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Title
Module
Semester
Day/Time
Art and Aesthetics
Art and Artists in Context
Fall 2023
Tue, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Art and Artists in Context
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aya Soika
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
What aspects of the past are being remembered in German culture of the 20th and 21st centuries? How do Berlin’s numerous memorials, buildings and museums add to the dynamics of the remembrance culture discourse? And how do art and architecture reflect past and present attempts to define and redefine the nation’s narratives and memories? The seminar focuses on “the place of Germany’s past” in the country’s development throughout the twentieth century up until today, through an examination of art works, memorials and buildings. The many places in Berlin that deal with the Nazi dictatorship, with persecution, war and genocide will be central to our discussion; however, we will also address broader questions, for example on the relationship between history and memory (Aleida Assmann), Germany’s alleged special path (Mary Fulbrook), the development of the counter memorial (James E. Young), or the distinctive topography of Berlin (Andreas Huyssen). Our overview of the role of memory in 20th- and 21st-century German art and culture ends with an exploration of more recent debates concerning multidirectional memory and the future of Germany’s memory discourse. Site visits will be an important part of the seminar.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Art and Artists in Context
AH212 Memory Matters: The Place of Germany’s Past in the Present
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aya Soika
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
What aspects of the past are being remembered in German culture of the 20th and 21st centuries? How do Berlin’s numerous memorials, buildings and museums add to the dynamics of the remembrance culture discourse? And how do art and architecture reflect past and present attempts to define and redefine the nation’s narratives and memories? The seminar focuses on “the place of Germany’s past” in the country’s development throughout the twentieth century up until today, through an examination of art works, memorials and buildings. The many places in Berlin that deal with the Nazi dictatorship, with persecution, war and genocide will be central to our discussion; however, we will also address broader questions, for example on the relationship between history and memory (Aleida Assmann), Germany’s alleged special path (Mary Fulbrook), the development of the counter memorial (James E. Young), or the distinctive topography of Berlin (Andreas Huyssen). Our overview of the role of memory in 20th- and 21st-century German art and culture ends with an exploration of more recent debates concerning multidirectional memory and the future of Germany’s memory discourse. Site visits will be an important part of the seminar.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Exhibition Culture and Public Space
Fall 2023
Fri, 1200-1730
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Exhibition Culture and Public Space
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1200-1730
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aya Soika , Andrea Meyer (T.U. Berlin)
Note that this course is a Blockseminar and begins in the second half of the semester
Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19 th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, taking the recent transformations in Berlin’s museumscape and the discussions that haven been sparked by them as its point of departure. To begin with we will explore the Humboldt Forum, a national prestige project that had become the subject of heated debate long before its recent opening. The fact that the building hosts Berlin’s colonial ethnographic collections whilst its newly built façade copies the former Prussian City Palace – once the seat of Germany’s last emperor and demolished in the early 1950s – allows to take a closer look at the complex relationship between museum space and its collections. We will also pay attention to the ongoing developments on Museum Island and at “Kulturforum” near Potsdamer Platz. Whereas Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie was re-opened in 2021, a new building for the State Museums’ comprehensive twentieth-century collection by Herzog & de Meuron architects is underway. However, we will also take the changes at the supposed periphery of the city into consideration, in Dahlem for example, where both the Brücke-Museum and the Kunsthaus Dahlem have effectively revised traditional exhibition and outreach programming. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Exhibition Culture and Public Space
AH216 Berlin’s Museum Controversies
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1200-1730
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aya Soika , Andrea Meyer (T.U. Berlin)
Note that this course is a Blockseminar and begins in the second half of the semester
Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19 th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, taking the recent transformations in Berlin’s museumscape and the discussions that haven been sparked by them as its point of departure. To begin with we will explore the Humboldt Forum, a national prestige project that had become the subject of heated debate long before its recent opening. The fact that the building hosts Berlin’s colonial ethnographic collections whilst its newly built façade copies the former Prussian City Palace – once the seat of Germany’s last emperor and demolished in the early 1950s – allows to take a closer look at the complex relationship between museum space and its collections. We will also pay attention to the ongoing developments on Museum Island and at “Kulturforum” near Potsdamer Platz. Whereas Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie was re-opened in 2021, a new building for the State Museums’ comprehensive twentieth-century collection by Herzog & de Meuron architects is underway. However, we will also take the changes at the supposed periphery of the city into consideration, in Dahlem for example, where both the Brücke-Museum and the Kunsthaus Dahlem have effectively revised traditional exhibition and outreach programming. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Friederike Schäfer
