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ICT Use for Teaching Media Literacy: A Closer Look at the Relationships between Teaching with and Teaching about Media

ICT Use for Teaching Media Literacy: A Closer Look at the Relationships between Teaching with and Teaching about Media

Author(s): Priscila Berger / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2021

Keywords: Competence areas;Educational media;ICT use;Media and information literacy;Media education;Secondary schools Teaching practice;

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are often considered crucial for teaching media and information literacy (MIL). However, there is a wide variety in educational media, and there are different competence areas in MIL. Thus, the idea that using any ICT can facilitate the fostering of different MIL areas equally seems oversimplified. This study investigates associations between three types of ICT use and four MIL competence areas. It analyzes data of 315secondary teachers in Germany employing exploratory structural equation modeling. After controlling for teacher and school traits, the findings show that teachers who use the computer lab in their schools and basic computer applications tend to foster their students’ critical, safety, information, and operational competencies more often. Conversely, using ICTs that mainly serve presentation and visualization purposes has a negative or no association with fostering the four MIL areas. Finally, using mobile devices and online resources is positively associated with fostering students’ information competence. The analysis contributes to a more specific understanding of teachers’ practices with digital media. Possible implications are discussed for teachers’ practice and training as well as for research and policy.

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“Usually People Just Accept Media and Don’t Talk About It” The Perceived Value and Enjoyment of Critical Media Literacy in Eating Disorder Treatment

“Usually People Just Accept Media and Don’t Talk About It” The Perceived Value and Enjoyment of Critical Media Literacy in Eating Disorder Treatment

Author(s): Lori Bindig Yousman / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2021

Keywords: Media literacy;Eating disorders;Women;Empowerment;

Despite the growing success of media literacy in eating disorder prevention programs the reis a lack of research on the role of media literacy in eating disorder treatment. This pilot study extends previous research through the creation and implementation of the ERA (education recognition-activism) curriculum, which was comprised of four-weekly, 50-minute group sessions where participants in treatment for eating disorders explored the tenets of critical media literacy, reflected on their emotional responses to media, considered how dominant media messages and social forces conflicted with personal goals for a healthy life, and engaged in activism by writing letters to organizations that contributed to or challenged toxic media culture. More specifically, this study explores the perceived value and enjoyment of the ERA curriculum in eating disorder treatment. Participant perception of media literacy as valuable and enjoy able is significant because it has the potential to combat the ambivalence and resistance that is common among individuals in eating disorder treatment and hinders recovery. Overall, the findings suggest that moving beyond prevention initiatives and incorporating critical media literacy into eating disorder treatment may be beneficial to the recovery process.

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FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992): PHOTOGRAPHS AND PAINTING, FROM LONDON TO DUBLIN

FRANCIS BACON (1909-1992): PHOTOGRAPHS AND PAINTING, FROM LONDON TO DUBLIN

Author(s): Eleonora Jedlińska / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2021

Keywords: Francis Bacon; painting; photograph; atelier; archive; portrait; deformation; Reality; London; Dublin;

Francis Bacon painted pictures based mostly on photographs published in encyclopaedias, popular magazines, the tabloid press, posters and packaging. He was interested in reproductions of paintings by great masters. He used photographs by Muybridge. Photographs, treated by Bacon as tools, were later “worked on” by the artist, becoming the canvas for his paintings. The scenes he chose – often drastic, depicting rape and violence – were painted into his canvases, creating a deformed image of the world that “emerged” from the horrors of both world wars. He painted portraits based on his photographs of friends. These were usually people with whom the artist was emotionally connected. He painted self-portraits base on a series of photographs taken in automatic photography, from which he selected several to form the basis of his paintings. Real things and persons should exist in the fictional space assigned to them. By destroying literalism in painting, Bacon wanted to find the similarity desired in painting as its principal, so to rediscover realism. When painting a portrait, he tried to capture the appearance of the figure. After Francis Bacon’s death, his London studio (7, Reece Mews), restored by conservators, was “repeated” in the space of the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin. It contains about 7,500 objects, among them numerous photographs which had been torn up by the artist, photographs of his lovers and friends, black and white reproductions. The Bacon ‘archive’ collected in Dublin is now a silent hint of the creative process of the artist, who despite numerous studies devoted to him and recorded conversations, still remains one of the most inscrutable artists of the 20th century.

