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CRC 1646

Campus der Universität Bielefeld
© Universität Bielefeld

First Summer School on Linguistic Creativity 2025

We are delighted to announce that the first summer school on linguistic creativity will be taking place at Bielefeld University between July 21st and 25th, 2025. The summer school offers a variety of both theoretical and hands-on workshops that pertain to the research foci investigated in Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 1646: “Linguistic creativity in communication”). The summer school is directed at early career researchers (doctoral researchers & postdocs). Participants in the summer school will have the unique opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions on creativity-related topics across linguistic subfields, while also acquiring proper training on different methods of data collection and analysis. The language of instruction is English! The participation is free of charge.

The summer school programme is organised as (morning) workshops, (afternoon) working groups, and (evening) social events. These sessions are designed to foster both academic exchange and networking in a relaxed, collaborative environment. 

Workshops

Group of students sitting and talking to each other
© Universität Bielefeld

There will be three kinds of workshop types: Theory Workshops, Method Workshops, and Workshops on Fundamentals. Theoretical workshops will discuss topics of creativity in syntax, semantics, and interaction. Method workshops will focus on the practical aspects of conducting research by providing hands-on training on data collection and analysis. The three Theory Workshops run parallel on Monday and Tuesday mornings, followed by the three Method Workshops running parallel on Wednesday and Thursday mornings. Workshops on Fundamentals will be taught on the last day of the summer school, and will also run in parallel. In these workshops, participants will receive training on practical research skills, such as data visualisation and verbal protocols.

Theory Workshops
(Monday & Tuesday)

Methods Workshops
(Wednesday & Thursday)

Fundamentals Workshops
(Friday)

A: Creativity in Syntax
Lecturer: tba

B: Creativity in Semantics
LecturerBob van Tiel (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

C: Individual Differences and Processes in Creative Language Use
Lecturer: tba

A: Corpus Analysis
Lecturer: Nils Reiter (Köln University)

B: Acceptability Judgements
LecturerThomas Weskott (Göttingen University)

C: Methods for Multimodal Creativity Research
LecturerHans Rutger Bosker (Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen)

Course Title: 
Visualisation in R: The Grammar of Graphics
LecturerElen LeFoll (Köln University)

Course Title: 
Verbal Protocols and Introspection
LecturerLena Heine (Bochum University)

Working Groups

The summer school offers afternoon working group sessions where participants can present their current research and receive valuable feedback. Attendees in the working groups will have the opportunity to keep up to date with recent work on creativity and engage in fruitful discussions.

Each day includes two 45-minute working sessions slots in groups of 10 to 15 participants. The working groups will be assigned based on similar research topics or methods. Presenters will have 20-30 minutes to introduce their work, followed by feedback and discussion.

While presentations are optional, we strongly encourage early-career researchers to take advantage of this opportunity. If you would like to present your work and receive feedback, please indicate this in your application. Details on how to present your work can be found under the application process section.

Social Events

Group of students sitting on campus
© Universität Bielefeld

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, as the adage goes, and we certainly want to avoid this! To ensure your experience will be both informative and also enjoyable, our summer school's evening programme is full of social events, like Biergarten outings, a board game evening, and so on where you can continue your morning discussions in a more relaxed atmosphere and get to know better your fellow participants.

Join us for both stimulating exchanges and memorable experiences! 

When and Where

  • Date: July 21 – 25, 2025
  • Location: University of Bielefeld, Germany
  • Format: in-person event consisting of lectures and workshops
  • Language of instruction: English
  • Costs: free entry (application necessary)

Important Dates

  • Applications Submission: April 15May 4, 2025
  • Notification: May 15, 2025
  • Summer School: July 21 - 25, 2025

To participate in the summer school, you need to apply via our Online Application Form (opens April 15, 2025). Please have the the following information and documents prepared:

  • Motivation statement on why you are interested in the School of Creativity. This could include sharing with us: How does your research align with our program?, Which specific skills or knowledge do you hope to gain from the summer school? Etc.
  • Three Keywords related to your research (e.g., linguistic subfield, research topics, methods, etc.).
  • Workshop Preferences (one Theory, one Method and one Fundamentals Workshop)
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV)
  • Abstract (Optional): If you would like to present your research, submit a short abstract of your work (max. 500 words, excluding references) related to the summer school topics.

Please do not send us any documents via email, but upload them in the respective folders in the online application process.

The Summer School Committee will review applications and select participants, if necessary, based on demand exceeding capacity. You will be notified of the decision by May 15th. We look forward to welcoming you to the summer school!

The Summer School runs from Monday to Friday, with Friday afternoon left for easier travel. A detailed programme will be made available closer to the event.

For workshops and speakers, please refer to above.

Map of Campus of University Bielefeld
Map of Campus

The Summer School is held on the campus of University Bielefeld. All activities will be in building X (number 14 on the map above).

For navigation, please use: 
Bielefeld University
Universitätsstraße 25
D-33615 Bielefeld


Directions:

  • by train:
    You can reach Bielefeld by long-distance trains and regional trains. They will take you to the mainstation, Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof.
    From Bielefeld Hauptbahnhof take tram line 4 in the direction of Lohmannshof to the stop Universität (journey time 7 minutes; every 10 mins).
    For the timetable for your time of arrival, check here
     
  • by car:
    From the north:
    Motorway A2: Exit Bi-Ost, Detmolder Str. direction Zentrum (6 km, approx. 10 min). Way via Kreuzstr., Oberntorwall, Stapenhorststr., Kurt-Schumacher-Str. (is signposted).

    From the south:
    Motorway A2: At the Bielefeld junction, take the A33 towards Bi-Zentrum, exit at Bi-Zentrum, follow the signs to the city centre on Ostwestfalendamm (B61), exit at Universität, follow Stapenhorststr., Kurt-Schumacher-Str. (is signposted).
     
  • by plane:
    Closest airports are Düsseldorf (190 km from Bielefeld), Dortmund (110km from Bielefeld), Hanover (110 km from Bielefeld), Cologne-Bonn (200 km from Bielefeld) and Frankfurt am Main (320 km from Bielefeld). All of them can be reached (with mostly only one change) by train. For more details, click here 

Participants are expected to arrange their own accommodation.

However, here are some options for you to consider which are all in the city and easily reachable by public transport:

The venue of the summer school is barrier-free. Do you need mobility assistance on the day of the event? Please do not hesitate to contact us.

There is also an app available helping you navigate around campus with maximised accessibility: UniMaps

Please note that there will be no childcare provided by us.

For Visa Letter Requests and any questions concerning Visa, please contact crc1646-rtg@uni-bielefeld.de.

If you have any questions or require further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us: crc1646-rtg@uni-bielefeld.de

Organising Commitee

  • Carola de Beer

  • Mariya Hristova

  • Birgit Kohn

  • Maryam Mohammadi

  • Panagiota Rassia

  • Julia Settinieri

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