The primary research question of the Research Training Group is how the Christian model of society changed and developed in the face of the challenge Europe from the Wilhelminian era to the present. In a narrower sense, the Research Training Group firstly deals with the reactions of the Christian churches, their organisations and representatives in the European states to the idea of European unification and the actual process of integration. Secondly, the Research Training Group focusses on the question whether and how the challenge Europe evoked or fostered changes in the churches themselves regarding their self-perceptions and -conceptions, their institutions and the formulation and carrying out of their duties. Finally, another focus of interest is on the question how the churches tried to bring in their ethical and social ideals into the policies of the European institutions, and by employing which means and strategies. The research design is characterised by a broad interdisciplinary approach, from which the supervision of the research fellows will benefit as well, the internationality of the fellows, and the involvement of international experts in the qualification programme. The research programme is accompanied by a qualification programme that interlinks the individual projects by a common analytical framework. The qualification and supervisory concept consists of four main elements: a graduate centre-specific course programme, international exchange, individual monitoring and collaboration. The cooperation with the Mainz Universitys General Graduate School and the Giessen International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture (GCSC) will add significantly to the quality of training with respect to academic and non-academic key qualifications.
DFG Programme
Research Training Groups
