Dr. Victoria Bishop Kendzia

English B2

Thursday, 14-18 (c.t.) (17 October – 5 December 2024)
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

Berlin’s rich museological landscape lends itself to in-depth exploration of Germany’s difficult heritage: How are the upheavals of the 20th and 21st centuries, especially, remembered and represented? This course aims to enable the students to get to know a number of Berlin museums focusing on Memory and Post-WWII migration using anthropological methods and to critically analyse them within larger theoretical frameworks of “self” and “other” constructions. The aim is to explore the role of museums in rendering such constructions visible and therefore debatable. In addition to visiting the sites, there are scholarly readings and in-class discussions. The discussions will be based on the museum visits and the students’ questions on the readings.

Lea Baro

English B2

Friday, 10-12 (c.t.) (10:15-11:45)

Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

Who leaves a mark on the city? Who shapes the city and who gets to feel represented in it? Through a blend of historical, sociological, political, geographic, cultural, and anthropological perspectives this course will dissect the intricate layers of representation and diversity within Berlin. Each week, our course will explore a different facet of Berlin's urban landscape, from its status as a diverse metropolis to its role as a global hub of culture and activism. Through different thematic and disciplinary lenses, students will critically examine the concept of representation, interrogating who is seen and heard in Berlin's streets, institutions, and governance structures. 
 Utilizing a flipped classroom approach and engaging excursions, students will have the opportunity to immerse themselves in Berlin's rich history and contemporary dynamics. Visits to archival institutions, such as the archive of youth culture as well as a museum visit of the city museum of Berlin, will provide firsthand access to the diverse perspectives and narratives that shape the city's collective memory.
 By the course's conclusion, students will emerge with a comprehensive understanding of Berlin as a space of representation, equipped with the analytical tools to navigate its complexities. Join us as we uncover the essence of Berlin through an interdisciplinary and intersectional lens, exploring its rich diversity, complex history, current political dynamics and vibrant tapestry of voices and experiences.

Christa Joo Hyun D'Angelo

English B2

Thursday, 12-14 c.t.
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

This interdisciplinary course aims to decipher Berlin’s cultural landscape through a diverse lens. It examines how people of color and queer communities shape Berlin’s creative fields. We will focus on artistic works that draw on sociopolitical shifts such as Die Wende, the 90s pogroms in Rostock-Lichtenhagen, the Vietnamese contract workers in the GDR, and contemporary queer Berlin. This course contemplates how can historical memory be reimagined both outside and within German Institutions? How can artists of color and queer voices transform the past and future? How has Berlin fostered a multitude of artistic voices that is unique to the city’s ever evolving social fabric? The course will observe cinematic works, visual art, and texts that address Germany’s dynamic history and develop critical thinking. Students will reflect on creative strategies that engage with postwar legacies, diasporic history, sexual freedom, and visions for social equity.

Dr. Marita Meyer

German B2, English B2

Tuesday, 9-12 c.t. (9:15-11:45), October-December 
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

The novel Effingers by Gabriele Tergit tells the story of two jewish families from the 19th century until World War II. The novel offers a kaleidoscopean view to the beginning of modernity, including social, economic and feminist perspectives. It is also a novel about jewish emancipation and about antisemitism. Last but not least it is a Berlin novel. Gabriele Tergit was a wellknown journalist and author in Berlin in the 1920s. She wrote Effingers in her time of emigration. After World War II there was few interest in Germany to publish and to read the novel. It was not until the year 2019 that a new edition became a huge success. In this course we will read and discuss the novel together focussing on topics like the presentation of urban life and society, industrialisation, jewish communities, womens movement and the rise of nationalsocialist power. At the same time we have to examine the literary composition and style of Tergits writing. We also will ask for the reasons of the changing reception of this artwork.

Azakhiwe Nocanda

English B2

Tuesday, 12-14 c.t. (12:15-13:45)

Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

How do our unconscious biases impact the way we view people within the African Diaspora? The course aims to explore intersectional inequalities of citizenship and the politics of Belonging and how our unconscious biases impact the way we view (Black) Africans and people within the African Diaspora. The relationship between migration, social cohesion and national German identity has become an increasingly contentious political issue. Historically, the settlement of migrant groups and the formation of minority ethnic groups have changed the socio-cultural, political and economic fabric of receiving societies. We will explore the relationship between racial and ethnocultural diversity. Students are encouraged to the intentional notion of undoing – unlearning and dismantling unjust practices, assumptions, and institutions – as well as persistent action to create and build alternative spaces and ways of knowing, particularly concerning the Black (African) Diaspora. Berlin will be used as a case study for themes covered, however, students are encouraged to reflect on their own identities and the expressions of various identities around the city. Class sessions will be composed of lectures, online discussions forums and an excursion through Berlin’s Black History. Course materials and readings are designed to give special emphasis to the African Diaspora initiatives and perspectives of shaping their own history. Ultimately the course provides students with a wide interdisciplinary introduction into the othering of (Black) Africans, so that students can interpret contemporary African issues with an informed historical background.

