The CU FA Dean, doc. Mirjam Friedová, and the Vice-Dean for International Relations, doc. Eva Voldřichová Beránková, have met the representative of the Anglo-Czech Educational Fund to receive scholarships for young CU FA researchers who will be invited for a study and research stay at top British universities.
In the academic year 2014/2015, the Faculty of Arts will send three Ph.D. students and two young researchers on a study and research mission to the UK, to the following destinations: London School of Economics and Political Science; Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, University of Oxford; Institute of Archaeology, University College London; School of Modern Languages and Culture, University of Glasgow; Queen Mary, University of London. The scholarship recipients represent the following disciplines: Egyptology, Indian studies, foreign language teaching, history and political science.
The Anglo-Czech Educational Fund scholarships provide a unique opportunity to support young Czech arts and humanities researchers, bringing them into contact with the world´s leading research centres. This is the eighth time the scholarships have been awarded.
Matej Cíbik, currently in his fourth year of the Ph.D. programme at the Institute of Philosophy and Religious Studies, CU FA, was the recipient of the Anglo-Czech Educational Fund scholarship for the academic year 2013/2014. Matej was sent to the Centre for Philosophy of Natural and Social Sciences, London School of Economics, to study personality in current political philosophy. During his time in London, Matej produced two articles, entitled Why We Should Abandon Self-Ownership and Heidegger and Political Liberalism, and is now editing them for publication in British peer-reviewed journals.
Looking back on his time in London, Matej says: “Apart from very specialist work on two articles, I made two significant steps towards completing my Ph.D. dissertation. During my mission, I took part in more than a dozen conferences related to my research interest, and I was able to meet most of the leading philosophers in my field. Being able to participate in conferences and debates with my peers has helped me to gain a deeper insight into the complex nature of political philosophy and into the current trends in the field which I now intend to contribute to myself.”
“My intellectual pursuits were not limited to political philosophy, though. Every school day of the semester, the London School of Economics holds three to four lectures by the world´s most renowned academics and experts who discuss their current projects. I attended the lectures as often as I could since this was a unique opportunity to broaden my horizons. These introductions to diverse topics, fields and approaches have brought me invaluable experience,” says Matej.
Established by Arnošt Kramer, who left Czechoslovakia for Britain in 1948, the Anglo-Czech Educational Fund has a mission to enable excellent students (Ph.D. and post-doc students up to 35 years of age) to spend a year in the UK on a study and research mission. Applicants are expected to have established a personal contact with the respective institution whose interest in hosting the applicant must be made explicit in the letter of invitation which is to be attached to the application. Another important requirement is the applicant´s intention to stay in close cooperation with the CU FA after his/her return to the Czech Republic.
