Research class led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kühl, with staff members Bernd Eckstein and Dennis Düllmann, as well as Prof. Dr. Marcel Schütz.

Offer for researchers and early-career researchers

Digitalization processes in organizations
classify and understand

Four-semester course at Bielefeld University
Weekly focused text discussions online
Regular information on texts and authors is provided on this page

In this research class, designed to run over four semesters, approximately 100 key texts on the topic of organization and digitalization are discussed on a weekly basis. The research class is part of the Bielefeld Graduate School in History and Sociology and is embedded in the KIWIT research group. Due to participation from multiple locations, the seminar is conducted online via Zoom.

For each session, all participants read a selected text, which is then discussed jointly. Prior reading is required for meaningful participation. Attendance is flexible, and participants may join any sessions or discussions that are of interest to them. The research seminar is primarily aimed at doctoral researchers at Bielefeld University and its project partners who are actively engaged in relevant research, but it is also open to interested master’s students and advanced bachelor’s students who have already completed the introductory module in organizational sociology. External researchers from other universities as well as other interested participants with a thematic focus are also welcome. Registration with brief information about one’s background and motivation is required (see information below)

22.06.2026: Die Grenzen maschineller Intelligenz“ (S. 261-300) (Gerne natürlich auch mehr lesen) aus Heintz, Bettina (1993): Die Herrschaft der Regel. Frankfurt a.M., New York: Campus.

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Als Entstehungsjahr der 'Künstlichen Intelligenz' wird normalerweise das Jahr 1956 angegeben. Damals trafen sich eine Reihe von zumeist jüngeren Wissenschaftlern auf dem Campus des Dartmouth College und formulierten gemeinsam ein ambitiöses Forschungsprogramm, dem John MacCarthy den Namen Artiflcial Intelligence gab. So will es zumindest die Hagiographie der Künstlichen Intelligenz. Streng genommen müßte man das Entstehungsjahr der Künstlichen Intelligenz aber 20 Jahre vordatieren, ins Jahr 1936, als Alan Turing seine berühmte These formulierte. Mit dieser These hat Turing - ohne es damals freilich zu wissen das theoretische Fundament für die Cognitive Science gelegt. Damals lösten seine Überlegungen allerdings noch keinerlei Aufregung aus. Das änderte sich, als Turings 'Papiermaschine' in den 40er Jahren konkrete Gestalt annahm.

Duration
Winter Semester 2025/2026 – Winter Semester 2027/2028

Schedule
Mondays, 4:15 p.m. (via Zoom)

Seminar Guidelines

Sessions begin punctually at 4:15 p.m.
The KIWIT Research Class, planned as a two-year program, meets weekly during the semester on Mondays from 4:15 to 6:00 p.m. and is conducted online via a consistent Zoom link (provided upon registration). Each session is based on a text that all participants are expected to have read in advance. Participation without prior engagement with the assigned—at times demanding—text is strongly discouraged.
Participants attending for the first time are asked to briefly introduce themselves in the chat, addressing the following points: institutional affiliation, specific interests in the field of digitalization (and, where applicable, artificial intelligence), and current research projects.
The seminar does not follow a formal moderation structure; instead, contributions are organized organically via Zoom’s raise-hand function.
When more than five participants are present (which is typically the case), microphones should remain muted. In sessions with a particularly large number of participants, a small-group discussion phase of approximately 20 minutes may be scheduled to facilitate closer engagement with the text. The guiding questions remain constant: Which arguments are convincing? Where do doubts or unresolved issues remain? During small-group discussions, participants are encouraged to keep their microphones switched on.
If authors of the assigned texts are present, they are kindly asked to refrain from participating in the discussion during the first 60 minutes. This will be followed by an opportunity for extended commentary and reflection.

Registration

Those interested in participating in the Research Class are requested to send an email with brief information about their academic background and motivation to Prof. Dr. Stefan Kühl (stefan.kuehl[at]uni-bielefeld.de). Registered participants will be added to the mailing list

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Offer for researchers and early-career researchers

Digitalization processes in organizations classify and understand

Digitalization processes in organizations
classify and understand