03.07.2023 Visit in Marburg from Southeast Asian Partner Universities

From the 12th to the 17th of June 2023, the Center for Conflict Studies in Marburg warmly welcomed a group of 12 lecturers from the Universidade da Paz (UNPAZ) in Timor-Leste, the Mindanao State University – Iligian Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT) in the Philippines and the National University of Battambang (NUBB) in Cambodia. The visit was part of an ongoing collaboration within the framework of the Southeast Asian University Partnership for Peacebuilding and Conflict Transformation (SAUP) aimed at fostering knowledge exchange and enhancing curriculum development and didactics in the field of peace and conflict studies.
 
The primary objective of this visit was to provide the guests with an opportunity to observe and participate in diverse academic activities at the Center for Conflict Studies, as well as to exchange ideas and perspectives among all SAUP partners. The lecturers therefore engaged in a series of activities during their stay, including class visits, workshops, a campus tour and research discussions.
 
The workshops primarily centered around didactic considerations when planning a seminar and lessons learned on international teaching collaboration. Lecturers were able to discuss best practices, exchange ideas, and explore potential areas for future teaching and research collaborations between partner institutions.
 
To further link these shared learnings to practice, participants also visited a series of classes taught by lecturers of the Center for Conflict Studies on topics ranging from environmental and climate conflicts to human rights and civil society in peacebuilding. This also allowed the visiting lectures to share their experience and knowledge directly with students of Peace and Conflict Studies in Marburg, who were thrilled to engage with these varied perspectives.
 
Another cornerstone of the visit was introducing lecturers to the overall academic environment at the University of Marburg. In pursuit of this goal, two student assistants organized and led a campus tour to allow the visitors to explore important university buildings and sights. In addition, the lecturers attended a lecture on the history of democracy in Germany and discussed its impact on German academic culture. To see some of the sights linked to this history in person and to conclude their visit on a cultural note, the group was also taken on an excursion to explore the city of Frankfurt.
 
Overall, the visit of the lecturers from Timor-Leste, the Philippines and Cambodia to the Center of Conflict Studies in Marburg proved to be an immensely fruitful experience. The exchange of knowledge, ideas, and experiences among hosting and visiting participants reaffirmed the commitment of all SAUP partners for future collaborations in the field of peace and conflict studies.
 
The visit of all 12 lecturers was funded by an Erasmus+ Staff Mobility.