In the spring semester of 2024, a course of lectures within the framework of the project of the Japanese Eurasia Foundation (from Asia) was successfully completed at AlmaU University. The lectures were held for 1st and 3rd year students of specialty 6B03088 «International Relations and Economics» of the School of Politics and Law.
The goal of the Eurasia Foundation is to contribute to eliminating divisions in the world and creating a harmonious and peaceful society. Current strife includes wars, political, economic, religious, and ethnic rivalries, and conflicts, as well as conflicts over environmental issues. The foundation’s initiatives are aimed at overcoming these challenges through education, science, and culture, which is especially important in the modern world. Educational courses of the Foundation, as a non-governmental organization, are currently implemented in 758 universities in 60 countries.
Every Wednesday from 10:00 to 12:00, both foreign and domestic professors made presentations in room No. 430. In total, the course included 15 lectures on diverse and relevant topics. Azhar Serikkaliyeva, a researcher at the School of Politics and Law and the head of this project at AlmaU, opened the series of lectures by talking about postcolonial studies in Eurasia. This was followed by lectures on the issues of the negotiation process and conflict management in the post-Soviet space (Danial Saari, program leader of the EP «International Relations and Economics»), decolonization, Orientalism and Eurasianism (Zhar Zardykhan, Qalam Media) and other important aspects.
Professor Patsy Iwasaki’s (the University of Hawai’i at Hilo) online lecture on the topic of cultural sustainability and education through the graphic novel in Hawaii was of particular interest. Other notable presentations include lectures by Professors Myong Soon-ok and Chun Byong-soon from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University and Professor Kim Injae from Dongguk University, who covered security and Internet issues in Northeast Asia.
Completion of the course provided students with a unique opportunity to gain knowledge from leading professors at top universities in South Korea and Japan: Dongguk University, Hanyang University, and others. The final lecture, held on May 8, was delivered online by Eurasia Foundation Chairman Yoji Sato. The theme of the lecture, «The world will be one», covered such interesting and broad issues as the study of truth, the origin and future of humanity.
The lectures provided students with a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in a deep study of international relations and economics, to expand their knowledge and views on modern problems and prospects for the Eurasian region. Completion of the course became an important event in the educational life of AlmaU, confirming the importance of international cooperation in the field of education and science.
The course of the project was carried out in accordance with the Confirmation Letter that AlmaU submitted to the Foundation in 2023, as well as in accordance with the Notice of decision of the Foundation dated June 15, 2023.