The conference is a broad interdisciplinary academic forum that presents original research and projects from the entire spectrum of contemporary humanities, social sciences and arts. It is open to PhD students and post-docs from NBU and other partner universities and has the potential to become a joint doctoral conference for the European Reform University Alliance (ERUA).
Since 2016, it has been held once a year for five consecutive days.
This year it will be held June 14 – 18 in Sozopol, the ancient Greek polis of Apollonia and one of the most famous Black Sea resorts today. In the old town medieval churches were built over the ancient ruins, and above them rose the distinctive wooden houses of the 18th and 19th centuries. The hotels are, of course, modern, and the beautiful beaches at this time of the year are not yet overcrowded, although the sea is already warm.
The conference is interdisciplinary and runs in thematic sessions, which are chosen on the basis of submitted papers. The selection of the papers and their arrangement in sessions is carried out by the Expert Council of the NBU Doctoral School but ERUA colleagues are very welcome to join our team.
Each session is moderated by a distinguished professional – a professor from NBU or another university – who is a specialist in a relevant subject area. The sessions consist of 3 or 4 papers and a discussion. Each speaker has 30 minutes total for presentation and discussion. The working languages of the conference are Bulgarian and English. Additionally, within the framework of the conference, a two-hour round table on “Excellence and Social Engagement of the Research in Humanities, Social Sciences and Arts” is planned. Three to five panelists – prominent experts in different fields from different universities – will take part in it. The aim is to conduct an interdisciplinary discussion on the question of how today a high academic quality of research and artistic expression can be combined with a direct commitment to solving acute social problems such as those we face as effects of wars (e.g. the war against Ukraine), pandemics, climate change, migration, etc. Requests for participation in the round table are very welcome.
All conference sessions are held in the afternoon. Mornings are free for the beach or culture and entertainment, which Sozopol offers in abundance. On some of the days, common dinners are provided for all participants.
The papers, after anonymous review, are published in Language and Publicity, an electronic journal published by the Philosophy and Sociology Department at NBU.
For doctoral students from NBU, participation with a paper is credited in different ways: as a course (3 ECTS), as a conference paper (3 ECTS), and eventually as a publication (3 ECTS). ERUA partners are free to determine a credit system appropriate for their doctoral students.
Read more at: https://archive.erua-eui.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Invitation-Sozopol-June-2023_1.pdf
