MWST 2.0 begins its journey in Germany

UTAR Division of Community and International Networking (DCInterNet) hosted the Magnalles World Study Tour (MWST) 2.0 this year in conjunction with the UTAR 20^th Anniversary Celebration via Zoom and Facebook Live. This time, MWST 2.0 included a total of seven stations; six of which involved UTAR’s partner universities, namely Germany’s Westcoast University of Applied Sciences, China’s Huaqiao University and Northwestern Polytechnical University, New Zealand’s Auckland University of Technology, Indonesia’s Universitas Warmadewa, and South Korea’s Jeonbuk National University.

MWST 2.0 began its journey at the first station on 11 October 2022 and it is expected to reach its final station on 21 November 2022. The main objectives of MWST 2.0 are to promote the concept of internationalisation by creating opportunities and cooperating with collaborative partners to explore different contexts and worldviews via virtual mediums, and provide participants all across the world the opportunity to experience the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) world heritage sites through virtual platforms. Other primary focuses of MWST 2.0 are to educate and spread awareness of other cultures amongst students to broaden their horizons on diversity, and encourage networking among local and international students to promote diversity. Last but not least, it aims to allow participants to understand international cultures by helping them develop cultural intelligence, and utilise digital platforms to expose the university to other international cultures and establish partnerships with other global universities.

Present at the opening ceremony of MWST 2.0 were UTAR Vice President for Internationalisation and Academic Development Ir Prof Dr Goi Bok Min, DCInterNet Director Assoc Prof Dr Lai Soon Onn, DCInterNet Deputy Director Dr Chen I-Chi, head of departments, staff and students.

Prof Goi officiated the opening of MWST 2.0 with a speech and said, “I believe the importance of cultural intelligence is well reflected in this study tour as it testifies to our fruitful collaborations. More than that, the study tour also highlights that awareness through education is an important effort to maintain cultural diversity because as UNESCO explains, cultural heritage is not limited to its cultural manifestation, but it also envelops the wealth of cultural knowledge and skills.” He added, “In our responses to the changing environments, we see the cultural heritage evolving and its cultural values being redefined, but whether by intentional or unintentional means, the need to preserve them is still very much important. Therefore, with the partnering universities, we have organised various sharing sessions at different stations for participants to learn about the local cultures, traditions, and histories, to not only enhance their learning experience, but to also offer them a sense of identity to feel part of one or more communities.”

Prof Goi delivering his speech

After Prof Goi’s speech and a quick photography session, MWST 2.0 kicked off with its first station at Germany’s West Coast University of Applied Sciences.  A brief explanation about the university was provided by the Head of the International Office, Antje Korthals.

Afterwards, the university’s German Institute for Tourism Research lecturer, Olav Clemens took the floor with his talk titled “World Heritage in Germany with Special Consideration of the Wadden Sea”. He began his talk by defining cultural heritage. He said, “Speaking of cultural heritage, there are monuments, which are works of sculpture and painting; they have outstanding universal value from the point of view of history, arts and science. There are also groups of buildings, which are connected buildings, whose homogeneity or place in the landscape are of great universal value. Lastly, there are sites, which are manmade or a combination of manmade and natural works, which have a huge universal value from a historical, aesthetic, ethnological or anthropological point of view.”

He added, “Natural heritages have natural features consisting of physical and biological formations, which have an outstanding universal value from an aesthetic or scientific point of view. These heritages also have geological and physiological formations which constitute the habitat of threatened animals and plants which are of outstanding universal value from a science or conservation viewpoint. Finally, there are natural sites; these sites are precise delineated areas and they have an outstanding universal value from a science, conservation or natural beauty point of view.”

Olav then explained the nomination process for becoming a world heritage site. “There are four steps for an area to become a world heritage site. Firstly, the site has to be included in a tentative list by the state party or regional government. Next, the state party has to submit a nomination file to UNESCO, who will then forward it to organisations and advisory bodies to check and give the final recommendation. If the nomination has a positive outcome, the applicant will be dealt with by the World Heritage Committee which will finalise a decision. There is, however, a certain criterion to fulfil in order to be selected into the tentative list, and that is — the area in question has to be of outstanding universal value,” said Olav.

The talk continued with Olav’s explanation on outstanding universal values (OUV). Defining OUV, he said, “An OUV describes why the designated site is one of the most remarkable places on earth. OUV means cultural or natural significance which is so exceptional as to transcend national boundaries and to be of common importance for present and future generations of all humanity. As such the permanent protection of an area with UOV is extremely important to the international community as a whole.” He carried on, saying, “The three pillars of OUV are 1) the property meets one or more World Heritage criteria, 2) the property meets the conditions of integrity and authenticity if relevant, and 3) the property meets the requirements for protection and management. All three pillars must be in place for a property to be judged to have OUV.”

Olav then continued the session by displaying some examples of World Heritage Sites in Germany, such as Speyer Cathedral, the Town of Bamberg, and Volklingen Ironworks. He mentioned that the world heritage in Germany can be split into different areas. “There is Nature, which is comprised of parks, gardens, and natural landscapes, and Old-World charms, which include historical townscapes such as the Hanseatic City of Lübeck. Germany also has innovative ideas, which are areas that showcase art and engineering, down the ages, like the Bauhaus Architecture founded in Weimar. Finally, there is Faith and Spirituality, consisting of churches and sacred buildings such as the Aachen Cathedral,” Olav explained.

Olav showing the heritage sites in Germany

Nearing the end of the talk, Olav shared his knowledge about one of Germany’s world heritage sites, which is known as the Wadden Sea. “The Wadden Sea can be considered a World Heritage Site, as it is of Outstanding Universal Value. The area is large enough to ensure that these exceptional aspects are included and maintained,” said Olav. He also mentioned, “The Warren Sea’s protection and management are secured as well since the Wadden Sea’s supreme conservation state is the result of four decades of joint nature protection efforts by Denmark, Netherlands and Germany. The Wadden Sea is also designated under national parks and nature reserves. These countries work together in the Trilateral Wadden Sea Cooperation to ensure the management of the area.”

The talk ended with a short Q&A session.

Olav sharing his knowledge of the Wadden Sea

Participants gathering for a group photo