First Semester at College

After a ceremonial welcome, you start the first project of your studies with the other first-year students. Together you will work on reflecting on and solving a relevant question of social coexistence.

Information about the Opening Week

DATA DRIVEN x, DATAx for short, is an interdisciplinary format for data literacy education in the first semester.

What is it about?

• Programming, data analysis, creative design and visualisation of data, legal and ethical frameworks
• Evaluating and questioning statements and correlations from data
• Independently analyse and visualise data

The Conference Week is the finale of the Leuphana Semester. Here you compile your findings from the project seminars, present your results and discuss them with an interested audience. In addition, guests from civil society, politics and academia come to Leuphana to discuss the topics of the conference week with you.

Information about the Conference Week

The Leuphana Semester comprises five thematically linked teaching units - the so-called modules. Within the framework of the three interdisciplinary modules Responsibility, Criticism and Methods I, you will deal intensively with different perspectives on science and society as well as with scientific methods. Accompanying all three modules, the Leuphana Semester Tutorial supports you in familiarising yourself with the basics of scientific work, in drawing connections between the modules and in orienting yourself in everyday study. In the two subject-specific modules Methods II and Boundaries, you will receive an introduction to your major or to your teaching subjects/subject area.

The responsibility module invites first-semester students to take an in-depth look at fundamental questions of responsible action in the 21st century and thus illuminate the guiding principle of sustainable development in the digital age and the shaping of social transformation processes from an interdisciplinary perspective. In the lectures, you will meet exciting personalities who will switch perspectives with you - between individual disciplines and civil society practice, thus equipping you with the initial tools to orient yourself in the interdisciplinary debate on sustainability. In the project seminars, you will tread research ground for the first time. You will work independently on transformation issues and present the results at a public university conference. Finally, in practice-oriented exercises, you will learn the basics of programming and data analysis with Python and explore how these new possibilities also influence your concrete project and science as a whole.

In the critique module, students deal with questions about the conditions of social coexistence. These questions are answered through a questioning observation of both historical developments and present-day social conditions. The focus is explicitly on the social level as well as the individual level. The module consists of two core elements that build on each other: lecture and seminar. While the lecture serves as an overview and thus opens up different perspectives on the semester topic, the seminars illuminate a specific aspect. In addition, students are introduced to the basics of scientific work here.

In the methods module, a lecture introduces you to scientific thinking, practices and methods. With the help of the question "What is science?", you will explore different paths to knowledge and gain concrete insights into the different approaches and procedures. In addition to the lecture, you will attend an in-depth seminar, which is text-based and refers to selected lecture contents in exemplary form. The guided reception of the texts, the critical discussion in small groups as well as the subsequent debates serve to gain a deeper understanding of a specific topic area from the lecture. The module is completed with a written test and an oral presentation in the seminar.

The path to scientific knowledge consists of careful individual steps. You will learn which of these you need to master in your major in this subject-specific methods module.

If you have any questions about the subject-specific module, the persons responsible for the major are your direct contacts.

In the mo­du­le, you get a ba­sic introduction to the content of your major. You thus ac­qui­re in­sights into your spe­cia­list field across a se­mes­ter and gain an over­view of the the­ma­tic fiel­ds which re­la­te to it.

If you have any ques­ti­ons about the sub­ject-spe­ci­fic introduction mo­du­le, plea­se con­tact the programme director of your major.

Six weeks before the beginning of lectures, the course catalogue is published on myStudy, Leuphana’s web-based student portal. You need to set up an account in order to be able to access the course catalogue. On the portal home page you will find a user’s guide for students which will show you how to set up your account.

In general, course registration is activated on myStudy at the beginning of October. Places in compulsory lectures are assigned using a list procedure without participant limitation. Spaces in lectures with a limited number of seats can be assigned using a random selection procedure. You have the opportunity to apply for a place in these lectures during the two random selection phases.

We recommend taking a look at the general examination regulations for your course of study as well as the associated subject-specific schedules when creating your timetable. You can find the relevant guidelines on which modules need to be completed there.

Support during registration

During the Opening Week the First Semester Tutorial helps you with registering for courses.