Alexandre Nogueira Martins, Julia de Freitas Sampaio

English B2, German A1

Wednesday, 16-18 c.t. (16:15-17:45)
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

This course explores the complex historical and contemporary dynamics of German colonialism, anti-colonial resistance movements, and the impact of colonialism on present-day German society. Divided into four themes that intersect throughout the classes, the course provides a comprehensive understanding of the German colonial past, anti-colonial struggles in Berlin, contemporary Berlin as a site of colonial heritage, and the emergence of post-colonial and decolonial movements in the city. The first main theme is the German colonial era, in which we examine key historical events, colonial practices, and the territories under German control. We explore Berlin as a physical and symbolic space that reflects the remnants of German colonialism and consider how these remnants shape the city's identity. The second one focuses on resistance movements against colonization. We study the diverse strategies and initiatives employed by individuals and communities who fought against German colonialism both in the colonies and in Berlin and the capital of the German empire. Moving into the third theme, we investigate the effects of colonialism on contemporary German society. We examine how colonial legacies continue to shape social, political, and cultural structures in Germany today. Topics include the influence of colonialism on immigration policies, racial dynamics, cultural heritage, and the representation of marginalised communities. As far as the fourth theme is concerned, we engage with postcolonial and decolonial contemporary movements. We critically examine different theoretical frameworks and approaches used to deconstruct colonial power structures, challenge Eurocentric narratives, and envision alternative futures. We explore the global context of decolonial movements and their relevance to Germany and Berlin specifically. 

Marco T. Picazo

English B2, German A2 (recommended)

Thursday, 16-18 c.t. (16:15-17:45)
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

Why has Berlin become one of the foremost LGBTQIA+ capitals in the world? What social and political challenges does the Berlin queer community face, such as the emergence of a new wave of far-right movements? We will use Berlin as a case study to analyze the origins of hate discourses and the so-called "gender ideology" by integrating key concepts of queer theory and gender studies into our discussions to explore the cultural politics of emotions and affect.
 Together, we will navigate the evolution of a contemporary, multicultural, and artistic Queer Berlin. Starting with a look back at the 1920s, the rise of fascism and Nazi atrocities, the division of Germany, and its different approaches to sexual liberation movements. We will consider the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the Reunification of Germany and the 1990s to understand today's vast and diverse queer scene. We will explore recent theoretical advancements in critical queer and gender studies, complemented by workshops and cultural excursions, covering topics such as body politics, queer diaspora and migration, and critical solidarity.

Dr. Stefanie Rinke

German B2, English B1

Thursday, 10-12 c.t. (10:15-11:45)
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

Berlin is called the most sexually open capital of Europe today. In clubs, bars, workshops and festivals, a broad range and mix of sexual orientations are created in different and also crossing scenes and sex-positive spaces. Homosexual, transgender, tantric, polyamory, sex-positive and BDSM-oriented persons meet and celebrate and create new sexual techniques and lifestyles in so-called sex-positive spaces. The government of Berlin has already recognized the economic dimension of the liberal sexual culture. What does liberal sexual culture exactly mean? What kind of historical roots are important to analyze, e.g. the anonymity of the big city, the homosexual movement and the golden twenties? What was and is avant-garde and when does it turn into commerce? Excursions and interviews with experts will be part of the seminar. We will work with texts and films, and students will develop their own research question and project. This course is taught in German for international students.

Dr. Sajjad Safaei

English B2

Tuesday 16-18 c.t. (16:15-17:45)
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

What makes certain punishments “barbaric”, “cruel”, or “inhumane”? And why are other penal rituals considered more “civilised”, “humane”, or “dignified” than others? Can we identify a clear and consistent set of criteria for these distinctions, and are these criteria truly legitimate? Throughout this interdisciplinary course, students will be invited to think critically about these and related questions by examining the legal, philosophical, sociological, anthropological and historical literature on punishment and penal sanctions in different historical periods and societies. The course aims to draw on various references from contexts such as Germany, the United States, France, and Japan. To enrich the learning experience, we also aim to include group excursions to Berlin’s significant historical sites and contemporary prisons to provide students with first-hand insights into both the modern penal system and its historical development. In addition, students are welcome to suggest potential sites for visits, which may be considered if feasible.

Dr. Betiel Wasihun

English B2

Friday, 14-18 c.t.  (14:15-17:45)
Please note the bi-weekly session dates:
25 October, 8 November, 22 November, 
6 December, 20 December, 
17 January, 31 January, 14 February
Room: 0323-26, Hausvogteiplatz 5-7

What does it mean to live in a surveillance society? How does the digital age challenge questions regarding privacy, individuality and freedom? When does surveillance as care tip over into surveillance as control? And how does the Stasi system of vigilance prefigure contemporary surveillance culture? This course will on the one hand examine the impact of surveillance on society by looking at the multifaceted ways technologies, societies and the arts interact and, on the other hand, reflect on surveillance in a totalitarian context while comparing observation techniques in the GDR with contemporary surveillance methods. The course further encourages students to critically engage with the representation of surveillance in contemporary literature, film and popular culture and maps out important themes with regards to surveillance and its repercussions (e.g., visibility, identity, privacy and control). Furthermore, the course provides an overview of the interdisciplinary field of surveillance studies and covers the latest research in the following major areas: 1. Relationship between surveillance, power and social control; 2. Histories of Surveillance: GDR and the Stasi (especially in the context of Berlin) 3. The concept of privacy; 4. Surveillance in the arts and popular culture.