CRiSS Programm 2023

26.04.2023 Communication Science
Baruch Shomron

Digital capabilities and the solicitation of altruistic kidney donations on Facebook

Chronic kidney failure poses a risk to human life and quality of life. Patients often receive renal replacement therapy or a kidney transplant, with the latter considered superior. While most kidney donations originate from the deceased, Israel has transformed as the first country where most kidney donations originate from altruistic living donors. This creates a social environment in which patients are tasked with kidney solicitation which often occurs on social networks. In his talk, Baruch Shomron explores the phenomenon of digital kidney solicitation on Facebook, revealing the emerging role social networks play regarding kidney donations. This phenomenon is contextualized in justice theory and encompasses the tension between the fair distribution of health resources and individuals' capability to be secure.

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03.05.2023 Sports Science
Nils Haller

Beat the Blues - with sports? Physical activity against depression

Physical activity is commonly highlighted in the media as an important factor in improving and maintaining mental health. In addition, exercise has gained interest as an effective approach to alleviate depressive symptoms in patients with depressive disorders. Compared to the side effects of, for example, pharmacological therapy, approaches such as exercise are considered a safe and promising therapeutic approach. This lecture will provide a summary of the current state of research in this area, discuss the physiological mechanisms of exercise, and provide an outlook on how exercise can be promoted in this patient population, with a focus on individuals who may particularly benefit from regular physical activity.

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10.05.2023 Psychology
Marlene Wessels

Electromobility - What does it mean for pedestrians?

The increasing number of relatively quiet electric vehicles contributes significantly to reducing noise pollution in cities. However, this may come at a cost for vulnerable road-users, such as pedestrians. Do they have a harder time to interact with quieter electric vehicles, as compared to the louder conventional cars with combustion engines to which they are accustomed? When attempting to cross a busy street, pedestrians typically have to estimate the time remaining until an approaching vehicle arrives (time-to-collision, TTC). For TTC estimation, pedestrians rely on visual and auditory information. In her lecture Marlene Wessels gives an insight into an experimental investigation about whether pedestrians are at greater risk when interacting with quieter Electro Vehicles and what this means for the current mobility transition.

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17.05.2023 Political Science
Paula Jöst

Still free and fair? - How Citizens perceive Elections in Germany and Beyond

Elections are at the heart of democracy. However, holding an election does not mean that this election automatically meets democratic standards, especially as misconduct and fraud can happen at any time. In today’s highly polarized times, with news and fake news routinely competing for people’s attention, even in long-established democracies, we see political actors publicly questioning the freeness and fairness of elections. Recent examples like the flawed elections in Germany’s capitol in 2021 only seem to support such narratives. It appears as if the quality of elections cannot be taken for granted anymore. As citizens are the main actors in democracies, this presentation will take a closer look at citizens’ views on the quality of elections. Do they follow these narratives and perceive elections to be rigged? Or is everything fine, and citizens living in democracies still express confidence in the free and fair conduct of elections?

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24.05.2023 Sociology
Jesús Siqueiros

How we make sense of each other—social sciences with robots, computers and nature

How do individuals relate to each other and retain their autonomy while being part of a whole? A question in biology, the social sciences and philosophy. Moreover, this is a problem with a social, moral and political dimensions. Jesús Siqueiros' presentation will revolve around this tension and how it has shaped his research history. He will elaborate on how he has addressed this problem from different perspectives, including computational models with simulated robots in social interaction and through participatory approaches to foster among vulnerable groups a sense of agency in the context of environmental degradation and AI technology design.

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07.06.2023 Sociology
Miriam Brunnengräber

(Dis-)Empowered Sexuality? Sexual Assistance for Disabled People

In both activist and scholarly discourses, attention has been drawn to the cultural de-sexualization of people with disabilities. The routine overlooking of disabled people as potential sexual beings as well as forms of institutionalized exclusion are stated as an expression of their exclusion from a 'sexual majority society'. As a possible way of their 'sexual inclusion' a whole field of practice has been established: Sexual assistance services have made it their mission to sexually empower people with disabilities. These services are currently the subject of conflictual negotiations. In critical statements, especially from disabled activists, they are not seen as empowering measures but as a new form of separation of 'disabled sexuality', contributing to the stabilization of another "Sonderwelt" (Wolf 2020). In the lecture, Miriam Brunnengräber reconstructs the clashing lines of conflict and presents results of an empirical analysis that breaks down those conflicting discourses about the different classifications that clash in them: of people and their bodies, of "sexuality(ies)" and of "sexual assistance".

