Overview

Peace has always been a neglected issue in social sciences. Most surprisingly, peace in Europe has not yet been a specific subject in European Union studies and the seven decades-long pax europaea tends to be taken for granted today by both ordinary European Union citizens – especially young generations – and by academic research. In the backdrop of the populist wave, which can re-inflame nationalist sentiments, the activities of B4PEACE aim at explaining (both historically and theoretically) the causes of peace in Europe, exploring (more analytically) the ways thorough which it can be maintained and improved, and expanding both the debate on the European peace and the applicability of the European Union model to non-EU regions, especially to conflict-torn countries.

More specifically, B4PEACE aims at:

1. Promoting the study of peace in European Union Studies.
   
   In Italy, European Union Studies are less developed than in other Member States. This is striking if one considers that Italy is one of the founders of the European Communities in 1957. Parma represents an ideal location for establishing an innovative course on the European Peace, because of the presence of the European College of Parma Foundation, the School for Europe and the European Food Safety Authority. The goal of the course is to connect all these institutions thus promoting European Union Studies, contributing to what should be considered as one of the distinctive features of European Identity and Citizenship.
2. Fostering a new teaching approach.
   
   Peace is a multi-faceted phenomenon. For this reason, the topic has to be studied in its multiple dimensions. The project adopts a new approach to teaching & research by building upon the multidisciplinary expertise (in Sociology, Economics, International & European Union Law, and Political Science) of professors and researchers either working in the host institution or coming from other well-known Italian Universities.
   
   -       The multi-disciplinarity of peace: the project gathers political scientists, economists, sociologists and law experts from all over the Italian academia and involves international scholars to give an overall account on how peace – in its multiple meanings – can be explained, explored and expanded, both inside and outside the European Union.
   
   -       The inter-disciplinarity of peace: the course will feature classes involving two experts from different disciplines at once (one lecturer and one discussant), as well as practitioners and representatives of the civil society, in order to provide students with an integrated overview of topics and with all possible connections among the most relevant issues
   
   
3. Expanding the debate from the University to Civil Society.
   
   The University of Parma is strongly committed to public engagement activities. For this reason, a number of seminars, events and public conferences – involving representatives of the key-teaching staff, relevant policy makers from Italy and the European Union, and civil society associations – will be scheduled each year, showcasing the outcomes of the project and discussing its main themes.