Mediteranian Cultural Studies

Mediteranian Cultural Studies - International Conflict Management - What are students saying

Adriana, Itàlia.
Edició 2004-2006.
I have decided to continue my studies with this master programme because I believe that it is the one that gets near to my degree in Arabian Filology. It offers a wide formative programe which allows the opening of new enriching horizons of knowledge and interests. And I do believe that this is the best way ( in a microcosm like the one of a doctoral course) to build a genuine Mediterranean space: a diversified and enriching one.

Elisa, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006.
During the first year of Mediterranean Cultural Studies I have had the chance to meet students of different nationalities, values, cultures and religions. More, each one of us comes with a different background: history, filology, law, economy and this not only that makes the projects and the classes more entertained and interesting but also, due to the plurality of our group, it enriches us both at an academic and personal level. This experience has given me the opportunity to deepen my preocupation for the Mediterranean region. I had studied economy and international cooperation but in my case the historical, the cultural and the political background was still limited and I could not understand the complexity of the region. Such themes I´m covering here with experts of the area, who are coming to Tarragona from different parts of the Mediterranean space..( north or south).

Anna, Catalunya.
Edició 2003-2005
Different factors have influenced my decision to participate in the Mediterranean Cultural Studies doctoral programme, but the one that stands out is the interdisciplinarity of the programme and also the subjects, that allows me to focus on my field of interest without giving up a panoramic vision and helping, no doubt, towards the enlargment of the specific knowledge aquired during my degree. The same thing can be said about teachers and students with different origins and backgrounds which offers a diversified and enriching reality that is a veritable stimulus.

Antoni, Balears.
Edició 2003-2005.

The Mediterranean Cultural Studies doctorate/master programme at The Rovira I Virgili University, coordinated by professor Enric Olive is one of the most daring present-day postgraduate programme, mostly for its huge cuantity of subjects and areas of research proposed to students. I congratulate this brilliant idea only for this reason. During the master I have appreciated the effort that has been made for this project and I believe that in the future it will be more recognized. Still, the apptitudes and the qualities of the professors had made my experience more enriching. I believe in the necessity of combining different aspects of the Mediterranean , it is here that we should take more into account the different realities. In conclusion I have to say that as a Majorcan I found very interesting the presence of a subject such as ¨Tourism in the Mediterranean Space¨, with all its different perspectives and realities.

Rubén, Catalunya.
Edició 2003-2005
As a student I´ve found my personal and academic experience extremely positive. This course has given me the chance to meet very interesting persons, not only from my coleagues but also from my teachers, persons who have enriched me personaly and intelectually. I consider that de doctorate/ master programme is of great interest because it includes different subjects which favour the enrichment of our background with information about the Mediterranean space, helping me to understand better the social, economical, political, historical and cultural complexity of this geographical area. Paradoxically my ignorance for this area was great and I saw in it the best impulse to start this master programme. Decision which has proved to be vital for my personal and proffesional trayectory because it has decisively opened ways to areas of interest and more it has made me understand better the diversity that sorrounds me and with which I have to live daily.

Massimo, Itàlia.
Edició 2003-2005
The passion for the Mediterranean world, the memory of the debates that have taken place during classes on topical subjects, the multidiciplinary character of the course, the high academic level of the visiting professors of the Mediterranean Cultural Studies master programme, have given me the necessary skills to know better this region situated between two worlds. Having now the necessary background I am capable to go on with my investigation in the field of my doctoral thesis. At present I am carrying on with my work on the doctoral thesis in Lebanon, in a place afilliated to the Centre of Arab and Middle Eastern Studies of the American University of Beirut.

Maria, Catalunya.
Edició 2001-2003
The Mediterranean Cultural Studies doctorate programme has a multidsciplinary vision of the Mediterranean space opening ways for the doctorate students in different specializations in the Mediterranean areas ( political, juridical, historical, sociological). The subjects have helped me know better a region in which maybe I have never had the chance to think in terms of importance; a space that we call Mediterranean Sea, an area of conflicts, conciliations, dialogue, instability and peace. I had the chance to apply this new information aquired in my career( law and political science) but from a perspective that was unimaginable before.