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15.06.2023 Communication Science
Pablo Jost

Radical Mobilization on Telegram: Exploring the Dark Side of Social Media

Especially since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, the messenger service Telegram has attracted public and scientific attention. Unlike "traditional" social media, the platform offers a high degree of privacy and is committed to the primacy of absolute freedom of speech. This makes it an ideal place for anti-government and sometimes radical actors to spread disinformation and discriminatory messages and mobilize potential supporters for street protests.
The presentation will begin by explaining the characteristics of the platform and then turn to the users, the radical actors, and the content that is disseminated on the platform. We will then discuss the real consequences of radical mobilization (e.g. criminal acts) and the long-term consequences for society.

 

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21.06.2023 Communication Science
Isabella Gonçalves

Media and Migration: Representation of Migration in Brazil and the UK

Media shapes attitudes and emotions toward immigrants. In general, media representation of migrants is damaging in many western countries, portraying these individuals as victims or threats to the hosting country. Considering the media’s role in shaping attitudes and emotions, negative representations result in dehumanization and sustain the exclusion of migrants in their hosting countries. A growing body of research has attempted to understand the representation of migration issues in legacy media. However, these studies usually focus mainly on the Global North countries. Likewise, comparative studies including Latin America remain scarce. This study analyzes the representation of immigrants in Brazil and the United Kingdom to comprehend the similarities and differences between both countries. Findings show repetition of patterns regarding silencing, negative framing, metaphors, and the maintenance of othering and asymmetrical relationships. This study contributes to expanding the literature on migrants and media, discussing the implications of these frames, and proposing new ways to portray them.

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28.06.2023 Psychology
Tabea Werner und Lisa von Boros

Falling twice, stand up thrice - promoting psychological resilience online

Never been stressed before? A conflict with a friend, seminar paper is due tomorrow, train is delayed and final exams coming up… Stress is part of our everyday life. If we are exposed to high levels of stress over a long period of time or daily hassles pile up, this can lead to chronic stress and long-term health impairments. However, some people remain psychologically healthy despite these adversities or recover quickly after a short period of stress. They are called resilient, and this resilience can be trained. In the EU ERDF-funded project APPWAG, two online interventions were developed to strengthen resilience: "resiLIR Basic" is targeting the general population and trains the resilience factors optimism, mindfulness, sense of coherence, values, acceptance, and self-compassion, whereas "resiLIR Healthcare Professionals" is specifically aimed at healthcare professionals and focuses on self-compassion and self-care. In theit talk, Tabea Werner and Lisa von Boros will give an overview of (digital) resilience promotion, give an insight into their project and present first results of the current study evaluating the efficacy of the interventions.

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05.07.2023 CRiSS guest
Peter Sutch und Peri Roberts

Humanity's future: Just war in space

The lecture will focus on the rapid militarisation and commercialisation of outer space. It asks whether the principles established in the ‘constitution of outer space’ – the 1969 outer Space Treaty have or should have implications for how we think about the prospect of the current space race leading to greater military confrontation.
Initial Space law reserved space for the common interest of (hu)mankind to be used exclusively for peaceful purposes. Reality in the politics of space has had military implications for day 1 and today has been described as a war fighting zone like any other.
This lecture explores the politics of space and asks questions about how we should think about the regulation of the next phase of space exploitation.

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12.07.2023 Education Science
Stephanie Langer

Reproduction of social inequality in early childhood education

In Germany, early social selection in the education system and the associated disadvantages of individuals and groups of people are problematized. However, structural discrimination is not only relevant in school, but already takes place on the micro level in public day care. Early childhood educators and their professional actions are considered to be particularly effective in creating inclusive, diversity-conscious structures.
However, current research shows that professionals are significantly involved in the production and reproduction of disadvantaging pedagogical practices and structures. This is where the ethnographic research project looks closer and investigates the mechanisms, pedagogical practices and structures that take place on the level of professional-child interaction and in which discrimination-relevant attributions, addressings and positionings in the power imbalance between educator and child become visible. In the lecture, selected field vignettes from the current research project will be presented, which, taking into account an analytical focus critical of power and discrimination, illuminate the relationship between the different groups of actors and reveal their interconnectedness.

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19.07.2023 Sports Science
Christian Theis

 

Working out to fit in? - Fitness lifestyle among young people

Description follows

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