The HSZG is reinventing itself: the balance between digital and analog.
Several million students across Germany are starting the new winter semester in October 2020 - including several thousand at Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences. There are over 800 newly enrolled students - 42 of them are KuMa's alone! WOW. My name is Rebecca and I'm in my 5th semester studying Culture and Management at HSZG. In the near future, blog articles will appear here at regular intervals, which will focus on God, the world and, of course, culture and management studies at the HSZG. So have fun reading:
Now that the summer semester has been more or less successfully completed for many of those involved, the winter semester is starting with new timetables due to the exceptional situation caused by coronavirus. The Dean, Prof. Dr. oec. Ute Pflicke, welcomed lecturers, students and newcomers virtually in a short video with greetings and tips for the coming semester. The whole thing looks well thought out and promising.
At the HSZG it is called "The Hybrid Semester". Well, what does that even mean? As a prospective Bachelorette, I'm going to attempt a definition: since hybrid is supposed to mean something like "composed of different things" or simply "mixed", we can assume that the university wants to combine face-to-face and online teaching and has used a fancy word for it.
Innovation, as the car industry knew early on, comes with hybrids. When the electric reserve is used up, the car is powered by additional fuel. So that's how we imagine the hybrid doctrine as well: If Covid-19 takes away our face-to-face teaching, we'll reach for the laptop charging cable and test our microphones.
So, a warm welcome to the hybrid semester at the HSZG!
Student life has also been affected by the pandemic. It hit the university and us somewhat unprepared. Online was the new offline.
"Can you all understand me well?" asks the lecturer behind his camera, apparently crackling. From the frog's-eye view, you can also see a small room with lots of books next to the professor. I wonder if the Basic Law has been specially placed there? No matter. Let's not forget: not only can you be distracted from your own surroundings, but you can also take a relaxed look at the lecturer's premises.
Everyone in my class must be shaking their heads vehemently, except that no one sees it because everyone has turned off the camera "for a good connection" - of course, we foxes. So it's impossible to count how many times we've shaken our heads in the past six months that didn't apply to Trump's advice to drink disinfectant.
But the new semester promises positive changes here too. After all, you never stop learning. A big respect at this point to the timetable and room design! We are delighted to report that more than half of the modules in our timetable will be taught in person and that excursions will also take place. We are also currently working on a buddy program that will make our hearts beat faster - so hello, dear KuMa freshmen! We look forward to seeing you! We will be on hand to help and advise the first-semester students, give them a short cultural tour of the city and take them to Pommritz. Our esteemed academic advisor Dr. Maik Hosang lives there and will introduce you to the LebensGut run by the Philosophical Institute for Co-Creativity at Integralis e.V.. The site in Pommritz is also home to the Philosophy Experience, which provides an introduction to cultural sociology with unique installations and interactive models.
All the older classes are also excited and curious: the first-year students have a new module catalog. It looks so cool that we're wondering whether we can still change. The changes mean that the universally popular and successful modules "Law" and "Business Mathematics" will become optional modules - where can you find such a thing? There are also new modules that we don't know much about yet. But I'll keep my eyes and ears open and report back to you.
It's not just the Buddy Program or the new module catalog that are new for us KuMa students this semester. While other classes and degree programs regularly shrink to a hard core, we are growing! No, no one got pregnant at the last Corona party, but the students in their 3rd semester were actually supposed to be studying abroad at that time. However, due to the well-known problem, six of the third-semester students have joined us in the fifth semester and are now working with us. Cross-matriculation learning and exchange of experience - exciting! One of these third-semester students is Georg. Georg is a trained print media technologist and is physically dependent on mineral water - he knows what's good for him.
Georg would have been in his 3rd semester at Unecon - the University of Economics in St. Petersburg. He has now postponed this - but he doesn't necessarily think it's a bad thing. Having just settled into the beautiful little metropolis of Görlitz, he has set foot in various projects and built up a large network. Incidentally, the KuMa's are also jointly responsible for the contemporary art festival Zukunftsvisionen - Zuvi for short - which brings a vacant location to life every year. Georg didn't need to be told twice and is taking part for the second time this year. For him, it's a chance to think outside the box and gain practical experience in areas that are not covered extensively during his studies, but are so relevant for us cultural managers. This year's Zuvi kick-off is on Thursday, October 22nd at 5pm - are you interested or would you like more information? Get in touch at info(at)zuvi-festival.de and you will receive the location by email.
Contemporary art is not for everyone. But in addition to Zuvi, you can also take part in the Campus Open Air: The COA takes place over a long weekend in May and brings the campus to life with live music, partying, food and drinks. It was originally launched by KuMa`s. There will also be a kick-off on October 28th at 6pm in the Rabryka. Same game: Simply send an email and you will receive more information about when and where it starts: info(at)campusopenair.com.
By the way, if more than just KuMa's are reading along here: You are also welcome to join in on the projects ;)
*Attention, without joking: of course we do not go to such Corona parties.
As early as mid-November, we set ourselves a challenge: we defy the virus and the global situation and retreat to the beautiful Bahnitz in Brandenburg - naturally under hygiene-approved concepts. "Slowing down" is a top priority here and is viewed with philosophical and artistic eyes. The topic of freedom will certainly be examined from different perspectives in the Art Studies II module this semester.
Bodo Rau is the curator for the Kunsthalle Bahnitz. His eyes light up when he stands in front of the artworks and explains the background. As the name suggests, the latest exhibition, "Heile Welt-Idylle" (Idyllic World), explores the concept of the idyll. In art in particular, we find designs and ideas of an idealized and beautiful world. There are positions that deal with the transfigured state of a better life, the utopian Arcadia or other differing manifestations of the "idyll" phenomenon.
The Kunsthalle is the space in which one is seduced by the visual arts into thinking differently. Nothing is as it seems.
Karla Kolumna is there for you in the front row and records the KuMa's expectations, impressions and experiences verbatim.
The majority of third-semester students are based abroad. Lisbon, Liberec, Vilnius. Some have the opportunity to have face-to-face teaching there, others enjoy the foreign country as good as they can and have online teaching.
The current seventh-semester students - yes, we have a habit of studying at least one to three semesters longer - can be seen sitting in the canteen from time to time: "I'm going straight back to the library" - yes, yes. No stress. In addition to internships, extended internships or the Bachelor thesis, Görlitz offers enough distractions despite Corona difficulties: The Rabryka is a socio-cultural center and offers vegetable gardens, cooking and games evenings, concerts, craft and technology lessons, as well as plenty of opportunities to get involved in shaping the city and building communities.
The Gerhart-Hauptmann-Theater also has a new concert hall, where you can get special conditions as a student - a semester ticket or an annual subscription? Just ask.
In addition to the student club Maus, where you can become a member and stand behind the bar, there are also a few hip bars where we can unwind. The HotSpot is a popular meeting place and also has the Camillo right next door: a small, cozy arthouse cinema.
There are so many cool places in Görlitz where you can experience and participate in the high life. It's best to explore it for yourself!
