Prof. Dr. Julian Schröter

Im Sommersemester 2026 habe ich ein Forschungsfreisemester und werde von Prof. Dr. Rabea Kleymann vertreten

Upcoming and recent talks or workshops

• Ringvorlesung  (organisiert zusammen mit Erika Thomalla) zu "KI in Buchbranche, Literatur und Literaturwissenschaft mit Vorträgen unter anderem von Ted Underwood, Andrew Piper, Rabea Kleymann und Hannes Bajohr: 
• Fellowship von Ted Underwood mit Lunch Talk am CAS am 13. Mai zum Thema: "Can Language Models Scale Down to Understand Local Context"? https://www.cas.lmu.de/de/veranstaltungen/veranstaltung/lunch-talk-can-language-models-scale-down-to-understand-local-context-792d235f.html Abstract: Researchers have worked hard over the last quarter-century to stretch interpretive disciplines toward larger scales of analysis. Ironically, we are now confronted with a converse problem. The language models increasingly ubiquitous in our lives are typically trained on the largest possible context: almost everything their creators can find. This breadth has value, but models unfortunately turn out to be quite bad at ignoring things. So seeing a social panorama doesn't necessarily give them a human-like ability to focus on one part, understanding that situation from the inside, while tuning out other places, times, and social positions. When models try that, they often produce a caricature that is still seen from the outside. In this lunch talk, I'll discuss various strategies for scaling context down, and also describe a benchmark that aims to tell us whether models have scaled down successfully. About the speaker: https://www.cas.lmu.de/de/personen-am-cas/details/ted-underwood-6ee3cbc5.html 

• Vortrag von Ted Underwood im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung, Thema des Titel des Vortrags:  "AI as a Cultural Technology", am 11. Mai, 18-20 Uhr, Schellingstr. 3, S 006
• Vortrag von Andrew Piper im Rahmen der Ringvorlesung, Titel des Vortrags: When Engineers Tell Tales: "Reading AI Story Generation Evaluation through the Humanities", am 15. Juni, 18-20 Uhr, Zoom)

Recent Interviews

• Interview im Forschungsmagazin 02/2025: KI und Literatur: Die Prosa der Maschinen: https://www.lmu.de/de/die-lmu/struktur/zentrale-universitaetsverwaltung/presse-und-kommunikation-puk/forschungsmagazin/umdenken-02-2025/ki-und-literatur/
• Statement zum Thema: KI in der literaturwissenschaftlichen Forschung: https://www.lmu.de/de/newsroom/newsuebersicht/news/ki-in-der-forschung-entscheidender-faktor-geworden.html
• Interview für dpr zu KI: https://sh1.sendinblue.com/15dad7tcmqv9pfe.html?t=1755688725402. 
• Short statement: "Will AI write bestsellers in the future?" (LMU Series: "What AI can really do"): https://www.lmu.de/en/newsroom/news-overview/news/what-ai-can-really-do.html.

• Profil/Interview LMU Newsroom: https://www.lmu.de/de/newsroom/newsuebersicht/news/das-nicht-gelesene-fassbar-machen.html
• Interview mit dem Magazin "Philtrat" zu KI: https://www.literaturportal-bayern.de/journal?task=lpbblog.default&id=3155.

Links

• GitHub | ORCID | FediHum

Research Focus

• Computational Literary Studies and digital humanities: modeling cultural and literary change 
• Machine learning, large language models, agent based modeling
• German literature: 19th century, prose fiction, canonization
• Literary theory: interpretation theory

Current Activities and Memberships

• DHd-Verband 
• AG Theorie (DHd)
• Cluster of Excellence 3061-1 "Cross-cultural philology": PI: Project: Computational Humanities; Computational Literary Studies; German Studies (PostDoc Researcher: Dr. Keli Du)

• Cluster of Excellence 3061-1 "Cross-cultural philology": Head of the Transversal Perspective II: Digital Humanities – Components and Methods

