Free University of Berlin

Islam has become the subject of public debates and discourses in the Western World as well as a core research topic within various disciplines in the social sciences. This course takes a closer look at Muslims and Islam in Europe and tries to analyze and discuss the present condition of Muslims living in Europe from a socio-anthropological perspective. In order to do so, Islam is first introduced from a general perspective; students also visit a representative mosque in Berlin. The first sessions of the course provide an overview of theories of cultural difference and secularism. Having this theoretical lens in mind, the following sessions look at various public discourses regarding Islam and Muslims in Europe. Here issues such as Muslim-state relations, gender, policies, and religious practices of Muslims in Europe are examined and accompanied by a critical analysis of certain public controversies concerning Islam.

The sex/gender system, like many social systems of categorization, serves to group individuals. It represents an act of dividing, i.e. categorizing individuals as male or female; yet it also, paradoxically and simultaneously, connects individuals through shared membership in a category. This course on gender and women's studies in a European context focuses on the boundary—that which both divides and unites. Sexed and gendered boundaries are investigated between bodies, communities, cultures, classes, races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and nations. The course begins by examining the way sex/gender boundaries are mapped onto the body; this includes the history of sex differences within scientific discourses, transsexual and transgender definitions, and attempts to control women's health and reproduction. The second unit analyzes conceptualizations of citizenship as practices of drawing boundaries, and how these boundaries intersect, connect, and prohibit. Students look at the gendered ideals of citizenship, the history of women's rights, and intersectionality between different types of marginalization. In considering definitions of nationhood and belonging, students consider how boundaries can connect individuals in solidarity, as well separate out others. The final unit investigates the boundary between the public and the private in an investigation of women, migration, and work, as well as so-called women's work, including sex work and domestic work. This course uses statistics, history, political and social sciences, filmic representations, news reports, essays, medical texts, and biographies to conduct the interdisciplinary investigation. The guiding approach is one of transnational feminism, which seeks to find solidarity between women by understanding and embracing their differences. Ultimately, the analysis of a multiplicity of subject positions and histories reveals the overall instability of the sex/gender system. For example, something that one culture views as inherently masculine may be viewed as inherently feminine in another. Therefore, this transcultural examination helps to understand the socially constructed nature of a system that is often viewed as natural, unchanging, and stable.

Europe encompasses the world’s largest and most complicated market. Recent events, particularly those following the ongoing economic crisis on the continent, raise profound questions about the future of Europe. This course focuses on present and future business issues facing the entire continent. Under this focus, the course examines the following questions: Should a “European” management style be developed instead of the national practices that frequently characterize companies originating in different European nations? How and under what circumstances should the European Union expand to Turkey, Ukraine, and other countries in the East? What has been the impact of the Treaty of Lisbon, in effect since 2009, on European economic, political, and social issues? In order to provide essential background and context for these issues, the course also reviews key events in modern European History. The course utilizes a variety of approaches, including small-group study, lectures, and case-study analysis, to develop a comprehensive understanding of European business. On virtual excursions to different districts of Berlin, the course studies how European and German history have influenced the economic development of this magnificent international capital and the course investigates the impact Berlin has in turn had on European business management. The course also features guest speakers on different topics in business and society in the European context.

The course covers the variety of cinematic representations of National Socialism and the Holocaust, including an overview of the different filmic approaches used to represent and refer to the Third Reich. Students examine the most intense cinematic production phase of German history, which is the time between Hitler’s coming to power in 1933 and the end of the Second World War in 1945. Students examine movies by filmmakers such as Riefenstahl and Steinhoff, who created propaganda films glorifying the Nazi movement, as well as movies by Chaplin and Lubitsch who sought to fight the Nazi regime with satirical strategies. Students then analyze the equally wide spectrum of movie production after 1945. Some of the films discussed include: TRIUMPH OF THE WILL, TO BE OR NOT TO BE, SHOAH, SCHINDLER'S LIST, TRAIN OF LIFE, and INGLOURIOUS BASTARDS. Assessment is based on participation in working groups and a final exam.