Goethe Book Shop Presents an Award to a Graduate of the Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies

(sf) She herself experienced the cooperation and joint study within different generations at Duesseldorf University of Applied Sciences as being “extremely positive and constructive” , as the 51 year old emphasised. No wonder then that she set her master thesis in the context of “intergenerational learning”: Gisela Lenz, graduate of the Department of Social Sciences and Cultural Studies, was presented with an award from the Goethe Book Shop by the manager Wolfgang Teubig on the 19 August in a ceremony in the deanery of the department for her distinguished final thesis on the topic of “The Chances for Intergenerational Learning with the Backdrop of Societal Challenges” .

“A brilliant piece of work! The topic was soundly well-justified and succinctly presented in front of the backdrop of demographic, social-structural and social-cultural change, which has had a decisive influence on generational relationships”, praised the first examiner, Prof Dr Veronika Fischer, for the graduate's dedication which went far beyond the required effort. The qualified social pedagogue not only devoted her efforts to a current topic with a high socio-political relevance. Rather, instead of a “over-aged society”, she sees the opportunity for an “age-integrated society” which can have an enriching effect on children, families and senior citizens, and which involves an active exchange of knowledge and experience, emotional stability and social networks.

For the above-average student achievement and applied expertise the Goethe Book Shop gave its 1500 euro prize for the summer semester 2009 to Gisela Lenz. From 1996 onwards the book shop based in Düsseldorf has presented an award every semester to a graduate for a distinguished final thesis.