Denkwerk - Robert Bosch Stiftung donates one million euros to liberal arts networks

In the Year of the Liberal Arts (2007), Robert Bosch Stiftung is set to expand its Denkwerk sponsorship program. The foundation will make one million euros in funding available for projects at the interface between the liberal arts and schools. Denkwerk is a network of liberal arts scholars, teachers and students who work together on long-term projects. Applications for the current round close on April 30, 2007.

"The dropout rate in the liberal arts in universities shows that prospective students are in urgent need of orientation before they choose their course of study," says Ingrid Wünning, the Head of the Science and Research Department at Robert Bosch Stiftung. Denkwerk aims to introduce students to academic working methods, give them an overview of liberal arts and social science methodologies and subjects, and help them acquire basic skills in project work.

Robert Bosch Stiftung has already sponsored twelve such cooperative projects with total funding of 600,000 euros since 2004. One such project is "Denkwerk Ethnologie – Familie in der Diaspora" ("Denkwerk Ethnology – Families in Diaspora") at the University of Hamburg, in which scholars introduced teachers and students to the methods of ethnological research. The school students developed their own research projects and studied selected aspects of family life, such as their homes, mealtimes, festivals and rituals. They conducted interviews with people who came to Germany from different cultural backgrounds and presented their research results to the public.