Winter Semester 2023/2024
Basic Module 1 (Core courses)
Economy and Society
Sustainable Digitalisation
Lecturer: Dr. Wulf Reiners
Course Nr.: 15304.0164
Date/Time: Mon, 16:00 - 17:30
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
Short description
Investments on digitalisation affect personal, political, societal, environmental and economic processes across the globe and have enormous potential to radically change almost all sectors in the coming decades, from agriculture to industry and finance, from education to health, democracy and human rights. They will also influence the success of the implementation of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Digitalisation is understood to constitute one of the most powerful facilitators for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The course is an introduction to digital transformation and its relationship with sustainable development in Europe and other world regions. It provides an overview of the impact, the opportunities, but also the risks of digitalisation in three interdependent thematic fields: the economy, the environment, and the society. A particular focus will be put on the societal and political dimension of digitalisation towards sustainable development, for instance with a view to governance, privacy and security in the digital age, or the effects of social media on democratic practices. The course will take up topical developments related to the UN 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the EU Digital Strategy, the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act, or social scoring systems. In this way, the seminar combines perspectives from Europe with experiences from other world regions.
Suggested readings
German Advisory Council on Global Change, WBGU (2019). Towards our Common Digital Future – Summary. https://www.wbgu.de/fileadmin/user_upload/wbgu/publikationen/hauptgutachten/hg2019/pdf/WBGU_HGD2019_S.pdf.
The World in 2050 (2019): The Digital Revolution and Sustainable Development: Opportunities and Challenges. Report prepared by The World in 2050 initiative. International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Laxenburg
OECD (2021), Development Co-operation Report 2021: Shaping a Just Digital Transformation, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/ce08832f-en
Contemporary Migration flows to Europe: A crisis or integrated part of European life?
Lecturer: Bianca Sola Claudio
Course Nr.: 15304.0162
Date/Time: Thur, 14:00 - 15:30
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
Although migration flows have been a part of Europe for centuries, the discussion on the issue of the migration crisis began at the end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 as migrants primarily from Africa and Syria began to arrive in EU space with heightened frequency. The European border regime has often failed to meet legal, humanitarian and moral obligations to provide safety and assistance to vulnerable people seeking asylum and migrant integration has become a key topic in the European Union and local authorities. Whether it is called a “crisis” or perceived as integrated as a part of European life, migration remains at the core of European politics.
In this introductory seminar we will explore the contemporary dynamics of migration flows to Europe and the effects of border regimes. Combining different studies from the areas of anthropology, law and social sciences the topics of discussion will tackle routes of asylum seekers to Europe and the humanitarian demands that come with it, integration into and diversity in the European labour market and society, as well as the anti-immigrant narratives of European populist right-wing parties.
Politics and Law
An Introduction to the European Court of Human Rights
Lecturer: Dr. Anan Alsneik Haidar
Course Nr.: 15304.0160
Date/Time: Mon, 10:00 - 11:30
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
The module is intended to introduce the students to the permanent judicial organ established by the European Convention on Human Rights: the European Court of Human Rights. After providing a historical background on the Council of Europe and the European Convention of Human Rights in relation to the Court, the module focuses on the Court’s structure, jurisdiction, and the conduct of proceedings, providing an understanding of key doctrinal concepts that are adopted by the Court. It also considers a selection of the most important cases the Court has dealt with and which impact positively the development of international human rights law.
SDGconnect - Sustainable Development Goals on a global level
Lecturer: Dr. Georg Michael Verweyen
Course Nr.: 15304.0161
Date/Time: Wed, 14:00 - 15:30
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) will shape our politics and social life for years to come. Their guiding principles are the interdisciplinary approach, the idea that all countries are working together on an equal footing and, most importantly, the idea that every individual can contribute to achieving these goals. Especially for the younger generation (e.g. students), the overarching goal of ensuring more sustainable and thus social, ecological and economic development by 2030 is a great opportunity to creatively shape tomorrow's world. SDG Connect provides a knowledge base on the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals and how they can be used to assess and communicate global issues.
Culture and History
European Art from the Renaissance to the Present
Lecturer: Dr. Heike Berner
Course Nr.: 15304.0163
Date/Time: Wed, 16:00-17:30h
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
This course is an introduction to visual art in Europe since the 14th century.
