FoF3 Funded Measures Thematic Research Networks
The following Thematic Research Networks of Field of Focus 3, respectively those in which it plays a significant role, bring together scholars who conduct exploratory and interdisciplinary research on topics of high societal relevance. The networks strengthen the research priorities of Field of Focus 3 by making dialogue within the university and with non-university groups an essential element of their approach. One of the primary goals is to continue the groups as research networks with third-party funding.
List of FoF 3-TRN / TRN with FoF 3- participation
TRN Enacting Trust. Affective self-design and rebuilding trust
The group investigates processes of rebuilding trust. It focuses on those aspects that are stored in trusting individuals. To this end, it analyzes processes of emotion and self-regulation and their significance for the experience of trust. The fact that trust plays a fundamental role in the formation of social structures and is indispensable for social cohesion has long been the subject of intense debate in philosophy, psychology, and the social sciences. In comparison, the restoration of trust has received little attention to date. The project, which is based on philosophical theories, is interdisciplinary in nature and examines the dynamics of trustworthiness, as well as the abilities that are essential for the generation, maintenance, and renewal of trust.
Project lead: Dr. Philipp Schmidt-Boddy philipp.schmidt-boddy@uni-heidelberg.de, Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Fuchs thomas.fuchs@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN FAMILY. Families in Transition. Interdisciplinary studies on the history and future of families as a symbolic order and a living organization.
Mother, father, child—to this day, the traditional image of the family is still considered by many to be the benchmark and ideal norm, even though current developments in reproductive medicine, rainbow families, and non-European influences are challenging traditional models of family life. These developments oblige society to consider who and what family should be in the future. In the course of this transformation process, a redefinition of the concept of family and its parameters is necessary. Based on interdisciplinary findings, the scholars involved in TRN FAMILY – from the humanities, social sciences, and life sciences – are searching for answers to the question of how family as a social structure can be shaped in the future.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Katja Patzel-Mattern (katja.patzel-mattern@uni-heidelberg.de), Prof. Dr. Annette Haußmann (annette.haussmann@ts.uni-heidelberg.de)
TRN Digital animism. Attributions of subjectivity to artificial systems in medicine
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly established, IT systems are taking on a more subject-like form in many areas. They seem to be taking over what was previously the preserve of humans: communicating, assisting, advising, deciding, and implementing decisions. Social practices are being established in which machines act as subjects, or quasi-subjects. This is particularly true in the medical field, as demonstrated by psychiatric chatbots, assistance robots in nursing, and AI systems in oncological diagnostics. The interdisciplinary group analyzes the impact that the use of such systems has on medical and nursing practices and those involved in them (such as medical professionals and patients), as well as the technical and moral challenges that arise. The concept of digital animism allows specialist discourses in the social sciences and humanities to be related to each other and intertwined with those in the technical, information, and cognitive sciences, as well as the life sciences.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Thorsten Moos thorsten.moos@ts.uni-heidelberg.de, Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Fuchs thomas.fuchs@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN Knowledge in Context. Language and thought in the natural and life sciences
Die gegenwärtige Gesellschaft wird von Wissensdiskursen dominiert. Dabei werden Wissensbereiche sehr unterschiedlich wahrgenommen. Contemporary society is dominated by discourses on knowledge. However, different areas of knowledge are perceived very differently. Knowledge in the natural and life sciences is often considered hermetic, yet at the same time, we assume a mature zoon politikon in socio-political terms, which requires solid knowledge in these areas for responsible action. At the individual level, too, adequate linguistic and cognitive access to knowledge in the natural and life sciences is often of central importance (e.g., in the context of medical treatment). The tension between the amount of knowledge and actual knowledge is given a further dimension by the democratization of knowledge transfer on the internet, because experts are no longer accepted without reservation. A systematic analysis of knowledge transfer and knowledge processing in society is needed. The group combines linguistic research in specialized communication, corpus linguistics, computational linguistics, and computer science with language-related natural and life sciences that are interested in communication. The interdisciplinary project team intends to create a knowledge transfer platform that facilitates the transmission of knowledge. The group cooperates with the HCDH and the European Center for Language Sciences (EZS).
Project lead:
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in FoF 3: Prof. Dr. Ekkehard Felder ekkehard.felder@gs.uni-heidelberg.de
Prof. Dr. Vahram Atayan atayan@uni-heidelberg.de
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in FoF 1: PD Dr. Meike Weis meike.weis@umm.de
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schönberg stefan.o.schönberg@umm.de
- in FoF 2: Prof. Dr. Michael Gertz
TRN “Language – Body – Interaction” – Multimodal Interaction Linguistics (2023-2024)
Multimodal interaction linguistics examines how nonverbal expression (facial expressions, gestures, gaze direction) enters into linguistic interaction. The group focuses on the temporal structuring of linguistic interaction as a fundamental organizing principle. In particular, consideration of physical communication resources (gestures, gaze, etc.) has shown that a practical problem for interactants is reconciling the temporality and sequentiality of their actions, especially when they are pursuing several strands of action simultaneously. While temporality has been researched primarily in interactional linguistics as a fundamental dimension of spoken language, the sequential organization of interaction is the central object of investigation in conversation analysis. The group investigates temporal relations both within and outside this defined sequence structure. These relations have been only marginally studied in previous research and enable the consideration of different levels of interaction analysis. The network involves researchers from various languages as well as the Institute for German Language Mannheim (IDS).
