Study Abroad | Berlin
Fall 2023: Academics

Course Code: FU-BEST 12 (Art History/Architecture 305)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course provides an overview of the development of public and private architecture in Berlin during the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Following an introduction to architectural terms and an examination of the urban development and architectural history of the Modern era, the Neo-Classical period will be surveyed with special reference to the works of Schinkel. This will be followed by sessions on the architecture of the German Reich after 1871, which was characterized by both modern and conservative tendencies, and the manifold activities during the time of the Weimar Republic in the 1920s. The architecture of the Nazi period will be examined, followed by the developments in the “divided city” East and West Berlin after the Second World War. The course concludes with a detailed review of the city’s contemporary and future architectural profiles, including an analysis of the conflicts concerning the re-design of "Berlin Mitte", Potsdamer Platz, and the government quarter and other more recent developments, i.e. the housing problem and concepts for a more sustainable architecture in a growing city. We will critically examine architectural examples in Berlin by architects like Aldo Rossi, Norman Foster, Frank O. Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, David Chipperfield and many others. As a complement to the lectures, formal field-trips to historically significant buildings and sites constitute an integral component of the course and will give students the possibility of discovering the city in a unique way. The course aims at offering a deeper understanding of the interdependence between Berlin’s architecture and the city’s social and political structures. It considers Berlin as a mode for the development of a modern European capital.

Course Code: FU-BEST 4 (Art History/Art 301)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course surveys the visual arts in Central Europe from the rise of modernism around 1900 to the present after postmodernism, with a strong focus on German art. It aims to study the individual works closely and interpret them critically by analysing their formal structure, style and technique, iconography etc.; consider the concerns of the artists who created them; and place the works within their wider historical, philosophical, political, social and cultural backgrounds as well as within the international development of the visual arts in Western Europe and – in the second half of the 20th century – the US. A consideration of the theoretical context is of particular importance for the understanding of 20th-century art and its role in society. Thus the course will also introduce students to major philosophical ideas of the period and will focus on various links to the visual art works including reflections on 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 Berlinische Galerie, 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 will be to work not only with slides and text sources in class but also with the originals during excursions to different museums. Thus the specific material qualities of the art works discussed in class will be experienced in front of the originals. This can serve as an eye-opener for understanding the reasoning and the artistic procedure of the artists in their respective period.

Course Code: FU-BEST 19 (Art History/Cultural Studies 315)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course provides an introduction to art and politics in the context of dictatorship, focused on the examples of Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s USSR, Mussolini’s Italy, and Franco’s Spain. In the first part of the semester, students will gain an understanding of art in a democratic society by analyzing the art and architecture of the Weimar Republic in Germany. Official art and architecture in Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union will then be examined, focusing on the works of Albert Speer, Giuseppe Terragni, Arno Breker, and Leni Riefenstahl. Modernist and Jewish artists were persecuted, forced into emigration or deported to concentration camps. Under the Nazi regime in Germany, the exhibition "Degenerate Art" tried to propagate the fascist idea of what art should not be like. Nazi Art Looting and the difficult and long way to Art Restitution will be examined, focusing on the case of the Dutch art dealer und collector Jacques Goudstikker and the “art collector” Hermann Göring. Art also served as a medium to commemorate the Holocaust: the memorials at Buchenwald concentration camp or the Holocaust memorial in Berlin are prominent examples. In the course of the semester, students will get an overview of important European art and architecture movements of the early 20th century. In addition, the course aims at providing a deeper understanding of art under totalitarian conditions. As a complement to the lectures, formal field-trips to historically significant sites and museums constitute an integral component of the course.

Course Code: FU-BEST 33 (Business/Environmental Studies 315)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course provides an introduction to recent developments in Germany and the EU with regard to a green and sustainable economy. It offers theoretical as well as practical insights based on conceptual discussions, case studies, a field-trip, and group work to develop a green business case. The acute awareness of environmental challenges has permeated German and European society, politics, and business for decades. The relationship between business and environmental issues has, however, changed drastically over the years and has continuously been impacted by the interaction between the German and European Union political levels. Historically, business’ environmental impact has been viewed more negatively as “market failure”. This view is increasingly becoming more differentiated. Nowadays, positive environmental impacts, which might be achievable through sustainable entrepreneurship and sustainable core business activities, are increasingly being acknowledged. This course begins by exploring key concepts for a green and sustainable economy in the German and European policy contexts and then looks at the development that has taken place both at the political level and in the economy in recent time. We then focus on the micro-level, i.e., the businesses themselves: What are the motivating forces behind entrepreneurs’ and businesses’ decision to make a strategic commitment to environmental sustainability? What are the roles and strategies of different types of companies? Why and how do incumbents and start-ups engage in environmental protection in different ways? We will also look at the strong connection between politics and business in the European context and the inclination of many sustainable entrepreneurs to engage in policy making in a manner that also turns them into “institutional” entrepreneurs, acting at a meso-level. Finally, in this more theoretical part of the course, we will look at how sustainable entrepreneurs may encounter market and regulatory barriers related to environmental externalities, path dependencies, and lobbying activities by incumbent companies. We will also look at (partial) solutions to such barriers provided by e.g. incubators, business competitions, universities, investors, and public funding programmes. In the more practical part of the course, we will engage with good practice examples hearing directly from the entrepreneurs themselves (guest speakers) and by going on a field-trip. As Berlin has a special reputation for hosting a vibrant start-up scene, we will visit the Green Garage on the Euref campus in Schöneberg, where we will learn more about the acceleration and incubation processes of the EU initiative “Climate KIC”, and meet the start-ups based there. The students will also be encouraged to creatively develop their own business ideas and plan the initial steps using the Sustainable Business Canvas. Their business concept/model will then be presented and discussed in the group, providing tips for future improvement and possible realisation of the ideas. The goal of the course is to provide students with a theoretical foundation in the development of green and sustainable solutions within the economic context of Germany and Europe and to develop an understanding of how sustainable entrepreneurship is unfolding creative potential and opportunities for environmental improvements using core business activities. The course also aims at equipping students with more practical tools and processes for developing their own business ideas for the green economy.

