Where is democracy? And where are we? Is there democracy? If yes, how many?

Veranstalter: Technische Universität (TU) Berlin

What is the course about? - Democracy - a general introduction

The highly interactive workshop aims to clarify the notion of democracy and its implications on our private, professional and societal lives. Each of the three days will comprise a set of diverse activities which addresses specific aspects of democracy so that the participants question their common assumptions of what democracy is, where it takes place, how to establish it within authoritarian structures and how to protect it. For this, the participants explore how we as individuals and as a society are upholding the current power relations including the domination over other wo_men and nature and how we may challenge the status quo by engaging in real-life changes. Within the workshop we will set a special focus on the role of democracy within education and research, as well as their possible contributions to a democratic and sustainable development.

Which questions are addressed? - Where is democracy? And where are we?

Where Is democracy? Here, where we are, or somewhere else? Is it in the past, the present or the future? - How many people do we need for a democracy? Do we need all of us or just a majority? - Whom do we want to include in our democracy and whom to exclude? - Who is fit to govern in a democracy and who needs to be governed? - Who is allowed to speak and whom are we allowed to cancel? - How do we take decisions in a democracy or do we just delay them until there is no alternative? - When everyone thinks of oneself and speaks for oneself, is everyone thought of and heard in a democracy? - How to educate and research for democracy? - How democratic are our private and our professional lives? And how can we democratize our lives? - What is the difference between democracy and sustainability? How may one contribute to the other? - How does democracy relate to theory and practice? - What makes democracy the worst form of government? And why are other forms considered to be even worse?

How is it taught? - high engagement and interaction between the participants

The 20 participants of the workshop are actively involved again and again. Unlike many other workshops, this format lives from interactivity - dare to show yourself and contribute to the conduction of the entire course through individual, small and large group work as well as group-dynamic activities - only few lectures will be given. The workshop is based on the Betzavta method of the Adam Institut. Therefore, the participants will unveil the competing tendencies that exist within each of us, both for and against democratic principles - thus transforming an external conflict into an internal dilemma, which enables us to act and to change the context in which we act.

Who can attend? - 20 participants - participation is free of charge

The course is open to any person who is interested in exploring what democracy is all about. The number of participants is limited to 20 as this allows for a good interaction/activities/discussion within small groups and within the plenary. The participation is free of charge.

How to apply? - Motivational letter until 26 November 2023 - Decision on 28 November 2023

Please fill in the application form on the website of the workshop and describe in three short paragraphs 1) who you are, 2) why you want to participate, 3) if you will be able to participate at all dates or which dates you will miss. We will select the participants in such a way as to ensure a broad diversity of all participants.

Will you issue a certificate of participation? - Yes.

We will issue a certificate to everyone who continually participated in the workshop. For university students: The participation will not be credited with ECTS points.

Can I use my further education holidays / Bildungsurlaub for the workshop? - Yes.

The workshop is accredited for Bildungsurlaub / further education holidays in Berlin and Brandenburg so that any employe working in a company/organisation located in these Länder has a right for paid leave in order to attend the workshop. Employes from other Länder can point out to their employer that the workshop is accredited only in two Länder because of the complicated bureaucracy of the accredication process that is different in all Länder due to Bildungsföderalismus (educational federationism) - in some cases the employers accept this and grant Bildungsurlaub / further education although it is not fully accredited in their respective Land.

Who organizes the workshop? - TINS_D Education and Adam Institute

The workshop is jointly organized by Dr. Uki Maroshek-Klarman and Dr.-Ing. André Baier. Uki Maroshek-Klarman developed the Betzavta Method and was part of the team that funded the Adam Institute in Jerusalem, Israel. She is the director of it for more than 30 years. André Baier coordinates the Sustainability Certificate for Students at TU Berlin and offers the series of TINS_D courses including the course on Critical Sustainability.

Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace
The Adam Institute is an Israeli non-profit, educational organization that works to create a culture of peace, mutual respect, tolerance and co-existence across religious, ethnic and national groups in Israeli society and the region and doing international seminars. The organization’s Hebrew name “Adam”, meaning “human”, was chosen based on the founders’ understanding that human equality is the basis for leading a life centered on the values of democracy and peace. The Adam Institute has published numerous books, training manuals, and periodicals, in both Hebrew and Arabic (some translated and published in English, German and Polish). It has received several notable awards for promoting democracy and tolerance including the award of the Speaker of the Knesset and the Shimon Peres Prize from the German Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the German-Israeli Future Forum (DIZF). www.adaminstitute.org.il/language/en

Sustainability Certificate for Students - TINS_D Education - Technische Universität Berlin
The inter- and transdisciplinary-oriented certificate program offers students the possibility to incorporate an individual focus on sustainability into their regular study programs, thus enabling them to acquire the competencies conferred by a higher education program in sustainability. Additionally, the program aims to bring together students within the TU Berlin with a particular interest in sustainability, thus promoting an exchange of ideas beyond the classroom. The course “Critical Sustainability” is the compulsory module of the Sustainability Certificate for Students and it is also part of the series of TINS_D courses. The course provides a digital space to learn, reflect, discuss and take action together. The participants will jointly analyze existing power relations as well as society-nature relations and democratize them - the Betzavta Method is incorporated in the course design. www.tu.berlin/en/km/n-zertifikat

Weitere Informationen zur Veranstaltung und Anmeldung finden Sie hier.