Abessamad, Marruecos.
Edició 2005-2007.
Personal experience:
- BA in English Language and Literature
- MA in Translation (Arabic, English, French)
- MA in International Studies and Diplomacy
- Currently pursuing a PhD in Mediterranean Cultural Studies at URV, Tarragona
COMMENT:
My choice of the URV Master's / PhD in Mediterranean Cultural Studies was motivated by a host of reasons. The prime one though is the uniqueness and the multidisciplinary character of the curriculum. The program touches on different historical, political, religious, cultural and social characteristics of the countries and cultures of the Mediterranean basin. It also boasts a very rich combination of experts and specialists in their respective fields. And Tarragona... what can I say, it's such a Mediterranean (and Roman) jewel in Spain that offers a student the best of Spanish life and culture. I would highly recommend this program to students with humanities / social science background who are interested in the different Mediterranean issues.

Erminia, Itàlia.
Edició 2004-2007.
Salut, je suis Erminia. J'ai étudié Langue et Littérature arabe à l' université de Naples en Italie. Dès que je suis petite je suis fasciné par le monde arabe, par une raison que je ne sais pas expliquer avec des mots. Comme ça le monde arabe et le Moyen Orient, surtout, représentent depuis des années mon area d' étude . Sûrement mon intérêt pour la question palestinienne et mon travail dans les camps de refugés palestiniennes en Syrie et au Liban ont grandi mon intéres, qui est devenu toujours plus personnel, et m'a convaincu à vouloir continuer mes études sur cette ligne. Pour cette raison cette année j' ai choisi de commencer ce master. Le fait de traiter des sujets qui ne sont pas seulement d' histoire ou de littérature du monde arabe mais il s'agit aussi d'affronter des problématiques actuels et des conflits et en plus le fait de mettre en relation le monde arabe avec l'autre rive, l' Europe, ont fait de cette master un étude très intéressant. En autre la possibilité de pouvoir se confronter en classe avec des élèves de différents payses et de différent formation donne une grande richesse en stimulant des débats qui peuvent montrer plusieurs cotés d'un même sujet ou d'une problématique. Je peut dire que suis contente de ce choix, il parait que je suis en train d'ouvrir chaque jour en plus des portes que j'avais laissées mi-ouvertes.

Jordi, Catalunya.
Edició 2005-2007.
My name is Jordi Jordan and I´m from ¨Terres de l´Ebre ( Tortosa). As a graduated student in History at the University of Barcelona, specialized in Contemporary History, I was looking for different doctorate/ master programmes that could be of my interest. I did not want to go on with the classic historiographic way of teaching but I was hoping to find one which treated history from a postmodernistic view, from a social and more from a multidisciplinary perspective. I believe that the master Mediterranean Cultural Studies is ideal from different aspects: on one hand it gives the necessary knowledge ( historical, political, cultural and much more social of the different countries from the Mediterranean region), information which after you have finished your thesis, you can use at a local, national or international level. This international level lays its basis more and more on the Mediterranean region, on ¨Mare Nostrum¨, which in the last centuries has been a little forgotten; Europe has looked on this side only for colonizing, proselitysm and obviously for political domination. I believe that the master is a good way of finding people of different cultures, who are knowing each other day by day, proving that there are not such big differencies like some people want to demonstrate, but on the contrary these differencies, I could say, are enriching and supporting the diversity of the area.
More, having the chance to know better the reality of these countries in terms of non governamental organization and of cooperation makes possible working in the future on capital themes with the aim to transform both the north and south side societies. Maybe these thoughts or ideas are the result of different experiences, mine or others. Maybe it is the influence of a city like Tortosa with more than 2000 years of history and with an important past for 3 different but significative religions of the Mediterranean: muslims, christians and jews. Perhaps all these things make me believe that a better world is possible. Will you join?

Maoz, Israel.
Edició 2005-2007
This master has given me the opportunity, especially from a historical perspective, to deepen more the fields that I have not known before. Moreover the participation of students from different countries opens an interesting cultural vision of the world.

Núria, Catalunya.
Edició 2005-2006
The doctorate/ master programme Mediterranean Cultural Studies from the Rovira I Virgili University gives a global knowledge of the history, the specific culture, the society and religion and of the present situation of the Mediterranean countries. It is remarkable the high level of the investigating professors who are giving lectures and conferences. The classes are interactive and the domain specific to the subject area, things that can make out of these sessions real debates. Every detail is deepened until all our doubts have in the end a solution. Personally, I believe that is very enriching to share classes and experiences with colleagues so different from the point of view of their origin, beliefs and customs. The respect and the tolerance between us have effects on the diversity and the plurality that we so much wish for the rest of the world.