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Factors of Youth Satisfaction with Café Bars and Nightclubs in Zagreb

Čimbenici zadovoljstva mladih kafićima i noćnim klubovima u Zagrebu

Author(s): Šime Vukman,Karlo Mak / Language(s): Croatian / Issue: 17/2021

Keywords: café bars; night clubs; consumer satisfaction; students; Zagreb;

This paper deals with economic-geographical factors of student satisfaction with café bars and nightclubs in Zagreb. To gain insight into regional differences in student satisfaction and guided by the principles of non-probabilistic sampling using the snowball technique, an online survey was conducted (N = 319). Significant spatial differences in consumer satisfaction were detected. They are not only caused by macroeconomic indicators (average salaries), nor by material resources that students have at their disposal (pocket money and other income) but are greatly relational. In other words, the perception of the price difference between Zagreb and the county from which the respondents come proved to be extremely important. Finally, the location was the most important factor when students choose which café bar they are going to visit.

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The European Union – Japan Strategic Partnership in the Contested Global Order. External Relations of the EU in the Context of Economic, Normative and Security Framework

The European Union – Japan Strategic Partnership in the Contested Global Order. External Relations of the EU in the Context of Economic, Normative and Security Framework

Author(s): Jarosław Jańczak / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2021

Keywords: strategic partnership; European Union; Japan; external activities of the EU

The aim of this article is to review the strategic partnership of the European Union-Japan in the context of the changing global order, exploring economic, normative and security dimensions. This leads to wider reflections allowing us to theorize international relations with regards to the concept of strategic partnerships. The research question concentrates on what the foundations of the strategic partnership between the European Union and Japan are, and how it answers the challenges in the three above indicated fields. The hypothesis is formulated from the perspective of strategic partnership theory. Methodologically, the work is based on the analysis of primary and secondary sources, as well as on qualitative methods implemented in the form of semi-structured interviews. The key findings reveal that the changing global order and international environment have pushed both partners to create a strategic partnership that has spilled over from economic relations to the normative, political and finally security fields.

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The Weimar Triangle: France, Germany, Poland in the Middle East. United Arab Emirates Perspective

The Weimar Triangle: France, Germany, Poland in the Middle East. United Arab Emirates Perspective

Author(s): Adam Krzymowski / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2021

Keywords: Weimar Triangle; Middle East; France; Germany; Poland; United Arab Emirates; European Union

The article’s scientific goal is to investigate the Weimar Triangle countries’ relations with the United Arab Emirates. Therefore, the author asks the research question. Are the Weimar Triangle states’ role and significance increasing in the external dimension of the European Union? Based on the example of the United Arab Emirates, the research adopted a hypothesis. It is the statement that after Brexit, the Weimar Triangle countries have a chance to improve their importance in the EU external activities. Apart from case studies, to revise the hypothesis, the author performed a meticulous comparative analysis. Moreover, the research implemented International Practice Theory as an appropriate tool to investigate the presented issue. This empirical research and its findings resulted from over ten years of the author’s direct observation, analysis, and participation in many initiatives, both in the European Union and in the United Arab Emirates.The Middle East for the Weimar Triangle countries is more significant than just from a trade potential perspective. The situation in this region is also affecting Europe, as well as global security architecture. For this reason, one should develop a coherent and comprehensive EU foreign and security policy towards the region, and the Weimar Triangle formula should be one of its pillars.