• Leitungsteam of the class  "Literature", Graduate School Language and Literature (LMU)

• Member of the working group "Scales"/"Maßstäbe" at the Center for Advanced Studies" (CAS, LMU) (2024–2026): https://www.cas.lmu.de/en/programs/cas-research-focuses/scales/.
• IDK Philologie (International Doctorate Programme Philology 2025–2028) (Supervisor/PI), https://www.en.idk-philologie.uni-muenchen.de
• Project Management (PI): "Der Cliffhanger in serieller Journalprosa" (2023–2025), funded by Vogel-Stiftung (Würzburg)
• Project Cooperation with Jana Diesner (PI, Human-Centered Computing, TUM) in the project: Balance Theory in Social Network Analysis.

Short Bio

• 2025 Habilitation, venia legendi in German Literature and Digital Humanities, Universität Würzburg: "Gattung – Medium – Politik: Eine quantitative Geschichte der Novelle im 19. Jahrhundert."
• since April 2023: Professor of digital literary studies, LMU München (Universitätsprofessor/W2 tenure track):
• 2022–2023: Walter-Benjamin Fellow (DFG), School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• 03/2022–07/2022: Walter-Benjamin Fellow (DFG), University of Antwerp (Belgium)
• 2021–2023: Postdoc (Akademischer Rat auf Zeit), Digital Humanties/German literature, Universität Würzburg
• 2020 (summer semester): Deputy of the professorship of Digital Humanities (Professurvertretung), Universität Trier
• 2011–2021: Research associate, Digital Humanities/German Literature, Universität Würzburg
• 2017: Promotion, Universität Würzburg: Theorie der literarischen Selbstdarstellung, awarded with the Promotionspreis der Universität Würzburg und der Unterfränkischen Gedenkjahrstiftung 2018.
• 2011: Magister Artium in German literature and philosophy, Universität Würzburg
• 2005–2006: Civilian service (Zivildienst)
• 2005: Abitur

Team

• Dr. Keli Du (wiss. Mitarbeiter): Projekt "Computational analysis of patterns of canon formation in the European novella tradition" im Exzellenzcluster "Cross-Cultural Philology" (EXC 3061)
• Simon Schkade (wiss. Mitarbeiter)
• Manuela Floßmann (wiss. Mitarbeiterin)
• Franziska Danner (stud. Hilfskraft)
• Sophie Gerger (stud. Hilfskraft)
• Anda Dumitrescu (stud. Hilfskraft)
• Qiana Eisenreich (stud. Hilfskraft)
• Johanna Rottmoser (stud. Hilfskraft)

Guest lecture series "Computational Literary Studies"

• Mark Finlayson (Florida International University): Computational Approaches to Understanding Narrative (May 31st, 2023, 18 Uhr, Schellingstr. 3, R 205)
• Ulrike Henny-Krahmer (Universität Rostock): Amor – historia – costumbres: Romanuntergattungen und digitale Textanalyse am Beispiel hispanoamerikanischer Literatur des 19. Jahrhunderts (February 2nd, 2024, 11 Uhr, Schellingstr. 9, R 116)
• Fotis Jannidis, Steffen Pielström, Leo Konle (Universität Würzburg): Komplexität (June 10th, 2024, 10–12 Uhr (Zoom).
•  Mareike Schumacher (Digital Humanities, Uni Regensburg), June 11, 2025, 11–13 Uhr: "Computational Environmental Humanities: Natur und Biodiversität im literarischen Reisebericht" (Edmund-Rumpler-Str 9, room may change).
• Ulrike Henny-Krahmer (Digital Humanities, Uni Rostock), June 23, 10-12 Uhr: "ArDraCor: zum Aufbau eines argentinischen Dramenkorpus für die Plattform DraCor" (Zoom)
• [abgesagt] Katherine Bode (Australian National University): "How I went from mining to constructing to making literary data", Donnerstag, den 23. Oktober 2025 um 16 Uhr (c.t.) im Raum R U111, Schellingstr. 3 (RG)