The course considers the history of art in the twentieth century from the perspective of what can be termed the “nature–culture divide” in Western art traditions. We will look into different conceptions of “nature” that artists have developed in and through art, and end with the discussion around the “Anthropocene” and alternative models regarding the changing relation between humans and “nature,” which emerged at the turn of the millennium. Departing from landscape painting traditions that aimed at creating a compelling representation of an ideal image of nature, abstract painters took a more analytical approach to “the nature of nature.” The focus, however, is on the emergence of natural materials in the exhibition space. In the 1960s and 1970s, several art forms—from process art, and more specifically earth art and land art to performative practices—started to work directly with and in relation to nature. We will discuss this change from representational to material strategies, specifically considering feminist approaches, and look into the development of artistic practices that can be subsumed under environmental art. In doing so, we will ask how exhibitions deal with different conceptions of nature and analyze how “nature” is (re)presented in exhibition spaces, also taking into consideration non-Western concepts and epistemologies.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
AH217 Nature on Display. From Landscape Representations to Mold(er)ing Earth in Exhibition Spaces
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Friederike Schäfer
The course considers the history of art in the twentieth century from the perspective of what can be termed the “nature–culture divide” in Western art traditions. We will look into different conceptions of “nature” that artists have developed in and through art, and end with the discussion around the “Anthropocene” and alternative models regarding the changing relation between humans and “nature,” which emerged at the turn of the millennium. Departing from landscape painting traditions that aimed at creating a compelling representation of an ideal image of nature, abstract painters took a more analytical approach to “the nature of nature.” The focus, however, is on the emergence of natural materials in the exhibition space. In the 1960s and 1970s, several art forms—from process art, and more specifically earth art and land art to performative practices—started to work directly with and in relation to nature. We will discuss this change from representational to material strategies, specifically considering feminist approaches, and look into the development of artistic practices that can be subsumed under environmental art. In doing so, we will ask how exhibitions deal with different conceptions of nature and analyze how “nature” is (re)presented in exhibition spaces, also taking into consideration non-Western concepts and epistemologies.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Aesthetics and Art Theory
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Aesthetics and Art Theory
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Katalin Makkai
“Aesthetics” and “aesthetic” are terms that are often taken for granted inside as well as outside academic discourse. We speak of aesthetic experiences and judgments and qualities, and we employ “aesthetics” to designate the study of such matters. Although their root is taken from the Greek, the now-familiar terms (in their now-familiar usages) are, however, comparatively new. They are commonly regarded as having been introduced into the philosophical lexicon in the eighteenth century—a few hundred years ago. This course studies some of the texts that were key to the discovery, or perhaps the invention, of the “aesthetic”. What work was the idea meant to do? How did its evolution retain or reconfigure its original senses and purposes? Is the idea of the aesthetic problematic, ideological, or chimerical? Do we need such an idea to think about nature and our relation to it? Authors addressed include Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Hume, Kant, Schiller, Schopenhauer, Coleridge, Bell, Beardsley, Bullough, Stolnitz, Isenberg, Dickie, Greenberg, Carroll, Bernstein, Rancière.Do we need an idea of the aesthetic to think about art? Authors include Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, Clive Bell, George Dickie, Clement Greenberg, Susan Sontag, Danto, Adorno, Terry Eagleton, Rancière.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Aesthetics and Art Theory
AH302 The Idea of the Aesthetic
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Katalin Makkai
“Aesthetics” and “aesthetic” are terms that are often taken for granted inside as well as outside academic discourse. We speak of aesthetic experiences and judgments and qualities, and we employ “aesthetics” to designate the study of such matters. Although their root is taken from the Greek, the now-familiar terms (in their now-familiar usages) are, however, comparatively new. They are commonly regarded as having been introduced into the philosophical lexicon in the eighteenth century—a few hundred years ago. This course studies some of the texts that were key to the discovery, or perhaps the invention, of the “aesthetic”. What work was the idea meant to do? How did its evolution retain or reconfigure its original senses and purposes? Is the idea of the aesthetic problematic, ideological, or chimerical? Do we need such an idea to think about nature and our relation to it? Authors addressed include Shaftesbury, Hutcheson, Hume, Kant, Schiller, Schopenhauer, Coleridge, Bell, Beardsley, Bullough, Stolnitz, Isenberg, Dickie, Greenberg, Carroll, Bernstein, Rancière.Do we need an idea of the aesthetic to think about art? Authors include Plato, Kant, Schopenhauer, Clive Bell, George Dickie, Clement Greenberg, Susan Sontag, Danto, Adorno, Terry Eagleton, Rancière.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artists, Genres, and Movements
