New school year began in the Flying University

Presentation of the Flying University

At the presentation of the program of the Flying University for 2012-2013 school year, potential listeners were presented schools, seminars, and other formats of learning.

 - The Flying University performs a compensatory function. This means that one can acquire in the Flying University knowledge not available in Belarusan universities. At lectures in the Flying University, topics and issues are discussed that are not raised in an academic environment, said the "founding father" of the Flying University Uladzimir Matskevich at the presentation, held on 7-8 September in the "Gallery U".

The Flying University is a space for cultivating of thinking, education, and self-determination (self-organization, thinking and activities of a person). The University is open, public, designed to contribute in such a way to the formation of the Belarusan nation.

- The task of the Flying University is to awaken personal experience of thinking, to help forming original thinking, based on best practices, noted philosopher Paval Barkousky.

- The University provides education, but other than the one provided in an ordinary high school, explained the curator of the FU Tatiana Vadalazhskaya. If in ancient Greece, or even in the Middle Ages, it was enough to capture certain complex of knowledge to become an educated person, then nowadays that amount is too big. And there is no sense and possibility to collect all the knowledge in one place. Versatility of modern education is the mastering of the intellectual work methods. If you have mastered the method, then you can work with any kind of knowledge.

Mastering the methods

It is possible to master such methods at the basic education courses of the FU, "Introduction to the systems approach" (U.Matskevich), "Philosophy. Introduction to the practices of thinking and acting" ("Belarusan philosophical prastora" (“Belarusan philosophical space”),"Techniques of management the future: activity theory, projecting, programming" (A. Yahorau), "Analysis of the data: real world in the language of mathematics" (E. Borodacheva, N. Leonov).

The most abstract, schematic course that gives tools to work with any possible knowledge, is "Introduction to the systems approach", given by U.Matskevich.

The course "Techniques of management the future: activity theory, projecting, programming", given by Andrei Yahorau, aims to provide a basis for social projecting and programming, management the future of large social systems.

- My course is more subjectivized in matters of projecting and programming. This year the course has changed as it has become more basic in sense that it partly introduces the activity theory and partly the activity approach, said Andrei Yahorau.

Getting acquainted with the subject areas

One can get acquainted with some important subject areas in the Flying University together with the people working in these areas.

Mark Bernstein will give master classes on editing Wikipedia, modern interdisciplinary approaches to study of the past will be presented by Aliaksei Lastouski, Stsiapan Stureika will introduce the anthropology of cultural heritage. The new course "History of the Belarusan thought" will be dedicated to the work with the tradition.

- History of the Belarusan thought actually starts with our desire to work with the tradition, to think together with the tradition, explained philosopher and writer Ihar Babkou. Belarusan tradition - it is all important texts written from the end of X century up to the beginning of XXI century, written in several languages, and representing the historical and cultural epochs, each of which is a certain way of thinking, a large thesaurus of ideas. This luggage must be acquired not only by philosophers and intellectuals, but by every educated person.

Workshops and schools

Workshops and schools is a unique form of the Flying University work. Listeners can learn directly from the masters. In such "personal" workshops it will be possible to read the Bible together with the Doctor of Sacred Theology (Ph.D., S.T.D.) Iryna Dubianetskaya, to study design with the designer and poet Michal Anempadystau, to work on analysis of political institutions along with the director of the Institute of Political Studies “Palitychnaja sfera” (”Political sphere") Andrei Kazakevich.

- Design is a handy tool for the world cognition and changing the world around you. Design is one of the most popular forms of art today, penetrating into all the spheres of art. Design, like politics, is the art of the possible. I can not promise that each student will become a designer, but hands-on trainings there will be, noted Michal Anempadystau at the presentation.

Representatives of civil society organizations have also created their own schools in the Flying University: Education Center "POST" – the School of Educator, Legal Transformation Center – the school dedicated to the rights of non-profit organizations, Lev Sapieha Foundation – the School of local self-government.

- Educator is a person able to create his/her own educational event or program and implement the project as a trainer, moderator, told the director of Education Center "POST" Alexander Karalevich. Under the active learning strategy, we are trying to teach this process: setting proper goals, choosing an adequate content and the best forms and methods to achieve the goal. We’ve have changed the course structure this year, trying to make it more effective. We make sure that the audience could apply the theoretical knowledge and skills acquired to the idea of their own educational programs.

Besides, the Flying University presents seminars, public lectures Urbi et Orbi and discussions, research and designing, PhD-programs, summer schools, and many more.

Deadline for applications to study in the Flying University is September 21. Application for selected courses can be submitted here.