– A draft to discuss–
European College of Human Ecology (COHE)
Europäische Hochschule der Humanökologie
The handbook is available in German - Download
Humanökologie und Philosophie sozialer Innovation
Master Program (MA phil)
A concept developed in Co-operation with Alanus University Alfter
A year ago we got the idea of organizing an international conference on the topic of higher education in human ecology to be held in 2022. Since our view on the world has been changed by generation Greta´s global climate initiative, by a pandemic locking down life as we knew it and a president challenging the foundations of democracy. A sustainable transition to overcome outdated paradigms is required. Human ecology can and must be part of the solution.
This coming August the European College of Human Ecology will start a new online program bringing together the international expertise of Human Ecology as basic knowledge for future agents of transition. The bilingual program (English and German) will offer video streams, lectures, workshops and discussions covering the topics of Human Ecology.
Human Ecology as an overarching perspective enables students to become eager agents of change, with the capability to discover pathways of transition for societies and of transformation towards a more sustainable and resilient future. This will be geared towards the discovery of new responsible technologies, practices and methods in communities, ensuring solidarity and democratic reliability.
Be invited to take an active part in this program with a lecture or presentation or join the virtual seminars and workshops held on demand. For a video contribution please choose a topic within one of the following themes:
Please hand in your presentation as a video file (e.g. mp4, in English or German) with a duration of at least 15 up to a maximum of 40 minutes until May 31st 2021. Add a short abstract with the full title, name(s), institutional affiliation(s) and email address(es) and one paragraph showing the relationship to human ecology. A reviewing board will inspect your contribution. The program is being scheduled to start on August 1st 2021 and will be available online. As a follow-up video conferences, workshops or seminars to discuss the issues presented will be organized as required.
We solicit submissions as early as possible. This will help the board to identify emerging themes in time and to design the program. However, please note that revisions are accepted.
Become a co-creator in an active community sharing the ideas of Human Ecology! It is our intention to bring together a diverse group of educators, researchers, students and practitioners who utilize or take interest in inter- and transdisciplinary human ecological approaches. We need them to discuss new challenges faced by the academic work at universities. The best presentations of the 2021 program will be considered as key notes or inputs to workshops at the 2022 conference.
We are looking forward to a broad and exciting international online program with an excellent range of speakers, symposia, roundtables, workshops and individual presentations. You will find more information on our website www.coh-europe.de. For questions please write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lörrach, Bonn, Berlin & Zürich, 3/1/2021
Dr. Klaus Markus Hofmann (COHE, Universität Freiburg, NETWORK Institute)
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmaus (Alanus University)
Dr. Wolfgang H. Serbser (COHE, ProWB Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Dieter Steiner (COHE & em. ETH-Zürich)
You have participated in a COHE Summer Program in Emmendingen in the last years. Since, our view on the world has evolved dramatically by a pandemic lockdown of life as we knew it, a president challenging the foundations of democracy and by generation Greta´s global climate initiative. We pursue the idea of an international conference on the topic of higher education in human ecology to be held in 2022. A sustainable transition to overcome outdated paradigms is required. Human ecology can be part of the solution, for which we plan to include your Real-Life experiences.
This coming August the European College of Human Ecology will start a new virtual program bringing together the international expertise of Human Ecology as basic knowledge for future agents of Transition. The bilingual program (English and German) will offer video streams, lectures, workshops and discussions covering the topics of Human Ecology.
Human Ecology as an overarching perspective enables students to become eager agents of change, with the capability to discover pathways of transition for societies and of transformation towards a more sustainable and resilient future. This will be geared towards the discovery of new responsible technologies, practices and methods in communities, ensuring solidarity and democratic reliability.
