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Open doors Lecture series benefit students and university In university teaching, lecture series are an important supplement to regular teaching, as they are not only intended for students of the respective departments but also open to all interested parties without exception. “Public lecture series bring science into society. The discussion takes place with the involvement of civil society and provides us scientists with important insights”, says Professor Remi Maier-Rigaud from the Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies. He is responsible for the inter-semester lecture series “Zwischenrufe zur Sozialpolitik” (“Interjections on Social Policy”), one of four lecture series at Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg – University of Applied Sciences.
Life questions and career prospects “You have the opportunity to converse with each other in a lecture series; that‘s something very central”, says journalism professor Katharina Seuser. She is in charge of two lecture series, each of which takes a different direction. “Technik- und Umweltethik” (“Technical and Environmental Ethics”) is held annually in the summer semester. In this series, experts from science, media and business discuss with students about technologies and their impact on the environment and the future. “This lecture series for students who deal with technology during their studies supplements knowledge with reflection”, explains Seuser. The ethical discourse is at the centre. “The lecture sets the stage for pondering life‘s questions.” In September 2016, the lecture series was awarded the University Innovation Prize, and since 2019, it can also use the UNESCO logo “Education for Sustainable Development”.
Her second lecture series “Zukunft in der Technikkommunikation – Medienprofis präsentieren Arbeitsfelder” (“Future in technical communication – media professionals present fields of work”), focuses on career prospects and entry opportunities. “The professionals describe their personal paths in many very different fields of work. Information is paramount; it is knowledge transfer for orientation”, explains Seuser. Finally, lecture series are also important for networking with partners in practice and research and for the visibility of the university. Maier-Rigaud adds, “They offer a good opportunity for prospective students to experience the university’s open and lively character.“
