Image: Sergio Delle Vedove – iStockphoto.com
Research and Teaching

Teaching

With our commitment to research-based university teaching and the training of young scientists, we want to inspire young people to do research and actively shape sustainability transformations.
University teaching and training of young scientists

Social ecology at university

In our courses, we teach the basics of social-ecological research.

We emphasize both systemic and normative aspects and encourage students to decidedly deal with the challenges and conditions of social-ecological transformations. Our courses are based on a solid foundation of theoretical concepts, methods and empirical fields of application in social-ecological research. In addition, we specifically promote skills in inter- and transdisciplinary research.

ISOE lecturers

A large number of our colleagues are involved in university teaching as well as in training young scientists at various universities.

Courses

In our courses, we are committed to innovative, interdisciplinary teaching concepts and formats.

That way, we enable students to deal confidently with knowledge from different scientific disciplines and fields, as well as from societal practice, while also taking controversial knowledge into account: From interdisciplinary perspectives students learn to analyze complex social-ecological problems, such as how to deal with the water crisis or the decline in biodiversity. This learning process is also about imagining and anticipating future developments and creating and testing action plans. At the same time this entails that students reflect on their own values and motivations. The working method and learning atmosphere in our seminars and lectures are characterized by scientific curiosity, openness and a willingness to expand the boundaries of one’s own knowledge. 

Goethe University Frankfurt is a central pillar of our university teaching. Together with the Faculty of Social Sciences, we are responsible for the major subject Social Ecology in the Master’s degree program of Environmental Sciences. ISOE scientists teach theory, concepts and methods of social-ecological research in two modules of the major subject and provide well-founded insights into research practice.

To the Master's programme of Environmental Sciences at Goethe University Frankfurt

In addition, ISOE’s scientists are also involved in courses of other departments, such as social sciences, biology and geography, as well as in teaching at other universities, including the Technical University of Darmstadt.

Theses

As master students in the above-mentioned courses, students have the opportunity to actively participate in our ongoing research projects and to write their theses in a practice-oriented environment.

Thus, students not only gain an in-depth insight into current research issues, but also the opportunity to acquire practical research experience and subsequently put their theoretical knowledge into practice. In order to be able to write a thesis in the Master’s program of Environmental Science at Goethe University Frankfurt, “Social Ecology” must be chosen as the major subject and a research internship at ISOE must have been completed. 

We offer further opportunities for master’s and bachelor’s theses as part of our teaching program for students of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Biological Sciences at Goethe University. In specific cases, we assign theses within the framework of our research projects. 

Occasionally, it is also possible to do a doctorate within the framework of suitable ISOE projects. With these doctoral theses, ISOE supports disciplinary and interdisciplinary qualifications related to selected social-ecological topics and issues.

Contact

Series of events

ISOE-Lecture “Sustainable Science”

The ISOE-Lecture, held annually during the winter semester, addresses current issues in sustainability research as well as specific examples from science and research.

Each winter semester, as part of the ISOE-Lecture series, we invite internationally renowned scientists to present and discuss current topics, findings and questions from the realm of sustainability research. The lecture series is particularly aimed at students and young scientists at Goethe University and other research institutions in Frankfurt.

Image: ISOE ISOE-Lecture mit Lisen Schultz vom Stockholm Resilience Centre

ISOE-Lecture with Lisen Schultz, Stockholm Resilience Center

ISOE-Lectures at a glance