Outstanding Master's theses awarded the Nora Platiel Prize

The award ceremony took place in the Senate Hall of the University of Kassel. The Research Association for Social Law and Social Policy (FoSS) awards the prize together with the Verein zur Förderung von Forschung und Wissenstransfer in Sozialrecht und Sozialpolitik e.V. Outstanding Master's and state examination theses in the fields of social policy, social law and social sciences written at the University of Kassel, Fulda University of Applied Sciences or the University of Social Accident Insurance in Bad Hersfeld are honored. The work submitted should be of particular scientific quality and social relevance and combine both. The Nora Platiel Prize is endowed with 2000 euros and is divisible.

Sebastian Niemczyk received the prize for his Master's thesis submitted to the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics entitled "The participation of care home residents in the conclusion of care rate agreements in SGB XI". Subtitle: "An examination from the perspective of democratic legitimation in the case law of the Federal Constitutional Court." Mr. Niemczyk was a student on the cooperative Master's degree course in Social Law and Social Economy (LL.M.). In his thesis, he examines "whether there is a democratic deficit in the conclusion of care rate agreements", which he concludes in the affirmative. On the one hand, care home residents have to pay very high costs for their care, but on the other hand, they can hardly have a say in determining the costs that affect them, an aspect that has a "particular socio-political significance". He sees this as confirmation that he "also wants to devote himself to the problems of care insurance in the future."

"Contemporary art in the eyes of laypeople. A typology of lay reception of contemporary art using the example of the reception of a work by Taring Padi at documenta fifteen" is the title of Mira Bickert's (M.A.) Master's thesis in Sociology submitted to the Faculty of Social Sciences. She conducted 18 interviews with art amateurs who visit art exhibitions with varying degrees of frequency. The aim was to describe, interpret and evaluate the controversial works by Taring Padi at documenta fifteen. Ms. Bickert was particularly pleased that "this prize ascribes socio-political relevance to the hitherto barely researched perspectives of non-professionally involved viewers on contemporary art."

The prize is named after the lawyer and social democrat Nora-Platiel (1896-1979). After living in exile in Paris and Zurich, she returned to Germany in 1949 and settled in Kassel. Here she worked at the regional court and the higher regional court and became Kassel's first female regional court director. From 1954 to 1966, she was a member of the state parliament for the SPD and deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group for several years. She earned a reputation as the "best speaker in parliament". In the 1960s, Nora Platiel was also involved in the visual arts in Kassel, including as a member of the Documenta Council. She was regarded as the socio-political conscience of Kassel's cultural committees.

Contact:
Katharina Weyrich M.Sc. PH
Coordinator Research Network for Social Law and Social Policy (FoSS)
Tel.: +49561-804-3933
Mail: katharina.weyrich[at]uni-kassel[dot]de
Web.: www.sozialrecht-sozialpolitik.de