• We integrate ongoing and thematically appropriate research projects of the participating researchers.
• We accompany and support young researchers in a cooperative manner, they can get leading positions in early stages of their scientific careers.
• We expand the governance and the research management of interdisciplinary and international science and humanities.
• We create resources for original new research questions through the targeted acquisition of third-party funds.
• And finally we transfer and communicate the research results to civil society various specific stakeholders and make the outcomes suitable for finding solutions.

Allegrante, John P., Hoinkes, Ulrich, Schapira, Michael I., und Struve, Karen (Hrsg.) (2024). Anxiety Culture: The New Global State of Human Affairs. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Struve, Karen (2019). Gestern Risikogesellschaft – Heute Anxiety Culture, Wissenschaftsmanagement (2), p. 119-126. https://www.wissenschaftsmanagement.de/dateien/wima_2_2019_struve.pdf

Shea, Nicole, & Kattan, Emmanuel (eds.) (2018). Europe Now (July, Vol. Issue 19).

Lakoff, George / Wehling, Elisabeth (2016). Auf leisen Sohlen ins Gesicht. Politische Sprache und ihre heimliche Macht. 4th edition. Heidelberg: Carl-Auer Verlag.

Edge, Jeremy S. (2015). Argumentation in Education: Putting Argument to Work in Your Classroom. Lawrenceville: Jade-Clairmont Publishers.

Bude, Heinz (2014). Gesellschaft der Angst. Hamburg: Hamburger Edition HIS.

Gee, James Paul (2014). How to do Discourse Analysis. A Toolkit. London/New York: Routledge.

Jäger, Siegfried / Zimmermann, Jens (eds.) (2010). Lexikon. Kritische Diskursanalyse. Eine Werkzeugkiste. Münster: UNRAST-Verlag.

A Videocation Project for the Master’s Thesis “Mindfulness in the Everyday Practice of Teachers: On Mindful Teaching and Learning in the Foreign Language Classroom, Using the Subject French as an Example” by Luca Maria Kugler, edited by Luca Kugler, Jana Lüdtke and Caroline Thomitzek

Fear is a constant companion in many areas of life – whether during studies, in professional contexts, or in everyday situations. For teachers and those training to become teachers, these challenges are especially pronounced: the profession demands not only subject-matter expertise but also emotional resilience and psychological strength. Increasing workloads and the need to balance professional and private responsibilities can quickly become overwhelming. Even though fear and stress play a central role in daily school life, they are often left unspoken and remain a taboo topic.
Our film project, “Fear is Not a Solution,” addresses precisely this issue. We set out to explore the causes and consequences of anxiety, focusing on the specific challenges teachers face and on how fear can shape both their personal and professional lives. The aim was twofold:
to raise awareness of the psychological pressures in education and to demonstrate strategies for dealing with fear constructively. Rather than viewing fear as a paralyzing force, we approached it as a potential stimulus for reflection, self-awareness, and personal development.
The project was conceived as a form of Service Learning, combining academic work with social engagement. By creating a multilingual short film in English, Spanish, and French, we not only highlighted the global relevance of anxiety but also promoted intercultural competence. Anxiety is a universal experience that transcends linguistic and cultural boundaries. Presenting the film in several languages underlines that mental health is a shared human concern.
In the film, we deliberately integrated multiple perspectives: those of pupils, teachers, and student teachers. This diversity highlights how fear and psychological stress are experienced differently depending on one’s role in the education system, while simultaneously revealing the common threads that connect these experiences. Pupils may sense the unspoken fears of their teachers; teachers themselves face constant professional pressures; and student teachers encounter their own anxieties even before entering the profession. By juxtaposing these perspectives, the project encourages viewers to reflect on their own experiences and to understand how fear can manifest in different educational contexts.
Cinematically, we chose a Public Service Announcement (PSA) style with a clear and focused visual language. The film combines personal testimony – our own authentic experiences on camera with a minimalist, powerful aesthetic. The trailer, presented at the Kiel Seeburg during the book launch of Anxiety Culture, set the tone by using black-and-white imagery to emphasize the emotional weight of the subject and by having different voices pronounce theword “fear,” illustrating its universality. The continuation of the film then deepens the exploration, offering nuanced insights into the realities of anxiety in the educational environment and concluding with a personal appeal: to care for one’s own mental health and to speak openly about psychological stress.
Through this project, we not only gained professional and personal insights but also contributed to breaking the silence around mental health in education. The film can be used in schools, universities, and teacher training programs as a starting point for workshops or discussions on mental well-being. By fostering openness and encouraging mindfulness, “Fear is Not a Solution” aims to empower both current and future educators as well as students themselves to recognize anxiety not merely as a burden but as an opportunity for growth, dialogue, and mutual understanding.