Humboldt University Berlin

The sense of agency, the feeling of control over our voluntary actions and their outcomes, stands as a fundamental aspect of the human experience. It represents the inherent phenomenology accompanying one of the most pivotal capacities possessed by living organisms: the ability to effect change in our environments through purposeful, goal-directed behaviour — the very essence of being an agent. Consequently, it comes as no surprise that cognitive scientists from diverse domains have dedicated substantial efforts towards unraveling the underlying cognitive and neural mechanisms that shape this intriguing phenomenon. In this seminar, (1) we will cover the classic papers that have laid the foundation for sense of agency research in experimental psychology, (2) we will discuss and critically evaluate different models and measures of the sense of agency, (3) we will go over sense of agency research involving multiple agents (joint agency and social agency), (4) and finally, we will discuss sense of agency and AI (“synthetic agency”).

Survivors of trauma often only have fragmented memories of the overwhelming event. With its discontinuous form, its division into individual panels, some critics argue, graphic narrative may be particularly suited for representing the experiences and perspectives of traumatized people. In the course, we will investigate this connection, focusing on texts such as Fun Home, One! Hundred! Demons!, Maus, and others.

This course takes its title from a series of letters and papers that Dietrich Bonhoeffer composed while imprisoned in Berlin from 1943-1945. The theological questions posed by Bonhoeffer in these personal letters will set the tone for this course, as well as its overall aims. Specifically, those aims are to identify and to critically assess a variety of challenges that have been posed against religious thought and belief by the rapid development of secular culture and its rising influence in the modern, Western world. In doing so, this course will explore a wide range of political, social, and personal/existential ideas and provocations that theologians, philosophers, and religious thinkers have been made to confront in this “world come of age”.

The focus of the seminar is the concept of reconstruction in the field of architecture and urban development, an essential term when dealing with loss and destruction in historical urban structures. In addition to the decision or debate between monument preservation and new planning, the course also discusses the crucial role of political, social and identity authorities in these design processes. By reading theoretical and official texts, analyzing international case studies and visiting Berlin case studies, students gain insights into the diversity of theories and methodological approaches to reconstruction in modern and contemporary architectural practice and monument preservation.

The Swiss author Johanna Spyri created one of the world's most famous children's book characters with Heidi's Years of Apprenticeship and Traveling (1880) and Heidi Can Use What She Has Learned (1881). To date, the Heidi novels have been translated into around 50 languages and repeated, among other things. Adapted as a film, (animated) series, comic, musical and radio play. Most recently, in May 2023, the Johanna Spyri Archive and the Heidi Archive were added to the UNESCO World Documentary Heritage, which lists cultural-historical artifacts of global importance. Using the example of auditory adaptations of the first Heidi volume, the seminar provides an insight into the analysis of children's audio media. Audio books and radio plays are available that deal with the story of the cheerful orphan girl and span from the 1950s to the present. The audio media are discussed from aesthetic and narrative points of view as well as with regard to content transformations. The starting point of the seminar is the reading of Spyr'is Heidi's years of teaching and traveling.

Hate crimes are on the rise, and so is support for political violence. Because of their subjugating and oppressing nature, bias-motivated offenses are generally viewed as different in their effects. Compared to their non-bias-motivated counterparts, hate crimes strike thrice. First, by targeting the immediate victim; second, by sending a “message” to the victim’s perceived community; and third, by calling into question an open societies’ commitment to inclusion, equity and tolerance. As such, hate crimes pose a serious threat to democratic ideals and to the complex challenge of maintaining and strengthening a peaceful coexistence. In this seminar, we will explore the contextual drivers of hate crimes through a quantitative lens. By examining the existing literature, we will investigate the impact of various social, economic, political, and institutional factors on the frequency and prevalence of hate crimes. In addition to exploring the causes of hate crimes, we will critically examine strategies aimed at preventing these acts. In addition to theoretical knowledge, this course emphasizes practical experience. We will engage with common datasets, learn about relevant research designs and replicate existing studies. 

Discos, clubs, and raves have been focal points for the development of new and distinctive musical and cultural practices over the past four decades. More recently, they have also become the subject of much scholarly research. This course introduces key themes, theories, and scenes of electronic dance music. Particular emphasis is given to the intersection of music, identity, and history. Other themes that will arise include genre, dance and embodiment, musical form, place, and underground/mainstream interactions.

In this class we will read Aristotle's Categories and discuss it in detail. The Categories is one of the most influential texts in the history of European philosophy. Yet it is far from clear what Aristotle is trying to achieve in the work and even what kind of a work it is. In particular, the Categories intermingles metaphysical and linguistic questions and claims in a strange way. For that reason, its main claim has been seen as an antiplatonic metaphysical theories and as a metaphysically neutral theory in philosophy of language about terms. The central questions in this class will be: To what extent does the Categories present a metaphysical theory? How is this theory related to the claims in the text about linguistic expressions? We will read current research on these matters and discuss the text of the Categories intensively.

From the Enlightenment up to the present Berlin has been a preferred home for poets, novelists, playwrights, journalists and creative writers of any kind. Their stories and visions are not only represented but shaped by the idea of the city. This course includes selected works of literature (and some works of visual art as well) written in different periods in Berlin. The works are contextualized by the dynamic and multilayered history of the city and are connected to the urban spaces of today. Excursions, readings and discussions help students gain insight into the rich cultural history and the current discourses in and about Berlin.

This course offers an overview of Israel's political and social structure from an urban perspective. The course is divided into three main chapters. The first chapter, "Political and Social Foundations in Israel," will deal with the political system in Israel, particularly emphasizing the local government; and with the main social divisions that underlie this system. The second chapter, "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict," will present the history and geography of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while referring to critical and institutional theories. The third and main chapter, "Cities in Israel," will present an analysis of politics and society in Israel through various cities in Israel, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, Acre, Nazareth; and peripheral agricultural areas that include the tension between the kibbutzim and the development towns.