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Soviet Legacy and Imagined Past Converge in Levant Battlefields

Soviet Legacy and Imagined Past Converge in Levant Battlefields

Author(s): Etibar Guliyev / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2021

Keywords: Identity; Soviet legacy; terrorism; path dependence; Central Asia

The article analyzes main drivers of the revitalization of the Soviet ideological narratives in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. A key impetus for the study has been ever increasing number of the terrorist attacks claiming dozens of lives in Russia committed by Central Asian originated fighters as well as arrest of dozens of members of the various religious organizations banned in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. The hypothesis rests on the assumption that ideological cacophony stemming from deep controversies embodied in the refashioned Soviet ideological narratives to me major cause of the problem. While employing the path dependence approach, I mainly point to interaction between the surge in the religious extremism and ideological disorientation caused by ideological disorientation in the region continuing since the breakdown of the Soviet Union in 1991 to address main research question “what are external implications of post-Soviet ideological narratives in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan?.” The paper finds out that the post-independent identity policies are not designed to build a new idea but to moot or keep at arms-length identities marginalized during the Soviet period. The Soviet legacy constitutes the core of the neo-ethnic identities introduced by former communist leaders just slightly refashioned with highly selective and politically motivated supplements. Sharp contradictions embodied in these narratives designed to ensure policy goals is among drivers of the ideological disorientation which in its turn acts as a breeding ground for the recruitment of Uzbek and Tajik youth to the global terrorist networks.

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Identification as an Indicator of Social Entropy Under Globalization: Ukrainian Realities and International Context

Identification as an Indicator of Social Entropy Under Globalization: Ukrainian Realities and International Context

Author(s): Igor Ishchenko,Olena Bashkeieva,Natalia Zinukova / Language(s): English / Issue: 14/2021

Keywords: identification; security; burification; synergetics; attractor; national identity models; turquoise paradigm; culture; globlization

The purpose of the article is to show modern trends in identification in the context of globalization and the specific conditions of political and economic systems, to indicate ways of influencing their formation, to change the value paradigm of identification associated with harmonious human relations. А hypothesis is that modern identification in Ukraine does not correspond to the liberal-democratic tradition and will continue to generate conflict. The existing identification structure should be used to reorient individuals and groups to effective communication within organizations, which will contribute to the political stability and security of the state. The following approaches and research methods have been used as tools to achieve this purpose: synergetic method; the reflective method; the dialectical method; a comparative method; structural-systemic method; synthesis method. The article covers the following issues: Analysis of identification models; Features of the identification mechanism in post-soviet realities; Modern synergetic model of identification in Ukraine; Peculiarities of culture formation in the conditions of digital and socio-cultural globalization; A new approach to identification as a factor of political stability and security. The authors made the following conclusions: The “ethnic model” of identification turns into a strange attractor, resulting in the Ruelle-Takens scenario. According to the theory of synergetics, this scenario became possible after three bifurcations in the political and economic system of Ukraine over the past 29 years. The “turquoise paradigm” elements should be taken as a basis for model of national identity.

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The integrative potential of science and research cooperation for suturing the Baltic Sea Region in the 21st century

The integrative potential of science and research cooperation for suturing the Baltic Sea Region in the 21st century

Author(s): Kazimierz Musiał / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2021

Keywords: Baltic Sea region; research and science cooperation; critical junctures; epistemic gateways; regional knowledge regime;

The aim of the article is to demonstrate how science and research cooperation may help to reintegrate the Baltic region in the 21st century with the participation of Russia. This is done through the analysis of documents and strategies of Baltic Sea regionalism in the context of the regional knowledge regime. Attention is paid to different positionalities of the regional actors and their narratives. The theoretical framework is secured by an analysis of critical junctures drawing on case studies from the years 1989-91 and 2014 and the subsequent reconfiguration of the power / knowledge nexus. The analysis shows that this reconfiguration actively contributes to creating and changing the content and context of the Baltic Sea regionalism as based on new symbolic, economic, and political capitals. The conclusion points to the potential of Russia’s involvement in the co-creation of the regional knowledge regime and defines the conditions and methods of possible cooperation.

