Institut für Deutschlandforschung 

Invitation for PhD-students of the humanities (cultural, social and political studies) 

from Eastern and Western Europe 

Promotionskolleg Ost-West - an academic contact forum at the Ruhr-University Bochum 

The beginning - A European Idea 

In the mid-nineties the Slavonicist Karl Eimermacher from Bochum uttered his thoughts about an "international candidacy" in order to bring young scholars from Eastern and Western Europe together for communication and cooperation. This idea sprang from the insight that the isolation of the new generation of academics in Russia, the other countries of the former USSR and Middle Eastern Europe was not really overcome after 1990. In addition he realized that the traditionally close relationships of these countries and their academic elite to Germany became more and more unstable. On the other hand, the new generation of researchers in Western Europe do very often not have any real possibility to get in touch with the fundamental changes of the European cultural and academic landscape after the end of the East-West-opposition. The realization of academic cooperation can restart European solidarity. 

Transnational Network of interdisciplinary Communication 

Now in the year 2001 an "academic contact forum between Eastern and Western Europe" will be opened at the Ruhr-University Bochum, which is exemplary in nature. Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Karl Eimermacher as head of the Lotman-Institute for Russian and Soviet culture and Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. Paul Gerhard Klussmann, director of the Institute for Deutschlandforschung, start a "Promotionskolleg Ost-West". This get-together is funded by the Volkswagen-Foundation, the Marga und Kurt-Möllgaard-Foundation and the Sal. Oppenheim-Foundation – the two latter both under the trusteeship of the Foundation for German Science and Re-search. This project is to provide an area for the meeting and working together of PhD-students and it especially wants to invite academics from the old and new countries of the former Eastern Bloc for discussions with each other and with their West European colleagues. The program is an investment into the future, because it makes the development of a large number of research and cooperation initiatives of the participants possible in the long run. The invitation is aimed at young academics from Eastern and Western Europe. 

The 'Promotionskolleg' pursues three central aims

• It is to enhance the professional and scientific competence, 

• it is to offer an additional qualification with respect to flexibility and European integration, 

• and finally it is to found a dialogue, in which communication about academic questions takes place as well as it helps to overcome ideological and mental prejudices. 

A General Topic structures and inspires Cooperation 

A general topic is inspiring centre and mental connection of every program of study, which is filled by the participants with their own dissertation plans in a certain sector of studies. They can present their working methods, hypotheses and results for discussion in the international group of the other participants and lecturers from Bochum, Germany and Europe, who support the gathering as experts, mentors and speakers. 

The topics are

• for the 1. period (2001-2003): Culture - (political) Power - Society. Significant constellations and interactions in the 19th and 20th century 

• for the 2. period (2003-2005): Nationally generated structures of thought and cultural phenomena in the 19th and 20th century and their international transgression. Culture specific and typologically comparative questions with the background of growing in 

• for the 3. period (2005-2006): Migrations. The flow of ideas and the migration of men in modern europe 

Organisation and Procedure 

The participants of the 'Promotionskolleg Ost-West' will meet three times for four weeks at the Ruhr-University Bochum within the two years lasting course of studies. A further academic stay (at a max. of 4 weeks) in Bochum can be planned individually, in connection with one of the three stays at Bochum.  While the students are in Bochum, they will work both with all participants and in small groups. Lectures of international academics will start methodological and interdisciplinary discussions. Several courses providing general information, various possibilities to talk to mentors from Bochum and from other German and European universities and opportunities to search libraries and archives will complete the program. The structure of the German academic landscape with its funding organisations, research centres and administrations will be made transparent through seminars at the respective institution. Modern forms of communication, e.g. email, will make communication between the participants and mentors in Germany and Europe possible even when they are not in Bochum and it will help to construct a European network. 

Requirements and Financial Support 

The financial support for the participants of the project includes a sum of € 850,-- per stay in Bochum for accomodation and costs of living, in addition, costs of travel (coming to Bochum and leaving three times), costs for joint trips to seminars and for books are paid. Grants for the dissertation are not in view. The program is aimed at PhD-students who have already worked quite a while at their respective subject/topic. It is a central requirement for the dissertation to fit into the general topic, which is thought to be the frame of the 'Kolleg'. Within this frame PhD-students from all subjects of the humanities (cultural, social, political studies) can take part. A second prerequisite is a fairly good command of German so that dis-cussions of all participants are possible.

Application 

The PhD-students are to apply for their participation themselves. The informal application has to include:

• Topic of the dissertation with an abstract (with regard to the contents and methods) of the  project and an outline of the actual state of work ( approx. 2 pages in German),

• Letter of recommendation of the professor/supervisor in charge of the dissertation,

• Curriculum vitae, certificate of graduation (copy), foreign languages, list of publications, 

  Address (if possible with email / fax / tel.). 

Dates, Staff, Addresses 

Deadline (3. period): April 15, 2005 

At this day the application for the 3. period has to be received in Bochum. The decision about participation in the project will take place in May 2005. The applicants will be informed right away. 

Please send your applications to the coordinators of the project 

Dr. Anne Hartmann and Dr. Frank Hoffmann. 

They can also be contacted for further information. 

Dr. Anne Hartmann

Lotman-Institut für russische und sowjetische Kultur

Promotionskolleg Ost-West

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

D-44780 Bochum

Tel. +49(0) 234 32-25605

Fax: +49(0) 234 32-14243 

Dr. Frank Hoffmann

Institut für Deutschlandforschung

Promotionskolleg Ost-West

Ruhr-Universität Bochum

D-44780 Bochum

Tel. +49(0) 234 32-27863

Fax: +49(0) 234 32-14587 

Email: ost-west-info@rub.de Internet: www.rub.de/ost-west