Aim of the seminar

In this first ARRTI seminar for KIT research and teaching personnel at all career levels we will engage in open exchange on present and future challenges for scientists in increasingly politicized environments. Shifts occur in relations between science, politics, and society and together we want to reflect on how we can actively participate in this process of transformation as members of the scientific community at KIT.

Based on insights we take from this first seminar we wish to offer more exchange and training formats for KIT research and teaching personnel in the future. All participants are invited to share their ideas and wishes with respect to content and format for future seminars.

Content

In our lunch seminar we wish to address the following topics and questions:

• How can we fulfill our commitment to political neutrality in research and teaching and at the same actively support and protect our liberal-democratic order as scientists? How do we deal with politicized questions and comments from students in lectures and seminars? In what ways are we role models for students? How do we understand academic freedom against the background of numerous demands members of society make on scientific institutions?
• How do we address the great need for more fruitful exchange between science, politics, and society? Changing relations between science, politics, and society also changes qualification requirements for scientists across disciplines. How do scientists organize in the future to address those changes? How can inter- and transdisciplinary perspectives be integrated successfully?
• How can we participate in constructive public discourse and scientific education of the public? How do we communicate appropriately and successfully? What kind of ideational and structural support do we need from the scientific community (colleagues, universities, academic associations, ...) in order to do so?
• Participants are invited to bring more topics and questions of interest into the debate.

Format

• Online seminar for KIT research and teaching personnel at all career levels
• Moderated discussion where participants share experiences and ideas
• First session in May: content for sessions in June and July will be determined based on participants‘ topics of interest
• Dates: May 27 th , June 24 th , July 22 nd 2021; 12.00 – 13.30
  (for registration details see above)