Team > MA Christoph Koch
MA Christoph Koch
Fakultät für Biologie, Chemie und Geowissenschaften
Lehrstuhl für geographische Entwicklungsforschung
Biography
| 2016 - 2017 | research fellow in didactics of Geography (financed by Qualitätsoffensive Lehrerbildung) at the University of Bayreuth |
| 2012 - 2016 | research assistant at the Chair of Development Studies in Geography at the University of Bayreuth |
| 2011 - 2012 | research assistant at the Chair of Development Studies in Geography at the University of Bayreuth |
| 2010 - 2013 | project assistant supervised by Prof. Dr. Beate Lohnert financed by the German Research Foundation (DFG) „Financing housing for urban marginalized groups and potentials of microfinancing for sustainable slum restoration – the case of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania“ with a special focus at the impact on debtors’ social networks. |
| 2010 | Second State Examination for secondary schools – teaching degree for geography, economics / law / business informatics |
| 2008 - 2010 | educational clerkship for secondary school |
2008 | Magister Artium in geography and economic sciences thesis: Risk – Perspectives for research at Uncertainty (supervised by Prof. Dr. Fred Krüger) |
| 2008 | First State Examination for secondary schools – teaching degree for geography, economics / law / business informatics |
| 2005 - 2008 | University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) major subjects: geography, economic sciences |
| 2004 - 2005 | University Tübingen (EKU) major subjects: geography, (economic sciences), theology |
| 2002 - 2004 | University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) major subjects: geography, economic sciences |
| 2001 - 2002 | internship in a project in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya working especially with street children and youth in workshops |
Presentations
- Workshop-Organisation: Microfinance in Eastafrica
- Outline of the workshop (pdf-file)
Fakultät für Biologie, Chemie und Geowissenschaften
Lehrstuhl für geographische Entwicklungsforschung
Major fields of research and interest:
- geography of development
- urban studies
- resilience-, vulnerability- and risk concepts
- networks and social capital
- migration studies
- street children in developing countries
- geography and its didactics
- informal and formal education systems
- global learning and intercultural learning
Regional foci
- eastern and southern Africa
- Franconia
- The Alps
Teaching
- cartography (several groups and terms)
- field project „Stuttgart 21“ (together with Regina Fein)
- seminar Didactics for Geography I for trainee teachers
- seminar human geography (together with Fabian Schwarz)
- study project: Migration in Upper Franconia (together with Fabian Schwarz)
- exam preparation course for trainee teachers in human geography
- Urban development in Africa for students in GEFA
- …
Dissertation project
Social capital relations within microfinance groups
- abstract: Research Project – Financial strategies of marginalized urban inhabitants and potentials of microfinance in sub-Saharan Africa
- focal point: (negative and positive) impacts on social capital (DFG 2010-2013)
- target group: financially excluded from saving-and-credit-groups (DFG 2014-2015)
Social capital is a pivotal issue for the livelihood strategies of marginalized inhabitants in urban areas in Africa. Microloans have an impact on social capital (as shown in the hitherto research). Additionally missing social and human capital can be a crucial access barrier for potential microfinance clients. The aim of the project is to analyse the complexity between social capital, access to microcredit as well as livelihood strategies from a socio-economic point of view. As yet microloans were analysed as strategy for improved housing. Moreover the social coherence in the tension-filled area between trust, peer monitoring and peer pressure was explored within multiple formal and informal microcredit groups (please see report for further details). The prolongation of the project shall expand the findings by outsiders' perspectives. Target group will be persons who are (voluntary or marginalized) not in any credit group. These financially excluded will be traced and interviewed, to analyse their point of view on microfinance supply. In the established research areas present facilities for formal and informal loans are already known. Main objective is to detect why some inhabitants do not become members in microfinance groups - although several possibilities for microloans are nearby - and how social capital influences this condition.
Graduation topic: Risk – Perspectives for Research at Uncertainty
Risk and threats touch various areas of life and academic faculties. Depending on the point of view (e.g. natural or human science) varied focuses, ways of explanation and definitions are chosen. Some are presented here with the aim to differentiate similar notions and concepts of selected approaches (not only risk in distinction to danger). At the same time a positive definition of risk is given by listing characteristic features. Approaches to analyze moments of decision, risk and vulnerability processes and the perception of hazards are compiled.
All together the survey of approaches enables social argumentation tracks and attitudes towards risk to be observed and comprehended. Such way it is possible to communicate in spite of the various perspectives. Geographic approaches can mediate between the single sciences and they take up other findings. That is why there is a focus on them.
Several illustrations and boxes as well as an annotated bibliography complete the paper.
Fakultät für Biologie, Chemie und Geowissenschaften
Lehrstuhl für geographische Entwicklungsforschung
MA Christoph Koch
E-mail: christoph.koch@uni-bayreuth.de