German

This course introduces students to modern programming techniques using the Java programming language as an example. The use of object-oriented concepts enables students to quickly work on complex tasks independently. In the practical exercises, students also learn how to use a development environment and a version management system (git) while programming. The programming language used is Java. -Java basics: * Data types, variables, operators, static methods / functions - Object orientation: * Classes and objects * Polymorphism with interfaces * Generics * Implementation inheritance - Java Collections - Error handling - Input / Output - GUI if necessary.

This pre-semester course prepares foreign students for academic study at a German university. The focus is on the improvement of oral and written expression as well as grammar and lexical proficiency. The course covers selected topics on German politics and society within a historical context. In addition, excursions are planned to introduce students to German culture. Students work with cultural topics in everyday situations and broaden their intercultural knowledge. They are introduced to independent learning methods and familiarize themselves with typical learning situations at German universities. In this class at the B2.2/C1 level according to CEFR, students consolidate their knowledge of grammar and study complex structures and do in-depth study of grammatical structures that are typical of academic writing and its application in text production and reception. The course includes exercises to improve oral and written communication such as doing research, structuring, presenting, and discussing. Writing skills are enhanced through different types of academic texts and handouts. Students critically analyze different types of texts and systematically expand their vocabulary (including abstract vocabulary) and stylistic ways of expression.

The course is for students who want to improve their language skills in a practical context and get to know Berlin better. They will discover very different sides of the city: discussing current topics, exploring the Berlin world of media, looking at the city in film and music and dealing with city history and Berlin notabilities. An important aspect will be the real "discovery": Students explore places and neighborhoods during excursions and get into a conversation with Berliners. In addition, students learn to carefully extract and reproduce information from complex reading and listening texts, videos, and conversations. They also train their skills to discuss, present or write on current topics.
 

Towards the end of postmodernism, and at the dawn of the "internet age," thinkers such as Michel de Certeau and Marc Augé developed a conceptual model to describe the rather vague feeling of arbitrariness and interchangeability of space they experienced in modern cities, the idea that the few remaining identifiable "places" in our contemporary urban environments were mere remnants of earlier, culturally inscribed sites, re-manufactured for commercial (touristic) purposes. The vast remaining areas of the city were "non-places" and urban "filaments" that did not provide a sense of belonging. This freed city dwellers to (artistically or otherwise) misappropriate or re-inscribe objects of the urban fabric. In the early 1990s, the term hypermodernism (or supermodernism) was introduced to provide a framework for these observations in fields ranging from philosophy to anthropology and architecture. We will consider this concept and its more recent iterations with respect to new and planned buildings in Berlin (by international firms such as OMA and Herzog & de Meuron), to places of infrastructure (train stations, airports), shopping centers, so-called POPS (privately owned public spaces) and urban wilderness areas. Course participants will be encouraged to explore the city on their own and "respond" to particular sites through visuals, audio recordings, (creative) texts and other forms of artistic expression

Students further expand their listening, reading, speaking and writing skills with authentic texts and communication situations in the fields of everyday life, popular science, culture and society, and literature.

In this bridge class on the A2/B1 level according to CEFR, students learn to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). They study to communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Students work to describe in simple terms aspects of their background, immediate environment, and matters in areas of immediate need. In addition, students learn to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. They deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling to an area where German is spoken. Students learn to produce simple connected texts on topics that are familiar or of personal interest. They acquire skills to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. Topics are taken from Berlin and German history and culture and also include politics as well as intercultural topics and current events.

In the 19th century, the Tibetan Plateau was one of the last so-called "blank spots" on European maps, along with other regions of Central Asia. Due to its strategic position in Central Asia and growing economic interests, developing Tibet became an ambitious goal for many Europeans. The seminar examines in what form and with what motives different interest groups such as missionaries, traders, adventurers, scientists and colonial officials acquired and circulated knowledge about Tibet. Why was certain knowledge considered important? How was the collected knowledge interpreted, used and presented? The aim of the seminar is the methodical introduction of the students to colonial history in Asia and the discussion of the role of the so-calledGreat Game between Great Britain and Russia for supremacy in Central Asia, the effects of which reach into the present.
 

On the basis of historical sources and overviews, this seminar presents the most important German protest movements. While the first part focuses on the great protest movements of the second half of the twentieth century, the second part is devoted to contemporary protest movements. Our special interest is the media support of the protest and the critical questioning of keywords like "Wutbürger".

This course provides a basic background into the current research on Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and its treatment, including cognitive, exposure-based, narrative, and psychodynamic treatment approaches. Students present about the current literature behind a specific treatment method as well as engage in in-class exercises and discussions on the nuances and limitations of different approaches.

Prejudices and stereotypes against different groups are widespread and can lead to discrimination and exclusion. In order to break down prejudices against different groups, it is often suggested that contact and exchange be established between the groups concerned. In this seminar we will deal with the question of whether contact between two groups can actually lead to a reduction in prejudices, which framework conditions are useful for reducing prejudices through contact and what further consequences contact can have for both groups. The topics are developed on the basis of empirical studies and presented, discussed and applied to practical examples in the context of lectures and interactive group work.