Vorlesungsverzeichnis

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Veranstaltungen von Dr. Anke Gruendel

Lehrveranstaltungen

Politics at the Interface: Thresholds of power and the making of subjects (Seminar)

Termin:
wöchentlich | Donnerstag | 10:15 - 11:45 | 06.04.2026 - 10.07.2026 | C 12.013 Seminarraum

Inhalt: This seminar examines politics at the interface: the sites where social, technical, and institutional systems meet, where subjects are formed, and where sometimes contestation can erupt. While the concept of the interface originates in the discourse of human–computer interaction as a point of contact between the computer and its human operator, media theory has long generalized it into a broader analytic. Here interfaces are more than screens or GUIs, but effects of technical mediation which can be found in all forms of media. The course extends this insight beyond digital technologies and new media to argue that interfaces permeate all aspects of contemporary life. From bureaucratic procedures and classroom syllabi to checkout counters and public transportation systems, interfacial interactions structure how we move, know, and act in the world. And yet, their very ubiquity allows them to recede from view, obfuscating their existence and masking their influence. Drawing on scholarship from science and technology studies, media theory, anthropology, and new materialist thought, the course investigates what happens at the interface. More than passive touchpoints, interfaces actively shape subjectivity and power by organizing relations between humans, technologies, institutions, and materials. Together, we develop an analytical approach to social and political interfaces which allows us to identify critical sites of mediation: where knowledge is translated, information formatted, cultural scripts are rehearsed, norms are enforced, and behaviors are elicited or constrained. In short, the course explores how power comes to matter at the political interface and how interfacial effects make (and unmake) subjects. At the same time, the course asks to what extent interfaces may become sites of contestation rather than compliance. Thus, we interrogate interfacial materiality and how it conditions political effects and causes friction, allowing for refusal of subjectivation and even opening up pathways for alternative modes of engagement. The course is organized into two parts. Part 1, Definitions and Frameworks, introduces key concepts, readings, and analytic tools for understanding interfaces as real-worlds things and analytical lenses. We will explore the technical, social, spatial, and political dimensions of different interfaces. Part 2, Actions and Behaviors, builds on this foundation to examine what happens at interfaces and what interfaces do, exploring processes such as technical mediation, translation, boundary work, and knowledge brokering. We will conclude with theorizing what interfaces do to our sense of identity and how they might turn us into specific subjects. Each part combines close observation, theoretical engagement, and guided readings to develop students’ ability to describe and analyze interfaces. Assignments and the term paper progressively move from detailed description to interpretive analysis, culminating in a sustained, theoretically grounded argument.

Ethics in Transformation Research (Seminar)

Dozent/in: Anke Gruendel, Anna Heudorfer, Henrike Kohpeiß

Inhalt: The seminar explores the ethical dimensions of societal, ecological, and technological transformations. It invites participants to interrogate dominant narratives of “transformation” by asking who defines transformation, who benefits from it, and who bears its costs. The course centers on the ethical challenges that arise in researching processes of change, especially in contexts marked by asymmetries of power, knowledge, and resources. Through a blended-learning format combining self-directed study with interactive sessions, students engage with key ethical frameworks and apply them to contemporary transformation processes such as climate transitions, digitalization, and institutional reform as well as the diverse transformation research. The seminar foregrounds questions of justice, inclusion, and responsibility, encouraging participants to critically reflect on how transformation processes can reproduce or exacerbate existing inequalities across lines of race, class, gender, geography, and disciplinary positioning. Core components of the seminar include: - Critical examination of ethical theories relevant to transformation, including justice-based, care-based, and decolonial perspectives - Reflection of one‘s own role in transformation research, including ethics guidelines and the handling of ethical dilemma - Analysis of case studies highlighting unequal impacts and contested narratives of transformation - Reflection on the role of expertise, knowledge production, and scientific practice within transformation processes - Exploration of power relations, institutional constraints, and structural inequalities shaping transformation outcomes - Engagement with questions of accountability, participation, and legitimacy in decision-making processes Students are encouraged to relate these discussions to their own research contexts and professional roles, reflecting on their positionality and responsibilities within broader transformation dynamics. The seminar fosters an environment of dialogue and reflexivity, with particular attention to diversity, inclusion, and the ethical implications of action and inaction in times of profound change. The seminar uses a co-created format in which elements of the syllabus—such as topics, case studies, and discussion formats—are collaboratively shaped with participants. While grounded in key ethical frameworks, the course remains flexible and adapts to students’ interests and research contexts.