Film & Media Studies

This course examines the documentary mode in a range of historical contexts from its early history and its relationship with the avant-garde to the current prevalence of documentary in multiple forms and contexts.

This course examines the philosophy and sociology behind television series, as well as the reception of these shows and political and sociological ramifications of TV series, primarily in France and the US. The first part of the course focuses on critical approaches to media, philosophy, social science, and the reception of different forms of media. The second part of the course examines the series THE KILLING, GAME OF THRONES, THE WIRE, THE STATE, FAUDA, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, THE PLOT AGAINST AMERICA, UNBELIEVABLE, MARE OF EASTTOWN, FARGO, and WE OWN THIS CITY. These series are investigated for their philosophical implications of dominance between humans, activism, and reactions to conflict. The final project involves the philosophical and social analysis of a TV series of the student's choice.

This is a hands-on course that invites students to discover and engage with artists who have come to Berlin from abroad. Berlin’s thriving and dynamic arts scene has long drawn theater-makers, writers, actors, poets, musicians, and visual artists from all over the world. This course examines the experience of displacement and dislocation, the challenges of mobility and the demands of integration, but also the positive aspects of finding oneself in a new place and making it one‘s own, establishing a life and finding a community here. In addition to this theory-driven component, students also learn and apply basic journalistic skills as part of a hands-on exploration of the worlds created by these artists from abroad, in Berlin. Finally, students meet and speak with artist guest speakers from a range of fields, in addition to doing a deep dive on the life and work of one artist from abroad, who they profile for their final project.

This workshop studies how to read and analyze journalistic content on economic and social themes in a professional manner. It provides an opportunity to question journalistic expression by analyzing the facts and data it provides, the credibility of the information transmitted, and the meaning of their publication on certain dates and distribution platforms. The course examines quality, balance, and relevance of the sources; tone, rigor, and atmosphere of the expression; precision of the information; point of view of the narration; identification of the news; typology of the publications; analysis of the formats; and platforms of distribution.