FBI steering group consultation

29. – 30.04.2004 in Tartu

 

 

Participants:

Risto Aikonen, Hannele Toto Repo, Laima Geikina, Gatis Lidums, Pille Valk

 

Notes (taken by Pille)
 

1. Evaluation of the conference in October 2003
   1. Good things: it was interesting; meeting colleges face to face; sharing experiences of different countries; possibility for informal discussions (in Villa Tammekann, reception etc); good atmosphere; possibility for post-graduate students to get know “what is going on”….

 

2. Critics: too many different papers; no focus (but it might be excused because of the first time)

 

3. Ideas for the next conference: 

                                                    i.     If there will be many papers => to divide work into sections

                                                  ii.     It will be great, if the papers will be available in Internet before the conference. How to motivate participants to make it possible?

                                                iii.     To define the main focus  => + workshops

                                                iv.     Key note papers + responses to create better discussion

                                                  v.     To create a CD-rom with the materials of the conference.

                                                vi.     To organise an international seminary for the post-graduate students (with the focus on research methods) before the conference – possibility to present research projects, to analyse them and to get feedback

 

4. Possible problems:  level of the papers – what can we do to guarantee good academic standards?

 

2. Developing FBI network
   1. Lithuania: In the University of Vilnius there is a RE Centre. Pille will send an official letter to the University to find contact persons. Also the Lithuanian Embassy in Estonia could be contacted.

 

2. Russia - University of Kaliningrad: Gatis will take a contact.

 

3. Sweden:  Arto is kindly asked to look for the interested Swedes.

 

 

3. Nature of the FBI

It was agreed the FBI has to be an academic forum with the corresponding standards.

Great idea: maybe in some years we are able to organise a FBI forum for the wider audience of practitioners concerning RE (RE teachers, Sunday school teachers, Youth workers etc) to introduce the practical outcomes of our research. 

 

 

4. Ideas about FBI Publication – possible journal
   1. Aim of the journal: to publish papers and to introduce researches and books (often published not in English or German)
   2. Structure of the journal: it is important to find a focus (for the whole journal / for particular issue?). Every journal might have different parts: theoretical insights; research outcomes; book reviews; +?
   3. Authors: it is necessary to involve Scandinavian colleges. Again Arto was remembered due his wide network of contacts.
   4. Language: English with a German summery (also an article in German + an English summery will be accepted). There is an absolute need for language editor!
   5. Finances: Gatis will contact somebody in Latvia. Also Arto is kindly asked to create ideas about funding.

 

 

5. NEXT CONFERENCE
   1. Time: 38^th week of 2005 (19. – 25. 09.2005)

                                                    i.     Seminary for the post-graduate students: Tuesday afternoon – Wednesday afternoon

                                                  ii.     Conference: Wednesday afternoon – Friday evening. Departures on Saturday morning

 

2. Suggested Title: NEUTRALITY AND COMMITMENT IN RE – NORDIC-BALTIC CONTEXT AND REALITY

The overall theme involves topics about research methods, problems of the identity of religious educator, questions of religious identity in the modern multicultural Europe, etc.

Do you have suggestions to the better wording of the title of the conference?

 

3. Key note speakers:

                                                    i.     Friedrich Shweitzer (Germany – he might be invited as a guest of Tartu University for the German Academic Week. It means that we don’t have to pay extra for his coming)

                                                  ii.     Sissel Ostberg (Norway)

                                                iii.     Hannele Niemi (Finland)

                                                iv.     Juris Galitis (Lativa, dean of the Theological Faculty of Latvian University in Riga)

 

4. Money.

                                                    i.     NORFA – Gatis will contact the office in Riga. Dead-lina for applications there is in September 2004.

                                                  ii.     ERASMUS – the funding of student exchange can be partly covered by this project. Please, check it out – are there bilateral agreements signed between our Universities!

                                                iii.     Bilateral agreements for the cooperation between Tartu and other Universities. Pille will make steps in this field.

                                                iv.     A very realistic conclusion – all the participants have to find finances to come to the conference.

 

 

5. Participants: (min)max per countries

 

	Latvia	Finland	Estonia	New: Lithuania Kaliningrad Norway +?	Total
Students	(2) 6	6 (Hel + Joensuu)	(4) 6		18
Researchers	(4) 6	10 (Hel+Joensuu) ? +2 from Abo Academy	5	2 – 4 2 3
Total	(6) 12	(10) 18	(9) 11	(5) 9	(30) 50

 

6. Applications:

                                                    i.     Sending out: January 2005

                                                  ii.     Resieved: 31.of May 2005

 

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