{"id":129872,"date":"2026-04-27T17:22:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T15:22:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ffos.unios.hr\/filozofski-fakultet-u-osijeku-na-festivalu-znanosti-2026-energija-kao-pokretacka-snaga-rijeci-drustva-i-obrazovanja\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T13:18:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T11:18:37","slug":"faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences-in-osijek-at-the-2026-science-festival-energy-as-a-driving-force-of-words-society-and-education","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ffos.unios.hr\/en\/faculty-of-humanities-and-social-sciences-in-osijek-at-the-2026-science-festival-energy-as-a-driving-force-of-words-society-and-education\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek at the 2026 Science Festival \u2013 Energy as a Driving Force of Words, Society and Education"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year\u2019s 23rd Science Festival, held at Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek from 20 to 24 April 2026 under the theme Energy<\/strong>, brought together a large number of faculty members, researchers and students from various constituent units of the University. Within this extensive programme, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in Osijek stood out for its particularly broad and interdisciplinary approach to the theme, demonstrating how energy can be viewed not only as a natural-science and STEM concept, but also as a social, cultural, educational, media and psychological phenomenon.<\/p>\n

The Faculty\u2019s activities included numerous lectures, posters, workshops, exhibitions and off-site programmes, all sharing the aim of bringing the concept of energy closer to the wider public through everyday contexts and different scientific perspectives. This diversity clearly reflects one of the Faculty\u2019s greatest strengths: its ability to connect the humanities and social sciences with current issues in contemporary society and make them accessible to different age groups.<\/p>\n

In this regard, the contribution of faculty members and students was particularly valuable, as their work demonstrated that the topic of energy does not belong exclusively to STEM, but is also deeply rooted and recognised in language, literature, media, pedagogy, psychology, information sciences and social practice. In doing so, FFOS once again confirmed the deeply interdisciplinary and strongly socially oriented nature of its work.<\/p>\n

The Energy of Words and Media<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One of the central thematic strands of the FFOS programme was dedicated to literature, language and media. In the paper Energy in Mary Shelley\u2019s Frankenstein<\/strong>, Prof. Tina Varga Oswald, PhD, examined energy as a driving force of the narrative, but also as a symbol of scientific and social progress, while raising the important question of the ethical consequences of technological development. Similarly, in the activity How Words Carry Energy: The Journey of a Verse through Media and Readers<\/strong>, by Ivona Marti\u0107 and Prof. Jakov Sablji\u0107, PhD, energy was understood as the force through which words travel across different media forms and change their meaning depending on the channel and context. Professor Sablji\u0107 emphasised that energy in their contribution was considered as \u201cthe driving force of words, ideas and interpretations, from the literary text to radio expression and visual media\u201d. Building on this idea, student Ivona Marti\u0107\u2019s poster focused on visualising the \u201cenergy of words\u201d, exploring how the meaning of a verse changes across different media and how the relationship between author and reader is constructed.<\/p>\n

Radio programmes on Radio UNIOS were also an integral part of this approach, allowing audiences to engage with literary works through an interdisciplinary lens. As Prof. Sablji\u0107 pointed out, \u201cthe aim was to connect literature with philosophy, film and contemporary social issues, using analyses of the novel Perfume<\/em> and the animated film Spirited Away<\/em> as examples\u201d. This clearly demonstrated how energy can also function as an inner driving force of identity, emotion and action, rather than merely as a physical concept.<\/p>\n

The poster What Do Primary School Pupils Learn about Energy? A Corpus Analysis of the Lexeme Energy<\/em><\/strong> by Prof. Vi\u0161nja Pavi\u010di\u0107 Taka\u010d, PhD, and associates highlighted the role of language in teaching STEM subjects, while Dubravka Brun\u010di\u0107 prepared the lecture Memories as a Source of Creative Energy: What Is Remembered in the Works of Slavonian Writers?<\/strong> Assoc. Prof. Ivana Martinovi\u0107, PhD, and Assistant Mirna Gilman Ranogajec held the workshop Information as Energy<\/strong> at Franjo Kre\u017ema Primary School.<\/p>\n

An important contribution to this thematic block was also made by the paper entitled The Synergistic Effect of Literature in Language Studies<\/strong> by Assistant Sanja Ivanovi\u0107 Grguri\u0107, Univ. Spec., and Assoc. Prof. Tihomir Engler, PhD, which further emphasised the importance of an integrated approach to teaching and knowledge transfer.<\/p>\n

This group of activities was rounded off by the lecture The Energy of Work and the Energy of Emotions in the Rural Novel<\/strong> by Prof. Kristina Peternai Andri\u0107, PhD, which focused on the novel Na njivama<\/em> by Mila Miholjevi\u0107, set in a Slavonian village at the beginning of the 20th century. The novel was read as a text in which work and emotions are inseparable, depicting rural everyday life marked by exhausting labour, poverty, violence and social inequalities. Particular emphasis was placed on how female characters, class relations and the emotional dimension of everyday life reveal the village economy of survival, showing that vital energy is strained not only through physical labour, but also at the emotional level.<\/p>\n\n\t\t