English

In what ways does gender play a role in our daily lives and in our societies? How are understandings and performances of gender and sexuality shaped by discourses and how do they inflect discourses in turn? How have perceptions of gender been changing and how do they vary across cultures and places? How do material factors and emotions interact with discourses in shaping gender? And, finally, how can gender be approached in a variety of manifestations and connect theory to practice?

The course addresses these and related questions by providing an overview of ‘classical’ and contemporary theorizations of gender as well as looking at some differences in defining gender issues and shaping gender politics. Students look into the history of debate about gender and sexuality, and the key definitions developed by feminist critics. This includes engaging with ways of ‘doing’ femininity and masculinity and constructing gendered identity at the interface of race and sex. Students focus on some contributions of gender theory to the larger field of critical humanities and social sciences. Students are introduced to a variety of materials from texts and film, mass and new media, everyday practices, and international policies, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to working with different types of data.

This course examines ideas of culture, ideology, and hegemony, discourse, media aesthetics, and digital convergence. Class discussions investigate the history of communications techniques, the implication of media in the workings of power in modern societies, the politics of media aesthetics, the role of audiences in shaping media, and the impact of digital technologies. Specific examples are introduced to clarify the main ideas, including the printing press, 19th-century visual entertainments, early and avant garde films, fan-fiction, and computer games.

This studio course examines human-centred design processes to create a multi-dimensional response to a specific brief. Using a human-centred approach, students will negotiate the opportunities and tensions inherent in the design of services and experiences, offering original solutions that explore current paradigms (including the dynamic interplay of production and consumption).

The protection of the global environment has become one of the major challenges of the international system. This course explores the main concepts and principles of international environmental law. It examines how international environmental law has emerged and developed, in particular by emphasizing the role and contribution of international courts and tribunals. The course also deals specifically with the legal regimes that have been shaped in order to preserve the global environment in different fields. With the emergence of the concept of sustainable development, international environmental law is now at the crossroads of different regimes. In this context, the course analyzes the relationship between international environmental law and international trade and/or investment law as well as the relationship between international environmental law and human rights.

This course explores the dynamic, culturally and historically contingent ways in which architecture and urban space are structured along the distinction between what belongs to the protected realm of the private and what is to ‘take place’ in the interpersonal sphere of the public. As the physical and experiential form of the city, it’s buildings and the character of its urban life are deeply influenced by the private/public distinction, it is important to understand these implications not only in theory, but also for urban politics, the practices of urban design and place-making as well as for everyday appropriation.

This course explores strategic approaches to media technology required by advertising and PR professionals in today's rapidly evolving media landscape. This course examines how the digital media market is changing, examines fundamental terms and various strategies in digital communication, and cultivates analytical and problem-solving skills necessary for strategic communication.  

Topics include Advertising and Media Technology, Customer Journey and Advertising, Online Behavioral Advertising, Media Platforms and Advertising (Social Media, Influencer Marketing), VR, AR, and Metaverse, Subscription Economy and Advertising, AI/ML and Advertising, and Big Data Marketing and Privacy.