Lecturer: Dr. Thilo Zimmermann

Course Nr.: 15304.0141

Date/Time: Thu, 16:00h - 17:00h

Location: S34 (if you cannot participate in person PLEASE CONTACT THE LECTURER ABOUT THAT)

The course provides an introduction into economic theories, which are used to describe, explain and justify European integration. The course presents theories on economic integration and explains how they have applied to the case of the European unification process. Presented theories are for example international trade theories, such as Ricardo’s model of comparative advantage or the Heckscher-Ohlin model, fiscal federalism, public goods, as well as theories of monetary integration, such as monetary theories in general and the optimum currency areas approach. The course will set a special focus on the link between theories of economics and political science. Does economic integration presuppose political integration? To which degree do economic theories deal which questions of sovereignty and institution building?

The course will present economic theories and therefore also its mathematical equations. However, the focus lies on the description and discussion of these theories and how they have been used to explain and justify European integration. It is therefore possible to follow the course without previous knowledge of economic theories and methodology. The course is therefore addressed for an interdisciplinary audience with different backgrounds and might also be of interest for students of economics in order to debate about theories and their political implications.

Lecturer: Daniela Simut & Dr. Georg Verweyen 

Course Nr.: 15304.0148

Date/Time: Blockseminar (Wed. 15:00-19:00h November 23, December 7, December 14, January 11.)

Location: S34 (if you cannot participate in person PLEASE CONTACT THE LECTURER ABOUT THAT)

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) will shape our policies and social life for the next years. Their guiding principles are the interdisciplinary approach, the idea that all countries address them in an eye-level cooperation and most importantly, the idea that every individual can contribute to the achievement of these goals. Especially for the young generation (e.g. students), the overall goal of ensuring a more sustainable and thus social, ecological and economic development by 2030, is a great opportunity to creatively shape the world of tomorrow. SDG Connect offers a base of knowledge about the meaning of the Sustainable Development Goals and their application for assessment and communication of global issues. 

Lecturer: Dr. Anan Alsneik Haidar

Course Nr.: 15304.0142

Date/Time: Mon, 10:00-11:30h

Location: S34 (if you cannot participate in person PLEASE CONTACT THE LECTURER ABOUT THAT)

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.

Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Müller

Course Nr.: 15304.0146

Date/Time: Wed, 16:00-17:30h

Location: S34 (if you cannot participate in person PLEASE CONTACT THE LECTURER ABOUT THAT)

Historiography tends to focus its objects like through an optical device: From bird’s eye view World History and panoramic European History, to macroscopic National History, to microscopic Local History. However, these levels are, of course, interconnected and overlapping.
In this course we will look at the historical trajectory of Cologne from the end of the 19th Century to the Great Depression within the troublesome History of Europe between 1871-1933. We will ask how the local events and experiences reflect Europe-wide historical processes, in which ways they are interconnected with overarching transnational trends, and if and how they are comparable or contrasting to contemporary developments in urban centers elsewhere in Europe. In doing so, we will recreate the history of Cologne from a regional economic and industrial hub to a Western European metropolis. But at the same time, we will identify the European legacy within this development and outline the specific “Rhenish” variant of the European Identity in Cologne.
As we will try to argue during this course: European Identity – as any identity in historical perspective – is polymorphic and a result of local, regional, national and transnational experiences. But it relates to a core of common historical references, common developments and trends, of which the particular local historical mix is one possible combination. Some European Identities are more spicy than others, some are less contoured than others.
Let’s see, what defines the European Identity of Cologne at the beginning of the 20th century.

Formalities
Hybrid Seminar, but compulsory attendance
Language of sessions: English
Papers may be written in English, German, French, Italian and Spanish
Written Test, if applicable, in English only.
All participants are expected to write a term paper (Studium Integrale and CGSP an essay of 4-5 pp.)
All Students are expected to write a blog entry or two comments to blog entries per week.

Lecturer: Benjamin Naujoks

Course Nr.: 15304.0145

Date/Time: Tue, 10:00h-11:30h

Location: S34 (if you cannot participate in person PLEASE CONTACT THE LECTURER ABOUT THAT)

With the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine on February 24, a neologism entered
the vernacular: TankTok. Real-time social media replaced traditional war reporting. At the same
time: one of the first major measures of Western support for Ukraine was Elon Musk's delivery of
the StarLink system to Ukraine.
What often goes by the term „cyber war“ has a much longer history. In a narrower sense, it begins
with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991; in the broadest sense, it ultimately began in the
1970s. A Western, free-market — so to say: Californian — role model meets the prescribed
planned-economy technical supposed superiority in Russia: Silicon Valley vs Skolkovo. Since the
1990s, the intermediate space has been represented by the states of Eastern and Central Europe,
which almost without exception opted for the Western path: technically, economically, politically.
The course therefore asks about three essential things:
1. What are the historical differences and pathways in the development of modern communication
infrastructures in the present, with a special focus on Central and Eastern Europe and Russia.
2. What were the relations — on political, security and economical issues — between the nation-
states of Central and Eastern Europe and Russia until the beginning of the new millennium? And
what role have brain drain and emigration, especially in Russia, played since then?
3. How can we characterize the deeper structural history?
So, the course will work on concrete examples, historical as well as current: from Skype to
WhatsApp to TikTok. We will have a broad range of perspectives: on micro history like
biographies, inventions, and trends as well as on macro factors like structural history, geography,
and global policies.
Some first recommendations
— Kyle Chayka, Watching the World’s „first TikTok war“, in: New Yorker, 3.3.2022.
— The Guardian Podcast, Internet access is now a basic human right: part 2 - Chips with
Everything tech podcast, available here: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/audio/2016/aug/
04/internet-access-human-right-2-tech-podcast
—John Naughton, The evolution of the Internet: from military experiment to General Purpose
Technology, in. Journal of Cyber Policy, 1/2016, pp. 5—28.
—Bareikyte, Migle: The Post-Socialist Internet. How Labor, Geopolitics and Critique Produce the
Internet in Lithuania, Bielefeld 2022.
—Piret Pernuk et al.: The early days of cyberattacks: the cases of Estonia, Georgia and Ukraine, in:
Nicu Popescu and Stanilav Secrieru (eds.): Hacks, Leaks and Disruptions. Russian Cyber
Strategies, 2018, pp. 53—64.

