Short-term stays

This special type of class is offered once every semester at the beginning of May and at the end of October.

During block week, no regular classes are given and students engage in projects, case studies, management games, or study trips, offering them the opportunity to put knowledge into practice. The courses during the block week should serve to broaden the student's horizons and extend beyond the courses offered in their specific study programmes. The block weeks are conducted by faculty members, as well as German and international guest lecturers.

This specialized week, filled with projects covering a wide spectrum of topics, also serves as an ideal platform to welcome guest lecturers from around the world, fostering values of respect and openness to new perspectives. The collaborative experience in working with small groups (approx. 20 - 25 students) on diverse subjects has yielded consistently positive feedback from both lecturers and students.

The range of courses offeed during block weeks is as diverse as the lecturers themselves, offering the flexibility to choose topics of personal interest. You are also encouraged to propose a course that reflects your home country, such as "The Political Economy of South Africa," or draws comparisons between your country and Germany. Your unique contribution is highly valued in our internationla academic environment.

The lecturers are supposed to hold a full-time class of 30 teaching hours (1 teaching hour has 45 minutes). Please note that we do not expect our lecturers to teach all day – the students can/should be committed to contribute actively e.g. doing group work, research, presentations etc..

The majority of the students participating in a block week seminar will get 2,5 ECTS credits, as the block week is part of their curriculum. 1 ECTS credit is equivalent to a workload of 30 hours (each 45min.), hence 2,5 ECTS credits to 75 hours! Our students are supposed to know this! The students are expected to attend the seminar regularly and the group will remain the same the whole week so that continuous working is possible. There is no final examination, the students will receive a “pass” grade when they attend the seminar regularly.

Our students might expect the timetable as follows. However, feel free to adapt it to your and the students? preference at the beginning of the block week.

• “Navigating the Future: How Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming Learning and Business”
• “Sport Event Entrepreneurship in Aotearca New Zealand: No Risk, No Reward!”
• “Business Applications of Generative AI“
• “Igniting Careers: The Importance of Career Planning and Professional Development"
• “The Poverty Puzzle: Insights from Behavioral Economics”
• “Responsible Business in the New Digital Age: The Potential of the Blockchain for Technology & ESG Investment"
• “The Political Economy of South Africa“
• “Governance, Accountability and Ethics“
• “Conflict Resolution in Business”
• “The Holy Cow calls you now to India!?”
• “Current Trends in Internet Marketing and Social Media”
• “U.S. Business Culture, Risk and the Financial Crisis with Case Studies“
• “Intercultural Communication in the Business World”
• “American Culture in the Global Context”
• “Welfare, Liberty, Equality and Justice in the Economies of Africa”
• “Cross cultural management – including South African perspectives”
• ” International Leadership and Negotiation”
• “Marketing Communication Management”
• “Economic Ethics in Africa”
• “Career Planning and Professional Development”
• “Becoming Global Leaders”
• “Strategy in action (cases)”
• “Sustainable Development in Indonesia”

In general the Bachelor students from different study programs such as International Business Management, Business Law, Social Work etc. have to take two block week seminars during their entire studies, which are part of their currciculum. That entails that the background and the prerequisite the students bring along will be diverse. We ask you to consider that while preparing the class.

Due to a wide range of seminars, national as well as international, they have the free choice. Nevertheless, once registered for a course they have to attend regularly if they want to get a “pass” grade and credits.

All classrooms at our Faculty are fully equipped with the latest multimedia technology (e. g. computer with internet connection, projector, microphone, media containers with notebooks).

Additionally, we can offer three dedicated computer labs, available upon request via the application form. For group work requiring internet access, students can utilize the computer labs or connect their own devices to the university Wi-Fi.

You will receive access to our e-learning platform ILIAS to upload study materials for the students. Alternatively you have the option to send necessary materials such as seminar overviews and PowerPoint presentations in advance. Our staff will ensure these are uploaded to our e-learning platform before your arrival. Please bear in mind that it is not usual to buy special books or case studies for these one-week-seminars.

If required, we can also provide you with designated office space within the Faculty. The room is equipped with a PC and essential office supplies for your convenience. Moreover, you will be provided with Wi-Fi access, allowing you to seamlessly work on your personal devices.

Our aim is to ensure your stay is comfortable and convenient. We're delighted to assist with your accommodation, aiming to place you in our well-received guest house on Caprivi Campus. Former guest lecturers have shared positive experiences, praising its convenient location near lecture rooms and the welcoming atmosphere in common areas.

The guest house offers furnished rooms, a lounge, an equipped kitchen, bathrooms, and a washing machine. While breakfast isn't included, you'll find convenient options at our nearby cafeteria that is open from Monday to Friday on campus and a bakery within walking distance.

Please note that the availability of accommodation options is subject to availability. If the guest house is fully booked, especially during the May block week, we will arrange accommodation in a hotel. Usually, the hotel of choice will be the Vienna House Easy, located near the city centre. Our Campus can be reached by bus or within a 20 minute walk.

As part of your stay, the International Faculty Office arranges a program tailored to our international guest lecturers. Typically, we organize a series of events to facilitate interaction among guest lecturers and to help them become acquainted with both their peers and our own faculty. Examples of these activities include a welcome dinner with the Academic Dean and faculty members and a farewell dinner. Should you be interested, we will also offer a campus tour, a city tour of the historic city center of Osnabrück or other optional activities. Prior to your arrival, you will receive a personalized schedule outlining the details of your stay, which may look like this:  Program International Block Week

The Faculty of Business Managemnent and Social Sciences covers the following expenses:

• accomodation (in our guest house on campus or in a hotel)
• travel expenses (Economy flight, airport shuttle, travel insurance, visa fee) up to 1,500 EUR

For participants from Erasmus partner universities, we may request you to utilize ERASMUS funding for travel expenses and accommodation. Please consult your university's ERASMUS coordinator for further guidance.

Addionally, we will pay

• a renumeration for teaching the block week seminar.
• a daily allowance of 24 EUR per day for a period of up to 10 days

We kindly ask you to complete the application form to specify the topic and content of your planned lecture. As we will share this course description with our students, we encourage you to design it in a manner that attracts their interest, especially through an engaging course title. Additionally, please provide us with your CV, if you have not yet taught in our block week before.

Submissions are due by:

• December 1st for the May block week or
• May 1st for the October block week.

The Faculty's International Commission will review and select the offered topics of our guest lecturers during their December and June session respectively, and we will inform you as soon as a decision was taklen.

Please be aware that we can invite one international guest lecturer per partner university per block week. If multiple lecturers from your university express interest in the same block week, we kindly request your university to conduct an internal selection before submitting an application to us. This procedure facilitates our Commission's selection procedure and ensures a fair and thoughtful selection decision. Therefore, please also check with your university about your internal selection processes.