While the course cannot provide a comprehensive summary of the development of art since that time, it focuses on a roughly chronological set of case studies, which will help us understand the character and purpose of art in different historical circumstances. We will take into account the cultural and political environment of the time and will pay particular attention to the places they were created in.
Orientalism – a contested critical concept
Lecturer: Jasamin Ulfat
Course Nr.: 15304.0165
Date/Time: Fri, 12:00-13:30h
Location: S34, Building 102, U1, -1.309
When Edward Said published his book "Orientalism" in 1979, the reactions were fierce. In his work, Said describes Western scholarship about the Eastern World as inherently imperial, analysing stereotypes of the so-called Orient in Western literature. In this seminar we will have a look at Said's initial argument, his critics, and how his concept holds up today. We will put a special focus on British adventure literature of the 19th century.
Basic Module 2 (German course)
The courses will be offered by the Department of German as a Foreign Language. To fullfil the Basic Module 2 you either need to participate in the pre-semester course or the regular German course during the semester.
| Pre-semester course: | 4 Sep to 29 Sep 2023 |
| Semester course: | 16 Oct 2023 to 2 Feb 2024 |
The pre-semester course is fully online. The semester course will be offered in a mixed format, with the 4 hour session face-to-face and the 2 hour session online.
Elective Module
Core Courses as Elective Courses
All core courses listed under Basic Module 1 may be chosen as an elective course as well (granted that three BM1 courses have been selected as BM1 core courses).
German courses
The offers of the Department for German as a Foreign Language may be counted towards the Elective Module, if the requirements for the Basic Module 2 have been fulfilled already.
Semester German course (9CP)
Complementary German courses (3CP, depending upon availability)
Queer Coming of Age ? LGBTQ + Television Series
Lecturer: Sarah Dominique Busch
Course Nr: 14569.3306
Time/Date: Mon,16:00- 16:45
Location: 103, S54
Credit Points: tbc
This course explores how coming of age is shaped by sexuality and other intersecting factors such as gender expression, nationality, mental health or trauma. The television series "Please Like Me", "Derry Girls", "Sex Education", "Feel Good" and "Heartstopper" all feature protagonists struggling with the heteronormative and patriarchal structures of the British Commonwealth and show how young people overcome these power structures by negotiating their own ways of belonging.
We will discuss how their coming of age is represented with queer aesthetics and learn how to analyse such aesthetics through queer and feminist ways of looking (i.e. Joey Soloway's "The Female Gaze").
Students taking this course should have a high level of English and be willing to engage mindfully in debates about sensitive topics like homophobia, transphobia and sexual violence.
Attendance is mandatory - students may be absent a maximum of 3 times.
Code Switching
Lecturer: Friederike Zahn
Course Nr: 145692304
Time/Date: Thu, 12:00 - 13:30
Location: 102, 1.222
Credit Points: tbc
This course offers an introduction to the complex and multidisciplinary topic of Code Switching. Considering different approaches, we will discuss basic definitions as well as motivations of the phenomenon. Working with selected case studies, we will consider structural aspects of the phenomenon as well as particular social contexts and discuss the extra-linguistic role and relevance of CS. Towards the end of the course, we will review in how far Code Switching can be implemented in the (foreign language) classroom. Students taking this course should be knowledgable of basic linguistic terminology. Since the MAP is a written exam, there will be a focus on the description of language data.
Before registering please consider that this course is taught in an asynchronous manner, meaning meetings in person will only be held every couple of weeks.
The Male Gaze in Cinema
Lecturer: Dr. Victoria Herche
Course Nr: 14569.3302
Time/Date: Tues,14:00- 15:30
Location: 911, S221
Credit Points: tbc
The term ‘male gaze’ finds its origin in feminist film theory of the 1970s and stands for a masculine, sexualizing desire to look, in which the female characters are strongly objectified and often seem to play a role primarily for aesthetic purposes. Through this male gaze, so it was argued by Laura Mulvey, Hollywood cinema reproduces and upholds a patriarchal society and renders women passive and men active. By discussing various examples from film, TV series and other visual media, this course will engage with the question whether (Hollywood) cinema still depends on this binary representation and will discuss possible alternatives to the male gaze such as ‘female gaze’ or ‘queer gaze’. Thereby the course offers an introduction to film analysis and theory and will further apply ideas from psychoanalytic theory, gender and queer studies.
