Lecture Series "Relevance: Humanities"

Initiative Geisteswissenschaften (UZH) and FU Berlin, Dahlem Humanities Center

In recent decades, the term 'relevance' has become a key concept in science politics as well as a polemical battle cry. In the process, a shift from the initially legal concept (offers of evidence 'to be considered') to the meaning of 'relevant (for a context)' took place towards the end of the 20th century, intensified once again since the beginning of the 21st century in the sense of a prioritisation criterion (from search result rankings to 'system relevance'). The course undertakes a critical reflection on the career of such a key concept from a humanities perspective and shows what effects it develops in its social contexts. Each session is designed by two lecturers representing two disciplines (or different sub-disciplines of a major discipline). Participating disciplines: English Studies, Romance Studies, German Studies, Linguistics, Theatre Studies, Musicology, Art History, Law, History, Theology and Evolutionary Medicine.

Students of all faculties

19 Oct 2021–21 Dec 2021, 18.15-19.45

Portfolio: 3 essays / 3 ECTS