Each quarter a new Studium Generale program booklet appears. On the first page there's a column written by the head of Studium Generale, Lucas Asselbergs. Read this quarter's column here. The new booklet can be found all over campus since this morning.
This quarter the theme ‘Power’ is on Studium Generale’s menu several times. Power plays a role in our lives from the day we are born until we die. We focus on power’s many, varied appearances. Liesbeth Mann’s lecture on humiliation shows us the role of power in personal relations. Famous journalist Joris Luyendijk and Middle East expert Carolien Roelants will deal with power in a political context. In ‘The Great Dictator’ Charlie Chaplin portrays Hitler as upcoming tyrant. Exposure of power can make us smile but also frighten us. In March we may use a little bit of our own power to choose our new city council and we’ll discuss issues with local politicians. In short, it’s time to reflect on power in our lives and realize how both the inner and outer worlds are built on power, used sensibly at times but all too often misused brutally.
Lucas Asselbergs