Lecture series: ‘Human–Animal Relationships #govegan’ 19 November 2026
Following the resounding success of the online lecture series in the winter semester 24/25, the summer term 25 and the winter term 25/26 – each attracting over 1,300 participants – the organisers of the UW/H lecture series have turned their attention to a different topic for the first time in the summer term 26: ‘Gaming and Society’. This winter term sees the return of the public and free-to-attend (online) lecture series ‘Human–Animal Relationships #govegan’.
The lecture series, organised by the Chair of Didactics and Educational Research in Health Science (Prof. Jan P. Ehlers, Dr Julia Nitsche) and the Junior Professorship of Digital Health (Jun.-Prof. Theresa Sophie Busse) draws on the ‘Human-Animal Relationship’ synthesis and offers a wide-ranging platform for a comprehensive discussion and examination of the diverse aspects of animal welfare, environmental awareness and ethics.
The session on 19 November 2026 is entitled ‘The Odyssey of the Carrier Pigeon – from sporting equipment to the homeless’ and, together with guest speaker Dr Jens Hübel, FTA for Public Veterinary Services, specialising in ornamental, zoo and wild birds, our relationship with city pigeons.
Further dates:
26 November 26: S4E6 The absurdities of pet breeding
3 December 26: S4E7 What does it mean to witness animal suffering?
10 December 26: S4E8 Animal rights activism
17 December 26: S4E9 Interim Reflection
24 December 26: Winter break
31 December 26: Winter break
7 January 27: S4E10 When animals cross boundaries: Invasive species at the crossroads of humans, animals and health
14 January 27: S4E11 Thinking with Animals: Animal–Human Relations in Media Studies
21 January 27: S4E12 Animal welfare during slaughter
28 January 27: S4E13 Pest control from an animal welfare perspective
4 February 27:S4E14 Final Kahoot quiz
Participation:
This year, parts of the course will take place in person for students at UW/H. External participants may continue to take part online. We are happy to issue a certificate upon regular attendance (e.g. to recognise credit as an elective at your own university or for professional development).
External participants have two options for taking part this semester. They can either register via Zoom and then join directly in the Zoom room, or participate anonymously via the Twitch stream.
Further information:
The ‘Human–Animal Relationship’ course was first held in the summer semester of 2021 as a small-scale seminar in which students developed the content themselves. Here you can find a book that was jointly produced at the time by the students and the team of lecturers as part of the course. The course is now set to continue for the fourth time in a larger format, with experts providing insights into their respective fields.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on environmental awareness and interest in climate protection at universities. Although this has led to the development of some very successful initiatives, the direct relationship between humans and animals has not yet been adequately addressed in university contexts. In an increasingly complex world, it also makes little sense to view major challenges in isolation.