FUCE Summer School: 30 June – 4 July 2025

From Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July, the Université Catholique de Lille will be hosting its sixth Summer School – European Humanism in the Making, organised by the Federation of European and Lebanese Catholic Universities (FUCE), in partnership with the Universitair Centrum Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen (UCSIA) and with the support of the Erasmus+ programme.

A timely theme

Following last year’s exploration of the relationship between European humanism and artificial intelligence, the 2025 edition invites some thirty students from across Europe, Lebanon and Ukraine to reflect on the impact of populism on the founding values of the European project.

Under the theme Populism Remaking European Humanism?, this Summer School offers a critical examination of contemporary political developments, viewed through the cultural, philosophical and historical legacies of European identity.

The programme is structured around five thematic modules, each led by academics from partner universities:

• Contribution of History to European Consciousness
• Literature, the Arts, Translation & European Identity
• European Enlightenment and the Islamic Heritage
• European Social Humanism
• Creative Leadership & Civic Engagement in Action

Evening public lectures will further enrich the discussions.

An active and intercultural approach

Throughout the week, students will take part in lectures, collaboratives workshops, group projects, a collective writing session, and a simulation exercise on European institutions. A day in Brussels is also scheduled, including visits to the European Parliament and the House of European History.

These activities aim to create an immersive educational experience where intellectual reflection, intercultural dialogue and the discovery of Europe’s heritage go hand in hand.

A living European project

More than an ordinary Summer School, European Humanism in the Making is a genuine laboratory of ideas, designed to bring together young people from diverse backgrounds to engage with a central question: What does it mean to be European today?

By promoting a diversity of perspectives and sharing experiences, this event helps to shape responsible, critical and engaged citizens.

A committed academic team

The 2025 edition once again brings together a particularly dedicated academic team. Several members of the Faculty of Law at the Université Catholique de Lille are among those contributing actively to the programme’s success.

Programme coordinator
– Barbara SEGAERT – UCSIA, Antwerp, Belgium

Module coordinators
– Sarah DURELLE-MARC – Faculty of Law, Université Catholique de Lille, France
– Fernando ARIZA – Universidad CEU San Pablo, Madrid, Spain
– Peter HANENBERG – Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Lisbon, Portugal
– Ali MOSTFA – Université Catholique de Lyon, France
– Michael SHORTALL – St Patrick’s Pontifical University, Maynooth, Ireland
– Paolo MONTI – University of Milano – Bicocca, Milan, Italy

Guest speakers
– Ioannis PANOUSSIS – Université Catholique de Lille, France
– Andrew GLENCROSS – Université Catholique de Lille, France
– Valentina VOLPE – Université Catholique de Lille, France

Together, they embody a shared vision: to offer an open and rigorous educational experience, grounded in interdisciplnary and intercultural dialogue.