Adult education centre events in December 2020
VHS@home - Online events
Tuesday, 1 December, 7.30 to 9 p.m.
Conspiracy theories: Characteristics - Functions - Consequences
Online participation: free
After registering at www.vhs-chemnitz.de you will receive an access link by e-mail.
Conspiracy theories are currently on everyone's lips and seem to be everywhere. But what actually constitutes a conspiracy theory and why do people believe in them? Have conspiracy theories increased in recent years or have they just become more visible thanks to the internet? Are they slowly returning to the centre of society? And why are they so widespread among supporters of the new populist movements? Is this dangerous for our democracy and what can be done about it?
Using current and historical examples, Prof Michael Butter's lecture will provide an introduction to the nature and impact of conspiracy thinking.
Michael Butter is Professor of American Literary and Cultural History at the University of Tübingen. He studied English, German and history in Freiburg, Norwich and Yale, obtained his doctorate in Bonn in 2007 and habilitated in Freiburg in 2012. He coordinates a European network for research into conspiracy theories, in which over 150 academics from 36 countries are involved. In March 2018, Edition Suhrkamp published "Nichts ist, wie es scheint: Über Verschwörungstheorien".
This event is part of the series "vhs.wissen live - the digital science programme" as a cooperation between the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre and the Erding and SüdOst Adult Education Centres in the district of Munich.
Tuesday, 15 December, 7.30 to 9 p.m.
Journalism instead of panic - the special task and responsibility of the media in special times
Online participation: free
After registering at www.vhs-chemnitz.de you will receive an access link by e-mail.
News programmes such as Tagesschau and newspapers such as SZ are in demand, especially in times of crisis. At the same time, conspiracy theorists and extremists are using every opportunity to spread their radical messages via the Internet with the aim of dividing society. The best antidote to this is credible, level-headed reporting in the media, where journalists struggle to be truthful every day. With the aim of providing the best possible information in accordance with recognised quality standards.
Georg Mascolo heads the research co-operation between Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, for which Lena Kampf reports as a journalist from Berlin.
This event is part of the series "vhs.wissen live - the digital science programme" as a cooperation between the Chemnitz adult education centre and the adult education centres in the Erding district and SüdOst in the Munich district as well as the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Current information at www.vhs-chemnitz.de.