Felix Glenk has explored the phenomenon of atmosphere as part of a sports sociology seminar.
What defines a positive seminar atmosphere? What internal and external factors shape the subjective experience of atmosphere? Sociologist Felix Glenk has addressed these questions as part of a teaching research project – drawing valuable conclusions for himself and his work.
“There’s always a very special atmosphere.” “Suddenly, the atmosphere felt somehow poisoned.” “The atmosphere during the winning goal in stoppage time was simply electrifying!” – We’re all familiar with the notion of “atmosphere” from everyday language. But trying to define it more precisely can be quite challenging. Most people likely aren’t aware of what characterizes a particular atmosphere or which factors influence it. Although the notion also appears on the evaluation forms students fill out at the end of the semester, it still remains unclear, says Felix Glenk, a doctoral candidate working with Professor Robert Gugutzer at Goethe University’s Faculty of Sports Sciences.
In the natural sciences, however, “atmosphere” is clearly defined: Its composition from the ancient Greek terms atmós (vapor) and sphaīra (sphere or globe) refers, for example, in the earth sciences to the gas envelope surrounding Earth or another planet, or in physics to the unit of pressure. The everyday notion of atmosphere, however, resonates in philosophical aesthetics and phenomenology, as well as in certain areas of art theory and sociology. In aesthetics, it relates to the physical-sensory perception of spatial moods created by elements like light, music, or architecture. In phenomenology, Kiel-based philosopher Hermann Schmitz was formative: He defined atmospheres as semi-things that are not solely perceptible through the classical five senses but are experienced through a sense of feeling. The Frankfurt-based sports sociologist Robert Gugutzer adapted the notion for his field by exploring the context of atmosphere and situation in sports.
Atmosphere as Main and Meta-Topic
During the 2023/24 winter semester, Felix Glenk offered a reading seminar centered around Gugutzer’s newly published book, “Sport als Widerfahrnis: Phänomenologische Erkundungen” [Sport as Experience: Phenomenological Explorations]. As part of a teaching research project, Glenk turned the seminar’s topic into a meta-topic by asking students how they perceived the atmosphere of each session, what factors influenced it, and what their own general mood was during the sessions. “To my knowledge, this level of detail has never been studied in higher education before,” Glenk remarked. He emphasized that he did not claim to have found the ultimate definition of atmosphere, but the students’ responses certainly revealed some new insights for him as an instructor. For instance, he hadn’t realized before that even the instructor’s clothing could impact the atmosphere – a colorful shirt apparently drew attention.
Why should atmosphere even be a subject of study? Felix Glenk has a clear answer to this: “Different atmospheres have different effects on physical well-being and, consequently, on how people act,” he explains. As such, a relaxed yet focused atmosphere can boost productivity, whereas a toxic atmosphere can hinder learning in a seminar. It has also been observed that different individuals can experience the same situation in varying atmospheric ways. This often depends on their emotional state prior to entering the situation; for example, someone who arrived at the seminar feeling rushed might perceive the atmosphere differently than others. “In this sense, instructors need to be aware that they have very limited means of influencing seminar atmospheres,” Glenk notes. “Atmosphere isn’t like a Lego set where you end up with exactly what you planned.”
The Famous Elephant in the Room
Still, Glenk has learned a lot from the responses he received. For one, the mystery of silence following a lecturer’s question in a seminar has been at least partially unraveled. Student feedback clearly showed that this silence is usually not due to poorly phrased questions; rather, participants admitted they hadn’t read the required texts or simply didn’t feel confident enough to speak up. “Of course that’s something you may suspect as an instructor – it’s the famous elephant in the room. However, it takes on a different form of significance when students explicitly share that,” Glenk explains, adding that he has resolved to better explore the causes of such silence in the future and to adjust his own approach accordingly.
Felix Glenk believes it would be quite meaningful to regularly and proactively examine the atmosphere in teaching settings in this precise manner. For now, however, he will focus primarily on his dissertation project, which is centered in the area of competitive dance – and, unsurprisingly, also deals with the topic of atmosphere: “It’s about the atmosphere in formation dance, which plays a particularly significant role there,” explains Glenk, who is himself a competitive dancer.
