The EM MA SEN Programme

My itinerary for the EM MA SEN programme is:

* 26Aug 08 to 10Sep 08: Roehampton Uni, London, UK

* 11Sep 08 to 27Feb 09: Fontys Uni, Tilburg, Netherlands

* 27Feb 09 to 13Mar 09: Charles Uni, Prague, Czech Republic

* 14Mar 09 to 1Sep 09: Any one of the above 3, depending on where I've decided to complete my dissertation.

The Erasmus Mundus Masters in Special Education Needs (EM MA SEN) is a one-year, bond-free scholarship ($E24,200) offered by the European Commission, and conducted at the above 3 universities - with a focus on Inclusion and Inclusive Education for persons with special needs.

The parent Erasmus Programme is an impressive programme comprising several accredited courses of study spread throughout Europe. Mundus means 'world' in Latin. Hence, the Erasmus Mundus Programme is the international version of the parent programme, established since 2003.

It is named after the Dutch classical scholar, humanist and theologian - Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (or, popularly known as Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam), who lived between 1466 - 1536. He has been accorded "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists" whose works include: The Praise of Folly, Handbook of a Christian Knight, On Civility in Children and many others. He was one of the outspoken Renaissance humanists who, being learned in languages, raised pertinent questions that would later influence the Reformation.

He was an open critic of clerical abuses within the Vatican and the church. He was part of the group of Reformers who charted new and critical horizons of the Christian faith, especially of its practice. One key development was that he continued to embrace the Catholic idea of free will, antagonizing the Protestant Reformers, one of whom was Martin Luther, who favoured the doctrine of predestination.

The programme is currently open for application and selection towards the Aug 2009 intake. Please visit the website for more details: www.roehampton.ac.uk/admissions/erasmusmundus/index.html

Besides the MA SEN Scholarship, it is also offering a Human Rights Practice (HRP) Scholarship for those with a passion in this area, and is held in universities in Sweden and Norway. Do let your friends know about these two generous bond-free available scholarships.