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A Micro-Political Analysis of Local Governance in Nigeria: The Case of Irepodun Local Government Authority

A Micro-Political Analysis of Local Governance in Nigeria: The Case of Irepodun Local Government Authority

Author(s): Olawale Olufemi Akinrinde,Ademola Mubarak Adebisi / Language(s): English / Issue: 4/2021

Keywords: local governance; local government autonomy; service delivery; micro-political analysis; irepodun local government; Nigeria

The study examined local government autonomy and local government service delivery in Nigeria. the study discovered that, Nigerian local government needs to be autonomous in the discharge of its statutory responsibility, if ongoing agitation for local government autonomy from different quarters in Nigeria is given an approval, this will strengthen local government’s service delivery. The study discovered that some states in Nigeria oppose local government autonomy due to political and economic considerations. The study further revealed that Irepodun local government (the micro-case study) in Nigeria is not totally autonomous. Although, local governance is transparent and accountable in Irepodun Local Government, especially in the identification, formulation and execution of its projects, Irepodun local government authority has a huge financial challenge in carrying out service delivery. The study therefore recommends that; the state joint local government account should be abolished from the Nigerian constitution to enable allocation of funds directly to the local governments from Federation account. they should also put a stop to the persistence deduction from the monthly allocation of local governments. Again, states should henceforth be made to remit regularly the constitutional 10% of their internally generated revenue to the local government authorities. Irepodun local government and other local government authorities in Nigeria emplace more efforts on sustainable wealth creation rather than depending solely on the grants from the federal and state governments.

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Legends of Warsaw and Distant Reading: Mapping the Local Folk Tales from the Perspective of Geopoetics and Literary Geography

Legendy warszawskie czytane na dystans. Mapowanie podań lokalnych w perspektywie geopoetyki i geografii literackiej

Author(s): Łukasz Bukowiecki / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: distant reading; literary geography; geopoetics; legend; map; local folk tale; space; Warsaw

Words and images, literature and space, texts and a map, a museum and a city – these are the most important pairs of concepts that summarise the assump-tions and results of the research and publishing project of the Museum of Warsaw,Words and images, literature and space, texts and a map, a museum and a city – these are the most important pairs of concepts that summarise the assumptions and results of the research and publishing project of the Museum of Warsaw,the output of which is the anthology Legendy warszawskie [Legends of Warsaw], selected by Anna Marta Zdanowska, edited by Julia Odnous, and with graphic design and illustrations by Wojciech Pawliński, that was published in 2016 (English edition – 2020). The author of the article looks at Mapa legend warszawskich [Map of Warsaw Legends] included in the book and analyses what it shows in the context of research on the relations of territories, their graphic representations, and the accompanying text.

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Mityzacja Holokaustu

The Mythisation of the Holocaust

Author(s): Katarzyna Jerzak / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: classical reception studies; Holocaust; Krzysztof Rybak; labyrinth; myth; Polish children’s literature

The author of this review article critically discusses the book Dzieciństwo w la­biryncie getta. Recepcja mitu labiryntu w polskiej literaturze dziecięcej o Zagładzie [Childhood in the Labyrinth of the Ghetto: Reception of the Labyrinth Myth in Polish Children’s Literature about the Holocaust] by Krzysztof Rybak (2019). She examines the monograph in the context of, inter alia, the research already conducted in the field, literary works, architecture, memorials, the Holocaust victims’, survivors’, and witnesses’ testimonies, as well as in relation to the pos­sible symbolic links of the Shoah and the antiquity. The paper’s conclusion is that children’s literature can hardly prevent the mythisation of the Holocaust, but Rybak’s book proves beyond doubt the perseverance of myth. The banalisation, simplification, and trivialisation of the Shoah, as well as the issues of appropriateness and memory, are also important concepts that frame the author’s reflec­tions presented in this paper.

