English

This course focuses on the The European Union (EU) and how the EU is often accused of suffering from a ‘democratic deficit’.  Students examine how part of this argument is rooted in a notion that the EU is not visible enough in media, and that because of this, European citizens do not have enough information about what the EU does and how it functions to form informed opinions about EU policies and the EU as a system. The course also examines the problematic way in which the EU is presented, with a tendency towards a national and negative focus on European issues. Such arguments about the EU’s presence in the public sphere have become all the more important as the EU has experienced increased contestation over the last decades. How is the EU portrayed and debated in traditional and social media, and how does it matter for the EU’s democratic legitimacy? Students explore these topics and questions through recent literature and analyze empirical examples from different types of media.

In September 2023, 74 works from the 16th to 19th centuries from the Odessa Museum of Western and Eastern Art were brought to Berlin from Ukraine. Since then they have been studied, conserved, re-framed, and prepared for an exhibition starting in January 2025. In January, the Gemäldegalerie will exhibit the paintings removed from Odessa and put them in dialogue with the existing collection in Berlin. This seminar is devoted to the study of the paintings from Odessa and to the consideration of comparable paintings in Berlin, taking advantage of the juxtaposition of the two collections. It reflects upon the fate of works of art during times of war, considering the impact upon artistic and cultural heritage in the Ukraine since the Russian war of aggression. The history of the dispersal of works of art in Berlin in the 20th century provides a comparative history. The exhibition brings to the forefront works of art by important artists that were previously little-known and little-studied: Francesco Granacci, Frans Hals, Bernardo Strozzi, and others.

This course examines intelligent agents, search algorithms, knowledge representation, machine learning, and probabilistic reasoning.

This course examines the art of writing about Hong Kong. Through the use of writing prompts, it introduces students to the different ways of writing about different social and physical environments in Hong Kong. Students will be able to discuss and articulate the feelings, thoughts and experiences evoked by these social and physical environments. They will be able to consider issues such as genre, gender and language use in relation to readership. 

The full-scale Russian war against Ukraine has a fundamental impact on almost every aspect of societal, political, and economic life in all countries of the post-soviet space. While it is yet too early to fully understand and assess the multiple dimensions of this “Zeitenwende”, this course tries to take stock of some of the repercussions visible so far. These analyses not only focus on the present violent dynamic in the region, but also include still relevant legacies of the shared Soviet past as well as the - intended and unintended – changes which shape the future of the societies, the political systems and the geopolitical orientation of the countries directly or indirectly affected by the war. In order to enable a deeper understanding of these complex developments, scholars from the region are invited as co-teachers to (parts of) the seminar. If possible, they also establish (virtual) contacts between student groups in their countries of origin and the participants of the project seminar. It is the aim of these collaborative efforts to look at the ongoing war and its possible consequences from the perspective of the affected populations. One main focus is on Ukraine, but also some of the neighboring countries, such as Georgia, Armenia, Moldova or Kasachstan are taken into consideration. In addition, voices from Russia and, in particular, from Russians who left their home country because they oppose its current regime, are included. Instead of writing “classical” term papers, the participating students collaborate on different formats, such as blog posts, podcasts or even (brief) documentary videos to share their insights with a broader public.

In the 21st century, the world has witnessed the resurgence of several political movements marked by extremism and far-right worldviews. The result is a concerning trend of global democratic backsliding. In this context, political polarization is becoming the norm, dividing opinions in the public sphere. In this course, students analyze the multiple roots of this contemporary phenomenon and its disparate manifestations around the world today. At the theoretical level, students explore a wide range of concepts, such as populism, polarization, far-right ideologies, extremism, fascism, authoritarianism, and conservatism. Students are exposed to different styles of politicians and political movements, including cases in the United States, Europe (e.g., Ireland), Brazil, India, and the Philippines. Students examine forms of government, street protests, and online activism/harassment, giving particular attention to current attacks against women, queer people, immigrants, ethnic minorities, sexual rights, vaccinations, and freedom of speech. Finally, new modes of resistance are discussed.

This course surveys the religious traditions of Japan aimed at identifying and defining the most characteristic aspects of Japanese thought and belief.  It covers religion in pre-historic Japan; Shinto mythology, deities, and worship; the introduction of Buddhism; Esoteric Buddhism and Shugendo; Pure Land, Nichiren and Zen Buddhism; introduction of Christianity and Kakure Kirishitan; folk shamanism, and modern New Religions

This course examines the processes through which meanings of life are formulated and maintained in day-to-day life in societies past and present; it also explores life meaning as a way of comprehending the evolution of human societies. The course uses the concept of "meanings of life" as a window into the anthropological understanding of cultural difference and cultural evolution. 

This course uses the March 2023 Berlin climate referendum as a starting point for an analysis of German energy policy and (geo)politics. It assesses the influence of (geo)political, technological, environmental and other social factors on the development of the German energy mix since the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951. The class traces the rise and fall of nuclear power before and after German reunification; the consequences of the oil shock and the persistence of oil despite the emergence of biofuels; the construction of natural gas pipelines, including Nord Stream; and the marked divergence of solar and wind capacity in the north and south of the country. Questions include: Should the German federal government have responded to widespread anti-nuclear sentiment by phasing out nuclear power ahead of coal? Are biofuels a sustainable substitute for oil? And is the shift to renewable energy in Berlin constrained by the technology or, as supporters of the climate referendum claimed, by a lack of political will?

This course introduces the track on innovative and sustainable regions and sets the ground for the next course on themes. A broad perspective on innovation and sustainability is adopted. Innovation goes beyond creating economic opportunities only and addresses broader issues including quality of life and job opportunities for different types of workers; environmental sustainability and greening of firms and industries; the ability of regions to renew their profiles in response to major crises and to secure their economic development in the long run. Sustainability captures the ability of regions to innovate and renew itself and respond to major shocks (economically sustainable), to be socially inclusive (socially sustainable), and to green their economies (environmentally sustainable).