Viadrina Guest Professor for European Value Transfer at the European University Viadrina Frankfurt (Oder)
The multiple crises and profound transformation processes around the world – from rapidly advancing digitalization and climate change to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East – pose major challenges for the European community and the values that bind it together. Populist parties and authoritarian movements are gaining massive support in Germany and Europe by exploiting people’s fears. They spread disinformation, promote polarization, and call into question freedom, democracy, and the rule of law. In these challenging times, universities must uphold academic freedom and the international spirit of science. They must create knowledge-based spaces for discourse, even on complex and controversial topics, thereby pointing the way toward productive and democratic ways of dealing with multiple crises and challenges. In doing so, they serve as an anchor in liberal democracies, where the negotiation of pluralistic and competing ideas is central. For the European University Viadrina, this social role of universities is of particular importance.
The Faculty of Cultural Studies at Viadrina University contributes to this task in cooperation with the interfaculty master’s program “European Studies” by establishing a visiting professorship for European Value Transfer, beginning in the winter semester 2025/26. With innovative, practice-oriented, and transfer-oriented courses, the visiting professorship aims to inspire students to embrace universal values which are embedded in the European legal and political order. In doing so, the professorship promotes the aims of democratic and sustainable coexistence in Europe. The teaching projects brought forward by the professorship will be transfer oriented and thus ensure that these topics are placed in a broader social context. The aim is to discuss democracy and sustainability oriented values with the citizens of the twin cities of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice as well as the German-Polish border region.
Specifically, the visiting professor will address these topics in a teaching project that incorporates different European perspectives, for instance comparing the visiting professor’s home region and the European twin cities of Frankfurt (Oder) and Słubice.
Commitments
- Teaching requirements: one course at MA level in the field of European, Values which is linked to a transfer project. The professor is expected not only to assist students but to ensure a result which leads to dialogue and/or discussion with the broader public (exhibition, podcast, public workshop, etc.),
- Organization of an opening and/or introduction of the Value Transfer project.
Application requirements
- Affiliation with a university partnering with Viadrina,
- Research and/or transfer profile in the field of European Studies. This profile may consist of concrete experiences in establishing and conducting exhibitions, podcasts, public workshops, etc.),
- Teaching experience at MA level,
- Very good command of English,
- Readiness to be present in Frankfurt (Oder) at least three days a week (October-March).
Fellowship specifications
- The fellowship offers 3,200 EUR per month, granted for a period of 6 months (October-March),
- Additionally, the fellow will receive a lump sum of 300 EUR for travel expenses,
- Work space at Viadrina will be provided, along with access to the university’s library.
Application documents (in English)
- Letter of motivation, including a project of European Values transfer
- CV
- List of publications
- List of courses taught previously
The application deadline is June 29, 2025. Please direct your application (consisting of pdf files only) to Dr Oliver Kossack (kossack@europa-uni.de). For further information, please check our website: www.kuwi.europa-uni.de or contact Dr Oliver Kossack.
See the PDF of the call here: Call – Guest Professor for European Value Transfer
