Community Building – Cultural Participation & Placekeeping
The University of Applied Sciences Potsdam (FHP), Wayne State University Detroit (WSU), and the College for Creative Studies (CCS) are jointly developing an international online course on cultural participation and placekeeping, the preservation of places and communities, in post-industrial spaces.
- Wayne State University Detroit (WSU)
- College for Creative Studies (CCS)
- Talking Dolls Gallery, Detroit
Overview
The project Community Building – Cultural Participation & Placekeeping connects University of Applied Sciences Potsdam, Wayne State University, and the College for Creative Studies in Detroit through a joint international teaching initiative. The aim is to develop an interdisciplinary online course that explores cultural participation, everyday practices of communities in diverse neighborhoods, and their relationship to space in post-industrial contexts.
A central component of the project is a joint Detroit Summer School, where students from the participating universities collaborate with local initiatives on site. They apply ethnographic methods such as (sound) mapping, go-alongs, and urban sketching. The experiences, materials, and perspectives generated there will form the foundation for a long-term digital teaching program.
In addition, during the preparation and follow-up of the Detroit Summer School and the joint online course, a seminar will be offered in the summer semester 2026 in the Cultural Work study program titled: "Everyday Life and Cultural Participation in Communities: Cultural Heritage, Music and Placekeeping."
Goals
The aim of the project is to establish international teaching in the field of cultural participation, placekeeping, and migration with a strong connection to practical fields on a long-term basis. To achieve this, a joint online teaching format will be developed that combines theoretical foundations with artistic, ethnographic, and practice-oriented methods.
At the same time, the project serves as a platform for transatlantic exchange between universities, students, and practice partners, creating the foundation for long-term, structural collaboration.
Measures
Digital collaboration right from the start
Even before the Summer Shool, teachers from both universities and the Talking Dolls Gallery 's practice partner work together in digital coordination meetings and develop the curriculum together. The technical infrastructure is set up in parallel: Learning platforms such as Moodle, online workspaces with Zoom and Miro boards as well as cloud solutions are being set up. The teaching and learning material consists of English-language texts on cultural participation and placekeeping, ethnographic methods, Design Thinking approaches and practical tasks. The accompanying preparatory seminar in the summer semester 2026 introduces the Potsdam students to the subject area and provides initial practical exercises with audio recording devices and drawing sketch pads.
Summer School Detroit - Learning on site
From the 9th to the 17th of May 2026, Detroit will become an international classroom: 20 students from the FHP and WSU/CCS will work in three interdisciplinary groups, supervised by mixed teaching and practice teams. They are investigating forms of cultural participation in the Campau / Banglatown / Hamtramck neighbourhoods, the role of cultural heritage in community (urban) gardening or in music venues, as well as examples of placekeeping through migration. They will try out methods such as sound maps, urban sketching, mapping, oral history and archive work. Together with local partners, they explore the city, talk to contemporary witnesses and analyse practical examples of cultural work. The project will conclude with a public presentation and exhibition in the Talking Dolls Gallery, where the results will be shared and discussed with the local community and potential partners.
Establishing and anchoring partnerships
The students visit potential practice partners such as Sadza Space, Submerge and foundations such as the Kresge Arts Foundation. They learn about the work of these institutions in workshops, neighbourhood tours and action days. The Talking Dolls Gallery serves as a central point of contact, provides infrastructure and arranges contacts with other partners. At the same time, the accompanying Vice-President for Teaching and Learning, Prof. Dr Tobias Schröder, is holding strategic talks with the WSU Executive Board about microcredentials, scaling the partnership and research collaborations.
Documentation and curricular anchoring
A team of students and teachers will document all activities of the summer school: visits, discussions, activities and the presentation day. After the Summer School, the results will be compiled into a curriculum for the Joint Online Course in two online coordination meetings with teachers and practice partners. A graduate assistant will provide support with the organisation and create online documentation, which will be published on the websites of the participating institutions, for example. The course will be offered on a permanent basis from summer semester 2027.
