University of Kassel
Encyclopedia
The University of Kassel, founded in 1970, is one of the newer universities in the state of Hesse
. The university is in Kassel
, and as of September 2010 has about 18,113 students. There are more than 2,120 staff, including 327 professors, about 900 other academic staff, and about 1,100 technical and administrative staff.
International summer universities, intensive German language courses and orientation programmes for international students make Kassel an intellectually excellent place for studying. At present, students from over 115 countries are enrolled at the University of Kassel.
Each academic year, more than 100 visiting scholars pursue research projects in co-operation with colleagues from the University of Kassel, making a valuable contribution to the academic and cultural life. The newly-built International House is located on the campus. It offers hostels for international guests and is available for meetings, conferences and cultural events.
A special focus of the library is the collection of early medieval manuscripts (over 10.000 in the collection) and early prints (mainly from the personal library of the Landgrafen, who devoted themselves to natural history, natural philosophy, astronomy, astrology and alchemy).
The two most impressive items of the collection are the Hildebrandslied (from c. 830) and the proof copy of the Children's and Household Tales, the famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm (the Kinder - und Hausmärchen der Gebrüder Grimm) (1812/1815), an annotated copy that was chosen as part of the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2005.
The library holds an early medieval text preserved in a manuscript from c.810
, known as the Kassel conversations
(in German: Kasseler Gespräche).
A few of the most important items have been digitized.
Hesse
Hesse or Hessia is both a cultural region of Germany and the name of an individual German state.* The cultural region of Hesse includes both the State of Hesse and the area known as Rhenish Hesse in the neighbouring Rhineland-Palatinate state...
. The university is in Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
, and as of September 2010 has about 18,113 students. There are more than 2,120 staff, including 327 professors, about 900 other academic staff, and about 1,100 technical and administrative staff.
International summer universities, intensive German language courses and orientation programmes for international students make Kassel an intellectually excellent place for studying. At present, students from over 115 countries are enrolled at the University of Kassel.
Each academic year, more than 100 visiting scholars pursue research projects in co-operation with colleagues from the University of Kassel, making a valuable contribution to the academic and cultural life. The newly-built International House is located on the campus. It offers hostels for international guests and is available for meetings, conferences and cultural events.
Schools
A wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate study programmes is offered in the following fields of study. All study programmes are open to German and international students alike. A range of degrees can be obtained, including the traditional German Diplom degrees, Bachelor and Master degrees, the Artistic Examination or a Doctorate:- Natural Sciences
- Engineering Sciences
- Architecture, Urban Planning and Landscape Planning
- International Agriculture and Environmental Protection
- Social Sciences
- Humanities
- Fine Arts
Interdisciplinary Research
Interdisciplinary research is a priority for the University of Kassel. This includes research co-operation and dialogue with research institutions from all over the world. The interdisciplinary research centres and institutes:- Centre for Career and Higher Education Research
- Centre for Environmental Systems Research
- Centre for Interdisciplinary Nanostructure Science and Technology CINSAT
- International Center for Development and Decent Work ICDD
- Institute for Solar Energy Supply Engineering ISET.
Library
The library of the University of Kassel serves as a Library of the State of Hesse (an important function in the German system of libraries). It was formed by merging the Landesbibliothek (founded 1580 be Landgraf Wilhelm IV. of Hesse) and the Murhardsche Bibliothek (founded 1873 by scholar Friedrich Wilhelm August Murhard as a city library).A special focus of the library is the collection of early medieval manuscripts (over 10.000 in the collection) and early prints (mainly from the personal library of the Landgrafen, who devoted themselves to natural history, natural philosophy, astronomy, astrology and alchemy).
The two most impressive items of the collection are the Hildebrandslied (from c. 830) and the proof copy of the Children's and Household Tales, the famous fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm (the Kinder - und Hausmärchen der Gebrüder Grimm) (1812/1815), an annotated copy that was chosen as part of the UNESCO Memory of the World in 2005.
The library holds an early medieval text preserved in a manuscript from c.810
810
Year 810 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Byzantine Empire :* October 1 – A man with a sword makes an attempt on emperor Nicephorus I's life...
, known as the Kassel conversations
Kassel conversations
Kassel conversations is the conventional name of an early medieval text preserved in a manuscript from c.810. It is held today in the university library of Kassel, Germany . It contains several parts, among them an Exhortatio ad plebem christianam, an instructional theological text in Latin...
(in German: Kasseler Gespräche).
A few of the most important items have been digitized.
School of Arts
Two Academy Awards in the area of animation films, plus three nominations, have so far been won by graduates from the Kassel School of Arts.Centre for Environmental Systems Research
Scientists from Kassel have been investigating how Germany can power itself entirely by renewable energy.Scholars at Kassel
- Heinz Bude (professor, sociology)
- Volker BraunVolker BraunVolker Braun is a German writer. His works include Provokation für mich -- a collection of poems written between 1959 and 1964 and published in 1965, a play, Die Kipper , and Das ungezwungne Leben Kasts .-Life:Volker Braun, who worked in...
(Grimm Professor) - Kristian Köchy (professor, focus on bio-ethics)
- Ulrich Kutschera (professor, evolutionary biologist)
- Jan Marco Leimeister (professor, business informatics)
- Winfried Nöth (professor, semiotics)
- Rudolf SchmittRudolf SchmittRudolf Schmitt was a German chemist who together with Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe discovered the Kolbe-Schmitt reaction.-Biography:...
(19th century) - Helmuth Schneider (professor, ancient history)
- Alexander Roßnagel (professor, law with focus on privacy protection and digital economy. Vice president)
Alumni
- Günther Cramer, Entrepreneur (SMA TechnologieSMA Solar TechnologySMA Solar Technology AG is a German solar energy equipment supplier founded in 1981 and based in Niestetal, a suburb of Kassel, Germany. It is the world's largest manufacturer of inverters for solar photovoltaic modules with a revenue of 1.9 billion € and estimated 40% share of the global market in...
) - Klaus Stern (* 1968), filmmaker (Adolf-Grimme-Preis for the documentary film Weltmarktführer)
- Thomas StellmachThomas StellmachThomas Stellmach directed, animated and produced several independent films and received many international awards e.g...
(* 1965), filmmaker ( Academy Award for the animated motion picture QuestQuest (short film)Quest is a 1996 German animated short film directed by Tyron Montgomery, written and produced by Thomas Stellmach at the University of Kassel - Art College...
) - Horst Wackerbarth (* 1950), photo artist
- Barbara WestermannBarbara WestermannBarbara Westermann is a conceptual sculptor living in New York City. She has shown her work widely, including shows at of Brown University, , the , the Museum für Neue Kunst Freiburg in Germany...
, sculptor
See also
- Alumni & Career Service of the University of Kassel
- List of early modern universities in Europe
- Red Brick CompanyRed Brick CompanyThe Red Brick Company is the English Drama Group at the University of Kassel.The Company of student actors gathered in the summer semester of 2006 for the first time. The initiative to start such a drama group came from one lecturer, who came to the university in 2006...
(English language drama group) - Renewable-energy economy
- International Summer University (ISU) KasselInternational Summer University (ISU) KasselInternational Summer University Kassel is a short-term program that is held during the summer season by the University of Kassel every year...
- International Winter University (IWU) KasselInternational Winter University (IWU) KasselInternational Winter University Kassel is a short-term program that is held during the winter season by the University of Kassel every year...