From March 19 to 21, scholars from five Central and Eastern European countries gathered at the university (Görlitz campus) to discuss current issues in intercultural studies. The HSZG hosted the 2015 annual meeting of the “Laboratory for Intercultural Studies” (LABIK). LABIK is an East-West academic working group that has been engaged in intercultural studies for over ten years. The participants who traveled the farthest were from Vanadsor (Armenia) and Kostroma (RUS). Other participants came from Darmstadt, Osnabrück, Poznań (Poland), and Minsk (Belarus).
During the conference, participants gave presentations on selected aspects of teaching and applied research in the field of “interculturality.” During a visit to the “Studium Fundamentale” lecture on “Interculturality” (Prof. Klaus Werner), the guests familiarized themselves with specific teaching methods used at our university. In conversations with students, they discussed the students’ interest in intercultural issues. According to the participating guests, the continuation of the East-West dialogue was an important outcome of the conference.
In his welcoming remarks, Rector Professor Friedrich Albrecht addressed the LABIK plenary session at the Hermann-Heitkamp Building. He emphasized the great importance of intercultural competence and education today and highlighted the HSZG’s many years of experience with various intercultural teaching and learning programs.
Key contributions included the informational presentation“Perspectives on Contacts Between Russian and German Educational Institutions” by Dr. Natalja Schibaewa—on vocational training in Kostroma—with Hartmut Pätzold (F-EI), who in turn presented the Cooperative Engineering Education
Programme “
” (KIA)
About LABIK (Laboratory for Intercultural Studies):
Interculturality and intercultural, interdisciplinary exchange in international cooperation between Western and Eastern European universities have been a focal point of its work for the past ten years. The goal is to intensify and improve the transfer of knowledge between East and West, to develop curricular elements in the area of intercultural communication and practical skills, and to establish networks between the cooperating universities. The results of this work are relevant both to the field of higher education and to management in business and research. In September 2005, Kostroma State Nekrasov University (Russian Federation), represented by Prof. Dr. Lidia Vaulina, and the Protestant University of Applied Sciences Darmstadt, represented by Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. (RU) Alexa Köhler-Offierski and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. (RU) Gert Straßer, founded the LABIK during an international conference at Nekrasov State University in Kostroma. In the summer of 2014, LABIK had 22 members in six countries; the HSZG has been an active member since 2011/12. The HSZG has maintained a long-standing cooperative relationship with Kostroma State Nekrasov University.
Contact:
Faculty of Mathematics/Natural Sciences
Studium Fundamentale
Prof. Dr. Bernd Delakowitz
Email:
b.delakowitz@hszg.de
Prof. Dr. Klaus Werner
Email:
k.werner@hszg.de
Frank Schneider
Email:
f.schneider@hszg.de