Six Key Themes

The focus is on six closely connected areas of transformation: Ecology, history, politics, economy, technology, and aesthetics. The 2025 summer semester will begin with the topics of democracy, artificial intelligence, history, nature, culture, and Europe. In October, the 2025/2026 winter semester will follow with the topics of economy, city and country, housing, knowledge, employment, media, and society.

For more information on the annual themes, visit: www.uni-weimar.de/beyond-now

Dr. Ulrike Kuch, Vice President for Social Transformation and event series organiser, explains the topic selection: »We want to draw on the inspiration of the historic Bauhaus and ask what impact a university can have on society and how it can shape and change it. Together with experts, university members and ›critical friends‹, we will discuss the role the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar plays in social transformation in the upcoming years and how the university can best fulfil this role.«

The events take place Thursday evenings from 5 to 6:30 pm in the Oberlichtsaal in the Main Building or in the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar’s Maurice-Halbwachs-Auditorium. The events will be moderated by Carsten Tesch from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk.

»Beyond Now – Questions on the Future of Society«

www.uni-weimar.de/zukunftsfragen 

Topics and Dates:

What is Social Transformation?

This question forms the foundation for the event series by focussing the discussion on the term and its implications for the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar.

Guests: Raj Kollmorgen (Hochschule Görlitz), Elisabeth Niejahr (Hertie-Stiftung Berlin) and
Ulrike Kuch (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
10 April 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Maurice-Halbwachs-Auditorium

The Future of Democracy

Democracy did not simply appear out of nowhere and it is not a guaranteed success. For the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, the experiences of National Socialist, the GDR, reunification, and the post-reunification period all shaped and influenced the understanding of democracy, as was demonstrated in the last elections. How should universities deal with this? How should the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar deal with this?   

Guests: Axel Saalheiser (Institut für Demokratie und Zivilgesellschaft Jena) and Andreas
Ziemann (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
24 April 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Oberlichtsaal

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

The possibilities offered by »artificial intelligence« (AI) seem incredible, even magical. Digitalised aspects of life are developing at lightning speed – AI seems omnipresent and omnipotent. This raises questions that can only be answered from an interdisciplinary perspective and in a way that refers back to the fundamental relationship between technology and society.      

Guests: Henning Schmidgen and Benno Stein (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
8 May 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Maurice-Halbwachs-Auditorium

The Future of History

There is no future without history. In early December 2024, Aleida Assmann drew attention to the connection between history and identity – the »soul« in the 19th century – when the Audimax was renamed the Maurice-Halbwachs-Auditorium. Addressing its own history is a constant challenge for the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar, including the widespread misrepresentation of National Socialist history, which is a matter of concern in Thuringia. And how can we possibly not consider the global historical context when we think about our identity?     

Guests: with Jens-Christian Wagner (Buchenwald Memorial and Mittelbau-Dora Memorial Foundation, Weimar and Friedrich-Schiller-Universität, Jena) and Jan von Brevern (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
15 May 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Oberlichtsaal

The Future of the Planet

No transformation process will have more existential consequences than human-induced climate change. The diversity of life on our planet has rapidly declined and the changes in temperatures have caused floods and droughts. Does our planet have an anthropogenic future? Does Thuringia?

Guests: Ingolf Profft (Thüringer Forsten Gotha) and Alexandra Toland (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
5 June 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Oberlichtsaal

The Future of Culture

Culture is bound with caring, building, and preserving, as the basic Latin etymology suggests. The word has strong roots in making and mysticism, in topography, in time, and in thinking about the future. Culture is a foundational constant of human existence. What does culture mean today? What role does it play in social transformation processes and our understanding of the world?      

Guests: Annemie Vanackere (Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin), Ulrike Lorenz (Klassik Stiftung Weimar), N.N. (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
19 June 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Oberlichtsaal

The Future of Europe

Through the Bauhaus4EU Alliance, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar is establishing a network with nine European partner universities over the next four years in order to tackle regional, European, and global challenges together. Will this be the last time? Will the polarisation of political forces in Europe and, most significantly, the drift to the right lead to the end of the European Union? Or does Europe provide a strong enough identity that community will prevail over separation?   

Guests: Benjamin-Immanuel Hoff (Erfurt/Berlin), Daniela Zupan and Christian Kästner (Bauhaus-Universität Weimar)
3 July 2025, 5 to 6:30 pm
Location: Oberlichtsaal

The events are open to all interested parties and will be available as a livestream and recordings.

The »Beyond Now — Environment« annual theme will officially kick-off on Thursday, 3 April 2025.

»BEYOND NOW ⸺ Environment«
Opening Event
Thursday, 3 April 2025, 3 pm
Wind Tunnel Lab, Bauhaus-Universität Weimar
Marienstraße 7, 99423 Weimar

Media representatives and interested individuals are warmly invited to attend the event.

Further information on the annual themes can be found at: www.uni-weimar.de/beyond-now