English

The course examines the social, cultural, and political dimensions of migration and cultural diversity in contemporary societies. Students explore how intercultural interaction shapes identities, communities, and public policies while developing a deeper understanding of intercultural coexistence.

The course examines predictive and prescriptive analytics through mathematical modeling and machine learning. Students develop models to forecast outcomes, optimize resource allocation, and support data-driven decision-making, using techniques such as linear regression, decision trees, and Python programming.

The course examines creativity and authorship in Spanish cinema from the silent era to the present, exploring aesthetic, industrial, political, and cultural dimensions of filmmaking. Through film theory, case studies, and creative projects, students analyze auteur theory, censorship, gender, regional cinemas, digital media, and contemporary trends in Spanish film.

From the intensifying assaults on abortion rights in the United States to the targeting of LGBTQIA+ communities and the racialized policing of bodies, gender and sexuality remain key sites of cultural and political struggle. In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and amid escalating far-right attacks on healthcare access, trans rights, and gender-affirming care, the lecture series “Gender, Sexuality, Power: Critical Perspectives on the US and Beyond” examines how gendered and sexual norms continue to shape public life. The series brings together researchers from the Free University Berlin and international colleagues whose work advances current debates in Gender, Sexuality, and Queer Studies. Approaching the topic from a wide range of disciplinary perspectives, the speakers trace how power has been organized through gender and sexuality, both historically and in the current political moment.

This course introduces Geology and covers the essentials of the discipline as follows: crystals and minerals; igneous and metamorphic rocks; structural geology; mineral deposits and economic geology; paleontology; the interpretation of geological maps. A three-day field trip to the Western Cape serves as an introduction to field geology. DP requirements: An average of 30% in all marked classwork and tests. Assessment: Class tests count 35%; field reports count 15%; one 2-hour theory examination written in November counts 50%. A subminimum of 40% is required in the theory examination paper.

This course provides a conceptual and practical introduction to modern empirical methods used in economics and finance. It begins by discussing how empirical research questions are developed, the role of descriptive analysis, and the distinction between correlation and causation. The course then introduces causality, experiments, and the challenges of identification using observational data. Building on this foundation, the course covers core empirical strategies widely used in applied research, including instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, matching and weighting methods, synthetic control, and regression discontinuity designs. The latter part of the course focuses on assessing empirical credibility through robustness checks, falsification tests, sensitivity analysis, and external validity, as well as deepening interpretation through treatment heterogeneity and mechanism analysis. Throughout the course, students engage with influential empirical papers to understand how leading researchers design and defend empirical studies in practice.

This introductory course in economics focuses on the major economic issues and phenomena that are routinely encountered in daily discussion of events in the media. 

This course explores the debates of how Berlin is viewed through subtopics such as gentrification, inequality, and political polarization (e.g. on environmental and housing policy). Topics include how Berlin is often seen as left-leaning and progressive due to its multicultural image, the nuance of the city's socio-political landscape, the Berlin Wall's legacy shaping socio-economic divides between East and West, and influencing political positions. Students examine the political leanings of the city center and outside the transport boundary, historical changes including the integration of GDR infrastructure and the revival of Prussian heritage, alongside the gentrification of some areas, rising rent prices and the tensions on the role of the market. Students analyze global trends like the rise of far-right movements and neoliberalism rooted partly in historical East-West societal divides and how these conflicts reveal broader debates on societal value(s) and the common good. 

Algebra II provides an introduction to commutative algebra, on which both algebraic geometry and algebraic number theory are built. In fact, commutative algebra provides the tools for local studies in algebraic geometry, much like multivariate calculus is the main tool for local studies in differential geometry. This course closely follows "Introduction to Commutative Algebra" by Atiyah and Macdonald but may be complemented with some additional material, e.g. concerning Gröbner bases.The prerequisite course Algebra I explained the basic notions of algebra: groups, rings, fields, and factor structures, culminating in Galois theory.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale degree program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Students acquire knowledge of medieval art history and develop the skills necessary to familiarize themselves with the artistic production of the period. In particular, they analyze how medieval art is perceived and how it is valued in contemporary culture and in museum and exhibition systems. By the end of the course, students are able to analyze historically the main works of medieval art history and are able to implement specific choices for the knowledge and dissemination of medieval heritage. The first part of the course focuses on the study of artistic phenomena and their development in the medieval age (XII-XV century) and their revival in the contemporary age. The second part focuses on the study of heritage and museum and archive studies and digital heritage, media, and communication. This course addresses state-of-the-art initiatives, as well as challenges and strategic issues, in developing a digital medieval heritage ecosystem within the broader context of an emerging digital culture. Case studies are drawn from Italy and showcase the breadth of innovative ideas in delivering, communicating, interpreting, and transforming cultural heritage content and experiences through multi-modal, multimedia interfaces. Aiming to offer a balanced overview of digital heritage and culture issues and technologies.