The Board of oikos Rotterdam and Emeritus Professor Slawek Magala after the first oikos lecture. From left to right: Johanna Kuehl, Noortje Keurhorst, Professor Magala, Nora Malm, Eva de Lozanne and Iida Huiskonen.
oikos Rotterdam kicked-off its first event on Wednesday, 13 January. The lecture, presented by Emeritus Professor Slawomir (Slawek) Magala, focused on critical theory and alternative approaches to knowledge and business.
“The lecture was really interesting and inspiring, I’m definitely going to be there for the other lectures as well!” one of the participants commented directly following the lecture. Professor Magala talked about his role in the historical start of Critical Theory in business curriculum, about the nature of knowledge nowadays, and about current global issues, e.g. the refugee crisis. What made the lecture interesting was the alternative perspective from which Professor Magala looks at subjects, challenging the common beliefs and views on issues. He encouraged everyone to think deeper, about the underlying reasoning, or lack thereof. The key take-away message was that written knowledge in textbooks is not the most important thing we learn at university. What is most important, is activating the skill of critical thinking and the art of negotiation, because those skills represent what knowledge is today.
Professor Magala’s opinion about this co-curricular lecture series was positive. “Great to work with interested and intelligent students”, he commented afterwards. If you are interested in more inspiring lectures like this one, stay tuned for the next event in the Sustainability Lecture Series organized by oikos Rotterdam. 18 February, the subject of Sustainable Marketing will be facilitated by Jan Looman.
oikos Rotterdam is a new organisation at Erasmus University, focused on integrating sustainable approaches into management and economics curricula. Examining elements of sustainability in co-curricular activities, oikos desires to inspire and empower the leaders of tomorrow to drive a sustainable future. oikos is an international organisation and the Rotterdam team is currently in the application process of becoming a recognized oikos chapter. For more information about oikos, visit the oikos international website and to stay updated about the oikos Rotterdam progress and future events, check out and ‘Like’ the oikos Rotterdam Facebook page.