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Elwys De Stefani elwys.destefani@rose.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN Heidelberger Editionen und Texterschließung (HEDIT)
The task of TRN HEDIT is to link, highlight, improve, and strengthen Heidelberg's activities in the field of editions and text accessibility. Both printed and digital editions are taken into account, as well as edition-related projects that make large amounts of text accessible (repertories, directories, etc.). The TRN sees itself as part of the “Transforming Cultural Heritage” concept; it aims to develop and present textual cultural heritage in such a way that new (digital) forms and practices of scientific and public use become possible. The interdisciplinary network is supported by Heidelberg scholars from the University, the College of Jewish Studies, and the Academy of Sciences who are already or have been involved in editorial work or are planning new editions, with the support of individual national and international cooperation partners. The network also connects the Heidelberg Center for Digital Humanities (HCDH) and Heidelberg University Library (in particular the Digitization Center and the HeiUP publishing house). A research unit has been established as the organizational form of the TRN.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Ludger Lieb ludger.lieb@gs.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN Cognitive Science (CogSci)
The aim of the CogSci group is to bring together findings from the various disciplines involved in human, animal, and artificial cognition, thereby generating new cognitive science insights through synergy. Researchers from all four Fields of Focus at Heidelberg University are involved in the group; methodological pluralism is explicitly promoted in this interdisciplinary collaboration. The focus is on the quantitative recording and modeling of cognitive processes with the help of behavioral observations and (neuro)physiological measurements, but qualitative and theoretical approaches are also used. The vision of this initiative is to establish a focus on cognitive science in research and teaching at Heidelberg University, combining transdisciplinary breadth with academic excellence.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Jan Rummel jan.rummel@psychologie.uni-heidelberg.de
Contact: PD Dr. Johannes Gerwien gerwien@idf.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN Environments – Upheavals – Rethinking (2021-2023)
In light of the omnipresent global environmental crisis as a major social and ecological upheaval, the TRN focused on a transdisciplinary understanding of temporally and regionally different descriptions of this catastrophic situation, as well as on identifying and utilizing opportunities for action that arise from the associated rethinking. The network therefore set itself the task of analyzing the global environmental crisis and its impact on individuals and society in a transdisciplinary dialogue between the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. The upheavals triggered or expected as a result require a new – comprehensive and interdisciplinary – understanding of the relationship between humans and the environment. In addition to the existing networks in Heidelberg, such as the Center for Apocalyptic and Postapocalyptic Studies (CAPAS), the BMBF project Worldmaking, and the Center for the Environment (HCE), the TRN cooperated with the KU Eichstätt (Chair of Prof. Dr. Friederike Reents) and the Rachel Carson Center “Environment and Society” at LMU Munich.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Barbara Mittler barbara.mittler@zo.uni-heidelberg.de
TRN Endowments in the Longue Durée. Paths to an Intercultural Analysis (2020-2023)
Endowments, donations, and fundraising play a central role in social cohesion, the pursuit of the common good, and the preservation of cultural heritage. The common good and cultural heritage should not be equated with social integration, but must also be considered in terms of tension and conflict, and not only in the Western European context of our time. However, corresponding models are almost exclusively oriented toward this context. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between scholars in the humanities and social sciences, the group developed the groundwork for a diachronic and cross-cultural theory of philanthropy by combining social science modeling with non-European, ancient, regional, and religious perspectives. Based on this preliminary work, a larger research network was prepared in which these topics can be further developed and empirically substantiated through the collaboration of other disciplines.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Joachim-Friedrich Quack (Joachim_Friedrich.Quack@urz.uni-heidelberg.de )
TRN Validity of Knowledge (2020-2023)
The research network deals with the validity of knowledge and its genesis, as well as the design of knowledge spaces and knowledge artifacts as media for enforcing knowledge claims. The aim is to understand the discourses and practices with which actors, groups of people, and social networks lend validity to knowledge. Under what conditions are statements considered knowledge and recognized by relevant social groups? This question is less concerned with what knowledge is, but rather with clarifying the parameters under which something is considered knowledge by someone and the additional parameters under which this claim is recognized in such a way that it leads to changes in theories, practices, and their materializations. The group's work consisted of further developing content related to questions of validity, theoretical frameworks, and empirical approaches. In addition, the network continued to grow in a targeted manner and sought critical exchange with colleagues at Heidelberg University and external partners. One goal was the long-term establishment of research on questions of knowledge validity at Heidelberg University.
Project lead: Prof. Dr. Andrea Albrecht andrea.albrecht@gs.uni-heidelberg.de, Prof. Dr. Joachim Kurtz kurtz@hcts.uni-heidelberg.de