Sprachenzentrum

This interdisciplinary Spring School course invites students to develop and refine their academic English skills while engaging with questions of responsibility, social justice, democracy, and environmental futures. Situated in an international and interdisciplinary learning environment, the course supports participants in developing their ability to articulate ideas clearly and critically across contexts, and to engage with diverse perspectives on pressing social and ecological challenges.

The course is structured in two connected phases: an online phase focused on reflective journaling, and an in-person phase in Weimar dedicated to collaborative learning, exchange, and the communication of ideas.

In the online phase, students engage in guided reflective journaling based on dystopian literature, climate fiction, personal narratives such as Carbon Diaries (by Saci Lloyd).  This phase brings together sustained written reflection, critical engagement with course materials, and the development of English writing skills, while also exploring how narrative forms shape understandings of possible futures.

The in-person phase shifts the focus toward collaborative and dialogic learning. Through workshops, discussions, group exercises, and the presentation and communication of ideas, participants examine democratic processes, forms of participation, and approaches to addressing social and environmental challenges. Particular attention is given to questions of responsibility, agency, and collective action.

Across both phases, students maintain a continuous journal documenting their evolving perspectives, questions, and insights. This journal serves both as a reflective learning tool and as a space for experimentation and critical inquiry.

The Spring School course concludes with a final project in a format of the student’s choice, such as an oral presentation, academic poster, podcast, short film, or another approved format. Participants are encouraged to select their medium critically in relation to their communication goals and to consider how different formats shape audience engagement and understanding. This component enables students to further develop their English communication skills across a range of academic and creative formats while drawing on their own disciplinary perspectives.