Euroculture in Göttingen

OUR APPROACH

At Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, we see Europe as an ongoing process of constructing institutions and meaning on different levels. Social, cultural and political processes are closely intertwined. In our teaching and scholarship, we try to uncover these processes using rigorous scientific methods. Our basic assumption is that new approaches can predominantly be found in interdisciplinary exchange.

As for the academic culture in Göttingen, the Georgia Augusta has a history of being a university of Enlightenment that has always focused on interactive and research-centered learning. We only seldomly use textbooks, but rely on research-based teaching at the cutting edge of current scholarship, including experimental approaches to teaching (e.g. simulations or research labs). Students are encouraged to actively participate in class and to be open to group-work.

Our structure allows students to develop their individual profiles and to specialize according to their interests. Students take responsibility for their learning process under guidance and with feedback given by Euroculture and university staff. Students are expected to work diligently and independently. If you are the type of student who prefers to work anywhere but home, the University of Göttingen offers plenty of different study areas. One of these is the Lern- and Studiengebäude (LSG) which allows you to rent a room for several hours for yourself only or a group of people, free of charge. The campus library SUB – one of the largest libraries in Germany – holds around 9 million items and is open until midnight during the week. The configuration of its online system is accessible and makes the search for sources rather easy.

The number of contact hours throughout the semester is typically 24-28 hours per 5 ECTS-seminar, which allows students to work autonomously on their own projects and research. Students are encouraged to actively participate in class and to be open to group-work. German academic culture can still be hierarchical at times, while the Euroculture Programme in Göttingen is rather open and informal.