Course Code: FU-BEST 22 (Communications/Politics 320)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course introduces its participants to mass media systems and structures in Germany and Europe and provides them with the analytical tools and background knowledge to assess the ways in which the mass media and politics interact and thus shape each other. We will start with an overview of the different structures of mass media (public/ private) in Germany and selected European countries, including how they have historically developed and particularly which political ideas have shaped the frameworks in which media institutions and individuals operate. At the same time, we will take a critical look at how the media in turn have shaped and are still shaping the ways in which the political process works and presents itself to the public. Historical and current case-studies will help us analyse the manifold points of interaction between media and politics. At the end of the course, students will also have the opportunity to compare European and American media politics and to ask whether there may be trends and influences across the Atlantic (one or both ways) that are shaping today’s politics and mass media on both sides.

Course Code: FU-BEST 20 (Cultural Studies/Communications 304)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

With the divide between mass culture and high art disappearing, popular culture has become a prolific field of study. In this seminar, we will consider the many facets and dimensions of pop culture, including its cultural history and the possibilities hidden within what is often assumed to be nothing more than entertainment. Some of the topics we will address are popular culture’s reflection of discourse, its capability of criticizing or affirming the status quo, and the various modes of ideology within. We will cover all relevant pop culture representations: film, television, comic books, fiction, music, paintings etc. and will discuss their significance within the historical frame of reference as well as their international social impact. Secondary texts will introduce a range of theoretical perspectives through which pop culture may be explored, analyzed, questioned, and understood. We will discuss the function of pop culture in the public sphere, its representations in texts, images, and music.

Course Code: FU-BEST 24 (Economics/Politics 305)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The European Communities were conceived as a union of democratic nations shaping the world’s economic and social model. Is the permanent enlargement process that made the EU big paying off? In a changing global economy, what is Europe’s comparative advantage? “One market – one money” was what Europeans believed in. In a crisis not coming to an end the common currency is seen more and more as liability. Is an ill-designed Euro going to blow up the Eurozone? With Russia as major energy partner Europe’s energy independence is high on the agenda. Is the energy hunger of China, Brazil, etc. a threat to the EU? We will discuss the cost of global warming and climate challenge Europe is expected to bear. Lastly, a “look in the crystal ball” is supposed to give an idea of the EU in the world 30 years from now: still vibrant, or ageing and decaying?

Course Code: FU-BEST 30 (Political Sciences/Environmental Studies 318)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Surveys the EU’s energy resources and infrastructure as compared to that of the U.S. and studies Europe’s energy transitions from medieval times through its 20th-century energy crises and wars. We then begin a study of Europe’s intended 21st-century energy transitions. Topics include: (i) Germany’s Energiewende, its technical, economic, and social challenges and its impact on EU neighbors; (ii) German rejection of nuclear energy in light of risks and promises of next-generation reactors. Throughout, students follow current German, EU and related global energy affairs.

Course Code: FU-BEST 18 (Political Science/Environmental Studies 318)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Students will learn about the guiding principles and developments within the EU’s environmental policy. Subsequently, the course will cover the major environmental challenges we are facing currently. The second part of the course will be devoted to different forms of pollution, such as air, noise, water and soil pollution, as well as humanity’s impact on biodiversity loss.

