Research at School II

TheSchool of Education, Architecture and the Arts organizes its research activities into three clearly defined profile clusters based on its key research areas. These clusters are shaped by existing collaborative projects, established centers, and clear prospects for future development. The clusters form the core of the faculty’s strategic profile development and serve as a framework for the further development of larger-scale research initiatives.

School Profile Clusters

Social Inequality, Social Control, and Participation

"Social Inequality, Social Control, and Participation" brings together research from the social sciences, educational sciences, and interdisciplinary fields on the institutional, normative, and economic conditions of social participation.

To the Profile Cluster

Transformations of Culture, Space, and the Public Sphere

"Transformations of Culture, Space, and the Public Sphere" brings together humanities-, culture-, and space-related research perspectives from architecture, art, music, and cultural studies. This is based on Faculty II’s participation in the SFB “
: Transformations of the Popular” as well as in the SFB “Media of Cooperation.”
A defining feature of this cluster is the combination of theoretical analysis with
creative, aesthetic, and performative research approaches.

To the Profile Cluster

Health, Well-being, and Social Justice

"Health, Well-being, and Social Justice" focuses on interdisciplinary research into mental and physical health in the context of social inequality. This research focus is supported in particular by the
Department of Psychology in close cooperation with the Center for Innovative
Health Research Siegen (ZiGS).

To the Profile Cluster

Scientific Institutions

Research Centers

Centers

Doctoral degrees awarded last year

About the thesis defenses and doctoral degrees

> 3.5 million euros

Third-Party Funded Projects -
Total Funding Amounts

Research Updates

In progress

Beschäftigte

+ 2 more

30.09.2026

Zoom, VPN, and More: New IT Services Are Being Introduced

Several new IT services will be introduced at the University of Siegen over the course of the winter semester—replacing other programs. All employees and students are asked to take note of the relevant deadlines.

25.09.2026

Congratulations to M.Sc. Daniela Ridder-Weßels on successfully defending her dissertation

23.09.2026

Making Decisions Independently—Even with Dementia

At what point can a person with dementia still make decisions independently? And what can family members and those around them do to help ensure this continues for as long as possible? In the hr2 podcast “Der Tag,” Prof. Julia Haberstroh discusses an aspect of dementia that goes far beyond the disease itself.

Rektorin Prof. Dr. Stefanie Reese unterzeichnet die Kooperation zwischen der Universität Siegen und Architects for Future

Research

23.09.2026

Working Together for a Sustainable Transformation in Construction

The University of Siegen and Architects for Future sign a cooperation agreement and expand their university network.

Positionspapier “Human cognition and emotion in the face of digital and robotic interfaces: Lifespan perspectives” im Rahmen des 54. DGPs Kongresses in Luxemburg vorgestellt

16.09.2026

People and Technology in a Time of Change

Technological change was the focus of the 54th Congress of the German Psychological Society in Luxembourg. In his overview presentation, Dr. Thorsten Kolling provided fascinating insights into a topic that affects people at every stage of life.

15.09.2026

Fourth Conference on Participation Research in Siegen

Shaping Participation at the Local Level: At the 4th Congress on Participation Research at the University of Siegen, approximately 230researchers and other stakeholders discussed how the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities can be implemented in practice at the local level. Topics of focus included housing, employment, health, digitalization, and political, cultural, and social participation—with international perspectives from Zimbabwe and the Czech Republic.

Inklusive Workspace - AWO Deuz - Gruppenfoto

Study

04.09.2026

Architecture Students Design Visions for the Future of the AWO Workshop in Deuz

Eight bachelor’s and master’s students from the Department of Architecture at the University of Siegen, in collaboration with the AWO district association, have developed designs for a sustainable and inclusive expansion of the AWO workshop in Deuz.

Schulklasse: Schüler sitzen an Tischen, vorn steht ein Lehrer

Research

01.09.2026

New AI Coach Supports German Teachers

The KIMADU research project at the University of Siegen has developed an AI coach for German teachers. The “KRAFT+ Agent” is freely available and enables teachers to create AI assistants for their lessons without any programming knowledge.

Study

31.08.2026

Sound Vortex: The Science Podcast at the Institute of Music

This podcast was produced in collaboration with students from the Institute of Music and invites listeners to understand listening and the act of making sound as a circulating, ever-changing, and polyphonic movement.

Projects and Facilities

GRK 2493 - Researching the Effects of Social Assistance

Social assistance programs aim to achieve a great deal—but what impact do they actually have? Between inclusion, education, and reintegration into society, consequences unfold that often go beyond what was intended: ambivalent, unexpected, and closely intertwined with the lived realities of the recipients. The Research Training Group GRK 2493 focuses precisely on these tensions and examines how social assistance programs operate in different fields—and how their diverse consequences can be studied at all.

Center for Interdisciplinary Crime Studies (CiCS)

The Center for Interdisciplinary Crime Studies (CiCS) at the University of Siegen examines crime, social control, and criminalization from an interdisciplinary perspective. The focus is on how “crime” emerges, is interpreted, and is transformed in society, the media, and culture—beyond purely legal definitions. The center combines approaches from sociology, education, sociology of law, and literary and cultural studies to explore the social, historical, and cultural dimensions of crime.