research focus CORO

The main focus is in the field of historical disciplines (biblical studies and church history) which joined hands with related disciplines from the Faculty of Philosophy and created Centrum Orbis Orientalis (CORO) – Centre for Semitic and Related Studies. CORO is a scientific institution supported both by Georg-August-Universität and by the Academy of Sciences in Göttingen. Its particular profile consists in its focusing upon the Semitic language family extended over a period of time since the third millennium BC to the present and spread out on large geographical territories. The objective of CORO is to coordinate research and training within Semitic languages and literature and related disciplines in Göttingen, and to extend the interdisciplinary cooperation between studies of antiquity. Its aim is to provide with an organizational platform in order to enable the development and planning of common research projects, the coordination of interdisciplinary courses of studies and an effective support of junior scientists. Moreover, national and international collaborations are to be promoted through CORO. A further task of CORO’s lies in the optimization of the public representation of its scientific branches, among other things by means of appropriate conveying of its work and results to a large audience, in the shape of series of conferences and lectures.

As far as the topics are concerned, CORO deals with the configuration, transformation and interaction of the three most important transmitting ways of the classical and oriental antiquity and of its recollection: religion, politics (including law) and wisdom. The Centre gathers and connects pure research projects, projects regarding the cultural hermeneutic discourse, and projects for training and promoting the junior scientists, which are dedicated to one of the above mentioned fields or to their interaction. At the moment CORO is supporting nine such projects of the Academy and of the University, and further similar projects are scheduled.