English

This course introduces the analysis of political processes in well-established democracies. It focuses particularly on the topics of mass political behavior in contemporary democracies (such as voting participation, protest, and vote choice) and the impact of electoral, legislative, and executive institutions on policy outcomes. One of the central goals in the course is to evaluate whether the quality of political representation in contemporary democracies is as high as it could/should be and to come up with ways to improve it. Students are expected to become familiar with important theoretical arguments in the study of mass behavior, political institutions, and representation in advanced democracies; to be able to assess whether these arguments are supported by systematic empirical evidence; and to apply knowledge learned in the course to understand current political events and trends in democratic nations across the world. 

This course explores the contents and use of country reports produced by private and public institutions including the structure and framework of the reports. It discusses the measurement and analysis of development and evaluation as well as the categories and metrics used in writing a country report.  

This course is an introduction to the principles of physical exercise, with a focus on understanding how the body moves and responds to exercise, how performance can be measured, and how fitness can be developed and maintained to optimize health. Particular emphasis will be placed on the debunking of common myths about exercise, and offering evidence-based advice on the benefits of appropriate physical activity.

The course focuses on the fundamental principles of effective manipulation and visualization of data. It covers the key steps of a data analytics pipeline, starting with formulation of a data science problem, going through manipulation and visualization of data, and, finally, creating actionable insights. The topics covered include methods for data cleaning and transformation, manipulation of data using tabular data structures, relational database models, structured query languages (e.g. SQL), processing of various human-readable data formats (e.g. JSON and XML), data visualization methods for explanatory data analysis, using various statistical plots such as histograms and boxplots, data visualization plots for time series data, multivariate data, and graph data visualization methods.

The course considers how "things" enter into and mediate everyday social relations and practices. Students consider all aspects of the social life of things, from design and production through use, consumption, and everyday practices. This allows them to address a range of long-standing theoretical and political concerns within sociology such as the role of objects and materiality in social life; social organizations of objects and exchange, such as consumer culture; design, technology, and innovation; and the socio-political status of "everyday life" itself. At the same time, there is a strong methodological emphasis: not just how do we study objects in everyday life, but how might such studies impact on social research more generally.

In this studio course students will be introduced to fundamental pattern making methods through an applied 3D- 2D developmental process. 

This course explores the profound connection between music and migration in shaping Berlin's diverse cultural scene. Focusing on key historical events, it unveils the complex factors influencing Berlin's music evolution. The city's history of attracting global artists, notably during periods of political upheaval, commenced with forced migrations in the 1930s and 1940s. The post-World War II era and the Berlin Wall's construction in 1961 further shaped the city's cultural dynamics, while the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 marked a pivotal moment, drawing a new wave of musicians and contributing to the city's globalized music scene. Electronic music thrived in the 1990s, utilizing abandoned industrial spaces for iconic techno parties. Contemporary migrations significantly enrich Berlin's musical influences, leading to hybrid music forms. World music, fusion, and cross-genre collaborations are prevalent, showcasing Berlin's reputation as a creative haven attracting musicians seeking an open environment, with clubs and venues fostering community and collaboration. The seminar series includes participation in the Fête de la Musique, offering students a real-world glimpse into Berlin's dynamic music scene. This festival becomes a platform for student projects, allowing them to analyze performances, interview musicians, and explore the festival's role in promoting cultural diversity in Berlin's music landscape.

This course examines the historical evolution of Singapore as a global city-state against the contexts of global changes and developments from the 14th to the 21st century. The course is open to all students interested in Singapore studies.

This course is an interdisciplinary study of how societies and different generations respond to the invention of the piano. Students learn the social history of the piano throughout the past three centuries, canvassing a wide array of performers, composers, supporters, manufacturers, heroes, politicians, teachers and students. Various expressions of ideologies from differing periods eventually revolutionized and effectuated the versatility of the piano, shaping a legacy which led to the globalization of the piano, including China. Students learn through lectures, readings, discussions, listening, playing, and attend piano recitals and masterclasses.

This course focuses on three German-language thinkers of global influence: Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud. Students encounter some of the main ideas of each thinker, including the understanding of history as class struggle (Marx), the philosophy of language and the death of God (Nietzsche), and the idea of the unconscious (Freud). Further thinkers working in these traditions (for example: Rosa Luxemburg, Sarah Kofman, Herbert Marcuse, Melanie Klein, Erich Fromm) may also be considered. German studies students study the German-language texts in the original language.