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).

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)

Lecturer: Dr.' Victoria Herche

Course Nr: 14569.3302

Time/Date: Tue. 14:00-15:30h

Credit Points: 3

The concept of a ‘national cinema’ is a way of framing and classifying an industry, its personnel, and its products. Australia’s film industry is known as a medium-sized English-language cinema, for it is a comparatively small one and primarily import-oriented. However, due to its dependency on state funding, there are nevertheless attempts to define some form of homogeneous cinematic form and practice that gives predictability and coherence to the cinematic representation of ‘Australianness’.

By referring to various cinematic examples from the 1910s to 2010s, this course will provide an overview of the history of Australian cinema. Typical tropes and fictions defining ‘Australianness’ will be introduced and challenged. In particular by referring to Indigenous Australian and Migrant Australian cinema, the diversity and richness of contemporary Australian cinema will be highlighted since filmmakers increasingly include questions of multiculturalism and help to challenge and redefine a homogenous image of what it means to ‘be Australian’.

In written assignments students will practice their skills in film analysis and the application of postcolonial theories.

Experience in film analysis and the knowledge of film analytical terminology is preferable (in preparation see Film Art by Bordwell and Thompson, 11th edition).

Course format: The course will consist of both face-to-face sessions as well as asynchronous learning modules in ILIAS. The formalities and exact order of things will be discussed in the mandatory introductory session on 11 October 2022.

Lecturer: Jun-Prof. Dr. Paul Silva

Course Nr: 14213.0212

Time/Date: Wed. 12:00- 13:30

Location:  check on Klips before the semester begin

Credit Points: 3

Traditional epistemology has focused on issues such as the nature, sources, and transmission of knowledge/rationality, classical arguments for skepticism, the possibility of synthetic a priori knowledge, and many related issues. Non-traditional epistemology, as I’m calling it, also asks questions about such issues. But it does so with respect to the way we are currently situated and the pressures we now face as would-be knowers. Accordingly, this class will focus on issues such as feminist epistemology, internet epistemology (e.g. the epistemic impact of Google, Twitter, and echo chambers), and political epistemology. The course will be non-exhaustive, but it will provide you with a great foundation for further research.

Syllabus Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FlEB74j9rh42VDQFcYVh6QpglIJc-7QB/view?usp=sharing

Lecturer: Jun-Prof. Dr. Paul Silva

Course Nr: 14213.0242

Time/Date: Tue. 12:00- 13:30

Location: check on Klips before the semester start

Credit Points: 3

Lecturer: Prof. Stefan Neubert

Course Nr: 14387.1000

Time/Date: Tue,16:00- 17:30

Location:  216 Seminarraum S139

Credit Points: 3

The seminar will offer an introduction to internationally influential debates on education in connection with the philosophical tradition of John Dewey (1859-1952) and the sociology of Zygmunt Bauman (1925-2017).

Due to limited number of participants, it is mandatory to show up at the first session in order to secure your spot.

Lecturer: Prof. Kirk William Junker

Course Nr: 13980.2614

Time/Date: Wed, 08:00- 9:30h

Location: online    

Credit Points: 6

Lecturer: Prof. Christiane Bongartz

Course Nr: 14569.2101

Time/Date: Tue. 17:45- 19:15h

Credit Points: 3

This lecture class will be devoted to a paradox: if multilingualism is a default condition of the human mind, why do societies seem to struggle with it? We will be looking at English(es) in a variety of settings, ranging from Morocco to Morschenich. Looking at speakers, identities, and grammars, we will address guest speakers with discussion questions and explore epistemes such as 'the multilingual turn' and 'monolingualism.'

Lecturer: Prof. Oyvind Eide

Course Nr: 16130.0231

Time/Date: Wed. 12:00- 13:30h

Credit Points: 3

This lecture serves two different functions. On the one hand it gives the background for the exercise ”Media Transformation – Interaktives Erzählen in VR” and establishes a basis for a critical reflection on the practical work the students do in creating VR systems. On the other hand it is also a discussion about the role of different media, before and now, and how media relate to interactivity, agency, and embodiment which can be taken as an independent course.

The main part of the teaching consists of lectures and discussions, but the students are also asked to do some practical exercises in order to understand better some of the points raised and to help them clarifying their own positions.

The language of the lectures is English. Some questions and presentations from Students might be in German. Work can be submitted in English or German as each student prefer.

Lecturer: Prof. Kirk William Junker

Course Nr: 14142.2002

Time/Date: Wed, 17:45- 19:15h

Location: online    

Credit Points: 6