English

What is Zionism and in what context did it emerge as an ideology? Who promoted and who opposed it within Jewish communities before the creation of the State of Israel? What are the political, diplomatic, religious and cultural dimensions of Zionism? Is a study of the plurality of Zionism and its internal conflicts possible? Do Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism have anything in common? What happened to Zionism after the creation of Israel? What does it mean to label oneself a Zionist or Anti-Zionist in 1917, 1948 or 1967? What approaches and strategies did Palestinians adopt regarding Zionism? This course is at the intersection of history and political science. It addresses these impassioned and complex questions by reading and discussing primary documents (manifestos, leaflets, diaries, international declarations) and secondary sources each week.

The Zhuangzi 莊子 is an ancient text from the Warring States period (476 – 221 BC) of what is now China. Traditionally ascribed to a single author, Zhuang Zhou, it is now generally regarded as a compilation of many texts, spanning many decades but united by key themes. These themes raise challenges to some fundamental philosophical orthodoxies: the possibility of genuine knowledge, the existence of consistent identifiable standards in morality and reasoning, the power of language to successfully communicate thoughts, the stability of personal identity, even the ontological distinctness of things. This course covers key chapters of this radical and mysterious text and introduces students to some of the philosophical scholarship on it. All texts are read in annotated English translations, but consideration is given to the unique properties of the original language and the difficulties of accurate translation.

This is a special topics course that explores the history of popular music: its significant performers, recordings, performances, and cultural identity, with the focus on the decades of the 1970s and 1980s, the two decades that shaped the "visual era" in pop. Through watching and interpreting videos, students understand the aspects, causes, and effects of these social phenomena. 

This is not a music course, per se, but we will listen to and watch a lot of audio/video material as we consider the effects of popular music on contemporary history, culture, and society. Reading assignments will introduce the distinct musical styles, performers, and works that comprise each genre and a certain time period. While the previous course "Cultural Sociology" offered in Spring 2025 emphasized the social and cultural roles of popular music, this course focuses more on visual, commercial, technological and global aspects, which parallel the social circumstances of the era. 

No prior familiarity with pop music is necessary or assumed, but "Cultural Sociology" (SOCI446) is highly encouraged and recommended. However, all are welcome to enroll if they are willing to put in time and effort. 

This survey course focuses on the political dynamics of populism in contemporary European countries. The course begins by examining how social science researchers define and conceptualize populism, with a focus on identifying its boundaries - what is and is not considered populist.  Despite the widespread use of the term populism, disagreements over its definition and usage, as well as a general lack of clarity surrounding its meaning, hinder our understanding of populist politics and their causes and consequences. The course assesses competing academic definitions, explores subtypes of populism, and evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of existing categorizations. The course addresses a number of key political dynamics and how they relate to populism, including attitudinal change, organizational formation, voting patterns, electoral performance, and protest and riot behavior.  We explore theorized causes such as economic downturns, political competition, migration, inter-cultural group tensions, global trends, and international relations.  In addition to examining its causes, the course studies the effects of populism, including its impact on democratic institutions, inter-group relations, and international relations. 

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.