And so it has started, the spring semester 2019! Our lecture rooms will now become full of life once again and the peace and quiet of the lecture-free period will be on hold until summer. This is indeed how things should be, since universities, even in this digital age, live from the direct exchange between students, teachers and researchers.
In saying this, I do not wish to bring into question the different methods and instruments of E-learning, which seek to complement and enrich the more traditional lecture formats. The spirit of a university is nevertheless reflected in the face to face discussions of opinions, views and standpoints. Through direct contact with each other, we are able to reason and debate, argue and laugh whilst also testing the plausibility of ideas and theories. In this sense, the commencement of lectures means that for the next three months the university can again become a place of exchange, discussion, learning and of research. Let us use and enjoy the freedom that a university affords us.

I wish you all an enthralling and informative semester full of stimulating discussions.

Prof. Dr. Martina Caroni, Vice Rector for Teaching and International Relations