“Humanities and Myth of Needlessness” Roundtable Held

The University of Sarajevo this year celebrated its 70th anniversary and 15 years of applying Bologna Study Concept. This significant anniversary is being marked by a series of events and activities, including the organization of round tables, academic meetings and workshops.

Within these activities, University of Sarajevo organizes a series of round tables entitled “Higher Education, Social Needs and the (Labor) Market”, aiming to open serious discussions about the scope and modalities of the link between the higher education system and the labor market. Various analyzes have identified this problem, so to finally resolve it, the University of Sarajevo is taking significant steps through cooperation with about two hundred social community entities - Commerce Chambers in the Sarajevo Canton and the FBiH, the Sarajevo Canton Employment Service, Sarajevo Canton Employers Association and numerous other business organizations and associations.

The first in roundtables series The Humanities and the Myth of Needlessness was held on 4 November 2019, at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo.

The round table was opened by Prof. Dr. Muhamed Dželilović, Faculty of Philosophy Dean. He emphasizing that this is the first of seven round tables and expressed his satisfaction that this topic is being discussed at the Faculty of Philosophy. He also expressed his satisfaction that students also took part in the roundtable because they are mostly concerned with the future of the Humanities.

The roundtable participants were Prof. Dr. Vahidin Preljević, Prof. Dr. Vedad Smailagić, Prof. Dr. Alena Ćatović and Matija Bošnjak, PhD student at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo. This roundtable was an opportunity to discuss key questions about the position of the humanities, the possible avenues for their further development, their transformation in the face of accelerated change in the world, and the construction of bridges to other disciplines.

Prof. Dr. Vedad Smailagić, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of German Studies spoke on the topic: “The Myth of the Need for the Humanities: Uneducated People and Educated Cars,” while on the topic: “The Problem of the Economic Justification of Language Learning: Oriental Philology,” spoke Prof. Dr. Alena Ćatović, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of Oriental Philology.
The topic: “Humanities on the Threshold of Generation Shifting: Traditional Values in the Light of Unexpected Challenges,” was presented by Matija Bošnjak, MA, PhD student at the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Sarajevo, while Prof. Dr. Vahidin Preljević, Faculty of Philosophy, Department of German Studies, spoke on the theme: “The Meaning of Philology: Understanding Facts in the Post-Factual Age.”