Functions and consequences of artificial intelligence
in the science and higher education organization
Innovation analysis and transfer development
Research class led by Prof. Dr. Stefan Kühl, with staff members Bernd Eckstein and Dennis Düllmann, as well as Prof. Dr. Marcel Schütz.
Digitalization processes in organizations
classify and understand
Offer for researchers and early-career researchers
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Four-semester course at Bielefeld University
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Weekly focused text discussions online
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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)
02.02.2026: Das Verhältnis von sozialen und technischen Normen – Zur Frage, ob die Digitalisierung gesellschaftstransformatives Potenzial besitzt. (Mit Gesa Lindemann, Textgrundlage hier).
Gallery | click/swipe
Ein letztes Mal in diesem Semester: Die KIWIT-Research Class – mit der Soziologin Gesa Lindemann von der Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg
Digitalisierung verändert, wie Verhalten gesteuert wird. Eine Arbeit von Gesa Lindemann mit Kolleg:innen zeigt: Immer häufiger übernehmen Technologien Aufgaben, die früher durch soziale Regeln, Verantwortung und Aushandlung geregelt waren. Während soziale Normen auf Interpretation, Moral und menschliche Verantwortung setzen, funktionieren technische Normen über feste Vorgaben, Messwerte und automatische Korrekturen. Am Beispiel moderner Fahrassistenzsysteme wird deutlich, wie Technik Verhalten lenkt, ohne dass jemand bewusst „gegen Regeln verstößt“. Die zentrale Frage ist daher: Was passiert mit Freiheit, Verantwortung und gesellschaftlichen Institutionen, wenn Technik soziale Normen zunehmend ersetzt?
Die ResearchClass wird auch im nächsten Semester fortgesetzt. Für freuen uns über die gute Resonanz und rege Teilnahme in den vergangenen Veranstaltungen. Auch im Sommersemester warten spannende Paper, Studien und Thesen, interessant, brillant oder provokant – wie gewohnt rund um das Thema Digitalisierung und KI in der Welt der Organisationen.
Duration
Winter Semester 2025/2026 – Winter Semester 2027/2028
Schedule
Mondays, 4:15 p.m. (via Zoom)
Seminar Guidelines
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Sessions begin punctually at 4:15 p.m.
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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.
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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.
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The seminar does not follow a formal moderation structure; instead, contributions are organized organically via Zoom’s raise-hand function.
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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.
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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
New Special
Aktualisiert am 17.03.26/jb