Jean Monnet Chair 2017-2020
Professor Amelia Hadfield, Director of Canterbury Christ Church University’s Centre for European Studies (CEFEUS) has been awarded her third successive Jean Monnet Chair, running 2017-2020.
Following her debut Chair at the Institute for European Studies in Brussels (2013), and the inaugural CCCU chair in 2014, this third Jean Monnet award begins in September. The Chair – entitled ‘Engaging Europe’ , now represents the 5th Jean Monnet award made to Canterbury Christ Church University, including two undergraduate modules, the 2014 Chair, and the Centre of Excellence (awarded in 2015).
The newest Jean Monnet Chair award will focus primarily on high quality teaching and research on British-European relations, with a specific emphasis on teaching and training on Brexit, as well as European foreign and security policy. The Chair also includes funding for annual bursaries and stipends for undergraduates and post-graduates, additional training for staff members, a series of events to continue CCCU’s well-established tradition of public engagement with Canterbury and the local area, and the use of e-learning tools to encourage debate and engagement on the subject of Europe. Entitled ‘Engaging Europe: From Canterbury to Brussels’, the Chair is includes a range of activities to be undertaken over the next 3 years:
1. Teaching Europe: Two 50-hour, 12-week undergraduate modules on European foreign affairs with a new ‘EU-Brexit’ component:
- European Strategic Culture (post-graduate)
- European Power and Strategy (under and post-graduates)
2. Annual Jean Monnet Bursaries and Stipends: awarded regularly to top quality dissertations, termly module performance, postgraduate research and new students blog awards.
3. Public Engagement:
- Three ‘Europe and Kent Bilateral Outreach 2017-2020’ workshops gathering British and European sectoral stakeholders to examine the local/regional impact of Brexit
- Six ‘Beyond Brexit 2017-2020’ town hall gatherings encouraging local public debate
- Three ‘Jean Monnet Junior Day’ workshops for secondary school students in Canterbury, designed to improve awareness of European issues and EU policies
4. Pedagogic Training:
- Annual Early Career Support on European issues
- Annual Continuing Professional Development workshops for junior scholars, lecturers and teachers at CCCU
5. Online Europe:
- Updated Jean Monnet Webpages, with interactive/comment functions, student and staff-led blog areas to keep to post analysis and promote discussion
- A dedicated Chair-in-the-Media page
- Quarterly Jean Monnet Chair Guest Scholar blogs to provide variable insights in topical issues
With teaching excellence and innovative engagement at the heart of the latest award, the Chair will enable the Politics team at CCCU to continue their award-winning methods, while ensuring greater outreach across the University community as a whole. Professor Amelia Hadfield, Jean Monnet Chair winner, and Director of CEFEUS, said “we are once again delighted to have been awarded funding by the European Commission to continue the cutting-edge teaching and learning on Europe, as well as launching some exciting new activities. At a time when EU funding is becoming increasingly precarious, we are honoured to be recognised as a leading centre for European Studies in Britain, and one of only five UK institutions to receive a Jean Monnet award this year. The funding will allow us to continue teaching, research and outreach activities key to enhancing a knowledgeable and informed debate on UK-European issues during this challenging time.”
For further information on the 2017 Jean Monnet Chair award, the activities of CEFEUS, or the Politics/IR programme as a whole, please contact the Centre via email at cefeus@canterbury.ac.uk or head to our webpage.