You are warmly invited to take an active part in this program with a talk/presentation or join the virtual seminars and workshops held on demand covering the following topics:
To contribute please hand in your presentation as a video file (e.g. mp4, in English or German) with a duration of maximum of 15 minutes until May 31st 2021 to the Program-Board. Please add a short abstract with the full title, name(s), institutional affiliation(s) and email address(es) and one paragraph showing the relationship to human ecology. The board will review your contribution. The program is scheduled to start on August 1st 2021. It will be available online. Video conferences, Workshops and seminars on demand will follow up to discuss the issues of the presentations.
We solicit submissions as early as possible. This should help the board to identify emerging themes in time and to design the program. However, note that revisions are accepted.
Become a co-creator in an active community sharing the ideas of Human Ecology! It is our intention to bring together a diverse group of educators, researchers, students and practitioners who utilize or take interest in inter- and transdisciplinary human ecological approaches. We will discuss new challenges for academic work at universities and select the best presentations of the program 2021 as key notes and for workshops during an international conference planned for 2022.
We look forward to a broad and exciting international program with an excellent range of speakers, symposia, roundtables, workshops and individual presentations. You will find more information on our website www.coh-europe.de. For questions, refer to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Lörrach, Bonn, Berlin & Zürich, 3/1/2021
Dr. Klaus Markus Hofmann (COHE, Universität Freiburg, NETWORK Institute)
Prof. Dr. Thomas Schmaus (Alanus University)
Dr. Wolfgang H. Serbser (COHE, ProWB Berlin)
Prof. Dr. Dieter Steiner (COHE & em. ETH-Zürich)
What we have in mind is to bring together present or former teachers in the field and other people generally interested in the kind of higher education suitable to deal with the present pressing world problems. We would like to alert the latter to the fact that there exists a meanwhile traditional field of enquiry that tries to bind together findings from the various scientific disciplines – including the natural and the social sciences as well as the humanities – to arrive at coherent pictures of problems and possible solutions within the human-environment scenery. As we know this binding together is usually in need of a philosophical underpinning.
Part of the endeavor should be dedicated to the question of how education in human ecology differs from the study programs of sustainable development now installed at many universities. We would hope to be able to show that there is a need to found a college – better: colleges! – of human ecology in Europe.
A paradigmatic model for us is still the College of the Atlantic in Bar Harbor, Maine, USA, offering a four-year undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Human Ecology and a two-year graduate program leading to a Master of Philosophy in Human Ecology. Consequently, the main purpose of the planned conference in 2022 is to create publicity for the college idea and to form a network of interested people ready to support a founding endeavor in one way or the other.
Dear human ecology friend,
a year ago we got the idea of organizing an international conference on the topic of higher education in human ecology to be held in 2022 and a special summer university in 2021. Since our view on the world has been changed by generation Greta´s global climate initiative, by a pandemic locking down life as we knew it and a president challenging the foundations of democracy. A sustainable transition to overcome outdated paradigms is required. Human ecology can and must be part of the solution.
The Online Program in 2021
Now with the Corona situation lingering on we cannot be sure to be able to run the conference in a normal way next year. One way or the other we thought it advisable to plan for an international online-program starting August 2021. It is thought as a sort of a warm-up same time, and you are cordially invited to participate.
You find a description of the idea in the enclosed announcement. Your contribution can be a presentation or any lecture of an existing or former study program in human ecology with its merits and shortcomings or a particular topic deemed to be essential for an education in human ecology. Of course you are free to encourage colleagues in your circle of acquaintances, possibly interested but not currently on our mailing list, to participate as well.
By joining our program you will become a co-creator within a community that actively shares the ideas of Human Ecology. Please note that, in our planning, the summer program 2021 has the function of a warmup for an international conference on higher education in human ecology to be held next year, hopefully in the form of a real get-together. It is our intention to assemble this and next year a diverse group of educators, researchers, students and practitioners utilizing inter- and transdisciplinary human ecological approaches or being interested in them. We need them to discuss new challenges faced by the academic work at universities. The best presentations of the 2021 program will be considered as key notes or inputs to workshops at the 2022 conference.
Please find the call and further information about the online-program 2021 and the conference 2022 as well on the following pages.
Best regards and good luck