Following the tremendous success of the online lecture series in the winter semester of 24/25, the summer semester of 25 and the winter semester of 25/26—each with over 1,300 participants—the organizers of the UW/H lecture series have turned their attention to a different topic for the summer semester of 26: “Gaming and Society.” This winter semester, the public and free-to-attend (online) lecture series “Human-Animal Relationships #govegan” returns.
The lecture series, organized by the Chair of Didactics and Educational Research in Healthcare ( Prof. Jan P. Ehlers, Dr. Julia Nitsche) and the Junior Professorship for Digital Health (Jun.-Prof. Theresa Sophie Busse) focuses on the synthesis “Human-Animal Relationships” and offers a broad platform for comprehensive discussion and examination of the diverse aspects of animal welfare, environmental awareness, and ethics.
On December 10, 2026, participants will join Samara Eckhardt (Animal Welfare Team) in exploring the question of what animal rights activism is and what defines it.
Upcoming dates:
December 17, 2026: S4E9 Mid-term Reflection
December 24, 2026: Winter Break
December 31, 2026: Winter break
January 7, 2027: S4E10 When Animals Cross Boundaries: Invasive Species at the Intersection of Humans, Animals, and Health
January 14, 2027: S4E11 Thinking with Animals: Media Studies on Human-Animal Relationships
January 21, 2027: S4E12 Animal WelfareDuring Slaughter
January 28, 2027: S4E13 Pest Controlfrom an Animal Welfare Perspective
February 4, 2027:S4E14 Final Kahoot Quiz
Participation:
This year, parts of the course will be held in person for UW/H students. External participants may continue to attend online. We are happy to issue a certificate upon regular attendance (e.g., for independent credit as an elective at your own university or for professional development).
External participants have two options for participation this semester. They can either register via Zoom and then join directly in the Zoom room, or participate anonymously via the Twitch stream.
UW/H students should please register for the event via Moses and UWE, after which they will receive further information regarding registration. However, it is still important to register for the event on Zoom as well so that attendance can be tracked accordingly.
Further information:
The “Human-Animal Relationship” course was first held in the summer semester of 2021 as a small-group seminar in which students developed the content themselves. Here is a book that was collaboratively developed at that time by the students and the teaching team as part of the course. Now, the event is set to continue for the fourth time in a larger format, with experts providing insights into their respective fields.
In recent years, there has been a growing focus on environmental awareness and interest in climate protection at universities. Although this has led to the development of very successful programs, the direct relationship between humans and animals has not yet been adequately addressed in university contexts. In an increasingly complex world, it also makes little sense to view major challenges in isolation.