Course Code: FU-BEST 13 (Film/Cultural Studies 303)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The course invites you to explore and critically reflect upon the state of German cinema since the year 2000 in a European context. At first, you will be introduced to historical, cultural and critical paradigms pertaining to the situation of European cinema. Secondly, we will focus on films produced in Germany. The course will cover the following subjects: film and authorship; art cinema and popular cinema; the concept of national cinema and world cinema; the formation of history, memory, and cultural identity in film; film production and film culture. You will be introduced to a number of key German and European films from the last two decades. You will acquire knowledge of theoretical discourses and critical concepts relevant to understanding and appreciating formal aspects of European cinema, and to examining contemporary German films in relation to their historical and cultural contexts. The course assumes no prior knowledge of German, German films, or film theory in general. It is taught in English and all films have English subtitles. Please note: There will separate viewing sessions each week. It is highly recommended to attend the viewing sessions. For those unable to attend, it is mandatory to make sure you’ve watched each film independently before class.

Course Code: German 101

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course is designed for the beginner student with no prior knowledge of German. It aims to develop your communicative competences in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The textbook Begegnungen A1 and additional material, which is primarily dealing with cultural and historical aspects of German(y), will help you develop your individual language skills. One of the foci of the course is placed on Berlin and its surroundings. Therefore, you will work with authentic material in class and on course-related excursions. By the end of this course, you will be able to deal with various everyday situations in a German-speaking environment and to conduct simple conversations. You will have developed reading strategies that allow you to gather specific information from factual texts, newspaper and magazine articles, and short literary texts. In addition, you will learn to write and revise short texts and, by doing so, assemble metalinguistic knowledge. Finally, you will be able to understand discussions on familiar topics.

Course Code: German 102

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course is designed for beginners with some prior knowledge of German. With the help of the textbooks Begegnungen A1 and A2 as well as additional material, which primarily deals with cultural and historical aspects of German(y), you will expand your competences in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The course will familiarize you with the daily life and culture of German-speaking countries and enable you to talk about practical issues such as traveling, living, shopping, health, traditions, holidays and the workplace. You will be able to select the main information from simple factual texts. You will get to know more complex sentence structures and be able to express yourself in the present and one past tense.

Course Code: German 201

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course is designed to strengthen and expand your communicative competences in listening, speaking, reading and writing, and to deepen your understanding of German-speaking cultures in the context of Berlin. With the help of the textbook Begegnungen A2 and additional material, which is primarily dealing with cultural and historical aspects of German(y), you will develop your individual language skills. One of the foci of the course is placed on Berlin and its surroundings. Therefore, you will increasingly work with authentic material in class and on course-related excursions. By the end of the course, you will be able to interact in most everyday situations in a German-speaking environment and to conduct simple conversations about familiar topics. You will be familiarized with the German university system, the arts, the media, and current social trends. You will be able to talk about the past and the future, to draw comparisons, to describe persons and things in detail, and to talk about your studies and your plans and wishes. You will have developed reading strategies that will allow you to understand newspaper and magazine articles as well as short literary texts. Through text production, you will also expand on the basics of independent text revision, employing a larger vocabulary and thus enlarging your metalinguistic knowledge. You will be able to understand the main information contained in standard language oral texts.

Course Code: German 202

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course aims to systematically improve your writing and reading competences. It focuses on your acquisition of complex linguistic structures and your consistent self-correction. It will help you further develop effective reading and listening strategies by using texts and listening examples that extend beyond everyday communication. In-class discussions will be based on the weekly reading of literary and non-literary texts that will motivate you to exchange information, ideas, and opinions. In addition, these texts will provide important cultural and historical background information. Grammar revision is just one of the foci of this course; yet, you will expand and deepen your knowledge of German grammar through specific exercises.

Course Code: German 302

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course is designed to optimize your writing and speaking competences, to enlarge your vocabulary, to increase your usage of complex grammatical structures and to make you consistently and successfully employ self-correcting strategies. You will analyze and discuss cultural, political, and historical aspects of German-speaking countries and compare them to your own cultural background. You will be able to coherently talk about a broad range of subjects and to argue for your point of view. You will be able to mostly understand authentic texts and to follow native speakers in normal conversations.

Course Code: German 401

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course aims to deepen your competence in speaking and writing and to expand your vocabulary on a higher language level, with a focus on improving your communicative skills for increasingly academic discussions. The course material will help you acquire relevant and contemporary knowledge about the culture, politics, and history of Germany and other German speaking countries. Furthermore, you will develop effective reading and listening strategies with regard to various literary genres and media. In-class discussions will be based on literary and non-literary texts, enabling you to exchange information, ideas, and opinions on an academic level. You will give a presentation and lead the ensuing discussion in class. Special attention will be given to your paper.

Course Code: German 402

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course will enable you to approximate your competence in speaking and writing German as well as your vocabulary to the native-speaker level. This includes understanding connotations and idioms as well as using stylistically and situationally appropriate forms of communication. Special attention will be given to the improvement of your communicative skills in academic contexts. You will be able to understand lectures and presentations and to participate in academic discussions. Sophisticated authentic texts will help you gain relevant information about the culture, politics, and history of Germany and other German-speaking countries. At the end of this course, you will have acquired effective reading and listening strategies concerning various literary genres and media and will work with larger excerpts of German literature. In-class discussions will be based on literary and non-literary texts, enabling you to exchange information, ideas, and opinions on an academic level. Your final project includes an academic paper, a presentation, and the direction of the ensuing discussion in class.