Non-standard English in literature
Lecturer: Dr. Katja Lenz
Course Nr: 14569.2401
Time/Date: Tue,10:00- 11:30
Location: 103, S63
Credit Points: tbc
The class will give a general introduction to the concept of a standard in language, to variation in and varieties of English, to attitudes towards linguistic varietes, and to methods of and reasons for exploiting them in literature. We will analyse individual texts with respect to the forms of non-standard English used in them and investigate the functions of these usages. Students will differentiate functions of non-standard English in literary texts. They will be able to explain and compare effects of variation on various linguistic levels and identify various methods of achieving these effects in literature. They will get to apply these insights to actual ‘cases’ in group projects which will allow them to practice their research and presentation skills. You will need to be familiar with the basic concepts of linguistics discussed in the “EFS: Introduction to Linguistics” class. Make sure you attend the first meeting of the class, because that is when the places of participants who don't show up are distributed amongst students on the waiting list.
You should be a student of Linguistics or English studies.
Language and Identity
Lecturer: Dr. Katja Lenz
Course Nr: 14569.2403
Time/Date: Wed,12:00- 13:30
Location: 103, S76
Credit Points: tbc
The aim of this course is to provide insights into a variety of ways in which language and identity interrelate.
Students will differentiate concepts and aspects of identity. They will be able to explain and compare sociolinguistic models addressing links between language and identity and they will investigate how such links function both with respect to individuals and to communities or groups in contact. They will get to apply these insights to actual ‘cases’ in which the links between language and identity can lead to real-world problems. They will do this in group projects which will allow them to practice their research and presentation skills.
You will need to be familiar with the basic concepts of linguistics discussed in the “EFS: Introduction to Linguistics” class.
Make sure you attend the first meeting of the class, because that is when the places of participants who don't show up are distributed amongst students on the waiting list.
You should be a student of Linguistics or English studies.
Empirical Studies: Writing Processes and Products
Lecturer: Dr. Esther Odilia Breuer
Course Nr: 14569.2305
Time/Date: Mon,14:00- 15:30
Location: 103, S82
Credit Points: tbc
Writing has become one of the most important forms of communication in the last decades due to digitalisation and the possibilities of exchanging ideas via the internet. However, the cognitive demands of writing are higher than, e.g., the cognitive demands of speaking. Therefore, doing research on the writing processes themselves as well as on the products that were the results of these processes is very interesting and gives insight into linguistic processes.
In this class, we will therefore look at methods of doing research on writing processes and written texts, learn about the theoretical background and perform experiments inside class. The results will be analysed statistically, and we will discuss what they can tell us about writing and language.
Named or not - the value of language(s)
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Christiane Bongartz
Course Nr: 14569.2101
Time/Date: Thur, 17:45- 19:15
Location: 105, Hörsaal C
Credit Points: tbc
In this lecture class, we will examine how languages are valued - by language users, policy makers, institutions, and economic forces. We will examine various models of socio-linguistic evaluation and critically evaluate how they bear on a variety of specific contexts for language use. A number of guest speakers will present their current research findings to add a practical dimension to the course experience.
The lexicon
Lecturer: Dr. Andreas Konietzko
Course Nr: 14569.2103
Time/Date: Mon,12:00- 13:30
Location: 100, Hörsaal IV
Credit Points: tbc
Words in the mind are stored in the mental lexicon. The lexicon contains not only information about the pronunciation of words but also about their morpho-syntactic properties such as subcategorization, i.e. the number and category of the complements that some categories may take and information about inflectional properties. In this lecture we will discuss how the mental lexicon is structured, what kind of information it contains and how it can be extended, e.g. by means of word formation.