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LEGAL REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF GERMAN AND POLISH ALLOTMENT GARDENS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PRODUCTION FUNCTION

LEGAL REGULATIONS AND DEVELOPMENT OF GERMAN AND POLISH ALLOTMENT GARDENS IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PRODUCTION FUNCTION

Author(s): Ewa Kacprzak,Barbara Maćkiewicz,Magdalena Szczepańska / Language(s): English / Issue: 3/2020

Keywords: allotment gardens; legal regulations; development of allotment gardens; production function of allotment gardens; Germany; Poland;

Allotment gardens (AGs) serve various socio-cultural, ecological and economic functions, mostly for the urban community, and they also provide agricultural produce for their users. German and Polish legislation includes this function in the definitions regulating allotment gardening. The article aims to compare the legal regulations for allotment gardening in operation in Germany and Poland. This study analyses legal acts concerning the development and functioning of allotments, since they may greatly influence their production function. Moreover, field research and structured interviews were carried out and, as a result, the collected data were contrasted with the actual state of development of selected allotments. The study shows that some of the provisions of legal acts, both German and Polish, are not strictly adhered to by the users. Also, the analysis of use of allotments in both countries reveals the strong influence of the present legal norms. The regulations concerning allotment gardening in Germany are conducive to preserving plant cultivation, while in Poland unclear provisions on the way in which crop cultivation is to be developed have led to a replacement of the farming function by recreational and residential uses. It is necessary, then, to maintain and observe the existing regulations in Germany. In Poland, on the other hand, there is a strong need for a regulation at the national level which would specify the principles regarding the obligatory use of part of a plot for food production.

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FROM REVOLUTIONARY MASSES TO WORKING MASSES: ON THE MASSES IN THE NETWORK

OD MAS REWOLUCYJNYCH DO MAS PRACUJĄCYCH. O MASIE W SIECI

Author(s): Marek Krajewski / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 3/2020

Keywords: mass; mass society; digitalization; networking; Internet;

In my paper, I try to demonstrate how two processes that are crucial for modern societies, namely digitalization and networking, are transforming the categories of mass and massification. These latter phenomena, treated by social sciences as symptoms of disturbing social changes, both transient and short-term, are today changing in terms of their nature. In the text, this identification is based on a presentation of how mass has evolved from the early days of the Internet to today, going through three stages (mass 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0). In the latter, the most modern stage, networked working masses have appeared. The presentation of their characteristics and the reflection on how they differ from classic masses form an important part of the article.

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Spreading the Culture of Fear in Croatian Online Media: Analysis of the Coronavirus First Wave

Spreading the Culture of Fear in Croatian Online Media: Analysis of the Coronavirus First Wave

Author(s): Marina Đukić,Tina Škrljac / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: Covid-19; Culture of Fear; Manipulation; Media Reporting; Online News Portals; Pandemic; Risk; Tabloids;

Culture of fear can be defined as a concept in society where fear is used to manipulate and alter people’s behaviour in order to achieve certain goals. The role of fear in societies has been a research focus of many scholars whether it was a fear from natural disasters (earthquakes, floods), wars, epidemics, crimes, etc. As a mediator, especially today in 24-hours news cycle, the media have an important role in shaping reality and thus in shaping the perception of risks. Having in mind that when the risk is urgent use of media increases and public turns to news, it is essential to know that media can be beneficial for informing the public but can also exaggerate the risks. The aim of the paper is to analyse the approach that Croatian online media used in reporting during the first wave of the Coronavirus pandemic 2020 and whether they fostered the culture of fear – exaggerated the risk. Method used in the research is quantitative-qualitative content analysis on 912 articles published on Croatian online news portals Večernji.hr and 24sata.hr from 1st February to 31st March. The authors’ intention is to identify the media reporting characteristics that foster culture of fear recognized in practices like extensive coverage, usage of large, intimidating numbers and terms which reflect preoccupation with risk (loaded language), depressing visuals and negative coverage tone as a form of manipulation and intimidation.

