The economical processes in the world cannot be analyzed without taking into the consideration their relation with politics, philosophy, religion, science and even art. In other words, the economical concepts have to be refashioned in relation with other concepts and theoretical positions that tend to produce a specific way of the ordering of the world. Today economical processes are theorized at the level of the basic psychological desires of people or are reduced to the simplest perturbation of the quantum reality. The markets are looked upon as speculative fluxes and indeterminate aggregations of the capital. The economic science has to be mediated by the humanities. The need to approach modern global economy from the position of the “presupposed” gap in the meaning and in the substance of the reality (something that poetry, art and the philosophy have been using in their approach long time ago) means to approach capital on its own terms. It is no surprise anymore that modern science is more philosophical than the critical theory nowadays. Maybe it is time to philosophize economy as well. Thus the idea to design the curricula for the “Cultural Studies in Business” seems like a possibly fruitful area for the creative academicians. CULTURAL STUDIES IN BUSINESS is then a new “University Curriculum” proposed by a consortium 7 Countries in the “Erasmus Plus Macro Region” represented by 7 Universities: La Sapienza University of Rome (Italy), leading, Eurocollege from Kumanovo (FYROM), Technical University of Vilnius (Lithuania), University of Split, Faculty of Economy (Croatia), UNIVERSIDADE DA BEIRA INTERIOR (UBI), Portugal (Romania), SHLUJ Wisdom University of Tirana (Albania) and TUKE, Technical University of Kosice of Kosice (Slovakia). The plus is given by the presence of JUMP association, the youth spirit of the project, providing facilitation with Non Formal Education and support for monitoring, evaluation, social media promotion and activation of studentsA KA202 Strategic Partnership lasting 2 years (1/09/2018 - 31/08/2020) and going beyond to enhance the quality of Education in the Higher Education starting from a common starting point through the realization of 3 main Intellectual Outputs. An (1)„Indepht analysis and a need analysis“ of the Status Quo in the „Erasmus Plus Region“ of University curricula in the field of economical studies, social sciences and human sciences, crossing them and verifying how they can be united in a new (2)„Pilot Curriculum“ to be implemented and tested during a period of 6 months with a group of 140 volunteering students aiming at making them a new generation of potential social entrepreneurs and aware European citizens in the upcoming Global Europe. Thanks to a focused action of mainstreaming and researching including associated partners and stakeholders, bringing Non Formal Education and practices by the world of NGOs, „CSB Process“ will provide to partners the proper framework, strength and common base to realize 5 Transnational Project Meetings, 3 series of Multiplier Events and 3 Learning Mobilities: one week intensive staff training in Rome, 2 separated weeks of teaching programs in Portugal and in Croatia. Closing the experimental process in 2020 with the launch of an „International Journal of Cultural Studies in Business“ partners tighten their hands to a sustainable development of the positive impacts and outcomes of the strategic partnership. As part of the „Euro.Soul“ of the Higher Educational field „CSB Project“ 2018-2020 is just the opening phase of a long term deep reflection among academicians, students, institutions, authorities, entrepreneurs, youth workers, school teachers, educators and common citizens as part of a European Generation living an epochal change without having, at the moment, powerful “weapons” like creativity, critical thinking, entrepreneurial skills, open minds and deepen knowledge of our human historic roots.
The CSB project has been designed to bring a real innovation in Economic and Business studies, usually far and not connected with Cultural Studies. The two “worlds” don't dialogue and in most cases, lecturers of the two areas don't cooperate. The idea behind the proposal started from the reflection around the deep reflection on the actual economic processes happening at the global level that cannot be analyzed without taking into consideration their relationship with politics, philosophy, religion, science and even art. In other words, the economical concepts have to be refashioned in relation to other concepts and theoretical positions that tend to produce a specific way of the ordering of the world. The nowadays worldwide economic crisis, extremized by the pandemic and the social and sanitary crisis cannot be separated from important needed changes brought by studies more impacted by culture and human sciences. Cultural studies, an interdisciplinary field concerned with the role of social institutions in the shaping of culture. Cultural studies emerged in Britain in the late 1950s and subsequently spread internationally, notably to the USA and Australia. Originally identified with the Center for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham (founded 1964) and with such scholars as Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall, and Raymond Williams, cultural studies later became a well-established field in many academic institutions, and it has since had broad influence in sociology, anthropology, historiography, literary criticism, philosophy, and art criticism. Among its central concerns are the place of race or ethnicity, class, and gender in the production of cultural knowledge. For the first time after this period, the biggest university in Europe which is an authority of classical studies, La Sapienza University, leader of this project, started a new dialogue across departments uniting economists, lecturers of business, management and economics and lecturers of sociology, anthropology, philosophy and communication. The big challenge of the project has been the cooperation in the diversity among partners, crossing sectors and exploring public and private higher education working environments. The cooperation of lecturers of different Countries, working internationally but who didn't know each other before, constituted a great added value. They have been animated by the will to share and exchange experiences, materials and different teaching styles with the common aim to grow and contribute to increasing the quality of Higher Education in Europe. CSB partners demonstrated to have a strong capacity to question themselves as organizations of the civil society in the frame of the EHEA with the responsibility to increase and innovate the quality of teaching and learning in a global Europe. CSB university partners: Sapienza University of Rome (IT), PVPU Euro College, Kumanovo (MK), VGTU - now "Vilnius Tech" (LT); the University of Split, Faculty of Economics, Business and Tourism (HU); UBI - Universidade da Beira Interior (PT); University College Wisdom (AL). JUMP Association has been the Italian NGO connecting the project with other civil society organizations, giving strong support in communication, web-design, blogging, social media dissemination, graphics and reporting. The keyword of this project has been "Culture". Partners investigated the deep meaning of culture today and its impact in all the spheres of academic studies, especially in economics, business and management. A great value has been given to the research of our common European roots, principles and relations among countries making this project a real European one. The cultural diversity of partners and the fact that the consortium was formed by universities in Eu and non-EU Countries, between public and private, and by the only NGO of the deep South of Italy has been the real richness of this strategic partnership. What could be a weakness has become a strength. The project fulfilled all the planned objectives, which were very ambitious at the time of submitting the project in 2018 and exceeded all expectations realizing all activities and more, the 3 main intellectual Outputs and extra tangible results and products. It was realized in order 1) An In-Depth Analysis of the Status Quo of Economic Studies in Europe (International research), 2) the Proposal Master Degree Curriculum of "Cultural Studies in Business", 3) A special issue dedicated to CSB in the scientific journal "Management : Journal of Contemporary Management Issues". Furthermore, 20 M. Events (out of 19 planned), an international team of lecturers, an official very dynamic website with a blog publishing everyday articles by experts, lecturers and students, 2 books of proceedings, other 2 scientific journals with papers of partners published on the topic, a photography expo, almost 300 students (out of the 140 planned) 9 Pilot Courses (out of the 6 planned).