With their own documentary film "Uns gibt es auch noch!", three students of Applied Social Sciences take a critical look back at their studies during the lockdown and take an optimistic look at the present and the future.
Thomas Schmied says that he now feels he has "arrived" in his first semester on campus after the coronavirus lockdown. Like his two fellow students Lea Mratzny and Thomas Klose, he really appreciates the direct interaction with the other students - especially in contrast to the time of distance learning during the lockdown.
In a compact, entertaining seven minutes, Mratzny, Klose and Schmied talk about what the lockdown has meant for their studies, how they have been perceived by politicians and the public during the lockdown, how they have not felt left alone by Fachhochschule Dortmund and why they now enjoy their studies in presence all the more.
Aesthetic examination
"Dealing with social phenomena and their aesthetic treatment," explains Prof. Dr. Christoph Lutz-Scheurle, "is an integral part of studying social work at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies." The cultural scientist specializing in art and participation supervises the "Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Practice" module and is particularly pleased that the film production could be presented live to students and lecturers for the first time after two and a half years of the pandemic during the faculty's "Lab Day of the Arts".
Prof. Lutz-Scheurle emphasizes that it is not only about "getting to know different methods and approaches of cultural practice - be it theater, music, visual arts or film and media - for later professional fields, for example in working with young people, but also to use them as a tool for self-reflection." The three students' film is an excellent example of this.
Learned from a professional
The students produced the film in the "Digital Film Practice" seminar. There, under the guidance of Nico Schlegel, they learned about different methods of cinematic storytelling. Schlegel is a filmmaker and long-time lecturer at the faculty.
The film has already been presented at the Lab Day of the Arts, which takes place every semester at the Faculty of Applied Social Studies. Prof. Lutz-Scheurle: "A successful example of the interlocking of theory and practice that we strive for there."
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