Free University of Berlin

Indigenous people have inhabited the North American continent for thousands of years. Using primary sources from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous authors, this course examines the experiences of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples in what is now termed Canada and places particular focus on the construction of Indigenous identity in settler colonial society. Foregrounding Indigenous resistance and agency, the course explores societal structures, Indigenous economies, and interactions between First Nations and settlers, beginning with the period before contact with European settlers and continuing through Canadian Confederation. Themes include treaty-making, theories of settler colonialism, the Indian Act, Indian Status and its impact on Indigenous women, and the movement for Truth and Reconciliation (TRC).

The course introduces the basics of the European Union and describes and explains the processes of widening and deepening of this unique political entity. An overview of European Union history, its evolution in economic and political terms, as well as of its institutional structure up to today is provided. Internal politics and policies, for example the decision-making process, the balance of power, identity and democratic questions in this new system of governance, are discussed. Likewise in the realm of external affairs, the Common Foreign and Security Policy, relations with neighbors and with developing countries is a main focus of the course. Particularly important aspects include the discussion on future expansion as well as the consequences of the financial crisis and the Lisbon Treaty. The morning sessions consist of lectures, literature-based discussions, and oral presentations from working groups. Students visit various institutions in Germany`s political center as a component of this course. Students have the chance to discuss the topics from the morning sessions with international experts from political institutions, embassies, and think tanks.

This course seeks to take a closer look at PRIDE AND PREJUDICE in order to analyze the novel's complexities, its narrative art, its negotiations of ideological problems, and the contextual issues it addresses either directly or indirectly. The course’s attention then shifts to another novel by Jane Austen, MANSFIELD PARK, a book that appears to form the starkest possible contrast to PRIDE AND PREJUDICE but is just as sophisticated, or possibly even more so. The seminar is designed not simply to teach Jane Austen but also to provide a practical guide to literary criticism. There is a strong focus on the nitty-gritty of the business of interpretation. The course therefore digresses frequently from the novels themselves in order to discuss the fundamental problems involved in understanding literary texts.

This course explores the visual arts in Central Europe, with strong emphasis on German art in particular, from the rise of modernism circa 1900 to postmodernism and up to the present day. The course studies individual works, critiquing and analyzing their formal structure, style, technique, and iconography. Students consider the intentions of the artists who created the works, and place the works within their wider historical, political, economic, social, and cultural backgrounds. Additionally, the course brings awareness to the international development of visual arts in western Europe, including development in the United States during the second half of the 20th century. The course also introduces students to major philosophical ideas of the period and the methods which art historians have found appropriate in studying the objects and ideas which constitute their discipline. Berlin houses some of the most splendid art collections in the world, such as the Neue Nationalgalerie, the Hamburger Bahnhof (with the Friedrich Christian Flick Collection), the Kupferstichkabinett (Graphic Arts), the Brücke-Museum, and the Bauhaus-Archiv, not to mention the collections of ancient art. In addition, a vibrant scene of art galleries provides new perspectives on contemporary art that has not yet been established in the museums. An essential approach of the course is to work not only with slides and text sources in class but also with the originals during excursions to different museums.

The course examines the issues of intercultural competence, cultural identity, and cultural diversity in European business context. Various case studies are considered from strategic, organizational, and marketing perspectives. The course enhances understanding of the high variety of European business cultures and explores the corresponding variety of management and marketing styles. Special attention is paid to the present burning economic issues of the European Union, business ethics, and the standards of corporate social responsibility as well as to the challenging aspects of managing diversity and multicultural team development. Ethnically diverse markets are viewed as rich opportunities which ethnic communities offer. Companies in different parts of Europe are subject to analysis, including their efforts to work successfully across borders. Students are involved in a process of self-reflection through learning about the different stages of cultural assimilation in a European business environment.

This course invites students to explore and critically reflect upon the current state of German cinema since the year 2000 in a European context. The course is divided into two segments: the first introduces students to historical, cultural and critical paradigms pertaining to the current situation of European cinema; the second focuses on films produced in Germany. The course addresses film and authorship; art cinema and popular cinema; the concept of national cinema and world cinema; the formation of history, memory, and cultural identity in film; film production; and film culture. Students are introduced to a number of key German and European films from the last two decades. They acquire knowledge of theoretical discourses and critical concepts relevant to understanding and appreciating formal aspects of European cinema, and to examining contemporary German films in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. Film screenings are part of the course.

With the divide between mass culture and high art disappearing, popular culture has become a prolific field of study. This seminar considers the many facets and dimensions of pop culture, including its cultural history and the possibilities hidden within what is often assumed to be nothing more than entertainment. Some of the topics addressed are popular culture’s reflection of discourse, its capability of criticizing or affirming the status quo, and the various modes of ideology within. The course covers all relevant pop culture representations: film, television, comic books, fiction, music, paintings etc. and discusses their significance within the historical frame of reference as well as their international social impact. Secondary texts introduce a range of theoretical perspectives through which pop culture may be explored, analyzed, questioned, and understood. The course also discusses the function of pop culture in the public sphere, its representations in texts, images, and music.