Few topics are messier to discuss than the Greek economic crisis and the Eurozone. It’s one big interconnected, over-lapping, multi-dimensional, fuzzy and frustrating mess, with many bright minds currently engaged in untangling the layers. Amidst the brightest, and most highly respected is Professor Nikolaos Zahariadis of the University of Alabama, Birmingham, USA. 

On the 19th of March a lecture entitled “Classical Learning and the Insular World” was presented by Dr Máire Ní Mhaonaigh of Cambridge University in the library of the Centre for Medieval Studies of Charles University.

On an uncharacteristically snowy April 14th, Sacha Prechal, a judge of the Court of Justice of the EU, came to the Faculty of Law to lecture on the cooperation between the national courts and the Court of Justice of the EU (CJEU). Prechal, who assumed her role as judge with the CJEU in 2010, immediately began discussing the core topics that emerge when considering the interaction between the courts of member states and their EU counterpart.

CU Rector Tomáš Zima has received American Fulbright scholars currently studying and teaching at Charles University. At the meeting, which took place in the Carolinum on Monday 14 April, the scholars discussed their research interests and their experiences with Czech students.

On Thursday, the 10th of April, the Common Law Society at the Charles University Faculty of Law hosted a lecture in the company of Assistant Professor Arndt Künnecke of the Okan University in Istanbul. A native of Hannover in Germany, but now living in Istanbul, selected a very appropriate title of his lecture “Turkey and the EU”, a discussion on Turkey’s relationship with the European Union.

Despite being one of the most secular countries in the world, the Czech Republic's Easter traditions remain strong. Egg painting, singing and gatherings all seem to be in store for this spring celebration, but no church? I went along to a Czech Easter afternoon at the Faculty of Arts to find out if this was true.

The 25^th of April marked the third annual Cultural Exchange event hosted by the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University. The event, a student conference officially called “Cultural Transfer. Art Exchange between Italy and Central Europe”, was held at the main faculty building and saw a series of lectures given by post-graduates from various European universities. The lectures aimed to discuss the ways in which Italian art has, and continues, to influence European art, especially that of Central European countries.

Visit a popular historical site this summer and it’s likely you’ll encounter someone in historical dress from centuries past, re-living an older period, whether it’ll be Roman times or World War II, and undertaking activities such as giving guided tours, and making 18th century cakes amongst other things. Such people are historical re-enactors, and being one myself I can say that we may be a group of people who might bemuse many, but who are just like you… in period dress that is… possibly carrying a sword.

On the first of May, 2004, having been transformed in less than 15 years from a one party communist state into a democratic market economy, the Czech Republic was formally admitted as a member to the EU. 10 years on, academics, politicians, diplomats, students and others all gathered in the Collegium Maximum of the Faculty of Law of Charles University in Prague to attend a conference discussing the Czech Republic’s relationship with the EU.

Introducing secondary-school pupils to the fascinating world of geology is the aim of the CU Faculty of Science’s Internet-based correspondence seminar Kamenožrout (‘Rockbiter’, after the Neverending Story character). Apart from the Czech-language version of the course, the organisers are now preparing versions in English and Russian. The most successful participants do not have to sit university entrance exams.

I was confused when I left the Municipal Library in Prague at 12 o clock on Tuesday the 3rd of June, after working all morning (well, sort of) to go and get lunch. Surely this crowd gathered outside could not be here for the lecture, which was to start in an hour and a half? They must be here for some other thing, I thought to myself. 45 minutes later and they were still there, their numbers in the meantime having doubled. In a somewhat surreal situation it seemed that people were queuing for almost two hours, not to see a politician, a celebrity or a sports personality, but to see a scholar. And for good reason too it seems, since within minutes of opening the doors the lecture theatre was filled to the brim, exasperated staff having to stop eager punters from perching on the stairs and other inconvenient places.

On 14 May, priest of the academic parish and professor of the CU Faculty of Arts Tomáš Halík received the prestigious Templeton Prize, which is awarded for exceptional contributions to the development of the spiritual dimension of life. The ceremony, held in the Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, was also attended by the Rector of Charles University, Professor Tomáš Zima, Czech Minister for Culture Daniel Herman and Cardinals Dominik Duka and Miloslav Vlk.

I would like to wish all members of the academic community of Charles University in Prague, teachers, students and all employees, a happy and peaceful Easter.

Píše texty pro hudební skupinu, je autorem filmových scénářů a vyučuje na DAMU: děkan 2. lékařské fakulty a neurolog Vladimír Komárek vysvětluje, jak jeho život určuje literatura, medicína i sport.

Mimořádná příležitost setkat se s desítkami nositelů Nobelovy ceny za fyziologii a medicínu se naskytla na začátku léta doc. PharmDr. Přemyslu Mladěnkovi, Ph.D., z Farmaceutické fakulty UK v Hradci Králové. Uspěl totiž ve velmi náročném výběrovém řízení a díky tomu se mohl zúčastnit tradičního setkání mladých vědců s nobelisty.

Pod vážným pohledem mecenáše Josefa Hlávky, který shlížel na slavnostní shromáždění z obrazu v sále Českého kvarteta zámku Lužany, přijímal gratulace ke svému významnému životnímu jubileu prof. Václav Pavlíček. Předseda nadace Nadání Josefa, Marie a Zdeňky Hlávkových se 8. srpna dožívá osmdesáti let.

Nahrávají, vystupují a bádají na UK. Mezi ně patří i členové kapely Humbuk, kterou tento měsíc představujeme v rubrice Posluchárna.

Na jaře letošního roku dospěl do svého finále jeden z dosud největších projektů, jaké Centrum pro otázky životního prostředí UK realizovalo. Celouniverzitní pracoviště se zaměřilo na hledání možných způsobů udržitelného rozvoje regionů České republiky.

Pokud uvidíte vjíždět do areálu 1. lékařské fakulty UK silnou motorku a na ní motorkáře v klubové kožené bundě, můžete zůstat v klidu. To pravděpodobně přijíždí do práce děkan fakulty prof. MUDr. Aleksi Šedo, DrSc.

Ve statistikách, jež každé léto vydává Evropská komise, se Univerzita Karlova pravidelně umisťuje na čelných příčkách v počtu studentů, kteří na UK přicestovali ze zahraničí v rámci Erasmu. Na UK míří pod záštitou tohoto programu nejčastěji studenti z Německa, odkud pochází i Christoph Mauerer, jenž strávil na UK právě končící akademický rok.