History

This course presents original feminist texts from the first and second wave of the women's movement in a historiographical perspective. The course familiarizes students with traditions of modern feminist thought that are central to feminist theory. The course explores the scientific relevance of feminist texts in terms of their critique of culture, politics, and knowledge, and introduces students to the efforts made by feminist scholars to systematize these texts in a critical tradition of its own. Notions such as canon-formation and historiography are introduced by making reference to second-wave feminism. Special emphasis is placed on the idea of which criteria of selection are adopted in order to define certain texts as "feminist classics" and to assess their relevance, especially for the so-called "third feminist wave."
 

This course offers a study of the Spanish Golden Age. Topics include: the Modern Age and the history of Spain; novels of Captain Alatriste; Habsburg Spain and the Spanish monarchy; government and institutions; society and privilege; society and marginalization; women and their image in the Golden Age; Madrid, court of the Habsburgs; Culture and art-- from the Renaissance to the Baroque; culture and society-- education; written culture-- books, reading, and writing; culture and spectacle-- the theater in the Golden Age.

Through case studies, this course explores the port city and the 'maritime world' in Asia. It introduces the history of China's maritime world with a focus on the challenges it faced through encroachment by Western imperial powers. This course also examines Asia's colonial port cities, including Calcutta and Singapore, as sites of Western influence and modernization and also as sites of local resistance and transformation. 

The years from the founding of the republic in 1919 to the National Socialists' seizure of power in 1933 are among the most politically and artistically eventful in German history. While the young Weimar Republic initially struggled with start-up and legitimization problems, culture experienced a period of prosperity that has lost none of its fascination to this day. Expressionist film, Bauhaus, New Objectivity, and epic theater are just some of the cultural achievements of the Weimar Republic. However, the Golden Twenties came to an abrupt end due to the world economic crisis, which led to the collapse of the republic, which was to bring the National Socialists to power in 1933 and meant the end of all diversity. Using historical sources, various art forms, and scientific presentations, the seminar provides an overview of central aspects of the politics and culture of the Weimar Republic. Starting with an examination of the political background of the founding of the republic, the course deals with the above-mentioned aspects and social phenomena such as the "new woman" type.

This course offers a study of the history of Barcelona between the 13th and 18th centuries with a focus on common people and their daily activity.