Sociology

This course discusses the strategies and dynamics of incorporation of underlying educational strategies towards indigenous peoples within Mexico from the Aztecs to the present through an anthropological and sociological lens. Topics include: the role of education within indigenous communities; the cultural impact of educational campaigns by the Mexican State; the current status of intercultural and bilingual education. 

This course provides an opportunity to observe and analyze people’s conduct and/or language usage in contemporary Japanese society. As one approach to examining these issues, the course introduces the basics of qualitative research methods, allowing students to see the world more critically and deeply. Using these methods, students will be expected to design and conduct a group research project, investigating socio-cultural aspects of Japanese everyday life. 

This course discusses some central empirical and theoretical questions in the field. It begins by examining classic comparative debates about the relationship between the development of states and nations on the one hand, and the rise of capitalism and democracy on the other. The course examines the impact that social cleavages have on parties, elections and other political institutions in a number of different countries. It also examines the strength and political impact of both labor movements and other important social movements. Additionally, the course examines why similar countries can develop very different social and economic policies. In addition students examine some of the founding writings of Marx and Weber and critically assess the use of political concepts. Throughout the course students consider some of the main theoretical approaches that are used in the study of political sociology.

This interdisciplinary course introduces you to the growing and important field of disability studies. This course has a strong focus on the lived experience of disability and values the knowledge embodied in this experience. It takes an explicit advocacy orientation, exploring the range of challenges experienced by disabled people locally, nationally and globally, while critically examining policies and interventions aimed at helping to reduce and eliminate barriers to full participation. It also takes an intersectional approach, looking at how disability intersecting with other aspects of identity such as race, ethnicity, age, and gender provide additional challenges that need to be taken into account in interventions aimed at eliminating inequities.
 

This course gives an introduction to data-driven research in political science and sociology. The examples will include data from Twitter, Amazon, Wikipedia, Facebook and parliamentary records. Data from many countries including Japan, Ukraine, and Nigeria, as well as international institutions and websites, will be discussed. The analytical techniques include text analysis (sentiment analysis and topic modeling), network analysis, descriptive statistics and visualization, and statistical techniques such as regression analysis.

While the history of Japan as a modern nation begins in the Meiji era, much of what we recognize as typical of 'modern life' in Japan begins in the Taisho period, or more generally in the 'interwar' period which extends into the early years of the Showa era. This course examines several aspects of this new 'modern life' with particular attention given to the new social roles, new gender roles, new lifestyles, and new forms of culture that emerged among the new middle class.

This course will be conducted as a seminar, but short 'mini lectures' will be given from time to time on several of these topics. Our main text will be 'House and Home in Modern Japan' by Jordon Sand; this book will serve as the basis for weekly class discussions. In addition, students will be assigned a book (on reserve in the library) to summarize (in small groups) in the form of a group presentation. Finally, students will be asked to produce an essay, based either on a topic related to our main textbook, or a topic related to the book they have been asked to summarize.

This course gives an overview of the key arguments in the sociology of religion, including the social, cultural, and political significance of religion to the individual, social groups, and society at a national and global level. The course begins by covering the classical sociological theorists on religion (Durkheim, Weber & Marx) and examines the key debates around secularization and post-secularization. It then considers the social and cultural significance of new religious movements and the rise of spirituality and New Age movements in the West. Finally students consider the growth of fundamentalism around the world and how religion is becoming globalized.

This course examines the ambivalent role of digital technologies in our societies and interrogates the future by questioning their relevance. It considers where we come from and how the pre-web world prepared us for this new reality, notably through science fiction. Then, it discusses what is happening in our daily lives by deciphering the announced technological advances and their effects on reality; in particular, a "synthetic horizon" where the Metaverse, crypto-assets, and artificial intelligence coexist to help humanity meet the challenges ahead. Finally, it considers whether these technologies will really help and explores a horizon that seems the most desirable for all. 

This course critically examines the production of masculinities in the contemporary world, with a historical perspective situated in the West and Latin America; as well as from the individual and collective experiences of each student.

This course introduces a basic understanding of what leadership actually is and how that understanding depends on time and context. Students take a closer look at what enables individuals to lead in an entrepreneurial way and why an entrepreneurial mindset is more than ever important among today’s leaders. The European Commission developed a reference framework (“EntreComp”) to establish an understanding of entrepreneurship as a competence that results in social, cultural, or financial value for others. The basic idea of this framework is that the necessary skills and attitudes can be learned and applied by anyone. However, the outcome in practice regarding entrepreneurial diversity looks different. Women and ethnic minorities, for instance, remain significantly underrepresented in startup ecosystems worldwide. The course touches upon the causes and discusses possible solutions. It also emphasizes learning about the diversity of the Berlin startup ecosystem; to this end, guests from local startups and impact communities visit or are visited. Through participation in the course, students gain a basic understanding of entrepreneurial leadership in its diversity with a focus on Berlin and Europe. Integrated work with historical and modern role models help students adopt a critical perspective on good leadership. Moreover, students have the opportunity to reflect on and develop their own (entrepreneurial) leadership skills. For this purpose, the course is designed to be highly interactive and relies on innovative teaching methods.

A special session is a full day leadership coaching with horses (physical contact is voluntary!). Such an approach is relatively new to university education but is gaining popularity in Human Resources (HR) and leadership development. The beauty of equine interaction is that horses are not biased. They do not judge a person by status, gender, or skin color, but respond only to personal radiance when deciding whether or not to follow a human being. This way, students experience the value of diversity in leadership and ultimately learn about the importance of trustworthiness and communication. By receiving very honest individual feedback, students have the opportunity to further develop their personal leadership identity and skills.