Sílvia, Catalunya.
Europe or Mediterranean, both… It is difficult to define these realities. Applying for this master and doctorate programme I apply for my own future. The objective is to enrich my knowledge, the challenge is to use all this information for the actual world. I can sum up everything in only one word: diversity. Variety of subjects, diversity of professors, diversity of students. And the result can not be other than a wide horizon for exchange and dialogue.

Denisa, Romania.
Edició 2005-2007
This MA has given me so far the opportunity to know people from outside Europe which I find as tremendously enriching for me as a person coming from Eastern Europe. It's a unique mixture of every culture and religion that has had a word to say so far. It's controversial. But I believe that the whole spirit of this MA is to put together people of different languages, cultures or race and let them interact.
You can try it for yourself and see what the outcome is.

Marc, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006
One of the things that I like best about this doctorate is its multidisciplinarity. If you want to have a general idea about the Mediterranean region and its area of influence from different points of view : history, antropology, economy, culture, sociology… Then you have the chance to specialize in themes that you like more. The quantity of knowledge that you can aquire is very big, and also you can discover and know better your neighbours.

Salima, Marroc.
Edició 2005-2007.
My name is Salima Hakim and I have a degree in Economics in Marroc; the existence of different worlds( such as the undeveloped world or the occident) where you can find many economical and social inequalities causes cultural conflicts between the orient and the occident world. This has given me the impulse to find a method to solve such problems and the best way is through dialogue. So I started looking for a formative programme that could satisfy this interest of mine; but what I was searching for was right here under my own eyes in Tarragona, at the Rovira I Virgili University. This master gives me the chance to know the European culture and its cultural reasons and to speak about my Arabian Islamic culture giving to everybody a good example, which sometimes lacks. The Mediterranean area could be seen as the center of the world, where different civilizations meet. Here I have learned many things about history, culture, politics and about the present conflicts. Thanks to professors and experts, who are sharing their experience with us we are more sensitive and more motivated. I reccomend this master to all of those who are interested in the Mediterranean region and its relation with neighbouring countries.

Amadeu , Catalunya.
Edició 2003/2005
The first session of the Mediterranean Cultural Studies changes your perspective about the world, prooving that sometimes prejudices can influence your vision about reality. Here is where you find a way to open yourself to other life experiences. This was my first senzation from the begginning to the last session. The sesssions are not similar and in each one you discover a a new perspective of reality, which no doubt questions all the parameters used by a common person when normaly wants to make a practical analisis of the sorrounding reality. Challenging, ingenuous, without fronteers these are adjectives that caracterize briefly a programme that as a journalist allows you a critical vision based on the events and the social conflicts and on current communications. For me and for the rest of my colleagues this doctorate / master programme is indispensable.

Itxaso, Pais Vasco.
Edició 2003-2005

The Mediterranean Cultural Studies doctorate programme has been for me very enriching at a personal level, above all because I was coming with a different background: a degree in Arqueology. With this doctorate I was able to understand many of the actual problems of the Mediterranean space, being capable of making my own judges. Moreover I have met people of different nationalities and with interesting degrees.

Paco, Catalunya, Espanya, el Mediterrani.
Edició 2003-2005. The Mediterranean Cultural Studies programme has appealed to me from the first day I have found out about its existence. I was just getting my degree in History and I wanted to deepen my knowledge of the contemporary age because it was of great interest to me. When I discovered this programme I knew that it would be useful because it gave me the opportunity to continue my research in a passionate geographical area. The Mediterranean space, with its people that are sharing the banks of the Mediterranean sea, has been from the begginning a crossroad and a battlefield; it has awoken in me the will to know more about how their history carries us out till present giving the keys to set right the future, keys that can be interpreted from various sides during the Mediterranean Cultural Studies course, with cualified professors and from different fields of research and countries; giving us a global vision of the world and making us understand better that sometimes black and white visions can keep us apart from reality. It was a trully positive experience both from a personal and academic perspective helping me to lay the basis of a knowledge that can make me understand that this space has to make dissappear the fronteers that separate us; a space that can not be a battlefield no more but a real Mare Nostrum.

Xavier, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006

I believe that this master doctorate programme is a good opportunity to deepen our knowledge on different realities of the culture of the Mediterranean space. The doctorate programme not only that it gives a more wide vision of the cultural aspects but also of the sorrounding context ( socialy, historicaly, economically, politicaly,legally, etc.) things that can help us analize better the contemporary Mediterranean world.

Hafsa, Marroc.
Edició 2005-2007.
On one hand I have chosen this master because I´m interested in themes such as immigration and cooperation in the Mediterranean space; and this requires from me an important theoretical background: historical, political, social… On the other hand I have had the chance to meet students with different experiences who are living just like me in a multicultural space and many times we learn from one another.

