Teaching cultural cooperation in transcultural Europe
survey of training tools and methods

Milena Dragicevic-Sesic for the Fondation Marcel Hicter ASBL, Brussels

The research tries to identify the concepts and methods of teaching cultural cooperation: how future practitioners are prepared to work together, to co-produce or to mediate (interpret) the "products" and values of one culture in another cultural context. The effects of globalization and new media impacts demand diversified and differentiated knowledge and skills from cultural operators. At the same time, cultural operators have to be aware of policy measures as they are influential in creating the new forms of cultural practices – especially European and Mediterranean cross-border practices. 

Efforts are being made in cultural management education, as well as higher art education, to respond to new needs and concepts, among which mobility and intercultural dialogue are of crucial importance ( even for very different career objectives).

The research will attempt to provide an "intellectual topography" (Anderson) of the
cultural cooperation education field in Europe, to assess academic and professional efforts to create competence for operating on the world scene culture. This cultural capital (knowledge and skills) is needed for cooperation and co-production, but also for mediation, for real intercultural dialogue.

It will accentuate the differences in conceptual and training approach: from teaching international cultural cooperation to teaching cultural diplomacy; from basic and postgraduate academic courses to courses within programs of life-long learning, etc.

To analyze the ways and effectiveness of teaching cultural cooperation in Europe today, we have to understand three issues: what are the concepts behind ideas of cultural cooperation, what are the main teaching methods and what are the training tools?

How are cultural managers and other operators educated to work in different cultural contexts; does the training develop a capacity to understand and to make understandable the cultural expressions of different cultures? Are the traditional training formats and training tools adapted to the needs of new professionals in cultural management and cultural diplomacy? Do they really create the competence and knowledge necessary for international cooperation within Europe – through artistic dialogue, representation and exhibition, but also through mediation and communication?
Are the aims of cultural cooperation training programs linked to the education of practitioners in the field of cultural cooperation administration and management who are innovative and open, not only pragmatic and skilful?

As the final outcome the following major question will be examined: During training and within education, to what extent are cultural operators receiving the analytical skills and understanding abilities to help influence and develop policy measures, and to what extent are they prepared to use all the possibilities for their international cultural cooperation programs.



Teaching international cultural cooperation in Europe today - situation and perspectives



Teaching Pack for cultural co-operation

Milena Dragicevic-Sesic for the Fondation Marcel Hicter ASBL, Brussels

The Teaching Pack created in the framework of Vania is available for trainers and course designers who wish to develop training modules developing skills and competencies to manage transnational cultural co-operation. This pack contains the most relevant and used methods to teach cultural cooperation in Europe

Teaching pack for cultural cooperation



Innovative methodology and pedagogic tools: The European Diploma in Cultural Project Management case study

Michel Guérin for the Fondation Marcel Hicter ASBL, Brussels

Michel Guérin realised a systematisation of the innovative and multi-faceted European Diploma methodology. This text is available in French, an abstract exists in English in the annex of the Vania's Final report

Méthodologies innovatrices et outils pédagogiques : le Diplôme Européen en Administration de Projets Culturels de la Fondation Marcel Hicter, une étude de cas.