Referat Internationalisierung"The level of focus and determination that the students had was impeccable"Interview with Guest Researcher Dr. Julius Hanks from Indiana University

1 May 2023

Photo: UHH

Dr. Julius Hanks from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Office at the School of Education of Indiana University Bloomington, USA, visited the Faculty of Education from April 17 to 19th as part of an ongoing exchange between Universität Hamburg and Indiana University.

Dr. Hanks research ranges from youth sport to career development, as well as the intersections of race and sport, with a particular focus on Black girls and women. Specifically, he focuses on the socio-cultural experiences that contribute to the career path development of youth, women, and ethnic minorities in sport organizations.

During his stay, Dr. Hanks met with both staff from the Universität Hamburg as well as from sports related institutions in Hamburg. The faculty's international office organized meetings with the coordinator for Strategy, Change and Sustainability at FC St.Pauli, the University Sports Center as well as with colleagues from the Hamburger Sportverbund e.V. to give insight into German integration and diversity programs in the sports sector.
Julius Hanks also met with colleagues from Universität Hamburg's project "ProfaLe" to discuss inclusion in teacher professionalization and school practice as well as with the Equal Opportunity Commissioner, the Equal Opportunity Officer and Equal Opportunity Advisor and received an introduction to the project "#UHHhilft", giving him an insight into diversity and inclusion endeavors at the university.

Additionally, he held inputs and guest lectures in Hosay Adina-Sefi's seminar on “School Culture and School Development in a Migration Society" as well as in Dr. Brümmer's seminar on heterogeneity, diversity and differentiation in sports and society, giving the faculty's students an insight into his research and allow the opportunity to compare a new perspective to their own studies.

We asked Julius Hank about his favorite place or activity during his stay and got the following answer:

"My favorite experiences in Hamburg were in the classroom and what I gained from the students’ feedback and experiences. The level of focus and determination that the students had was impeccable. Students were heavily engaged in both the course content as well as lectures that I provided about diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in US higher education systems and my research about Black women’s career pathway in US intercollegiate athletics.

Professor Dr. Ingrid Bahr led a wonderful lecture about teaching quality for physical education students preparing to enter the teacher workforce. Her lecture and activity about deep thinking was such a rich experience to see how deeply invested the students were about ensuring the quality of teaching in physical education.

Students also participated in my lectures and gave me great suggestions for a variety of suggested activities and restaurants. Not a single recommendation let me down. The quality and variety of food was beyond amazing in Hamburg. Having the opportunity to enjoy authentic German, Turkish, and Afghani food was a great experience for me. Food was a cultural experience that allowed me to connect with students who had all sorts of ethnic backgrounds. Food will be a part of my Hamburg experience that I will not forget."

We thank Dr. Hanks for his visit and insight into his research and look forward to a continuing, fruitful exchange with the Indiana University!