Course Code: German 101E

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This course is designed for the beginner student who has no prior knowledge of German and does not major/minor in German. It will enable you to get familiarized with the German language and to deal with everyday situations during your stay in Berlin. You will develop basic communicative competences in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Your foremost goal is to be able to navigate through your daily activities in a German-speaking environment, such as ordering food in a restaurant, shopping at the grocery store/supermarket, getting around in the city, and conducting simple conversations about yourself (your studies, your hobbies, and fields of interest). The textbook Studio d A1 and additional material, which is primarily dealing with everyday situations, will help you develop your individual language skills. One of the foci of the course is placed on Berlin and its surroundings. Therefore, you will work with authentic material in class and on course-related excursions.

Course Code: FU-BEST 31 (German Studies/Political Sciences 337)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

En-route to the answer of who and what a “typical German” is, we will theorize the origins of self-imposed and foreign stereotypes and identities. By the end of the course, students will have learned of Germany’s development and dominant societal themes since the late 19th century and should be able to critically discuss foreign and self-identities, theorize about stereotype origins and compare and contrast existing identities in Germany with historical and political German clichés. (German language prerequesite)

Course Code: FU-BEST 7 (History/Cultural Studies 335)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Berlin is a quintessentially modern city. It was invented as a capital when Germany was unified in 1871 in order to minimize regional rivalries, then reinvented in 1990 to effect the reunification of East and West. This course will explore representations and topographies of Berlin between the first German unification and the second, focusing on the major events and conflicts that have left their mark on this urban landscape: the rise of the modern metropolis, economic depression and social unrest, the two World Wars, Nazism and the Holocaust, and the Cold War and its aftermath — in short, the most disruptive and defining events of the twentieth century. Of central concern will be the conflicting identities, informing the events that have shaped Berlin’s — and the world’s — history: East and West, communist and capitalist, German and Jew, avant-garde and reactionary: these opposing terms have performed a mad dance over the past 140 years, sometimes settling in temporary alliances, sometimes in violent opposition, and always leaving their traces in literature, memory, and urban geography. Berlin is a palimpsest of the discarded ideologies of the twentieth century, both political and aesthetic; it is also one of the premier stages of Europe’s transnational future. Reading its literature and traversing its spaces provides an object lesson in the history of modernism, modernity, and globalization. Part of the course will involve developing strategies for reading and walking through this multi-layered and contradictory landscape. Thus, in addition to discussing the regular reading assignments, we will devote some time to discussing the complex relations between history, text, and memory. Schedule permitting, we will watch relevant films and organize field trips inside and outside of regular class times.

Course Code: FU-BEST 25 (History/Cultural Studies/Literature/Jewish Studies 310)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

With the beginning of the Enlightenment in the 18th century, the Jews of Central Europe were faced with the ambiguities of modernity. Whereas equality was one of the main demands of the time, it was granted to the Jewish minorities in Central Europe only after long struggles. And even this political achievement did not last long. Yet since the late 18th century and its emancipation movement, one of the most influential and versatile cultural legacies in Central Europe was created by German speaking Jews. The philosopher Moses Mendelssohn and the salonière Rahel Levin Varnhagen, among many other Jews, not only influenced European high culture of their time. They also founded a unique German-Jewish tradition that many artists and intellectuals draw upon to this day. Jewish writers such as Franz Kafka and Joseph Roth have added to the aesthetics of German literature to become a part of a modern world literature, while Zionism became a veritable alternative after 1900. Many Jews remained in Germany, however. They stuck to the German language and canon – even after Hitler‘s rise. And even after many of them were murdered in the concentration and extermination camps and on German streets during the Shoah, it was Jewish intellectuals such as Hannah Arendt, Theodor W. Adorno, and poets like Paul Celan who began the greater part of working through what had happened to the once glorified „German-Jewish symbiosis“. This work goes on today, while Jewish writing in Central Europe has yet again diversified greatly and new voices make themselves heard. However, none of them can go on writing without relating, one way or another, critically or nostalgically, to that great and tragic German Jewish legacy of the past. This course will introduce and discuss canonic texts by European-Jewish authors from Moses Mendelssohn to Paul Celan. It thus gives an extensive overview of German-Jewish culture since the late 18th century. Every class session starts off with a contextualization of the historic circumstances in which each text was created. In this part, the wider picture of German-Jewish culture and history will be developed, whereas in the second section of each class session, reading assignments will be discussed in greater detail. Here, the class will concentrate on one or two exemplary readings the students will prepare and present. These literary readings constitute the core interest of each session, this course being situated in the field of cultural studies. Poetic and philosophical texts will not be read for their own sake but in order to shed light on everyday life in Central Europe. All readings are available in English, but most of them are originally in German and thus may also be read in German.

