Free University of Berlin

The current uncertain times are marked by political upheavals, rapid technological change, and ecological loss and crisis. Yet, this perception of uncertainty is not unique to the present. How have people made sense of the unknown in the past? How have they tried to predict, control, or survive uncertain futures? This seminar explores how individuals, communities, and institutions have historically responded to uncertainty, in North America and beyond. Seminar topics therefore include religious beliefs and prophecies, narratives of destiny and utopia, science and statistics, social planning, bureaucracy and record-keeping, violence and exclusion, art, sports, as well as turns to history itself. Furthermore, the class discusses how historians themselves deal with uncertainty in their work: from gaps in the archives and collective memory, to epistemological questions, biases in historical research, and contested interpretations of the past. Through these themes, students are introduced to the foundational skills of studying history: how to ask critical questions, develop an argument, read primary and secondary sources, and how to write (about) history. A field trip to a local archive offers practical insights into what it means to work as a historian, and the uncertainties that come with it.

This course introduces key economic principles such as trade-offs, opportunity cost, supply and demand, and market structures. Students learn how markets function, how government policies influence economic outcomes, and how macroeconomic indicators like national income and trade shape the global economy. Emphasis is placed on applying economic reasoning to real-world issues and thinking critically about the limits of economic models.

This seminar examines American cities over the past 150 years through major theoretical traditions and empirical themes. It explores housing markets, racial segregation, immigration, suburbanization, gentrification, policing, gender, finance, education, and urban politics. Throughout, it maintains a comparative lens, juxtaposing American patterns with European experiences. The course has two goals. First, to familiarize students with major theoretical frameworks in urban sociology, building a conceptual toolkit for analyzing cities. Second, to develop critical analytical skills through engagement with classic texts and contemporary research.

This course examines the language of, about, and surrounding food. It explores the role of food (and its discursive enactment) in community-building, lifestyles, and the creation of social elites. Other topics include food performances (e.g., cooking and eating shows), dinner talk and socialization, and food and language in the public landscape. Special emphasis lies on the entanglements of language, food, and the digital realm.

This course covers homology, cohomology and applications, CW-complexes, and basic notions of homotopy theory.

This course provides an extended overview of American cultural history ranging from the period of British settlement in the 17th century to contemporary issues in US society. Students read influential texts (speeches, legal documents, essays, etc.) by authors such as John Cotton, Thomas Jefferson, Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King, Betty Friedan, and Ta-Nehisi Coates. Throughout the readings, the class explores public rhetoric as a key factor shaping the cultural trajectory of the United States. After a brief introduction to basic methodologies of cultural analysis, students investigate the rhetorical, structural, and discursive features of the primary texts through close readings. The course explores select representations from the fields of visual culture, art, and film, and a selection of key terms that are essential for understanding the evolution of American public discourse and intellectual history.

In this class on the A2 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. Topics are taken from Berlin and German history and culture and also include politics as well as intercultural topics and current events. The A2 level is split into two consecutive courses, the A2.1 course covers the first half of the level and the A2.2 course covers the second half of the level.

The course explores the relationship between religion and artificial intelligence (AI), examining how AI challenges, complements, and transforms religious beliefs and practices. It covers theological implications, ethical considerations, and the philosophical questions that arise from AI's impact on spirituality, morality, and religious traditions. The course also investigates how religious perspectives can inform the development and use of AI. Students study the anthropological perspective of humans and AI entanglement in the religious sphere, and learn to understand the historical and contemporary interactions between religion and technology. They analyze how AI influences religious beliefs, practices, and institutions, and they critically assess ethical and theological challenges related to AI. Finally, they explore how religious traditions contribute to discussions on AI ethics and morality, and they engage with philosophical questions regarding consciousness, personhood, and the soul in the context of AI.

This seminar examines the historical emergence and theoretical foundations of property and wealth through the combined lenses of sociology and economics. It explores how ownership, inheritance, and taxation have been theorized and institutionalized from early human societies to contemporary capitalism, and how these processes have produced and sustained social inequalities, including gendered disparities.

This seminar investigates how different recent adaptations engage with the classical nostos epic. During the semester, students discuss the following reworkings of Homer’s Odyssey: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen’s film O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), Bernardine Evaristo’s The Emperor’s Babe (2001), Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad (2005), and Amor Towles’s The Lincoln Highway (2021).