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Constructive education for constructive teaching. Redefining the relationship between theory and practice in academic teacher education

Konstruktywistyczna edukacja do konstruktywistycznego nauczania. Redefinicja relacji teorii i praktyki w akademickim kształceniu nauczycieli

Author(s): Bogusława Dorota Gołębniak / Language(s): Polish / Issue: 4 (51)/2020

Keywords: constructivism; knowledge situated in context; cultural-historical theory of activity; monological; dialogical and trialogical approach in education to teaching; teaching by projects; research...

In this article, I discuss adult learning models and their implications in the field of academic didacticsaddressed to teacher candidates, which seem adequate to thinking about teaching (learning) inschool inspired by constructivist-interpretative paradigms (Klus-Stańska 2018). Referring to DavidGuile’s (2005b) typology of approaches to professional education, which takes into account thecriterion of the adopted theories of learning (a monological approach based on cognitivism, a dialogical/participatory approach, rooted in the model of cognition situated in context, and a trialogicalapproach corresponding to the theory of activity along with social constructivism), I compare theimplications of the differentiated re/defining of the theory and practice relations in the programmesof the pedagogical component of studies constructed in accordance with the identified approaches.

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Reflective-Teleological Judgment as Indeterministic Subsumption: Kant and Modern Hermeneutics

Reflective-Teleological Judgment as Indeterministic Subsumption: Kant and Modern Hermeneutics

Author(s): Horst Ruthrof / Language(s): English / Issue: 20/2021

Keywords: proto-hermeneutics; reflective-teleological reasoning; indeterminacy; projection; hermeneutic helix; sensus communis

The paper argues that modern hermeneutics has failed to recognize Kant’s reflective-teleological reasoning as a highly advanced form of interpretation as presented in Part II of the Critique of Judgment. If we liberate the principles of reflective-teleological judgment from his examples of biological nature, the paper claims, we arrive at nothing less than Kant’s general proto-hermeneutics. Such a distillation of hermeneutic principles is then justified on three grounds, that (1) Kant views nature broadly as the “sum of phenomena”; (2) his arguments about the purposiveness of nature are derived by analogy from cognitive judgments about art; and (3) in Kant, human culture is an advanced appearance of nature. A summary statement of Kant’s proto-hermeneutics is followed by a sketch of significant moments throughout the history of modern hermeneutics, from Ast, Schleiermacher and Dilthey to Heidegger and Gadamer, and from Habermas and Ricoeur to Caputo and Vattimo, when many Kantian hermeneutic themes are broached without acknowledgment of their sources in the Critiques. Crucially, what modern hermeneutics fails to see is that Kant’s reflective-teleological judgment amounts to an advanced procedure of indeterministic, hermeneutic subsumption beyond induction.

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Corporate Social Responsibility during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Croatia

Corporate Social Responsibility during the Covid-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Croatia

Author(s): Marija Šain / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: Community; Corporate Social Responsibility; COVID-19; Croatia; Stakeholders;

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected the need to change and quickly adjust the company's business strategies to the needs of its stakeholders in order to strengthen mutual trust and develop resilience to the new situation. In such circumstances, the application of corporate social responsibility (CSR) becomes inevitable, but also socially expected. The aim of this paper is to identify CSR activities carried out by the 10 best companies in the Republic of Croatia in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The content analysis method analyzes the websites of these companies in relation to CSR during the Covid-19 pandemic, and the socially responsible activities are categorized according to the three most important stakeholders for the company: employees, customers and the community. The results of the research determine the equal representation of CSR activities towards all observed stakeholders and the importance of coordination between external (customers and communities) and internal (employees) CSR activities during Covid-19 in order for companies to maintain their competitiveness and relationship with stakeholders. The paper provides practical implications for the effective management and implementation of CSR activities in the period of pandemics and other crisis situations, but it is also possible to maintain certain additional activities after the cessation of these circumstances.

