New dates for summer term 2025!

Our interdisciplinary reading circle offers a platform for cross-disciplinary academic exchange on selected texts in urban research. We invite all interested parties from different disciplines to enrich the discussion with their perspectives. We look forward to your participation! All dates, texts and rooms where we meet can be found further down on this page. The discussion will be held in English.

Summer semester 2025

This semester we have seven lectures in our programme in cooperation with the Organizing Architectures Research Training Group. In Darmstadt, the lectures will take place on Tuesdays from 18:15 in S 3|12, Room 12 (Residenzschloss 1). In Frankfurt, the lectures will take place on Wednesdays from 18:00 in Seminarhaus 1.104 on the Westend campus of Goethe-University Frankfurt. Further information on all dates can be found on the poster for the summer semester 2025, which you can download in the download section of this page. We look forward to your attendance and exciting discussions.

In-person-event: 25.07.2025, 09:15-12:30, TU Lichtwiese, Room 44 in L5/01

Please register with Dr. Felipe de Souza (felipe.de_souza@tu-darmstadt.de) or Dr. Claudia Ba (ba@ifs.tu-darmstadt.de).

The Denkraum format is aimed at early-career researchers (PhD candidates and postdocs) who wish to collaboratively explore an interdisciplinary topic in the field of urban studies. As part of a Brown Bag Lecture, up to three speakers present key aspects of their ongoing or completed research projects in short presentations (max. 15 minutes). A joint discussion follows, focusing on the connections, intersections, and differences between disciplinary perspectives and approaches.

By reading selected texts from the interdisciplinary field of urban research together, we ask ourselves the following questions: What does a text contribute to our understanding of urbanity, urbanization and the city? How convincing is an argument or a perspective outside of its disciplinary localization? What are its weaknesses?

The Urban Scholar Lab (USL) is held once per semester by Dr. Felipe De Souza and Dr. Claudia Ba. The aim of the lab is to present, discuss, and receive feedback on your research or thesis (B.A., M.A., doctoral, or post-doctoral theses) in an inspiring and interdisciplinary setting that is low-threshold and ungraded. Presenters benefit from the experience of speaking in front of an engaged academic urban studies community, sharpening their arguments, and gaining insights from other research areas and disciplines.