Jean Monnet University in Saint-Étienne, France, invites students of Transform4Europe to participate in Transform4Europe Week taking place from 19 to 23 May 2025.
The main theme of the courses is design and the event will be held under the title: DESIGN IN ALL ITS FORMS.
The organizers offer participants a choice of 8 courses with various themes, from biology through law and history to architecture, linguistics, sustainable development and ecological transformation.
The offer of courses with a description of the topics covered the number of ECTS points, the scope of disciplines and the degrees of study required for each course:
This course explores how nature optimizes and designs tissues, structures, and movements. Students will study examples of biomimicry, including human biomimicry, and further develop their understanding through guided tutorials.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Open to Bachelor’s and Master 1 students in life sciences, sports and biomedical sciences, medicine, engineering, physics, chemistry, biotechnology, and similar fields
Prerequisites: Completion of, or enrollment in, the first year of a scientific bachelor’s program.
3 ECTS Credits
This course highlights the key role of design in driving successful innovation projects. A strong understanding of design’s potential is a valuable professional asset, enabling participants to facilitate design processes effectively without requiring extensive design training.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
For Master 1 and beyond
3 ECTS Credits
The course offers a unique opportunity to engage with the enduring influence of classical culture on modern design. Students will leave with a comprehensive understanding of how historical and cultural contexts shape and inspire contemporary creative practices.
Design: Thinking differently, designing together.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Bachelor and Master-level students
Prerequisites: Interest in Antiquity and interdisciplinarity
3 ECTS Credits
This course combines theoretical learning, practical workshops, and a panel discussion to explore how design can address not only the aesthetic or functional aspects of the way we live, but also social, environmental, economic, and technological dimensions of contemporary issues.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
All levels
3 ECTS Credits
This course will examine the legal aspects of design in the European Union, focusing on the new regulation regarding Community designs, which was approved by the Council of the European Union in October 2024. The course offers students an opportunity to understand the legal landscape of design within the EU, focusing on the new regulations and their impact on both law and practice.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Master 1 and 2 students
Prerequisites: Students will be required to read documents such as Court of Justice decisions for homework (optional).
3 ECTS Credits
This course explores the complex and often little-known relationship between language and design, considering language as a system of signs and design as the process of creating forms and meanings. The course will highlight how linguistics can enrich design practices, and conversely, how design can offer new perspectives on language.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Students from Bachelor’s to Master 2 level.
3 ECTS Credits
This course introduces students to organizational design as a response to social and ecological challenges within specific territories. Using the principle “Think globally, act locally,” participants will propose and develop actionable solutions tailored to their chosen contexts.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
All levels
3 ECTS Credits
This course addresses the urgent need for ecological practices that go beyond anthropocentric perspectives. Trees, as victims and symbols of ecological resilience, guide participants through a shift toward more-than-human, symbiotic thinking. This unique program empowers students to rethink current sustainability challenges, integrating design, architecture, and posthumanist perspectives.
May 19 to May 23, 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Open to Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD students across disciplines
(design, architecture, biology, sociology, etc.)
3 ECTS Credits
The full offer and information about the lecturers can be found in the program: Student Programme T4EU WEEK in Saint Etienne 2025 – Program
To take part in the recruitment of participants, one must complete the registration form: https://formularze.us.edu.pl/form/index/5824
The number of places is limited. The selection of participants will be based on the assessment of applications for individual courses. Applications should be submitted by 21 February 2025. Priority is given to students, who have not yet participated in T4EU Week at partner universities.
Participants will receive a scholarship for the trip as part of the short-term Erasmus+ mobility (number of days, i.e. 7 x EUR 79 = EUR 553), based on the required complete documents signed by the participants and the deans of the faculties, including a financial agreement, application and reimbursement agreement. Based on the scholarship, each participant will independently cover a stay at a hotel/hostel in Saint-Étienne and meals.
Transport will be provided by the University of Silesia from project funds. Upon return, participants must submit the cost settlement and confirmation of the implementation of the Blended Intensive Programme from the organizing university.
The university organizing the event is in charge of assigning participants to modules, and they reserve the right to make any necessary changes (including if there are insufficient participants for a given course, it will not be launched).
Selected students will be qualified to participate in the trip on 18-24 May 2025 in one group. It is not possible to shorten or extend the trip or to leave from/return to a different location than the rest of the group.
Flight tickets will be purchased in one batch for the entire group.
In case of questions, please contact the Transform4Europe Office: transform4europe@us.edu.pl