Course Code: FU-BEST 8 (History/Political Science 325)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

In order to understand European history of the 19th and 20th century, a focus on Germany is indispensable and unavoidable. It took a long time before the German society transformed into a modern, open and democratic society. The “Revolution of Modernity” (Ralf Dahrendorf) was pushed back before World War I and failed 1933 in the Weimar Republic. Freedom and rule of law were brought to Germany by the allied Armies. The main antimodernist ideologies that caused the Shoah and the German war against the “Jewish Enemy” (Jeffrey Herf) were: antisemitism, racism and nationalism. In the first part of the 20th century Germany attempted to destroy civilization under a blanket of propaganda and by violence, both brutal and coldly mechanistic. Today we experience a Germany that presents itself as one partner among equals in the European Union. This new identity follows 40 years of ideological, social, political, and cultural division between two German states – the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) and the German Democratic Republic (East Germany). Germany now enjoys the political stability, peace and prosperity of a democratic system. The change in German identity and the meaning of identity within the German context offers a fascinating angle from which to approach German history. From this angle, one gains a new understanding of Germany’s contradictions, catastrophes, abysses, and moral bankruptcies before and after the Shoah, and the miraculous reconstruction after enormous casualties and destruction that resulted from the total war between 1939 and 1945. Within these parameters, the course addresses various topics in German and European 20th century history: different political ideas, systems and movements, as well as social and cultural developments. We will compare and contrast the German variety of these phenomena with other European varieties. Two major themes are the struggles between democracy and dictatorship, and capitalism and communism, which played out through the 20th century. The course will connect these essentially ideological struggles to the two World Wars and the ensuing "Cold War", to memories of trauma, to the history of everyday life, pop culture and gender, and to the experience of youth and immigrants in Germany. Through analyses of the interconnections and distinctions between all these aspects, the course will provide participants with a better understanding of German society today.

Course Code: FU-BEST 23 (History/Politics/International Relations 328)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course surveys the history of German diplomacy in the context of European diplomacy from the late 1700s until today and its relationship with U.S. diplomacy and the influence of other players on the world scene. Thus the course offers a comparative perspective on the developments in the countries involved. The course will show that it is essential to focus on the past as a basis for understanding the present and making guesses about the future. Current issues of diplomacy in Europe and their potential impact on the future, also in light of the events of the past, will be discussed in the context of press surveys (student presentations) at the beginning of each session. The instructor and students will jointly identify, based on the topics of each session and the reading assignments for each session, possible relevant points for today and the short- as well as long-term future.

Course Code: FU-BEST 11 (Business/Marketing 310)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The course examines the issues of intercultural competence, cultural identity and cultural diversity in European business context. Various case studies will be considered from strategic, organizational, and marketing perspectives. The objectives of this course are to enhance the students’ understanding of the high variety of European business cultures and to learn about the corresponding diversity of management and marketing styles. Special attention is paid to the present burning economic issues of the European Union, business ethics and the standards of corporate social responsibility as well as to the challenging aspects of managing diversity and multicultural team development. Ethnically diverse markets will be viewed as rich opportunities which ethnic communities offer. Companies in different parts of Europe will be subject to analysis, including their efforts to work successfully across borders. Students will be involved in a process of self-reflection through learning about the different stages of cultural assimilation in a European business environment.

Course Code: FU-BEST 2 (Political Science/International Relations 309)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course surveys and examines a variety of aspects of international politics in Europe, with particular focus on the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. We will review the postwar history of international politics in Europe, followed by an in-depth study of European integration in general and the European Union in particular, the role played by security organizations (especially NATO and the Organization for Security & Cooperation in Europe), U.S. and Soviet/Russian policy toward Europe, the eruption of ethno-political conflict (especially in the Balkans), the international impact of Germany’s recent reunification, and the quest for order, security, and stability in a region that is no longer divided by the Iron Curtain but in which international politics continues to be shaped and affected by East-West as well as North-South contrasts. The course mixes an examination of contemporary aspects with historical contextualization, in presentations, readings, and video material.

Course Code: FU-BEST 17 (Law/History 329)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course is designed for future law students but also for all those who are interested in gaining a closer understanding of how the history of law intermingles with European political thought and cultural practices. The course seeks to provide a broad and theoretical overview of European legal traditions from social, political, economic and comparative perspectives. Starting with Roman law, its coverage ranges from discussing the authority of law in history, literature, economics and religion, through the creation of the European legal frameworks up to the establishment of a human rights tradition. Focus is given to the wider scope of legal developments in history that have shaped the conceptualization of law in present-day Europe and beyond. The course is roughly divided into two parts. The first part encompasses a brief overview of European legal thought from Roman law to the development of the common and civil legal traditions. In the second half of the course, after the Midterm Exam, we will examine the more recent developments of European politics and law. The first session will be dedicated to how social aspects (i.e. geography and religion) influence European legal developments. During the second session we will deal with the fascist tendencies leading to World War Two. This links up with one option for the Independent Project, which entails a closer look into the fascist laws passed in Germany as portrayed in “Places of Remembrance in the Bavarian Quarter: Exclusion and deprivation, expulsion, deportation and murder of Berlin Jews in the years 1933 to 1945” in Schöneberg. The last two sessions will be dedicated to European integration and the formation of European Union mainly as an answer to the two World Wars. The focus here will be on the legal coverage of the Union’s economy and respect for human rights through supranational cooperation.

