PK: “Demystifying International University Systems (and Learning to Navigate German Academia)”

Academic research may be an increasingly international endeavor for most scholars, but universities still function according to established structures that can vary immensely depending on national standards, institutional conditions, and cultural practices. Moving from one academic system to another or communicating across these systemic differences can be challenging, awkward, and time consuming. This workshop aims to help you navigate different international university contexts and learn to understand the German system a little better. The praxis course targets international researchers settling into German academia as well as those who feel at home in the German university but wish to expand their knowledge of how universities work in other parts of the world.
The workshop is designed to create a space for the exchange of experiences and to facilitate a conversation about the practical challenges of an international academic career and how to meet these challenges. GCSC PIs Prof. Dr. Encarnacion Gutierrez-Rodriguez and Prof. Dr. Greta Olson as well as Dr. Ksenia Stanicka-Brzezicka from the Herder Institute will share their unique view as established international scholars who successfully built a career in the German university. We will take a closer look at different international university systems (the foci will be on the U.S., Great Britain, and Poland/Eastern Europe), their idiosyncrasies, pitfalls, advantages, and absurdities. For half a day, we will focus not on research itself, but on how to create and manage a research environment for yourself in different international contexts.

Speakers: Prof. Dr. Encarnación Gutiérrez Rodríguez (JLU); Prof. Dr. Greta Olson (JLU); Dr. Ksenia Stanicka-Brzezicka (Herder Institut); Barbara Dralle (International Office JLU)