European Studies

This course introduces students to the politics and controversies of environmental issues in France and their inter-connections with food and similar politics at the EU and UN levels. The course explores pressing environmental issues facing the country such as GMO politics, food wastage, air pollution, water pollution, species extinction, environmental justice, trade, climate change, and the impact of chemicals on health. The course assesses the nature of problems encountered, and discusses workable solutions for sustainable development in order to avoid a “tragedy of the commons.”

This course reacts to the latest developments in the Central European space in the dynamic process of the European integration. The migration situation since 2015, the threats of terrorism, and the decision of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union within the end of 2019, are largely influencing the political atmosphere in Central European countries. This class examines the interdependence of both the developments of five Central European countries (Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, and Hungary) after the historical changes in 1989, as well as those developments inside the EU caused by the enlargement of the EU into Central Europe. Special attention is paid to the results of the elections to the European Parliament in May 2019 and to the subsequent decisions of the British government.

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.

The UK’s departure from the EU is a historical event, with global political and economic implications. This course gives students a comprehensive understanding of the causes and consequences of Brexit: Why did British people come to this unexpected decision? Will the British economy survive the shock of leaving the EU? Could this be the beginning of the end for the European Union? In the process, students learn about UK and EU politics, economics, and political economy. The course includes team work on multimedia projects, such as a hypothetical campaign for the next country that considers leaving the EU. The course also includes visits to the European Commission’s Representation to the UK and the headquarters of the pro-EU campaign, as well as talks by representatives of organizations on both sides of the Brexit campaign, such as the European Movement and Change Britain.

The course focuses on the evolution of Russia’s federal system after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the nature of center-regional relations in present-day Russia, in the comparative context of post-Soviet Eurasia. The course attends to key institutions, trends, and reforms underpinning the process of regionalization in Russia during the 1990s and the subsequent recentralization during the 2000s. The prism of center-regional relations and federalism provides an additional perspective on the political economy of post-Soviet Russia, including issues such as the nature and extent of social, political, and economic reforms; the importance of structural preconditions and legacies inherited from the Soviet economy; resource-dependence and the politics of energy; and relations between the state and businesses in Russia. 

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.

This course studies the main steps of the French-German reconciliation and cooperation, and their impact on the European construction and transatlantic relations. The emphasis is not only on the bilateral dimension of this relationship, but also on the international one. A large role is given to the post-Cold War era and to the different Franco-German initiatives which came about during the development of the European Union and continued through the failure of the European Constitution. At the heart of this course are the visions and the philosophies which are often quite different of President Macron towards Germany. The course discusses the role of the “Franco-German couple” in the European Union and how the visions and philosophies are often very different in terms of European integration.

This course introduces students to applied collection research in a museum context. It focuses on collection research, including object-based methodologies, archival approaches, participant observation, material culture ethnography, and multispecies perspectives. Throughout, the emphasis is on linking theory with practice across a variety of object-based contexts, and encouraging students to think critically about individual and group contribution. Students learn about production processes to engage with the ethical and interpretative choices underpinning current museological practice, as well as to develop and defend their own curatorial decisions.