Course Code: FU-BEST 29 (Music/Cultural Studies 310)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

There is hardly any musical style, genre or context which has not been significantly affected by the pervasive digitalization of recent decades. From digital audio workstations to computer-generated music, from laptop performances to fan remixes, from cloud computing to commercial distribution channels – digital technology has profoundly changed the ways in which music is produced, performed, disseminated and consumed. In this course, we will examine the nature of these shifts and sample salient and productive intersections of music and technology. Through specific case studies, we will tackle the following questions: How have digital technologies enabled unprecedented modes of making, using and perceiving music? In what ways has digital mediatization shaped our experiences with musical content and style? And how do we reconcile the long-established connections between music, performance and liveness in an era when the paradigm of reproduction seems to be omnipresent? In the first five sessions we will consider the impact of digital technologies on the production of music. After an introducing outline of basic shifts in music and musicianship caused by digitalization and the computer, we will look at concrete musical examples in order to understand the influence of digital technologies both on the creative process of music making and on the aesthetic reflection on it. The second half of the course will start with exemplary examinations of digital music technologies in music-related genres and domains, such as film, video games or sound art. At the end of the semester we will extend the scope and consider cultural issues that are entailed by digital possibilities of sharing, disseminating and consuming music. In particular, we will discuss the intertwining of digitization and commodification as well as its impact on the experience of music in everyday life.

Course Code: FU-BEST 9a (Philosophy 304)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Philosophy has constituted a central element in the development of modern German culture. In the late eighteenth century, German philosophy participated in the broader European Enlightenment culture, which was in turn connected to the development of modern empirical science. Under the impression of the historical changes brought about by the French Revolution and by the ‘Industrial Revolution’ in Great Britain, a special constellation of German philosophy emerged at the end of the eighteenth century, which has deeply left its mark on subsequent philosophical thinking far beyond Germany. The two Philosophy courses offered by the FU-BEST program address the historical reality of German philosophy in two chronological parts: in the first part, offered during the Fall semester, we follow the emergence and full deployment of German philosophy from its Kantian beginnings to Hegel’s grand but fragile synthesis, trying to understand its richness as well as its limitations. In the second part, offered during the Spring semester, we discuss the later development of German philosophy in the nineteenth century and its historical tragedy in the twentieth century. This will include a discussion of the links between Marx and Marxism, between Nietzsche and the German political/ideological right-wing, between the ‘Vienna circle’ and the scientific revolution of the early twentieth century, as well as between German academic philosophy and Nazism. Post-World War II developments in the field will be studied as pathways out of the destructive turn philosophy in Germany took in the first half of the twentieth century. Both courses will be based upon contemporary attempts at rethinking a global philosophical perspective – by focusing on the tension between the Enlightenment heritage of a universalizing human philosophy and a national culture project, as well as on the tension between classicist rationalism and romantic emotionalism in its construction as a series of philosophical projects. From the perspective of a German version of the dialectics of the Enlightenment, the German philosophers of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will be studied in context – combining the reading of key texts with a reconstruction of their historical contexts and their interaction. Please note: these two Philosophy courses can be taken either together, in a two-semester sequence, or separately and individually.

Course Code: FU-BEST 16 (Political Science/International Relations 320)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

This course surveys and analyzes the interaction between Europe and America since 1945 in the fields of politics, economics, and culture. Special emphasis will be placed on the roles of the United States, Germany, and the European Union. The first part will have a time-line approach, discussing cooperation and divergence of interests before, during, and after the Cold War and after 9/11. During the second part, we will focus on issues of common concern for the U.S. and Europe today and on challenges facing the transatlantic partnership during the era of globalisation with its challenges to the common values of the “West”. Current events will be discussed whenever they become relevant. The course includes a guest speaker and a visit to the German Foreign Ministry for a talk on German-American relations.

Course Code: FU-BEST 1 (Political Science/Social Science 321)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

By placing Germany in a broader European context, this course provides an opportunity to develop a comparative perspective on political and socioeconomic features and trends in the Federal Republic. The course begins with a brief historical review, and then shifts to a consideration of such topics and issues as German society, the political system (including institutions, parties, and elections), welfare state features, and socioeconomic policies, with accompanying consideration of characteristics and developments in neighboring European countries. Special attention will also be given to the consequences of Germany’s reunification in 1990.

