Online course Global English this autumn - registration deadline 19 August

VU Amsterdam online course 'Global English' is open to 20 students from Aurora universities. What is the course about? In the lectures, we will examine the spread of the English language around the world. We will begin with regions in the world where English is spoken as a first language (England, the Celtic countries, the U.S., Australia, etc.). We will then move on to regions where English is spoken as a second language (Africa and Asia), and from there to regions where English is used as a foreign language or a lingua franca (e.g. The Netherlands, Europe, China, and so on). Some of the lectures are presented by guest lecturers from Scotland, Australia, Uganda and Japan. Practical information The course takes place between 1 September and 24 October 2025: Lectures: Tuesdays 09.00-10.45 Seminars: Thursdays 11.00-12.45 (please inform us if this timeslot does not work) Exam: Tuesday 21 October 12.15-14.30 The course will be added to the Aurora Course Catalogue in due time Please note that VU Amsterdam's Course Catalogue will be updated on 1 July 2025. For now, you can also refer to the information from last year: Global English Registration • The registration deadline is 19 August 2025 (or when the maximum number of participants is reached) • Interested students can send an e-mail to shortmobility@vu.nl and request the application form.

Courses at Innsbruck University, Austria

Through the Aurora cooperation students at the University of Iceland get the opportunity to take part in exciting courses at the University of Innsbruck, at undergraduate and master’s level. Information on the application process can be found here. Master‘s students can apply for the following course: 800.874 Heavy Metal Sustainability. On the rocky road to a circular economy: Tracing the life cycle of metals from the past to the future The course awards 5 ECTS credits and will be run as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), which means that, in addition to virtual lessons, the course includes an on-site stay in Innsbruck. Further information is available here. Additionally, the following virtual courses are available to master’s students: 800.872 Lecture series on Climate Protection (Master Level, hybrid, lecture, 2,5 ECTS Credits) 800.875 Sustainability Communication (Master Level, further details tbd) Undergraduate students can apply for the following virtual courses: 198.870 Aspects of Digitalisation: Special Topics in Ethics and Digitalisation (Bachelor Level, online, 5 ECTS Credits) 800.861 Perspectives on Europe in a Global Context (Bachelor Level, hybrid with obligatory attendance, 5 ECTS Credits) Students accepted for a course that includes a stay abroad can apply for a travel and subsistence grant. Each undergraduate or master’s student can only receive one Aurora/Erasmus+ short mobility grant per academic year. Please note that applicants must contact their faculty’s International Coordinator for information on whether the course can be evaluated into their studies at the University of Iceland. The applicant must be an active, registered student at the University of Iceland who has completed at least 30 ECTS credits and must have paid the registration fee. Students graduating before the end of the courses, exchange students, and guest students at the University of Iceland cannot apply. Further prerequisites for exchange studies can be found on the University of Iceland website. Any questions regarding Aurora or the application process can be sent to aurora@hi.is. More information on Aurora.

Aurora Opportunities

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The Aurora universities offer many exciting opportunities for their students and staff across the universities to develop their skills. Additionally, there are opportunities to impact the development of the Aurora collaboration.

Upcoming opportunities are listed below. You can also find a complete overview of courses at the Aurora universities in the Aurora course catalogue on the central Aurora website. Other opportunities such as seminars, workshops and shorter training can also be found on the central Aurora website.

If the opportunities include trips abroad, you can contact aurora@hi.is to find out whether mobility grants are available.

VU Amsterdam online course 'Global English' is open to 20 students from Aurora universities.

What is the course about?

In the lectures, we will examine the spread of the English language around the world. We will begin with regions in the world where English is spoken as a first language (England, the Celtic countries, the U.S., Australia, etc.). We will then move on to regions where English is spoken as a second language (Africa and Asia), and from there to regions where English is used as a foreign language or a lingua franca (e.g. The Netherlands, Europe, China, and so on). Some of the lectures are presented by guest lecturers from Scotland, Australia, Uganda and Japan.

Practical information

The course takes place between 1 September and 24 October 2025:
- Lectures: Tuesdays 09.00-10.45
- Seminars: Thursdays 11.00-12.45 (please inform us if this timeslot does not work)
- Exam: Tuesday 21 October 12.15-14.30
The course will be added to the Aurora Course Catalogue in due time
Please note that VU Amsterdam's Course Catalogue will be updated on 1 July 2025. For now, you can also refer to the information from last year: Global English

Registration

• The registration deadline is 19 August 2025 (or when the maximum number of participants is reached)

• Interested students can send an e-mail to shortmobility@vu.nl and request the application form.

Join us on 15 October 2025 for a transformative event to learn how VU Amsterdam’s A Broader Mind Course prepares young students to begin understanding complex societal issues.

This event offers Aurora partners a unique opportunity to explore our innovative approach to interdisciplinary education as initiated by Prof. Govert Buis. The course challenges early-stage students to think beyond their primary discipline, guided by more advanced peers. Through diverse academic perspectives, students develop a holistic understanding of complex societal issues: a mindset they'll carry throughout their academic journey. Discover how this course can transform your institution by making teaching more engaging , curricula more relevant, and your societal impact more profound.

