“To Demonstrate an Intellectual Methodology” – What Constitutes a University?
Please join the German Department on Tuesday, October 15, for a lecture with Prof. Dr. Michael Jäckel, former president of the University of Trier and Professor of Sociology, titled “To Demonstrate an Intellectual Methodology – What Constitutes a University?” This event will be held from 4:00-5:00 pm in ICC 462. RSVPs through this form are greatly appreciated!
The idea of the university is regularly under critical observation. Accordingly, this lecture examines the beginnings, role models, crises and reactions. From 1200 onwards, many universities have been founded; however, starting in 1800 many universities (e.g. in Germany) were dissolved. What lies behind this? In most cases, the interruption was followed by a new beginning.
This process of reorientation, combined with reforms and new foundations, is repeating itself. Recurring questions are: Has the institution “university” relied too long on preserving tradition? Has it reacted too late to signals from its environment? Part of the transformation of the university involves the controversy about the canon of knowledge. In addition, it is worth asking from both an inside and outside perspective how a lively exchange of teaching and research can be ensured? These topics are as relevant today as they were 200 years ago.
In 2024, we are once again in the midst of a period of upheaval, the beginning of which is not easy to determine. The idea of a common meeting ground is part of ongoing discourse. As early as 1968, one observer shared: “Departmental sovereignties have melted away as rapidly as national sovereignties under conditions of electric speed.” Curricula are now repeatedly being put to the test. Creativity seems to be delegated to “machines”. Can the idea of the university still exist under these conditions? To pick up on a thought by Albert O. Hirschman: Can the players in this academic network be alternately influential and compliant?
Observations from the sidelines – from the twelve-year experience of a university president.