Art & Material Culture

The focus area Art and Material Culture considers these two fields as essential components of social structures and cultural processes. Art and material culture function as expressions of social dynamics, political power relations, and technological innovations, offering profound insights into the mechanisms that shape our lived reality. These topics transcend disciplinary boundaries and require an interdisciplinary approach in order to grasp their multilayered meanings and functions. The publications in this focus area are dedicated to the critical analysis of these phenomena and illuminate them at the intersection of object, society, and culture. Central issues include ecological and social sustainability, the challenges of global interconnections, digital transformation, and the role of material objects in the construction of cultural memories and identities.

Digitality

The focus area Digitality highlights the far-reaching impact of digitalization on society, culture, and science, as well as the application of digital methods in research. In an increasingly digitalized world, technological innovations, the networking of information, and the digital processing of data change our perception of the real world as well as the way we generate knowledge.
The publications in this focus area are dedicated to a critical engagement with digital technologies, both as an object of study and as a tool. They explore how digital methods – from big-data analyses to machine learning and digital archives – are changing the way scientific knowledge is generated and discussed. The focus is on the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation for interdisciplinary research, the role of algorithms in knowledge production, and the ethical and social implications of digital technologies in research. The goal is to create an interdisciplinary framework that takes into account both the theoretical and practical dimensions of the digital revolution in research and promotes innovative approaches to further develop digital methods.

Environment & the Anthropocene

The focus area Environment and the Anthropocene is devoted to the ongoing destruction of the environment and the effects of climate change, which have far-reaching consequences for the global ecosystem and human society. The Anthropocene, as the human-made epoch, illustrates how human activities – especially industrial processes, energy consumption, and land use – destabilize the natural balance. The publications in this area examine the complex interactions between environmental change and social dynamics and explore how social, political, and economic factors both influence and are influenced by environmental crises. The aim is to develop sustainable solutions by linking ecological, social, and political perspectives.

Global Society

The focus area Global Society deals with the dynamic processes of an increasingly globalized world in which migration, climate and environmental crises, social inequality, and geopolitical tensions represent urgent challenges. The term Global Society describes the social, political, and economic interconnections that transcend national borders and shape life on Earth. The publications in this focus area offer interdisciplinary perspectives on these complex phenomena and analyze how global processes interact with local contexts. The focus is on the effects of global networking on local challenges and the associated opportunities and risks, particularly regarding environmental issues, digitalization, and cultural transformations.

Higher Education

The focus area Higher Education addresses university teaching and learning in the context of profound societal, technological, and institutional transformations. It explores the conditions, objectives, and practices of academic education within an evolving knowledge society.

Publications within this thematic area examine innovative teaching and learning formats, didactic concepts, and theoretical perspectives on higher education and university pedagogy. Key topics include digital teaching, curriculum development, learning cultures, and the role of universities as sites of knowledge production, critical reflection, and social responsibility.

Higher Education is understood as an interdisciplinary field that brings together pedagogical, social, cultural, and technological dimensions. The contributions combine theoretical reflection with practice-oriented approaches and address challenges such as the digital transformation of teaching, diversity and inclusion, new forms of assessment, and the sustainable design of educational processes. The aim is to provide a critical yet constructive contribution to the ongoing development of contemporary higher education.

Science Management

The focus area Science Management examines the structures, processes, and practices through which scientific research is planned, governed, and communicated. It addresses how science can be effectively organized and sustainably developed under changing societal, political, and institutional conditions.

Publications in this thematic area engage with key aspects of science management, project and program governance, and the governance of research institutions. They explore strategic decision-making processes, funding structures, quality management, and organizational development, as well as the roles of leadership, collaboration, and interdisciplinarity within complex research systems.

A further emphasis is placed on strategic science communication as an integral component of successful research and institutional development. The contributions analyze how scientific knowledge can be communicated to diverse audiences, how dialogue between science and society can be fostered, and how trust in science can be strengthened. The aim is to establish Science Management as a reflective, interdisciplinary field that connects theoretical perspectives with practice-oriented approaches and contributes to the development of robust, transparent, and responsible research systems.

Theories & Methods

The focus area Theories & Methods is devoted to the continuous development and reflection of theories and methods that are necessary to understand the complex social, political, and ecological challenges of our time. Critical engagement with existing concepts and the development of innovative research approaches open up new perspectives for precisely addressing the pressing questions of the present. The focus is on theoretical models and methodological approaches that take into account both the diversity of existing research traditions and the need for further development in view of social change. The publications in this area contribute to capturing the complexity of social, political, and ecological phenomena from different perspectives and to developing scholarly tools with which interdisciplinary research questions can be addressed precisely. A particular emphasis is placed on reflecting on and further developing methods to provide sustainable and innovative impulses for research.

Uncertainty

The focus area Uncertainty explores the complex nature of uncertainty in a dynamic present increasingly perceived as unpredictable. Uncertainty affects both individual decisions and collective actions and social structures, shaping the daily lives of individuals and institutions. In various social, economic, and political contexts, the causes, perceptions, and coping strategies of uncertainty are analyzed. This area offers interdisciplinary perspectives and critically reflects on the theories and methods for analyzing uncertainty. The publications promote a deeper understanding of the challenges associated with unpredictability and develop innovative approaches to deal with the related risks and ambiguities. The goal is to foster resilience and adaptive strategies and to identify new ways of managing uncertainty.