Good resolutions for 2019

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The first working week following the Christmas vacation is a good time for New Year’s resolutions. Here are some suggestions from people at LMU. 1. Do more for people in need

Isabel Sophie Oberländer (27) studies art history at LMU, and she travels to foreign countries to help people there. She is now in South Africa, working in a cultural center called Greatmore Studios. The Center is located in a township which the poorest of the poor call home, and local people can use its studios – and are provided with materials and tools – free of charge. Isabel is convinced that artistic creativity is an underused resource which can offer people an escape route from poverty. For the past 5 years, she has worked regularly for a soup kitchen in Munich, serving hot meals to the needy. But she has found it increasingly difficult to make ends meet. The need to take on more part-time jobs to earn a living while studying has also left her with little time for social work. She has now won a Deutschlandstipendium from a local foundation that shares her goal to give something back to society. Read more here 2. Be nicer to others – online too!

Have you ever screamed insults at a stranger? It’s a lot easier to do on the Internet than at the supermarket checkout. – Witness the problem of hate speech online. Most of those who engage in hate speech do not even view it as such. But just because abuse is impersonal does not mean that it is harmless. Sahana Udupa is Professor of Ethnology and Media at LMU, and among the topics she studies is online hate speech, which she views primarily from a non-Eurocentric angle, focusing on the links between digital media use and political participation in India and the Indian diaspora in Europe. 3. Get more exercise

Tobias Müller is a professional free skier and a student of informatics at LMU. Every now and again, he feels the need to leave his comfort zone well and truly behind him: “But I only need to do so when I feel that my motivation level is not what it should be. And when I have made that decision, I plan my approach carefully and set myself achievable intermediate goals that will help me reach my real goal. This makes it easier to overcome the occasional down phase and ensures that I can celebrate my successes along the way.” 4. Make every study session count

When the early trek through the snow to the library is hard going, then the Winter exams are coming up. But take heart: Professor Anne Frenzel has tips on how to make every study session count. She studies the role of the emotions in learning, and she knows that “positive emotions are enormously important”.