Ethics and Responsibility in Science and Society

The workshop Ethics and Responsibility in 'Science and Society' conveys normative and ethical standards for academic research and provides access to the philosophical foundations of ethics-related discourse in a research context. It is a mandatory component of all doctoral programs. Cooperative doctoral members of the Doctoral School NRW are very welcome.

Content

This course provides doctoral researchers with normative and ethical standards for academic research and offers access to the philosophical foundations of ethics-related discourse in a research context.

Participants become familiar with the work of research ethics committees and, based on guidelines (Leopoldina, DFG), engage with the challenges of security-relevant research. They learn to apply the underlying rules and norms of academic research to questions of researchers’ ethical responsibility.

Doctoral researchers are sensitized to possible ethically relevant consequences of their own academic work. They are encouraged to reflect on their use of research methods and results and on the responsibility they bear as researchers toward society.

Learning Objectives

  1. Knowledge and critical assessment of different approaches, discourses, and framings of ethics and responsibility in science and society
  2. Knowledge of various issues related to ethics and individual as well as societal responsibility in the context of science and academic work
  3. Practice in weighing complex issues and engaging in interdisciplinary discussion
  4. Acceptance of ambiguity and reflection on individual scope for action

Methods/Techniques

  • Seminar format with individual preparation and input
  • Plenary discussions and small-group work
  • Systematic feedback
  • Participant presentations upon request

Dates and Registration

The workshop ‘Ethics and Responsibility in Science and Society’ is offered several times a year. Registration is only possible within the respective registration periods.

Please plan to allow some time for follow-up and review of the content after the first day of the workshop.

If participation is not possible due to health reasons or another urgent obligation, we kindly ask you to cancel at an early stage by contacting workshops@pknrw.de. This may allow individuals on the waiting list to move up. In cases of unexcused absence or very short-notice cancellation without a valid reason, we reserve the right to give you lower priority in future events.

February 2 & 3, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online | English

February 2 & 3, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online | English

This workshop will be held online and conducted in English.

Registration is open between December 12th, 2025 to January 20th, 2026. 

Please register here: https://eveeno.com/351978212 

Trainer: Dr. Susann Kabisch

March 25 & 26, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences

March 25 & 26, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences

This workshop will be held in person at the Sankt Augustin campus of Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences.

Registration is open via email at gi@h-brs.de. Doctoral researchers who are not enrolled at H-BRS are asked to use their official university of applied sciences email address.

Trainerin: Dr. Susann Kabisch

June 15 & 16, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Online

June 15 & 16, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Online

This workshop will be held online.

Registration is open between April 30 and May 25, 2026.

Trainer: Dr. Jan Stamm

July 7 & 8, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online | English

July 7 & 8, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online | English

This workshop will be held online and conducted in English.

Registration is open between May 22 and June 10, 2026.

Trainer: Dr. Susann Kabisch

September 28 & 29, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Online

September 28 & 29, 2026 | 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. | Online

This workshop will be held online.

Registration is not yet open.

Trainer: Dr. Jan Stamm

December 15 & 16, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online

December 15 & 16, 2026 | 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. | Online

This workshop will be held online.

Registration is not yet open.

Trainer: Dr. Susann Kabisch

Trainers

Dr. Susann Kabisch holds a doctorate in philosophy and theology. She has worked as a research associate at the Institute of Philosophy at the University of Hildesheim and at the Center for Ethics and Responsibility at Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences and currently works as an independent philosopher, facilitator, and trainer.

Dr. Meike Siegfried-Laferi holds a doctorate in philosophy with a focus on ethics and political philosophy. For more than ten years, she has been qualifying and advising instructors and early career researchers on issues of teaching development and career orientation.

Dr. Jan Stamm is a trained communication and behavioral trainer as well as a coach. For more than ten years, he has supported researchers at all career stages—from doctoral researchers and postdoctoral researchers to professors—as a trainer and coach. He is a member of Impulsplus, the quality network for competence development in science. As a philosopher with a doctorate and a focus on moral philosophy and ethics, he has a particular interest in the ethical dimensions of academic practice.


Graduate School NRW - Qualification Program

Organisation of Workshops