RAN NEWSLETTER 02/2025 Inspiring fellowship: From article ideas to book projects and new energy for teaching
Dr Marika Rose, Philosophical Theology – Senior Lecturer at the University of Winchester, England
From September 2024 to February 2025 fellow at the Käte Hamburger Center for Apocalyptic and Post-Apocalyptic Studies (CAPAS) at Heidelberg University
Why did you choose Heidelberg University?
CAPAS – the Käte Hamburger Centre for Apocalyptic and Post Apocalyptic Studies – is a really unique place, and it was amazing to have the opportunity to develop my thinking in conversation with fellows and staff who shared my interest in the end of the world. As a scholar from an institution which does not offer sabbaticals, I would not have been able to take up the fellowship without the generous funding that CAPAS offers.
What do you like best about being in Heidelberg?
The city is beautiful, and it was wonderful to have a dedicated office for working in. Academically, I really appreciated our reading groups and work in progress seminars, which helped me develop my own thinking while learning from others, and in terms of Heidelberg I especially enjoyed working my way through the delicious variety of cakes and biscuits and Café Gundel, and getting to explore the region with my Deutschland Ticket.
How did your career continue after your time in Heidelberg?
The fellowship helped me to realise that what I thought was a couple of articles’ worth of material should actually be a book. I returned to teaching immediately after the fellowship, and found that having a little time away helped me go back refreshed and re-energised for working with my students.
What is your view of the German scientific system in comparison to that of your home country or to that of other countries where you may have conducted research?
UK Higher Education is in the middle of a pretty serious crisis, and although some similar things seem to be starting to affect German universities, it felt great to be in a context where the threats were a bit less existential and it felt like universities were more seriously valued.
In your opinion, what is the importance of international exchanges for researchers?
It was really transformative to get to spend time in a different context, with brilliant and interesting people from all over the world.
Would you recommend a research stay at Heidelberg University to your students or colleagues from your scientific network?
Absolutely!