Lecture series: Human-animal relationship #govegan 15.01.26
Following the tremendous success of the online lecture series in winter semester 24/25 and summer semester 2025 with over 1,300 participants each, the public and free (online) lecture series will now be continued in winter semester 2025/26. This year, parts of the event will be held in person for UW/H students. External students can still participate online.
The course "Human-Animal Relationship" took place for the first time in the summer semester 2021 as a seminar in a small setting in which the students worked out the content themselves. Here is a book that was developed jointly by the students and the team of lecturers as part of the course. Now the event is to be continued for the second time in a larger format, in which experts will give us an insight into their areas of expertise.
In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on environmental awareness and interest in climate protection at universities. Even though this has resulted in very successful formats to date, the direct relationship between humans and animals has not yet been sufficiently addressed in university contexts. In an increasingly complex world, it also makes little sense to look at major challenges in isolation.
The lecture series of the Chair of Didactics and Educational Research in Healthcare (Prof. Jan P. Ehlers, Dr. Julia Nitsche) and the Junior Professorship for Digital Health (Jun.-Prof. Theresa Sophie Busse) therefore refers to the synthesis "human-animal relationship" and offers a far-reaching platform for a comprehensive discussion and examination of the diverse aspects of animal welfare, environmental awareness and ethics.
This lecture series is not only open to students, but to all interested parties free of charge. A certificate can be issued after regular participation (e.g. for independent recognition as an elective at your own university or further education).
The event will take place weekly on Thursdays from 16 October 2025 from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm and will end on 29 January 2026.
In Hartmut Kiewert's visual worlds, the human-animal relationship is no longer characterised by objectification and exploitation, but by empathy and solidarity. Cows and pigs freed from fattening facilities and slaughterhouses conquer the fragile street space or spend an afternoon on the beach with people. The animal industry is ruined and fishing trawlers are nothing but wrecks off the coast and on the seabed. In the field of tension between collapse and utopia, flooded fast food restaurants also become new habitats for fish and other marine animals. Beyond the constraints of commercialisation, a possible multispecies future emerges in Kiewert's paintings.
It is not necessary for external interested parties to register. The events will be broadcast live .
UW/H students should register for the event via UWE and will then receive further information on registration.
Further dates in the series:
22.01.26: S3E13 Online-BARCAMP"Getting into action"
29.01.26:S3E14 Final quiz Kahoot