Lecture series at UW/H: Human-animal relationships in the focus of ethics!

Lecture series at UW/H: Human-animal relationships in the focus of ethics!

On October 10, 2025, the University of Witten/Herdecke (UW/H) announced the continuation of its public lecture series “Human-Animal Relationship #govegan”. The third edition of the event series begins on October 16, 2025 as part of the winter semester 2025/2026. The aim is to unite different perspectives on animal protection, environmental awareness and ethics and to promote social discourse. Those responsible for the lecture series include Prof. Dr. Jan Ehlers, Vice President for Teaching and Learning, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Theresa Sophie Busse, junior professor of digital health, and Dr. Julia Nitsche, employee at the Chair of Didactics and Educational Research.

The lecture series will cover various subject areas including animal ethics, law, religion, medicine and ecology. A total of ten experts will provide insights that are intended to stimulate critical discourse. Special guests include Martin Rütter, a well-known dog trainer, who will talk about canine body language and species-appropriate living together. Christian Gruber, veterinarian and grief coach, also deals with emotional dealings with the loss of pets. Hanne Winter and Louise Johansen from the Vegetarian Society of Denmark are dedicated to government funding and social support in the plant-based food sector.

Lecture details and access

The lecture takes place every Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is free and accessible live via Twitch. If you attend regularly, a certificate will be issued that can be used for credit as an elective or further training. The lecture series ends on January 29, 2026. Further information can be found on the lecture series website.

The relationship between humans and animals has developed over centuries and is subject to a variety of influences. According to the Federal Agency for Civic Education, such relationships arise from different circumstances and manifest themselves in a variety of ways. Scientific approaches such as archaeozoology help to explore the origins of these relationships, particularly the beginnings of animal domestication.

Ethics and anthropocentricity

One of the central questions in the context of human-animal relationships is ethics. Prof. Kompatscher's contribution addresses interactions between humans and animals in the past and present as well as the power relations that shape these relationships. Artificial boundaries are drawn between “humans” and “animals,” which also include social and moral dimensions. These hierarchies reflect the anthropocentric worldview that shapes many societal beliefs.

Key aspects of the discussion are also the categorization of animals and the associated discrimination, known as speciesism. The interaction between animal protection and people's needs raises the question of the extent to which current conditions in dealing with animals can be changed. Numerous voices are calling for reforms to seriously take animal welfare into account.

Research interests are also changing, particularly due to the reintroduction of wild animals in urban areas. These developments represent new challenges and dimensions of human-animal relationships. The different perspectives become visible through a variety of narratives and emotional connections that influence decisions about how to treat animals. The discourse about human-animal interactions is shaped not only by scientific findings, but also by cultural and social narratives.