The teaching of Classical Archaeology and Ancient Culture at the University of Helsinki must continue! https://www.petitions24.com/the_teaching_of_classical_archaeology_and_ancient_culture_at_the_university_of_helsinki_must_continue
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki has announced that the long-standing lectureship in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Culture will not be filled when its current holder retires this year. Those of us who have signed this petition plead that a new lector should be chosen to fill the position and continue its vital academic mission.
The lectureship is crucial to the academic integrity of the university, as the teaching of Graeco-Roman material culture not only supports and complements many other fields of study, but also plays a unique role in helping us to understand our broader cultural heritage. Competent teaching in the field has also provided the necessary groundwork for many high-profile international projects of the Faculty of Arts, and for research conducted at the Finnish Institutes in Rome, Athens, and even further afield in the Middle East. Experts trained in the field at the University of Helsinki have also played a central role in well-regarded exhibits popularizing antiquities research and its role in today’s world.
In Finland, the material culture of classical antiquity has been taught on a part-time basis since the 1780’s, and on a full-time basis since the 1980’s, at both the universities of Helsinki and Oulu. However, the lectureship in Oulu was not filled after the office holder retired in 2014, since when the lectureship at the University of Helsinki has been the sole representative of the field in Finland, offering a broad and inclusive range of teaching in the material culture of classical antiquity.
By abandoning the lectureship in Graeco-Roman material culture, the University of Helsinki will erode one of the fundamental aspects of education and research in the humanities. Such a decision would leave Finland alone amongst its Scandinavian brethren in not supporting the field, and render the university increasingly isolated both in Europe and further abroad. It would also undermine the work of decades strengthening the Finnish presence in the foreign community of classical studies, essentially eliminating the possibility to responsibly train future participants and leaders in scientific projects. However, with only a minor financial commitment to filling the current position, the University of Helsinki could ensure the continuation of a tradition that will provide the expertise needed to support its national and international academic mission as a champion of humanities studies.
We therefore urge the Dean to reconsider the decision, to stay the course, and to maintain the future of the broad scope of classical studies at the University of Helsinki.
https://www.adressit.com/antiikin_kulttuurin_ja_klassillisen_arkeologian_opetuksen_on_jatkuttava_helsingissa
Helsingin yliopiston (HY) humanistisen tiedekunnan dekaani on ilmoittanut, että antiikin kulttuurin ja klassillisen arkeologian yliopistonlehtorin tehtävää ei aiota täyttää. Me adressin allekirjoittajat pyydämme, että uusi yliopistonlehtori valitaan tehtävään.
Lehtoraatti on avainasemassa, sillä antiikin aineellisen kulttuurin opetus tukee useita muita oppialoja ja eurooppalaisen kulttuuriperinnön tuntemusta. Oppialan pätevä opetus on myös ollut osaltaan edellytyksenä sekä HY:n humanistisen tiedekunnan korkean profiilin kansainvälisille projekteille että Suomen Rooman- ja Ateenan- ja Lähi-idän-instituuttien tutkimustoiminnalle. Samoin alan koulutetut osaajat ovat mahdollistaneet suositut näyttelyt, jotka saattavat antiikin ja sen jälkivaikutuksen tutkimusta suuren yleisön tietoisuuteen.
Antiikin aineellista kulttuuria on opetettu Suomessa sivutoimisesti 1780-luvulta ja 1900-luvun viimeisinä vuosikymmeninä täysipäiväisesti Oulun ja Helsingin yliopistoissa. Oulun lehtoraatti jätettiin täyttämättä viranhaltijan jäätyä eläkkeelle vuonna 2014. Siten HY on lehtoraattinsa kautta tällä hetkellä ainoa antiikin aineellisen kulttuurin kontaktiopetusta säännöllisesti tarjoava taho Suomessa.
Lakkauttamalla antiikin kulttuurin ja klassillisen arkeologian lehtoraatin HY heikentää opetuksen ja tutkimuksen pohjaa. Sen sijaan jatkamalla tehtävää HY voi pienellä taloudellisella panostuksella taata jatkuvuuden osaamisessa, jota tarvitaan niin yliopistossa, kotimaassa kuin kansainvälisillä kentillä. ... See more
The Dean of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Helsinki has announced that the long-standing lectureship in Classical Archaeology and Ancient Culture will not be filled when its current holder retires this year. Those of us who have signed this petition plead that a new lector should be chosen... ... See more