Fall 2023
Mon, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artists, Genres, and Movements
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Geoff Lehman
In this course, Diego Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas will serve as a focal point and framework for the exploration of a number of key issues related to the theory and practice of painting, looking at a diverse range of artworks. Major topics for the course include: portraiture and the gaze; perspective as pictorial structure and as depiction of (room) space; the intersection of chronos (the representation of narrative or historical time) and kairos (the plenitude of the depicted moment); self-reflexivity: the way pictures explicitly raise questions about artistic practice, the artist, and art itself; the phenomenology of the encounter with paintings; psychoanalytic interpretations of pictures; and “the anxiety of influence.” In reference to these themes, we consider the vast range of artworks that have been created in response to Las Meninas, especially since Picasso’s Las Meninas series in the 1950s. Discussing these different aspects of the encounter with painting and its interpretation, we will engage Velázquez’s complex painting in depth through close reading, sustained attention, and open-ended interpretation. Beyond this, we will have a chance to explore the topics above through consideration of selected artworks from the Renaissance up to the contemporary moment. Artists whose works we study will include Van Eyck, Mantegna, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Picasso, Sargent, Dalí, Witkin, Weems, and Sussman. Readings will be from Steinberg, Foucault, Calderón, Jung, Freud, Lispector, Woolf, Riegl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Bachelard, and others. Visits to museums to encounter works of art in person will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artists, Genres, and Movements
AH314 Las Meninas and the Pictorial Encounter
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Geoff Lehman
In this course, Diego Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas will serve as a focal point and framework for the exploration of a number of key issues related to the theory and practice of painting, looking at a diverse range of artworks. Major topics for the course include: portraiture and the gaze; perspective as pictorial structure and as depiction of (room) space; the intersection of chronos (the representation of narrative or historical time) and kairos (the plenitude of the depicted moment); self-reflexivity: the way pictures explicitly raise questions about artistic practice, the artist, and art itself; the phenomenology of the encounter with paintings; psychoanalytic interpretations of pictures; and “the anxiety of influence.” In reference to these themes, we consider the vast range of artworks that have been created in response to Las Meninas, especially since Picasso’s Las Meninas series in the 1950s. Discussing these different aspects of the encounter with painting and its interpretation, we will engage Velázquez’s complex painting in depth through close reading, sustained attention, and open-ended interpretation. Beyond this, we will have a chance to explore the topics above through consideration of selected artworks from the Renaissance up to the contemporary moment. Artists whose works we study will include Van Eyck, Mantegna, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Picasso, Sargent, Dalí, Witkin, Weems, and Sussman. Readings will be from Steinberg, Foucault, Calderón, Jung, Freud, Lispector, Woolf, Riegl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Bachelard, and others. Visits to museums to encounter works of art in person will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Exhibition Culture and Public Space
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Exhibition Culture and Public Space
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Dorothea von Hantelmann
Museums and exhibitions derive their social function from the fact that they uphold certain values and concepts within society. Looking at art spaces historically as a series of decisive moments of transformation, we will explore the format of the exhibition as a modern ritual site in which particular aspects of the modern socio-economic order – such as the individual, the object, or notions of progress – were, and continue to be, performed and cultivated. What can the early modern cabinets of curiosities in the 16th century tell us about the emergence of an initial consumer culture? Can we retrace the entire history of individualization by following the increase of wall space between paintings in 19th- and 20th-century galleries? And what does the current transformation of white cubes into time-based experiential spaces tell us about early 21st-century societies? Combining historical and theoretical approaches, we’ll draw from sources of museum history, anthropology, and cultural history in order to understand the changing social role of art institutions throughout history. Looking at utopian institutional models of the 1960s and a selection of contemporary approaches, we will then also discuss the parameters of new arts institutions for today. We may find that the transformations of our epoch are asking for a new kind of ritual, to follow and perhaps replace that of the exhibition.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Exhibition Culture and Public Space
AH320 The Exhibition – A New Western Ritual?
