The most ambitious program for the URJC summer courses

rose marquez

As every summer, the URJC offers a unique opportunity for learning and debate with seminars, workshops, and cultural activities open to all who wish to participate, regardless of age or educational level. The 2025 program is broader than ever and covers a wide variety of disciplines, from health to fashion, but always with a focus on current events, with the aim of providing solutions and fostering the transfer of knowledge. The inaugural address for this edition will be Colombian journalist Gerardo Reyes, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and a world leader in investigative journalism, to which he has dedicated more than four decades. The presentation gala, which will take place on June 25 at 19:30 p.m. at the Aranjuez campus, will also be attended by the rector, Abraham Duarte, the mayor of the municipality, Miguel Gómez, and academic authorities.

The course Parliamentary instability, institutional credibility, and international geopolitics, now in its sixteenth edition, will feature this year's participation by the Speaker of the Congress of Deputies, Francina Armengol, the Government Spokesperson, Pilar Alegría, and political scientist Pablo Simón, among other prominent speakers.

To discuss about 'Democracy, Culture, and Media'The university has invited journalists Jesús Maraña, director of Infolibre, and Ignacio Escolar, director of eldiario.es. The course will culminate with a discussion between singers Miguel Ríos and Miguel Poveda, who will share their experiences with the students and offer their perspectives on the role of artists in defending democracy.

The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, will visit the URJC again to talk about 'Transformations, challenges, and the future of municipal government in Spain'. For his part, film producer Enrique Cerezo will contribute his experience in the Conservation, restoration, and dissemination of Spanish audiovisual heritage.

Artificial intelligence, the challenges it poses and its many possibilities will be addressed in two courses, 'Human-centered Artificial Intelligence: How to bypass the Turing Trap?' y 'The Shape of Data: Artificial Intelligence in Cybersecurity and Health'The university cannot ignore the terrible humanitarian crisis brought about by the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. The seminar 'Culture and Armed Conflict in Today's International Society' will analyze the global (dis)order that these conflicts have caused and the role of the international community in protecting children and the historical heritage of both countries.

In this edition, the URJC also focuses on ecology, with courses and workshops that seek to provide practical solutions for environmental protection such as 'Green Hydrogen: Innovation and Development to Boost the Energy of the Future', 'Textile recycling in children's clothing: a look at sustainable fashion' y Circular economy and efficient resource management, which is carried out in collaboration with the Fuenlabrada city council.

To facilitate attendance at the courses, which are free and recognized with ECTS credits, the university offers students more than 200 scholarships for accommodation and meals in Aranjuez, which can be applied for online when registering. The URJC encourages all those who wish to take advantage of the summer to learn and reflect alongside top-level professionals in an environment of academic excellence to participate.