Course Code: FU-BEST 6 (Psychology/History 312)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The course focuses on the classical concept of the totalitarian state developed by Hannah Arendt and others, which takes Hitler and Stalin as the primary models for this uniquely 20th century political system. We will be covering some of the subsequent modifications in the theory of totalitarianism, insights gained from the close examination of historical changes and developments, especially in the former Soviet Empire. Here are some of the questions we will be dealing with: What are the key elements of totalitarianism? What are the fundamental elements of totalitarian rule? What were the official positions and the popular attitudes toward the rulers and such totalitarian atrocities as the Holocaust and the mass imprisonment? What insights into the totalitarian system and mindset can be gained from psychology and psychoanalysis? Under what psychological/social conditions are individuals capable of offering opposition or resistance, as did the German resistance and the “rescuers” of Jews under Nazi domination or dissidents in the Soviet Union? While the manifestations of totalitarianism may now appear to be bygones of merely historical interest, the social psychology of “totalitarian situations” remains acutely important, even in present-day democratic societies. The massacre at My Lai, the obedience experiments carried out by Stanley Milgram, similar events and similar studies, provide evidence of how easily average citizens – and by no means only the “authoritarian personalities” as described by Theodor W. Adorno and Erich Fromm – have the potential of behaving inhumanely in specific situations, when unthinking submission, even to the most questionable orders, seems to be the easiest way to deal with the stress and insecurity of the moment. What follows are the class schedule and the reading assignments for the eleven class sessions. Please be sure to have worked through the readings carefully prior to each session. All the texts identified below are included in the photocopied Reader. In addition to the Reader, there are two pocket books to be read and analysed in a research paper, namely Arthur Koestler’s, Darkness at Noon, London: Vintage 2005 (first published in 1940), and Aldous Huxley’s, Brave New World, New York: HarperCollins 1998 (first published in 1932).

Course Code: FU-BEST 32 (Religious Studies/German Studies 336)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The Protestant and Roman Catholic Churches in Germany (and in much of Europe, for that matter) are experiencing a rapid decline in membership. Can one make the claim that in the last two centuries, society has become less and less "religiously musical" (Max Weber)? Or can one offer other hypotheses to explain this (post-)modern phenomenon? In this course, we will examine the question of how Christianity has shaped German society and whether and where we (still) find these influences today. The prognosis about membership figures for the established churches in Germany is one of decline – soon one might no longer be able to speak of a predominantly Christian society, but of a Christian minority, if one takes the prevailing statistics as a guideline. This will be an experience of radical change for the churches as well as society as a whole. What role will the churches play in Germany when they no longer represent a majority of the population? Will their influence on society diminish dramatically? Does this inevitably mean the decline of Christianity as such and the strengthening of non-religious secularism? Does religion no longer play a role at all? Alternatively, if religion remains important, what opportunities are hidden in this change for society – and the churches? In this course, the specific historical background of Germany – albeit with some European contextualization – will be considered, where an almost unique situation of interplay between state and church has been made possible in Europe, because the Christian denominations are financed by a church tax and enjoy special rights (e.g. in the area of labor law). The churches also have a socially diverse impact, in various social areas as well as in the art and cultural scene. In order to understand these complexities, the course will explore the historical specificities of Christianity in Germany. We will explore different areas in which the churches continue to play a role, such as education and the media. We will also get to know innovative projects that rethink the church as a space, as digital church services and similar developments have been around for a long time. At several points, we will host special guests. Towards the end of the course, after discussing different aspects of societies, we will explore the argument that several societal elements are still deeply bound to Christian faith and understanding, despite having been profoundly influenced by "(post)modernity". Given that this course entails an ecumenical perspective, it will be taught by a Protestant instructor in dialogue with a Catholic theologian (two sessions at least).

Course Code: FU-BEST 21 (Sociology 305)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Sociology as new science, concerned with the impact of the industrial revolution on traditional forms of communal life, beliefs, and authorities, emerged in late nineteenth-century Europe. The pioneers of sociology like Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, Georg Simmel, and Leonard Hobhouse, today regarded as classics, managed to establish the young discipline at the universities in France, Germany and Great Britain. The transatlantic exchange of sociological ideas intensified during the 1920s with American scholars (like Talcott Parsons) visiting Europe and especially with the large wave of emigrants (Paul Lazarsfeld, Reinhard Bendix, members of the Frankfurt School, and many others) to the United States. Modern Analytical Sociology was created in the United States in cooperation between European immigrants and Americans and (re-)exported to Europe during the 1950s and 1960s. Today sociology is offered at universities all over the world – with some significant regional specializations. While American sociology is best known for its strong empirical orientation (‘social research’), sociology in Europe has developed further the theoretical traditions of the classics (‘social theory’). Some paradigmatic questions from Weber to Simmel seem still relevant: Why have essential elements of modern societies – from the rise of modern capitalism, to individualism, urban culture, and democracy – occurred first in the West? Alienation from society has been a big theme from Marx to Durkheim and Bourdieu. New topics emerged in the face of new challenges: European Integration, the end of the ‘Iron Curtain’ between Western and Eastern Europe, and the pressures of globalization on the European ‘social model’. And, of course, since Tocqueville’s Democracy in America (1835-1840), sociologists on both sides of the Atlantic have been fascinated to compare Europe and the American Experience. The aim of the course will be to portray prominent European sociologists and apply their ideas to the challenges of our time.

