English

This course covers Cuban cinema since the creation of the film institute (ICAIC) in 1959. It considers films by Cuban directors, and representations of Cuba by foreign filmmakers and Cuban filmmakers in exile, thus focusing on screenings of Cuba and Cuban topics from multiple viewpoints. Specific aesthetics are studied to contextualize applications of Cuban theoretical texts in relation to imperfect cinema, and the viewer's dialectics. The course explores the effects of non-chronological sequencing and distancing in film; black humour, subjectivity, and alterity; allegorical interpretations leading to censorship; the self and the State, with particular attention to gender and sexuality in relation to law; film autobiography as a genre; auteur cinema; revolution and the creation of the 'new man'; revolutionary national identity 2 and marginality; and diaspora, exile and inner exile, among other topics. Overall, this module studies film as a political medium across modern and postmodern contexts, using theoretical texts and key films to illustrate pivotal turning points in socio-historical contexts specific to Cuba and the impact of its 1959 revolution on all aspects of public and private life.

Human immunity plays an important role in biological defense and the control of various diseases, and this course covers the specific role and function of immune cells. In addition, this course covers the application principles of vaccine development, cancer treatment, and organ transplantation using immunomodulation. In addition, various experimental techniques that are essential in immunology are introduced to promote a broad understanding of applied immunology. 

Topics include Immunological strategies against various infections, Infectious diseases: pathological response and therapeutic options, Vaccine development and practical applications, Immunodeficiency diseases, Hypersensitive responses/allergy, Atopic diseases and practical application, Transplantation and adaptive immunity, Technical advancement in transplantation, Tumor immunology, Immunotherapy for cancer, Autoimmunity and autoimmune diseases.  

This course explores the dynamic landscape of global social movements, taking Berlin as a focal point and lens to analyze broader international trends. Students engage with theories and case studies that illustrate how social movements emerge, evolve, and impact societies, especially in contexts marked by globalization, migration, and socio-political change. Berlin’s rich history as a hub for activism provides an ideal backdrop for examining the intersections of local and transnational movements. During the semester, students explore the complex historical and contemporary dynamics of social movements in and beyond Germany. Presenting different approaches of studies of collective action, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of the multiple contemporary social movements shaping our contemporary world, and it will highlight their contribution for the democratization of the world in which we currently live. Each class will connect a theoretical discussion on collective action with a case of a specific social movement, especially with cases from Berlin history with global entangled connections. The first section of the course is composed of theoretical texts with three different approaches to social movements: contentious politics, new social movements and dynamics approach. From the understanding of these perspectives, the students are able to navigate the different analyses discussed in the following sections and the case studies throughout the course. Next, the class focuses on the ways global social movements produce resistance, concrete utopias and position themselves in anticolonial and postcolonial struggles. By discussing these concepts, the students gain an understanding of social movements as an entry point to apprehend a society in a more comprehensive way. The third part of the course focuses on discussions of contemporary social movements and what their studies bring to understanding political action, their possibilities, their limits, their contributions to democratization in Germany and around the world. Students discuss the cases of feminism, climate justice, queer and trans liberation, housing and other social movements. Throughout the course, students are able to develop critical thinking skills, gain historical knowledge, and engage in interdisciplinary analysis on social movements. By examining the German colonial past, anti-colonial resistance movements, and decolonial theories, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the complexities surrounding this area of studies and the struggles for social justice and democratization in and beyond the Berlin context.

This course explores the diverse cultures, practices, and geographies of activism with a focus on France and Paris. Through lectures, workshops, site visits, and films, students engage with the ways individuals and collectives resist systems of domination, claim rights, and imagine alternative futures. It examines the theories and practices that shape activism, ranging from ecological and feminist struggles to LGBTQIA+ movements, artistic interventions, and festive forms of protest. By combining conceptual readings with experiential learning, the course emphasizes both critical reflection and direct engagement. Students map sites of power and resistance, participate in workshops, analyze cultural artifacts, and debate pressing issues of social justice. Throughout, they develop tools to understand activism not only as political action but also as a cultural practice that reshapes identities, communities, and public space.

This course explores a variety of both qualitative and quantitative social science research to develop the skills for explaining causal mechanism in political phenomena. In particular, the class focuses on the logic of scientific inference, research design and measurement. This course also explores the uses and abuses of statistical reasoning in social and political studies. Students learn the basic rules of data analysis and the logic of statistical inference. It is a prerequisite for Research Methods B, which covers more advanced statistical techniques and research methods.

This course introduces the general technical/methodological requirements, problems/challenges, and application possibilities of brain-computer interfacing. Besides attending lectures, in which course participants are provided with basic relevant knowledge by local BCI researchers, students study seminal papers of recent BCI work. Further, discuss the pros and cons of different functional brain imaging methods employed for BCIs as well as ethical implications and future directions. The practical part of this course includes a demonstration of an fNIRS-BCI experiment. At a later stage of the course, students perform an fNIRS-BCI experiment themselves.

This course explores the complex connections between religion and human rights, both in terms of the evolution of the contemporary human rights regime, and in relation to the specific disputed issue of gender. The relationship between religion and human rights is controversial and contested. On the one hand is the claim that human rights require a religious grounding. This course explores the complex connections between religion and human rights, both in terms of the evolution of the contemporary human rights regime, and in relation to the specific disputed issue of gender, and have their antecedents in religious traditions, while on the other hand is the view that human rights provide a necessary antidote to the prejudices and inequalities that are characteristic of religion. The course begins with a consideration of contemporary understandings of human rights, of the role of religion in the evolution of the language, values and norms of human rights, and of contemporary debates about orientalism, colonialism and post-colonialism in the articulation and implementation of human rights. The second section considers debates about the nature and politics of gender, the role that different religions play in the construction and maintenance of gender norms, and the manner in which different religions deal with the issue of women’s rights.

This course explores current issues in the study of modernity and colonialism and their connection to music in East Asia. The early twentieth century has fostered a growing interest in the critical examination of the relationship between music and society, with scholars focusing on postcolonial issues concerning Japanese and other imperial projects, exploring their influence on music and the dynamics of colonial collaboration and negotiation across the region. Through an extensive review of existing literature, this course aims to deepen our understanding of the cultural and musical aspects of colonialism and its ambiguous relationship with modernity.

This course addresses issues surrounding the Climate Emergency and Net Zero in the renewable and sustainable energy field, with an introduction to existing energy demand and provision in the UK and globally. This involves various energy technologies, resources and devices introduced to meet the potential energy gaps and mix for future demand and supplies.

The course presents a general view of the current scientific understanding of the Universe with its components, including basic notions on its physical and observational fundaments. It teaching methdology includes lectures, tutoring sessions, and study of the night at an astronomic observatory.