• English

• English: B1, B2, C1, C2

• 28 December 2023 - 13 January 2024 (Registration deadline of course provider: 1 November 2023)

Please note: the International Winter University (IWU) programme in Darmstadt is a blended programme. The on-site seminar is complemented and preceded by online sessions.

Part 1 – online: 2 December, 9 December, 16 December, 22 December
Part 2 – on-site in Darmstadt: 28 December 2023 – 13 January 2024

The programme is rather interdisciplinary, and we welcome undergraduate and graduate students with different academic backgrounds. The content might be most interesting to students with an academic background in social sciences, communication studies, psychology, media studies, political studies and other related fields of study.

Digital Transformation programme description:

In today’s digitalised society, the constant flow of communication is regarded as a fundamental and integral part of everyday life. Rapid developments in media technologies engender digitalised transformation on all levels of society. Especially in these times, how can we grasp the multifold international perspectives within these rapidly evolving transformative processes? To answer this question, this class will take a closer look at the diverse perspectives involved.

• How does each country and culture tackle the digital challenges?
• Is there a common ground?
• What is the impact of different forms of digital media on our daily life – our work, our spare-time, the ways we communicate, the ways we relax, and the ways we interact?
• How do we make use of different media for emotion regulation, for the exchange of ideas, for opinion-building? And on the other side, how do the diverse forms of digital media affect us?

This class will explore these questions and discuss the challenges on all levels of society. On an individual level, working from home leads to challenges for parents and children. Boundaries of private and public domain are blurring. We struggle with digital burn out. On a mezzo level, our social environment has been transferred into the digital realm, forming digital communities in working and learning environments for some and potentially excluding others, leading to challenges for all who are involved. On a macro level, we are constantly connected.

This class will investigate the processes of mutual shaping of digital media and social life and discuss how new media technologies influence and infiltrate social practices and cultural life. We will extend this discussion of the role of media in transforming the everyday life by including in the discussion the individual groups of society. We will draw on existing research to illustrate how digital cultures manifest all levels and elaborate on the constitutive characteristics. We will conclude with implications of this conceptualisation for the understanding of our everyday life as intermixed with technologies.

German language courses:

In addition to the academic seminars, all students attend intensive German language courses. These courses are offered at three different levels (ranging from beginner to intermediate).

Join the Winter University programme in Darmstadt and spend an unforgettable winter in Germany!