Winter Semester at Off-University Begins
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The Winter Semester has started at the Off-University, which was founded by a group of Academics for Peace in Germany and their colleagues.
The first research course given by Prof. Dr. Andrea Pető and Dr. İclal Ayşe Küçükkırca "Homelessness and Homemaking: On Different Meanings of the Home Space" started on September 30.
This semester, Off-University will host eight online courses taught by persecuted academics in Turkey and organized in collaboration with the New University in Exile Consortium at the New School, the Free University of Berlin, Kassel University, Potsdam University, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Göttingen University and Humboldt University Berlin.
Winter Semester program
"Off-University is excited to announce that we continue to host new courses by at risk scholars on our learning platform", the platform has introduced its program and announced that its winter semester courses are the following:
- Comparative History of the Modern Middle East (Dr. Yüksel Taşkın)
- Homelessness and Homemaking (Prof. Dr. Andrea Pető and Dr. İclal Ayşe Küçükkırca)
- Identity and Conflict in the Middle East (Dr. Nazan Bedirhanoğlu and Dr. Elçin Aktoprak)
- Media and Discrimination (Dr. Ülkü Doğanay)
- Political Economy of the Global South in the Age of Financialization (Dr. Ali Rıza Güngen)
- Right and Violation: A Critique of Violence (Dr. Ahmet Murat Aytaç)
- Social Welfare Labor and State in Turkey (Dr. Onur Can Taştan)
- Global Political Economy: Evolution and Dynamics (Dr. Ulaş Şener and Dr. Benan Eres)
'We stand behind free academia'
In its announcement, the Off-University platform has also referred to the judicial process of Academics for Peace in Turkey:
"After the Constitutional Court in Turkey confirmed in July what we always knew, that a petition calling for peace is not a crime, courts across Turkey are now acquitting Academics for Peace of terrorism charges.
"We stand behind our colleagues and their right to freedom of expression and free academia without persecution.
"Despite these acquittals hundreds of academics are still banned from working in public institutions and universities, and the struggle for academic freedom and truth is far from over.
"Only recently it was announced that Dr Bülent Şık is facing up to twelve years in jail for 'disclosing classified information' after sharing his research which exposes toxic pollution that was a risk to public health."
About Off-UniversityIn collaboration with partner universities, Off-University provides certificates of achievement and equivalence in ECTS points for those who fulfill course requirements. Participation in the online courses does not depend on formal academic degrees and is free of tuition. Off-University hosts the online courses on its platform 'Coworkingsquares' Off-University offers a virtual classroom including chat options, video livestream, a virtual blackboard and a shared file management system designed for participative and horizontal co-learning. Students can access the course materials and video lectures on the platform, and students join online class discussions with the lecturer once a week. Online courses are held by academics that have been purged from their institutions, forced to resign, and politically persecuted due to their opinion and research in Turkey. |
(TP/SD)