Programme

09:30 – Doors open and coffee
10:00 – Introduction to the A Broader Mind Course
11:00 – Hands-on: a concrete assignment for participants to work on
12:30 – Break
13:30 – Ideation to turn A Broader Mind into a true Aurora Course (in groups)
14:00 – Plenary feedback from the groups
14:30 – Reflection on the day and wrap up
15:00 – Drinks and end at 16:00 hours

Registration

You can register at https://forms.office.com/e/HytCZ96Faj

This event is organised by TT.2.2. Digital Society and Global Citizenship. You can join us either at the VU Amsterdam Education Lab, or online.

Through the Aurora cooperation students at the University of Iceland get the opportunity to take part in exciting courses at the University of Innsbruck, at undergraduate and master’s level.

Information on the application process can be found here.

Master‘s students can apply for the following course:

800.874 Heavy Metal Sustainability. On the rocky road to a circular economy: Tracing the life cycle of metals from the past to the future

The course awards 5 ECTS credits and will be run as a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP), which means that, in addition to virtual lessons, the course includes an on-site stay in Innsbruck. Further information is available here.

Additionally, the following virtual courses are available to master’s students:

800.872 Lecture series on Climate Protection

(Master Level, hybrid, lecture, 2,5 ECTS Credits)
800.875 Sustainability Communication

(Master Level, further details tbd)

Undergraduate students can apply for the following virtual courses:

198.870 Aspects of Digitalisation: Special Topics in Ethics and Digitalisation

(Bachelor Level, online, 5 ECTS Credits)
800.861 Perspectives on Europe in a Global Context

(Bachelor Level, hybrid with obligatory attendance, 5 ECTS Credits)

Students accepted for a course that includes a stay abroad can apply for a travel and subsistence grant. Each undergraduate or master’s student can only receive one Aurora/Erasmus+ short mobility grant per academic year.

Please note that applicants must contact their faculty’s International Coordinator for information on whether the course can be evaluated into their studies at the University of Iceland.

The applicant must be an active, registered student at the University of Iceland who has completed at least 30 ECTS credits and must have paid the registration fee. Students graduating before the end of the courses, exchange students, and guest students at the University of Iceland cannot apply. Further prerequisites for exchange studies can be found on the University of Iceland website.

Any questions regarding Aurora or the application process can be sent to aurora@hi.is.

More information on Aurora.

The University of Iceland will offer an Erasmus+ BIP course on the LOUIS Competence Framework in Autumn 2025. The course is open to academic teaching staff responsible for delivering courses/modules and PhD students and will award 3 ECTS credits.

The physical mobility will be held from 20 to 24 October 2025, and the virtual components will take place before and after the on-site session.

The application deadline is 15 August 2025 in Ugla.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

A copy of their passport information page or a copy of their travel ID
Phd students: A transcript of records or official letter confirming that they are registered in a PhD programme
Academic staff: An official letter confirming that they are academic teaching staff responsible for delivering a course/module at their home institution

Further information can be found in our course catalogue or by email aurora@hi.is.

On 29 and 30 September 2025, the Aurora international academic conference “DUAL – Dichotomies in Urban Agendas and Logics“, an event promoted within the framework of the European Universities Initiative programme Aurora 2030, will be held at the Department of Humanities of the Università Federico II of Naples (UNINA), Italy.

An activity organised within the Aurora educational hub Cultures: Identities and Diversities, the conference is a continuation of the course Challenges in Europe that took place between April and June 2025 at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It stems from the successful collaboration between the University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) and UNINA.

The conference aims to continue to reflect critically and transdisciplinarily on the theme of the city and urban space, exploring the multiple dichotomies that cut across its material, social, political and symbolic dimensions. Centre/periphery, inclusion/exclusion, mobility/immobility, visibility/invisibility, are just some of the dichotomies that can be used as a tool to critically read the past, understand the challenges of the present and imagine a new future for our cities.

The conference is a moment of dialogue between different approaches to the study of the city, welcoming contributions from fields such as Urban Studies, Architecture, Sociology, Geography, Philosophy, History, Political Science, Environmental Studies, Anthropology, Arts, Design, Media and Communication, Digital Humanities and many others.

Click here for further information and abstract submission.

The physical mobility will be held from 20 to 24 October 2025, and the virtual components will take place before and after the on-site session.

All interested participants can apply through our application portal using their home university credentials: https://ugla.hi.is/courses/open. The application deadline is 15 August 2025.

The following documents must be attached to the application:

A copy of their passport information page or a copy of their travel ID
Phd students: A transcript of records or official letter confirming that they are registered in a PhD programme
Academic staff: An official letter confirming that they are academic teaching staff responsible for delivering a course/module at their home institution

Further information can be found in our course catalogue or by email aurora@hi.is.

Join us on 15 October 2025 for a transformative event to learn how VU Amsterdam’s A Broader Mind Course prepares young students to begin understanding complex societal issues.