EVE Undergraduate Modules at the University of Florence Launch with the LUMEN Project

The EVE – Exchanging Visions of the Environment undergraduate modules will officially begin on Thursday, March 6, organized by the School of Political Sciences at the University of Florence, in collaboration with the Department of Legal Sciences at the University of Florence and the LUMEN research unit.

EVE aims to build and strengthen opportunities for mutual learning between Africa and Europe in the field of environmental protection and promotion. The convergence of both sides of the Mediterranean towards environmental protection pathways increasingly rooted in the ecocentric paradigm, which simultaneously value diversity and inclusion, is crucial to tackling the great environmental challenge of the 21st century. While cooperation agreements on environmental matters already exist, such as those within the framework of the EU External Environmental Action, the complexity of the climate crisis calls for multilevel, integrated, and interdisciplinary reflections and actions.

To contribute to this effort, EVE has developed three innovative educational modules, based on a case-study approach, allowing students to analyze and develop shared responses to common challenges. As part of the program, two LUMEN events will take place. On March 13, Silvia Bagni, coordinator of the project for the research unit at the University of Bologna, will present a lecture titled "The Environment Between Anthropocentrism and Biocentrism."  On March 20, Rachele Cecchi from the research unit at the University of Florence will explore the topic "Parks, Biodiversity, and Rural Communities in Africa." Both events will be held in person at the Social Sciences Campus in Novoli, Building D4, designated classroom.

Funded by the European Union under the Jean Monnet Modules (2022-2025) program, the project—coordinated by Veronica Federico—aims to integrate legal and humanities perspectives to analyze and address environmental challenges, fostering a cultural and scientific bridge between Europe and Africa.

Funded by the European Union under the Jean Monnet Modules (2022-2025) program, the project, coordinated by Veronica Federico, is based on the collaboration between the University of Florence (with the involvement of the Department of Legal Sciences and the Department of Political and Social Sciences), the Law School of the University of Witwatersrand (South Africa), and the Law School of Tilburg University (Netherlands).