At the beginning of November, three dozen foreign experts gathered in Olomouc to give lectures and workshops on theology, social work, social pedagogy, and media ethics at the Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology of Palacký University. ITW is also an opportunity to meet foreign students – more than 50 young people traveled to Olomouc from Ukraine, Austria, Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Croatia, Germany, and Slovakia. The guests traveled long distances – some lecturers came from Kenya, others from the USA or Malta. Lecturers from Iceland, Georgia, the USA, and Ireland joined online.
The topics of the lectures were extremely interesting. For example, Eberhard Bons from Strasbourg gave a classic lecture on biblical studies, but it was excellently executed. He showed us how statues of gods were understood in the ancient Near East and then explained several passages from the Old Testament prophets in this context.
Sigríður Guðmarsdóttir from Iceland lectured on blue theology, i.e., the eco-theology of water. She showed how water, the Arctic, and theology are related. Finally, she linked everything to the sacraments, especially the sacrament of baptism. Ann Kiriru from Kenya spoke about the relationship between churches and young people's struggle for social justice in Africa. She focused on the barriers and opportunities for cooperation between the younger generation and churches. And because the audience came from all corners of the country, a discussion followed on the political situation, the attitudes of young people, and the support of the church in Tanzania, Belarus, Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Georgia, Ukraine, Malta, and Czechia.
"This year's edition was rich not only from a geographical point of view, but also in terms of approaches to theology. Students from a large number of countries participated. However, the lectures were understandable and practical, and the discussions were conducted in a spirit of listening and understanding the other's point of view," summarized Doc. Dominik Opatrný.
The 5th International Teaching Week was organized by the International Relations Office of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy of Palacký University under the leadership of Dominik Opatrný, Vice-Dean for International Relations. ITW offers students and the public the opportunity to meet experts from abroad and learn how foreign universities teach. The event is also a great opportunity for Czech and foreign students to get to know each other.
We would like to thank everyone who participated in organizing this prestigious event.
