ETHICS: Ethics, Art, and Media in the NTA Programme

Ethics, Art, and Media in the NTA Programme

In TUHH’s university-wide Non-technical Courses (NTA) programme, the Institute for Ethics in Technology is responsible for the profiles Ethics and Technology, Art and Technology, and Media and Technology. Through these profiles, we provide a structured humanistic complement to engineering education, equipping students with the critical, cultural, and ethical competencies required in an era of rapid technological transformation.

Our teaching responds to key societal challenges — including artificial intelligence, digitalisation, mediatisation, sustainability, and democratic resilience. We aim to enable future engineers not only to develop innovative technologies, but also to anticipate their societal implications, assess risks and opportunities, and assume responsibility for their long-term impact.

The NTA programme combines analytically rigorous engagement with contemporary debates and foundational introductions to humanistic disciplines. In doing so, it fosters interdisciplinary literacy, ethical reflection, and the ability to navigate complex socio-technical systems.

(Note: Our courses are offered regularly, but not every semester.)

Profile: Ethics in Technology

This profile foregrounds ethical responsibility in technological development. A central concept is Ethics by Design, which integrates ethical reflection into technological systems — such as AI — from the earliest stages of development.

Students engage with questions of responsibility, justice, autonomy, safety, and sustainability, as well as with the societal risks associated with digital infrastructures and artificial intelligence. The profile prepares students to critically evaluate technological innovation and to contribute to responsible, future-oriented design processes.

Ethics and Technology - Bachelor Courses

Ethics and Technology - Bachelor Courses:

Introduction to Autonomous Vehicle Ethics (in German)
Jan Hölzer

Exploring the Altruistic Potential of Careers – A Blue Engineering Seminar (in English)
Burak Bueyuekkaya

The Climate Crisis and the Earth of the Future (in German)
Jacobus Bracker

Ethics and Science (in German)
Dr. Frederik Postelt / Dr. Gunnar Jeremias

Ethics and Technology - Master Courses

Ethics and Technology - Master Courses:

AI, Cognition, and the Philosophy of Mind (in English)
Dr. Jonas Bozenhard

Ethical Innovation and AI (in English)
Dr. Jonas Bozenhard

Political Philosophy: A Matter of Justice (in English)
Leo Meadje

Machine Ethics: Theory, Practice, and Current Debates (in German)
Dr. Oliver Schmidt

Politics and Science (in English)
Dr. Frederik Postelt / Dr. Gunnar Jeremias

Becoming Resilient: Connecting Narratives between Nature and Culture (in German)
Jacobus Bracker

Responsible Action in Technology and Science (in German)
Dr. Mirko Himmel / Dr. Ines Krohn

Profile: Media and Technology

This profile addresses the role of media in shaping technological imaginaries and public discourse. From early image and sound technologies to contemporary digital platforms and immersive environments, students analyse how media both reflect and actively construct socio-technical realities.

Particular emphasis is placed on cinematic and narrative representations of technology and human–machine interaction. These narratives articulate societal hopes, fears, and normative assumptions about technological futures. Students develop the analytical tools necessary to understand how media influence technological perception, public debate, and cultural change.

Media and Technology - Bachelor Courses

Media and Technology - Bachelor Courses:

Stories Beyond Screens: Immersive Narrative Spaces in the Age of Spatial Computing (in German)
Daniela Dinnes

Climate Fiction Cinema: Between Crisis Imagery, Stereotypes, and Knowledge Transfer (in German)
Dr. Oliver Schmidt

Science Fiction Film as a Mirror of Society (in German)
Dr. Oliver Schmidt

Body Horror: Representations of Technology and the Body in Contemporary Horror Film (in German)
Dr. Benjamin Moldenhauer

Societal Challenges in Documentary Film (lecture, in German)
Prof. Thomas Weber

Mediological Analyses of Documentary Films (in German)
Prof. Thomas Weber

Comic Classics: History, Theory, and Analysis of Graphic Literature (in German)
Dr. Gerrit Lungershausen

Media and Technology - Master Courses

Media and Technology - Master Courses:

Culture and Technology: 130 Years of Film History (lecture, in German)
Dr. Oliver Schmidt

Images of Violence: Authenticity and Fiction in the True Crime Genre (in German)
Dr. Benjamin Moldenhauer

Online Course: Film Analysis (in German)
Daniela Dinnes

"What's up, Doc?" Science and Stereotypes in Literature and Film (in English)
Dr. Jennifer Henke

Profile: Art and Technology

This profile examines the reciprocal relationship between artistic practice and technological innovation. It highlights how technological developments reshape aesthetic forms, modes of authorship, and creative processes in architecture, design, and the visual arts.

At the same time, artistic practices are explored as critical laboratories for reflecting on emerging technologies. By analysing digital art, speculative design, and experimental formats, students gain insight into how artistic approaches can challenge technological determinism and open alternative futures.

Art and Technology - Bachelor Courses

Art and Technology - Bachelor Courses:

Digital Art: From Pixels to Paradigms – Technology as a Creative Medium (in German)
Dr. Imke Hofmeister

Well Designed! The Designer as Mediator between Industry and Art (in German)
Dr. Katharina Schmidt-Uhl

Art History: Periods, Genres, Institutions (in German)
Anja Ellenberger

Art and Technology - Master Courses

Art and Technology - Master Courses:

Artificial Intelligence in Art: Tool, Source of Inspiration, or Muse? (in German)
Dr. Imke Hofmeister

Utopian Spaces: Visions of the Future in Art, Architecture, and Design (in German)
Dr. Katharina Schmidt-Uhl

Artistic Research: Creative Methods and Practices of Knowledge Production (in German)
Vera Drebusch

Colonial Heritage and Architecture in Hamburg (in German)
Dr. Jörg Schilling

Hamburg’s Speicherstadt: From Engineering Achievement to World Heritage Site (in German)
Dr. Jörg Schilling

History in Colour: Social Issues from the Middle Ages to the Present (in German)
Dr. Lilian Adlung-Schönheit