Course Code: FU-BEST 10 (Sociology/Anthropology/Cultural Studies 315)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Within the last years Islam has become the subject of public debates and discourses in the Western world as well as a core research topic within various disciplines in the social sciences. This course will take a closer look at Muslims and Islam in Europe and will try to analyze and discuss the present condition of Muslims living in Europe from a socio-anthropological perspective. In order to do so, Islam will first be introduced from a general perspective; we will also visit a representative mosque in Berlin. The first sessions of the course will provide an overview of theories of cultural difference and secularism. Having this theoretical lens in mind, the following sessions will look at various public discourses regarding Islam and Muslims in Europe. Here issues such as Muslim-state relations, gender, and religious practices of Muslims in Europe will be examined and accompanied by a critical analysis of certain public controversies concerning Islam.

Course Code: FU-BEST 34 (Sociology/Political Science/Anthropology 334)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

Modern nation-states rely on borders to govern mobility as “migration”. In the context of globalization, migration governance and the public debates and societal contestations around it have become increasingly salient. This interdisciplinary course addresses different phenomena of migration and borders, paying attention to the historical contexts and the complex and contested nature of migration governance. Drawing on social, legal, cultural, historical and political perspectives, and engaging grassroots movements and audio-visual works, the course focuses on European and German policies, institutions, practices and debates over migration and borders. Also the Berlin level will be discussed, particularly by guests and in relation to local contestations. The course takes distance from the nation-state and borders as normative frames, introducing critiques of methodological nationalism and critical perspectives emerging from (everyday) practices of migration and antiracist movements. Borders are explored as complex, contested practices/ relations at the intersection of race, law, gender, control of labour, international relations and other factors, creating (global) social hierarchies and unequal access to mobility and other rights/ resources. The course program includes lectures, discussion of weekly readings, guests, watching films/excerpts, videos and web-based multimedia projects, and an excursion.

Course Code: FU-BEST 3 (Theater 302)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

“Musical theater” is a non-consensual umbrella term to qualify very different operatic genres which only have a certain form in common: the complex interweaving between music, literature, performing, and visual arts in a multidimensional dramatic field. The course “Music and Theater on the Stage” will investigate the history of European musical theater from the Baroque era through the Enlightenment and Romanticism until modern times. Students are expected to learn how to “decode” operatic meta-structures by understanding their dramaturgical structures and analyzing them (libretto, music, stage direction and stage performance).

Course Code: FU-BEST 14 (German Plus Program)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: German

This content class taught in German is intended for students with at least upper-intermediate German language abilities. The course offers students the opportunity to further develop their knowledge of German theater while at the same time expanding their capabilities in giving presentations, participating in discussions and composing essays in German (academic writing) under the guidance of the teachers. See link above for course details.

Course Code: FU-BEST 27 (Women and Gender Studies/Cultural Studies 325)

Program Session: Fall Semester

Instruction Language: English

The sex/ gender system, such as many social systems of categorization, serves to group individuals. It represents an act of dividing, i.e. categorizing individuals as male or female; yet it also, paradoxically and simultaneously, connects individuals through shared membership in a category. This course on gender and women’s studies in a transatlantic context focuses on the boundary—that which both divides and unites. We investigate sexed and gendered boundaries between bodies, communities, cultures, classes, races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and nations. Our exploration of boundaries is grouped into three units: In the first, we examine the way sex/ gender boundaries are mapped onto the body; this includes the history of sex differences within scientific discourses, transsexual and transgender definitions, and attempts to control women’s health and reproduction. The second unit analyzes conceptualizations of citizenship as practices of drawing boundaries, and we examine how these boundaries can connect individuals in solidarity, as well as separate out others. We look at the gendered ideals of citizenship, the history of women’s rights, women’s movements, and intersectionality between different types of marginalization. The final unit explores the boundary between the public and the private in an investigation of gender (politics), migration and work, including sex work and domestic work. In this course we use statistics, history, political and social sciences, filmic representations, news reports, essays, medical texts, biographies and field trips to conduct our interdisciplinary investigation. Our guiding approach is one of transnational feminism, which seeks to find solidarity between women by understanding and embracing their differences. Ultimately, our analysis of a multiplicity of subject positions and histories reveals the overall instability of the sex/gender system. For example, something that one culture views as inherently masculine may be viewed as inherently feminine in another. Therefore, our transcultural examination helps us understand the socially constructed nature of a system that is often viewed as natural, unchanging, and stable.