University for everyone Collegium generale

Lecture series

Shocks and shattering

Extreme weather, wars and disasters: We feel shattered as we are confronted by today’s global crises, all the more so when we are directly affected. Shattering only rarely refers to physical tremors or trembling such as that followed by a quake, however. More often, shattering means that all that we have taken for granted is painfully questioned and, in a metaphorical sense, the ground beneath us has been shaken. When exactly do we speak of shattering and shocks? What do psychological shocks have in common with the shattering effects of an earthquake? How is the concept applied in research? In the lecture series experts from a variety of disciplines will provide a comprehensive picture of shocks and shattering.

For program details, please see the German page