Thematic expertise

Our directors of studies have proven expertise in the following areas:

Systemic sustainability highlights the complex interrelationships of the Earth system, promotes an awareness of the importance and urgency of sustainable development and strengthens decision-making and action competences. The staff of the EAO offer specific expertise in the ecological, social and economic dimensions of sustainability, education for sustainable development, everyday actions and sustainability, earth system science.

The staff of the EAO has expertise in the history of European integration, European values, European institutions and their functioning, law, economics, defence, cross-border mobility, current problems and challenges (in particular populism and nationalism, migration, youth unemployment, enlargement policy) and approaches to solutions (Europe of freedom, Europe of solidarity, Europe of citizens). This includes various models of integration. The focus is on the European Union and the Council of Europe, but other organisations (such as NATO, EFTA, OSCE or OECD) are also covered, thematically.

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International politics refers to cooperation between states or between states and non-state actors in direct intergovernmental relations and in international organisations. Our expertise lies in the area of multilateral international organizations (especially European organizations and the United Nations) as well as in the area of intergovernmental relations (especially between Germany or the EU and the USA / Canada / Transatlantic Relations, Russia, Franco-German relations and the Weimar Triangle).

Development policy takes the political, social, cultural, ecological and economic dimensions of development into account and understands development as a complex, interdependent problem in the relationship between the countries of the Global South and the Global North. The expertise of our staff lies in the areas of global development cooperation and Agenda 2030 / Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Intercultural communication refers to any form of communication against different cultural backgrounds.  The EAO offers expertise in the fields of stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination, cultural identity, cultural theory, intercultural learning and cultural simulation.

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Rhetorical communication is communication aimed at joint action, through comprehensible information (clarifying) and convincing argumentation (arguing) in conversation and speech. Our understanding of rhetoric is therefore an alternative to rhetoric that conceals, manipulates and whitewashes. Our staff are experts in rhetoric, language criticism, visualization and methodology as well as rhetoric on various political topics (inclusion, sustainability, populism, group-based misanthropy, etc.).

Sustainability communication deals with the question of how to communicate the complex topic of sustainability and all related areas in such a way that a change in thinking and thus a change towards global sustainable development is made possible. The expertise of our study management includes the following areas of sustainability communication: communication strategies and optimization, (corporate) communication in the digital environment, presentation of complex topics, concept development for social media, sustainability as part of identity/image.