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Why We Need Fiction during the Covid-19 Pandemic? Videogames: A Sketch for a Genre Typology

Why We Need Fiction during the Covid-19 Pandemic? Videogames: A Sketch for a Genre Typology

Author(s): Hrvoje Mesić,Snježana Barić-Šelmić / Language(s): English / Issue: 1/2021

Keywords: Faction; Fiction; Genre; New Media; Videogames; Virtuality;

Fiction is an invention that allows humankind to expand, and a state of affairs that can be analysed from several different points of view. While pondering the purpose of this invention, we must consider the different uses it is designed for, and recognise the differences between fiction in everyday life, fiction in literature, and virtual reality. By incorporating factual, historical and verified material evidence, fiction inspires the reader to continually question the boundaries of fiction and faction using quotability, editing and collaging. The profusion of archive documents relating to important world events, wars, genocides, depressions, collective traumas and diseases, interwoven with the space of fiction, requires an active reader who will be able to follow all the elements of the work of literature, understand the author’s engaged position, and consciously develop one of his own. The transmedial narratology theory, on the other hand, analyses how different media build story worlds, the implications on their recipients, and the opportunities for subversion. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there have been situations when fiction was able to better explain what was going on in the world than science. Gaming, fiction and fictionalisation explain and help predict the outcome or result. The truth is no longer an absolute concept, but depends on its interpreter. In the present context, when social rules are less clear or are completely incomprehensible, a return to games and fiction is a principle that helps us better understand our environment and other people’s reactions. The artificially created world plays an important role in this. Contrary to our tradition, based on Aristotle’s postulates, our idea of the virtual now means that we see perfection as means to repair the imperfect world. There are no mistakes in virtual worlds. We choose and love virtual persons because they never let us down. We are inclined to avoid the real life and its negative aspects, such as habits, illness, aging and death, and immerse ourselves in videogames as an escape during the pandemic. The paper discusses the relationship between adaptation and emulation of new media, genre positioning of videogames in the literary and media genealogy, and their role during the long-lasting social isolation we have faced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which presents us with a double thesis: videogames can be used as a tool for social criticism, and the boundary between reality and virtual reality will eventually become immaterial.

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“NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US” MEASURES APPLIED AT EUROPEAN LEVEL DURING THE CURRENT CRISIS

“NOTHING FOR US WITHOUT US” MEASURES APPLIED AT EUROPEAN LEVEL DURING THE CURRENT CRISIS

Author(s): Otilia Manta / Language(s): English / Issue: 2/2020

Keywords: economy; education; finance;

The year 2020 is one of the reference years for human history, both in terms of current challenges at European level (including global), but especially as a result of its societal, financial and economic consequences, and the multiple changes that we face we confront and adapt each of us. The health crisis caused simultaneous crises, respectively economic crisis, with a major economic slowdown, especially on small businesses, and the European Union (EU) in this period (February-April 2020) supported concretely through monetary and fiscal policy measures, respectively through the Temporary Framework of the European Commission. Furthermore, the fiscal policy instruments used included the adaptation of state aid rules to the exceptional circumstances generated by the coronavirus pandemic, in order to allow Member States to support their savings through direct or indirect intervention State aid could also be used during this period to remedy the serious economic turmoil. Another effect of the health crisis has been linked to the European education system, and the decision-makers of the moment have changed the paradigm from the form of classical education to the form of digital education. In the multitude of effects of this crisis, we believe that the fundamental element alongside the right to life must remain the fundamental pillar of democracy, namely the protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms and addressing decisions in the context of upholding these fundamental human rights.1 In this paper we aim on the one hand to highlight some of the main measures applied by European Member States, but especially to specify directions of the education system in the current context, given that in any crisis the human factor has been and is the key in resolving crises, regardless of them.

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