FUCE SUMMER SCHOOL - ARCHIVES

Fuce Summer School 2025
Populism, a wicked problem
The summer school of 2025 (June 30 – July 4) in Lille, France, investigated the wicked problems populism engenders.

Fuce Summer School 2024
From July 1st to Friday, July 5th 2024, Université Catholique de Lille hosted the fifth edition of the summer school ‘European Humanism in the Making’, organized by the European Federation of Catholic Universities (FUCE) and coordinated by the University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp (UCSIA).

During this week focused on the way new technologies influence humanist values under the title ‘AI remaking European humanism’, students from all over Europe, Ukraine and Lebanon were invited to reflect on the way we need to rethink humanism in the light of rapid technological development and how it impacts European society.

Throughout the week, students were invited to participate in various activities such as conferences, group reflections, a Lille city tour and a visit of Brussels Parlamentarium.

Fuce Summer School 2023
From 3 to 7 July 2023, at the Palermo campus of LUMSA University, the Department of Law, Economics and Communication of LUMSA University, as part of the Erasmus + project, hosted the Summer School “European Humanism in the Making”, organized by the Federation of European Catholic Universities – FUCE, in collaboration with the University Centre Saint-Ignatius Antwerp – UCSIA.

This edition was titled "Conflicting memories between East and West and the future of Europe challenged by migration" and counted on the participation of 30 students from different countries around the world at work (including Belgium, Croatia, France, Georgia, Ireland, Italy, Lebanon, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Ukraine).

The initiative, focused on the conflicting collective memories between East and West Europe and the management of the migration crisis from a Southern European perspective, also included students from the LUMSA University PhD program in Mediterranean Studies .

The FUCE Summer School project was born in response to the rise of Euroscepticism, which threatens the sense of belonging to the European Union. This phenomenon is fueled by a lack of adequate knowledge of the history of European integration and the fundamental values of a united Europe, especially among the younger generations.

The 2023 Summer School, held in Palermo, aimed to rediscover and reevaluate the structural elements that have characterized European life, particularly Humanism, with its manifestations of virtuous and positive anthropological attitudes. These manifestations embody the distinctive features of Europeanism that the Summer School intends to explore and promote: Christian ethics, civic morality, culture, thought, the arts, democracy, open diplomacy, intercultural dialogue, the centrality of Mediterranean thought, freedom of movement, economic development, well-being, and peace.

The questions that engaged students were diverse and focused on the Euro-Mediterranean context, its issues, and the overall development prospects surrounding it. More specifically: how can we reinterpret the values that underpin European humanism? How relevant is European humanism in a globalized world and in today’s society? How can European humanism contribute to current issues of governance, citizenship, prosperity, solidarity, peace, and human development?

The FUCE Summer School program – divided into two parts and 5 discussion modules – included two public events that could be followed in person in Palermo, at Via Parlatore 65 and online on Google Meet.

The first open event was a public lecture by Prof. Peter Verovsek of the University of Groningen entitled “Conflicting Memories between East and West and the Future of Europe”.

The second open event was a public panel with students entitled “My Europe” moderated by Prof. Peter Hanenberg , UCP.

The FUCE Summer School program also included presentations by professors from the Catholic University of Lille, UCP Lisbon, UCSIA, UCL Lyon, CEU San Pablo in Madrid, Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Antwerp, Maynooth College in Dublin, Groningen, and LUMSA University.

The two LUMSA professors who took part in the FUCE Summer School activities were Prof. Umberto Di Maggio, associate professor of General Sociology and scientific coordinator appointed by the University for the initiative and a member of the Summer School faculty, who discussed the Mediterranean migration issue and the perception of foreigners with a lecture entitled: “Mare-nostrum? Migration in the Mediterranean between Collective Perceptions of the ’Stranger’ and the ’Southern Thought’ for a European Social Humanism” and Prof. Marco Evola , associate professor of European Law , who gave a lecture entitled “Rescue at Sea and NGOs: Governance of Migration Flows versus Civic Engagement?” in which the issue of migration flows and processes of civic engagement will be discussed from an international legal perspective.

The FUCE Summer School allowed participating students to develop a reflective and socially responsible approach within the framework of European Humanism, understood as a new sense of citizenship that can contribute to overcoming current challenges and promote peace processes and therefore integral development.

Fuce Summer School 2022
The FUCE Summer School 2022 took place from 4 to 8 July in Gubbio (Italy), hosted by LUMSA University.

Organized under the theme European Humanism in the Making, it gathered undergraduate students from FUCE member universities for an immersive academic and intercultural experience.

The programme combined lectures, workshops, and student-led discussions exploring the cultural, philosophical, and political foundations of the European project.

Particular attention was given to questions of identity, citizenship, and democratic values in a changing European context.

Held in person after the online edition of 2021, it marked a return to a fully residential format fostering dialogue, exchange, and community building among participants.

Fuce Summer School 2021
The FUCE Summer School 2021 was held in an online format due to the global health context, marking a transitional edition of the programme. Organized within the framework of European Humanism in the Making, it brought together students from member universities to reflect on key challenges facing Europe. The programme combined webinars and interactive discussions, including sessions on European identity and the future of the European project. Topics such as democracy, memory, and cultural cohesion were central to the exchanges. Despite the virtual format, the initiative maintained its core objective: fostering dialogue and a shared humanistic vision among European students.

Fuce Summer School 2020
The FUCE Summer School 2020, held in Gubbio (Italy) from 6 to 10 July, focused on exploring the roots and future of the European project through a multidisciplinary approach.

Structured around five core modules, the programme examined historical, cultural, social, and political dimensions of European identity and humanism.

Participants engaged in lectures, workshops, and discussions addressing themes such as European consciousness, the role of religion and science, and democratic governance.

The Summer School combined academic reflection with interactive activities, including student-led debates and public sessions on contemporary European challenges.

Overall, it aimed to foster a sense of social responsibility and active citizenship among students within the framework of European humanism.