Our teaching philosophy

"The goal of instruction is the end of instruction, that is to say, invention. Invention is the only true intellectual act, the only act of intelligence. The rest? Copying, cheating, reproduction, laziness, convention, battle, sleep. Only discovery awakens. Only invention proves that one truly thinks what one thinks, whatever that may be. I think therefore I invent, I invent therefore I think". (Michel Serres)

We offer courses on all levels of education in the field Psychology, Organizational Psychology and Organizational Studies

Our teaching and learning philosophy is based on principles developed in the field of Organizational Psychology:

Experiential learning: students are encouraged to start with their own personal and professional experiences to explore and understand conceptualizations and to guide them in trying out new ideas and actions.
Interactive teaching: classes are organized around interaction and dialogue, where students share and exchange their questions and understandings.
Reflexive and critical knowledge production: theories and research results are not just presented as given but knowledge development is articulated from different epistemological positions and we encourage students to understand the social, ethical and political consequences of certain knowledge positions.
Aesthetic and visual approach: We encourage our teachers to go beyond the usual powerpoint approach, and to work with various media and forms of learning, such as movies, role play, theatre, visualization, drawing, etc.
Embodied practicing: Learning is an embodied practice and thus not limited to a rational model of a passive learner but it accommodates to all the senses through which learning can become effectuated.

Further readings on our approaches and experiences with different learning approaches:

Chris Steyaert and Simon Grand, “Inventive pedagogy and aesthetic practices: Embodying learning”, MPP LEADS, 2009, 12, pp. 20-21.
Chris Steyaert, “Enacting urban ethnographies of artistic interventions in the entrepreneurial city”, In: T. Beyes, A. Deuflhard and S-T Krempl (eds.), ParCITYpate - Artistic interventions and Urban Space, Sulgen, Niggli, 2009, pp. 382-465.
Pascal Dey and Chris Steyaert, “The troubadours of knowledge: Passion and invention in management education”, Organization, 2007, 14(3), 437-461.
Chris Steyaert und Pascal Dey, “Ein Spaziergang durch die Stadt – Überlegungen zur Neuorientierung von Management-Lehre im Urbanen Context”, In: D. Libeskind, S. Spoun, T. Beyes and H. Keller (eds), Die Stadt als Perspektive. Zur Gestaltung und Theorie urbaner Visionen. Berlin: Hatje Cantz, 2006, pp. 260-269.