Lourdes, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006
My degree in medicine and humanities could seem a strange mixture. I also have to confess that I have never imagined that I could find myself involved in this: doing a doctorate. Now the work in the medicine field : if you want to make a good job, it requires compromises, and then my passion for culture, who knows maybe the destine has brought me here and suddenly it fits me like a glove.
In the Mediterranean Cultural Studies doctorate I found a wide and complete vision of the Mediterranean culture ( in fact of my own culture) a crosspoint for my passions- medicine and humanities- a real opportunity for working to improve the life of many people, a critical and autocritical look at the world, good friends and very important the pleajure to listen to persons who know so much. Any critics? Of course there are, but not worth mentioning. Believe me it was worth doing it!

Rebeca, Catalunya.
Edició 2003-2005
What capted my attention when I decided to enter this course was the possibility to access an interdisciplinary content: the course includes all the areas that a person needs to know, if he wants to work in international relations, cooperation and developement or non-guvernamental organization. This course is necessary if you think about the diversity of the Euro-Mediterranean Region. The actuality of the contents and the quality of the professors can not be compared with any other programme. More, the fact that the group of students is not very big makes the classes more accesible and dynamic. And much more we have the nice and accesible city of Tarragona, opened to the Mediterranean sea.

Maria del Mar, Mallorca.
Edició 2003-2005
The Mediterranean Cultural Study doctorate/ master programme has been for me the opportunity to enrich my knowledge abouth the other side of the Mediterranean space : the south part. And with this I have learned how dangerous can be sometimes to ignore the other one, as consequence of all the prejudices.
On one hand the teachers have sewn inside me the seed of curiosity and of knowing more about very interesting themes, such as the opportunity that one can find on one of the sea banks only because it was born here and as a consequence the inequlities that this generates, how Europe and all the Europeans are working to dimminish these differencies. For the information that was facilitated to us I have to be grateful.
Each one of the professors has brought to me a solution to all my doubts. They have awaken inside me the desire to learn more. The necessity to break out the imaginary fronteers of the Mediterranean sea. I admitt that learning more about the south bank of the Mediterranean it was not one of my priorities. It was reduced only to the theme of colonization. That is why I found it interesting to create a new image keeping at a distance a vision totaly ¨corrupted¨ of the world. On the other hand this theme has made my thesis change many times. I contemplate the Mediterranean as a whole with its multiculturality that we have to conservate and keeping this unity has its main obstacle in the lack of a real debate between nations. We are talking about a one-way debate.

Ursula, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006
I want to point out two reasons that have made me apply for this master: the first one is that The Mediterranean Cultural Study master programme is a magnificent place for students and teachers who love dialogue, diversity of proceedance and exchange thoughts. I can not define it any other way but as an enriching experience. Moreover I am happy to speak about the ambitious project centered on multidisciplinarity where one can see both practical and theoretical courses of different subjects, different teaching system and a special attention put on dialogue and understanding; this system of teaching facilitates a gradual immersion in the knowledge and a critical vision based on the different sides of the reality.

Natàlia, Catalunya.
Edició 2004-2006
I have nice memories about this course. I have understood better the reality and the relevance of many events that are taken or that have taken place for a better future. Also I have enjoyed very much the subject: Arts performance in the Mediterranean space given by professor doctor Ricard Salvat and which later has proved to be essential for the developement of my thesis. The good relationships that I had with all my colleagues is worth mentioning.

Tamar, Israel.
Edició 2004-2006
The GIEM course offers diverse as well as a subtle but strong direction, thus inviting a wide variety of discussions. In my opinion this reflects the academic strength and proficiency of its authors who are ready and awaiting academic challenges which may enhance their cause. I found the set courses interesting and enriching offering essential knowledge and I found myself wandering “how come I never taught this before?” My research s about community public art as today’s prominent form of public art: thus complying to criteria applied to public art concerning the political domination of spaces.

Andra:

Doing a master/ doctorate programme like ¨Mediterranean Cultural Studies¨ is a good opportunity to see different perspectives of the same reality but through the eyes of people so diverse from the point of view of their religous and cultural background. It is a unique and challenging experience. More the doctorate has a multidisciplinary approach and all the professors that are sharing classes are experts in the field thing which is salutary. I feel spiritually enriched that is why I only want to say to all of those who love interacting and finding out passionate things about Mediterranean culture( but not only!) they have now the chance, so don`t miss it!