News

(9 April 2014) The Hero and the Monster. The Idea of Political Power in the Classic Tragedy and its Modern Interpretations by Prof. Boyan Manchev

April 4, 2014March 17, 2016

When: 09 April, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)
The lecture will explore the idea of the political community in Ancient Greece while focusing on pieces of classical tragedies and in particular on Sophocles’ ”Oedipus the King.” Sophocles’ interpretation of the myth for Oedipus will be examined as a political text, which implies a particular thesis about the political power. The goal of the analysis is to contribute both to the initial structural characteristics of the European idea about politics and to the uncovering of the mythical models, which contribute to the idea’s formation.

(26 March 2014) Populism and personalist parties: the case of Bulgaria by Assistant Prof. Emilia Zankina

March 18, 2014July 17, 2014

When: 26 March, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

This lecture builds on continuing research that offers a new approach to the study of populism. Adopting a transaction-cost framework, I argue that populism is a political strategy that reduces the transaction costs of politics by increasing the use of informal political institutions in the name of “direct” and “immediate” action. As such, populism contributes to the emergence of personalist parties which, having a dominant leader and weak organizational structure and thus, being a single-, as opposed to a multi-actor organization, reduce transaction costs by definition. I use the Bulgarian case as an illustration of the rise of populism and personalist parties across Europe and as a background upon which to apply the transaction cost framework.

(12 March 2014) Science in the name of Humankind by Prof. Leandar Litov

February 28, 2014September 30, 2014

When: 12 March, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

A lecture about the application of the technologies and the equipment developed in CERN in the fields of Medicine, Information Technologies, and Solar energy production.

(05 March 2014) Projection and discussion of the movie “4% Universe” with lecturers – Prof. Leandar Litov and Cveta Koeva

February 28, 2014September 30, 2014

When: 05 March, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

Projection of the Movie “4% Universe” and a discussion with the team which developed it. Lecturers – prof. Leandar Litov and Cveta Koeva.

(26 Feb 2014) The Higgs boson or how the matter is born by Prof. Dr. Leandar Litov

February 22, 2014September 15, 2014

When: 26 February, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

The physics of elementary particles tries to find answers to two fundamental questions: which are the main components of matter and which are the forces controlling their movement. The answer we provide today is called Standard Model of the strong and electro-weak interactions. The main problem with this model was that it was not clear how do the particles acquire mass. After a short intro to the Standard Model and the mechanism of spontaneous breach of symmetry, prof. LeandarLitov will present experiments which took place in the Large Hadron Collider in CERN. Special attention will be paid to the discovery of a new particle which has properties close to those predicted in the Standard Model Higgs boson.

(12 Feb 2014) Future Now: Education and Policies for Values, Prof. Lidia Denkova

February 11, 2014July 11, 2014

When: 12 February, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

Prof. Lidia Denkova holds degrees in Classical Philosophy and Psychology from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski.” She obtained her PhD in 1988 with a dissertation on “Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite and the Middle-age Bulgarian Culture”. She became an assistant in Bulgarian Acedemy of Science in 1997, an associate professor in 2002 and a professor in 2013 in New Bulgarian University. Currently she teaches Comparative Religion Studies, Ethics, and Aesthetics. She is the author of many research papers on historical and philosophical topics. She also translates from French, Russian, Latin, and Ancient Greek.

(29 Jan 2014) The Process of Revival by assoc. prof. Mihail Gruev

January 15, 2014July 11, 2014

When: 29 January, 2014, 19:00
Where: Sofia University Rectorate, lecture hall 224 (hall America for Bulgaria)

Associate Professor Mihail Gruev was born on October 25th 1971 in Sofia. He holds a degree in History from the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. He holds a PhD in History with a dissertation topic “The Bulgarian Muslims in the state politics of Bulgaria (1944-1959)”. He began teaching in the Faculty of History in Sofia University in 2002 and became an associate professor in 2009.