Lancaster Students At International Master Class In Germany
A Lancaster University lecturer has led an international Master Class at Siegen University in Germany with two prominent sociologists. The event was so successful that there are now plans to repeat the event in Lancaster next year as well as set up a research agreement between the two Universities.
Dr Anne Sophie Krossa of the Department of European Languages and Cultures organised the event together with Prof Christian Lahusen of the Social Sciences Department of Siegen University. In addition to nine Master and Doctoral students from Siegen, three Lancaster University students also took part - Italian PhD postgraduate Ailhlin Clark, Adina Timofei, who is studying for an MA in European Institutions and Policy-Making and Milda Beisyte who is doing a BA in European Studies.
Guests of honour were the well-known British sociologists and Emeritus Professors Roland Robertson of Aberdeen University and Martin Albrow of the London School of Economics who travelled to Siegen to discuss their work on Globalisation and the Global age.
Both guests conducted public lectures discussing their views that modern societies and everyday life within them are influenced by globalisation more than ever before, and that societies are increasingly affected not only by global experiences and interdependence, and the development of global consciousness and discourse, which demands a new definition of responsibility.
During the Master-Class both Emeritus Professors answered questions while the PhD students had an opportunity to present their research and engage in extensive discussions with them during a daylong workshop.
Dr Krossa said: “The Masterclass was very stimulating and expanded the horizons of the students. It gave them the opportunity to work in mixed groups with German students who had a different view on a topic so this enabled them to enrich their perspective.”
The Lancaster students were also pleased.
Postgraduate student Adina Timofei said :“ I think the greatest asset of the Master Class has been the relaxed atmosphere in which it took place and which favoured discussion between students, lecturers and organizers, on the one hand, while leading to the success of social events spent only among students on the other.”
Undergraduate Milda Beisyte said the Master Class had been of enormous benefit.
“It was great to be able to participate in discussions together with German students and get to understand better the issues around the phenomenon of globalisation and the changing world while learning about it from reputable sociologists and researchers.”
Given the positive response and feedback following the Master-Class, a decision has been made to organise the Master-Class as a German-English tandem alternating between Lancaster and Siegen. There are also plans to set up joint research between the Department of European Languages and Culture at Lancaster and the Social Sciences Department at Siegen, with exchanges of both students and staff.