Ancient Middle Eastern Nordic Network (AMENN)

The first stage of AMENN (2021-2022) documented a highly diverse set of course structures across the partnering institutions, highlighting both the unevenness of teaching opportunities and the limitations imposed by small numbers of permanently employed staff. Ancient Middle Eastern subjects across the Nordic countries continue to face structural challenges, including low enrolment, high dropout rates, restricted staff capacity, and limited public funding. These factors put the disciplines at risk and underscore the importance of collaboration. Educational cooperation is therefore essential to maintain and expand the scope of teaching, and to ensure students gain access to a broader and more coherent academic environment with improved training and career opportunities.

During its second stage (2022-2023), AMENN sought to broaden programs by introducing short-term staff exchange. This initiative facilitated cooperation between institutions, diversified teaching portfolios, and enabled students to engage with lecturers from across the Nordic countries. The exchanges also laid the groundwork for future initiatives, including specialised courses and summer schools..

With renewed funding for 2024-2025, AMENN enters a third stage that builds directly on these activities. The network’s aims can be summarized in three main goals:

1. Develop a co-taught MA seminar with blended learning. AMENN will establish a shared seminar that combines online and in-person teaching, allowing students to benefit from expertise across all partner institutions while remaining enrolled at their home universities.

2. Enhance cooperation in education and strengthen student communities. By pooling teaching resources, the network enriches the educational environment and fosters a stronger sense of belonging among students and staff across borders. This effort increases both the visibility and attractiveness of the disciplines, while broadening student perspectives and professional networks.

3. Explore possibilities for new partnerships. AMENN will reach out to colleagues in related fields at Nordic and Baltic universities to explore avenues for expansion

Since its creation in 2021, AMENN has initiated several collaborative activities, including the mapping of the educational landscape in the Nordic countries, teacher and student exchanges, and the successful Digital Applications in Assyriology Summer School. Building on these experiences, the next phase (2024-2025) focuses on more formalized cooperation and sustainable structures for shared teaching.

Key activities include:

• Two workshops. The first, in Copenhagen (November 2024), will bring together staff from all partner institutions to outline the format, content, and structure of the new co-taught MA seminar. The second, in Uppsala (May 2025), will finalize the seminar and address administrative and curricular integration.
• Online coordination and local development. Between workshops, partners will work individually and collectively to draft course plans, identify themes for co-teaching, and adjust the seminar to local curricula. Online meetings will ensure steady progress and allow coordinators to exchange updates.
• Network meetings. In connection with the workshops, AMENN will host meetings dedicated to long-term planning and to identifying potential new partners from Nordic and Baltic universities. Invited colleagues will be included as observers to assess the potential of future collaborations.

Through these activities, AMENN ensures that the network moves from short-term exchanges to a long-term, institutionalized form of cooperation that directly benefits students and secures the disciplines’ sustainability.