Summer Academies
Quantum physics, Netflix and political protest art – our scholarship holders tackle these and a diverse array of other topics at the Summer Academies. Whether working on a topic within their own discipline or something a little further removed, the Summer Academies guarantee academic discourse of the highest level. The Summer Academies offer the perfect opportunity for our scholarship holders to develop themselves, network with their peers and strengthen existing contacts.
Summer Academies give our scholarship holders the opportunity to engage with issues beyond the confines of their own studies. In doing so, they benefit from working with exceptional tutors. Each Summer Academy brings together around 100 scholarship holders for a period of one to two weeks. The objective is to broaden their horizons in both personal and academic terms and give them the courage to experiment – free from pressure and without the stress of examinations. This fact is reflected in their structure:
the Academies comprise various working groups which operate either with disciplinary focus or an interdisciplinary approach. While these groups may focus on separate topics, students also spend plenty of time together. Evening lectures from tutors afford all participants insights into the work carried out by the other groups. The Academies also include plenty of opportunities to spend time together.
One to two weeks full of engagement and discussion, academic exchange and – of course – heaps of fun. Since 2006, we have offered a variety of Summer Academies to our scholarship holders, both in Germany and abroad.
Dr. Anke Dörner
The Summer Academies take various formats. The two-week Mountain Academy, for instance, is traditionally held in the Swiss town of Ftan, which sits at an altitude of 1,650 metres. Scholarship holder Katharina Schobel remembers Ftan’s unique ambience: “The Hochalpine Institut Ftan is in a perfect location, both for outdoor walks and concentrated, undisturbed study. It also offers a wonderful, almost endless range of recreational activities.”
In addition, the Max Weber Program also offers a ten-day Summer Academy in the Slovenian capital, Ljubljana, as well as a Practical Academy in Roggenburg. Max Weber Program scholarship holders are also free to attend all academies run by the German National Academic Foundation, which include expeditions and music academies.
Academies offer our scholarship holders an excellent academic environment. The academies’ working groups depend on the commitment of the researchers involved and the dedication of the participating students.