Beyond Here, Beyond Now

Course Title

Beyond Here, Beyond Now: Ecologies of Care and Participatory Conservation in Thuringia

Course Description of Student-Led Course

This course explores how nature conservation, participatory community practices, and intercultural exchange can foster social cohesion and ecological awareness within the Thuringian region. The project focuses on the socio-ecological relationships that shape local landscapes and communities while creating opportunities for residents, migrants, and international students to collaboratively engage in ecological stewardship and shared cultural practices. By connecting community-based experiences with reflection, knowledge-sharing, and public dissemination within the university, the course seeks to strengthen relationships between the BAUHAUS4EU campus and its surrounding region.

In collaboration with local organisations and communities, students will participate in conservation activities, workshops, excursions, storytelling sessions, gardening, harvesting, and community exchanges while learning about traditional ecological knowledge and sustainable land management practices. The course also addresses regional challenges such as aging populations, declining intergenerational knowledge transfer, and limited interaction between local communities and international residents in rural and regional contexts of East Germany.

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing the course, students will gain practical experience in collaborative and community-based approaches to sustainability and social engagement. Through workshops, excursions, field activities, and public-facing projects, they will develop competencies in participatory research, intercultural communication, storytelling, visual documentation, and collaborative project development.

The course encourages reflective and practice-based learning, enabling students to work across disciplines and cultural contexts while critically engaging with contemporary ecological and social challenges. The learning outcomes align with the New European Bauhaus Compass through the principles of sustainability, inclusion, and participation, while also supporting the previously mentioned United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Prerequisites for the Course 

Interest in the topic and possibility to be present in Weimar for the practical assignments and excursion in the Thuringian Region.

Registration Info and Deadline

Only BUW students can apply

At a Glance

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