(Adapting) 19th century Literature and Culture
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Susanne Gruß
Course Nr: 14569.3102
Time/Date: Mon,16:00- 17:30
Location: 105, Hörsaal C
Credit Points: tbc
The nineteenth century, critics have argued, is the historical period contemporary (pop) culture engages with most frequently, and the comparatively recent development of ‘Neo-Victorian Studies’ as a distinctive field is a case in point. We seem to recognise versions of ourselves in nineteenth-century consumerism, sexual science, gay culture, or gender identity, to name but some examples, and project our own discourses and identities onto the Victorians. This lecture will provide a survey of British literature and culture of the nineteenth century and engage with one ‘adaptation of the week’ each session, thus creating a dialogue between the nineteenth-century past and our twenty-first-century present. It will cover the reign of Victoria I and address cultural phenomena, fashions, and ideologies of the nineteenth century as well as literary texts and visual culture(s), moving from the Romantics via the Pre-Raphaelites to the fin-de-siècle decadents. You will be introduced to a broad spectrum of authors – from Jane Austen to Charles Dickens, or from the Brontës to Oscar Wilde – and explore politics, industrialisation, empire and colonialism as well as the woman question (and more!) alongside ‘neo-Victorian’ angles on the nineteenth century.
Introduction to US Law and Terminology
Lecturer: Dr. Keith Wilder
Course Nr: 13980.1009
Time/Date: Thur,14:00- 15:30
Location: 105, Hörsaal A2
Credit Points: tbc
The lecture "Introduction to US Law and Terminology" aims to examine historical, theoretical and practical differences between the US-American common law system and the German legal system.
The course can be broken down into three main strands. At the beginning, detailed insights into the natural structure of the common law system, the historical development in Great Britain and its formative influence on the US legal system are developed through stimulating discussions. Attention is always paid to teaching a basic vocabulary in English as an international legal language.
Following the introduction to the structures of the common law system, the focus of the lecture is then on imparting basic knowledge in specific US legal areas - such as tort law, criminal law, contract law, family law and property law. Finally, the lecture focuses on the United States Constitution and the unique role of the Federal Court. In connection with this, topics such as freedom of the press and freedom of expression, the separation of church and state, the right to privacy, the rule of law, cruel and unusual punishments and the death penalty are presented and discussed.
The lecture will be held exclusively in English.
For more information on the Certificate of United States' Law (CUSL) see here:
https://us-recht.jura.uni-koeln.de/us-recht-certificate-in-us-law
Heritage Studies - Discourses and Practice
Lecturer: Dr. Heinz Felber
Course Nr: 14501.1305
Time/Date: Wed,14:00- 15:30
Location: 103, S68
Credit Points: tbc
Postcolonial Perspectives on Colonial Heritage
Lecturer: Dr. Heinz Felber
Course Nr: 14501.1306
Time/Date: Thur,12:00- 13:30
Location: 103, S90
Credit Points: tbc
Metaphysics and Epistemology
Lecturer: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Paul Silva
Course Nr: 14213.0112
Time/Date: Wed,12:00- 13:30
Location: 100, 4.011
Credit Points: tbc
Contemporary Epistemology
Lecturer: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Paul Silva
Course Nr: 14213.0212
Time/Date: Tue,12:00- 13:30
Location: tbc
Credit Points: tbc
In the first part of this course our main interest will be in philosophical questions about the nature of time, the identity of persons across time, and the conditions for free will. In the second part of this course our main interest will be in questions about the nature of human knowledge: what is knowledge, what are our sources of knowledge, and how–if at all–we can show that we have knowledge and deal with the problem of skepticism. Throughout the course there will be various introductory lectures on inductive and deductive logic.
Epistemic Paradoxes
Lecturer: Jun.-Prof. Dr. Paul Silva
Course Nr: 14213.0232
Time/Date: Thur,12:00- 13:30
Location: tbc
Credit Points: tbc
This course will examine various puzzles of traditional epistemology (e.g. skeptical puzzles) and ask about the extent to which these puzzles can be resolved by thinking more clearly about evidence, knowledge, and the variety of doxastic states and evaluations we have available to us. We will also look at puzzles that have had a prominent place in recent epistemology, including the problem of peer disagreement, the problem of misleading higher-order evidence, paradoxes of prejudice, and some puzzles regarding how to understand the relation between knowledge and reasons.