatic course. The Pope died in 1939 with a draft of the encyclical on his desk. The encyclical was never released by the Vatican. Dr. Coppa explores the position of this Pope on anti-Semitism and human rights and seeks to bring Pius XI's long hidden “encyclical” to public attention. A bibliographical essay by Dr. Coppa, entitled, “The Hidden Encyclical Against Racism and Anti-Semitism Uncovered Once Again!” appears in the January 1998 issue of “The Catholic Historical Review”. The author compares the policies of Pius XI and Pius XII in the essay, “Pope Pius XI's ‘Encyclical,' Humani Generis Unitas Against Racism and Anti-Semitism and the ‘Silence' of Pope Pius XII,” which is scheduled to appears in the autumn 1998 issue of the “Journal of Church and State”.

Read more: Pope Pius XI's Crusade for Human Rights and His hidden Encyclical "Humanitas Generis Unitas",...

The World in 2030, educated guesses from a long-run perspective

2030, the world is racked with social upheaval and inter-power conflict. Global warming and an ever increasing world population have combined to provoke economic and political convulsions throughout much of the developing world, while China and India are busy playing out a renewed version of the 19th century's Great Game. Fanciful? Likely? A mere possibility?

In this discussion paper, dating from September 2009, Kevin O'Rourke, professor of Economics at Trinity College, Dublin and co-author of the economic history opus Power and Plenty: Trade, War, and the World Economy in the Second Millennium (Princeton University Press, 2007), discusses what the geo-political landscape might resemble come 2030. O'Rourke argues that while trends rarely follow a perfectly straight line, there is often a strong correlation between actions taken today and effects observed tomorrow.

Read more: The World in 2030, educated guesses from a long-run perspective

On teaching and putting Cross-cultural management into practice: two students' point of view

After two semesters spent studying cross-cultural management, we decided to compile and synthesize the questions which we came across and the answers we have been able to find. First we have observed that teaching this new skill is no easy task. And neither is putting it into practice. Therefore we will put forward what iin our opinion is the best way of teaching cross-cultural management and how to put it into practice. Regarding the form of this presentation it may be said that itit is more like an essay in form, than a scientific disquisition. It is subjective and merely tries to analyse what we have learnt in the classroom over recentt months.

Read more: On teaching and putting Cross-cultural management into practice: two students' point of view