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Dorothea von Hantelmann
Museums and exhibitions derive their social function from the fact that they uphold certain values and concepts within society. Looking at art spaces historically as a series of decisive moments of transformation, we will explore the format of the exhibition as a modern ritual site in which particular aspects of the modern socio-economic order – such as the individual, the object, or notions of progress – were, and continue to be, performed and cultivated. What can the early modern cabinets of curiosities in the 16th century tell us about the emergence of an initial consumer culture? Can we retrace the entire history of individualization by following the increase of wall space between paintings in 19th- and 20th-century galleries? And what does the current transformation of white cubes into time-based experiential spaces tell us about early 21st-century societies? Combining historical and theoretical approaches, we’ll draw from sources of museum history, anthropology, and cultural history in order to understand the changing social role of art institutions throughout history. Looking at utopian institutional models of the 1960s and a selection of contemporary approaches, we will then also discuss the parameters of new arts institutions for today. We may find that the transformations of our epoch are asking for a new kind of ritual, to follow and perhaps replace that of the exhibition.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Thur, 0930-1245
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This studio art course explores contemporary and historical approaches to drawing and collage. Suitable for all levels of artistic ability, the goal is to enhance aesthetic comprehension and personal expression through the creation of mixed-media drawings and collages. We begin by transcribing embodied experience into visual compositions, attending to our perceptual awareness in order to strengthen the coordination of mind, eyes, and hands. Course activities will ask students to: make analytical drawings of figure / object arrangements, develop conceptual methods of composition, make abstractions from nature by working outdoors, gather materials from Berlin's famous Flohmärkte (flea markets) to use in collages and assemblages, work collaboratively on large-scale drawings, and experiment with innovative combinations of text and imagery. A core theme will be the potential to generate new and surprising content from the juxtaposition of found printed fragments and hand-drawn lines. Of special interest for our class discussions will be works created by current and historical Berliners, such as Dada artist Hannah Höch. The majority of classes are studio work sessions. There will also be several group critiques, slideshow presentations, and artist studio / gallery visits. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Students are expected to be self-motivated, open to exploring new ways of working, and comfortable sharing their artworks during class discussions. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
FA103 Found Fragments and Layered Lines: Mixed-Media Techniques for Drawing and Collage
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This studio art course explores contemporary and historical approaches to drawing and collage. Suitable for all levels of artistic ability, the goal is to enhance aesthetic comprehension and personal expression through the creation of mixed-media drawings and collages. We begin by transcribing embodied experience into visual compositions, attending to our perceptual awareness in order to strengthen the coordination of mind, eyes, and hands. Course activities will ask students to: make analytical drawings of figure / object arrangements, develop conceptual methods of composition, make abstractions from nature by working outdoors, gather materials from Berlin's famous Flohmärkte (flea markets) to use in collages and assemblages, work collaboratively on large-scale drawings, and experiment with innovative combinations of text and imagery. A core theme will be the potential to generate new and surprising content from the juxtaposition of found printed fragments and hand-drawn lines. Of special interest for our class discussions will be works created by current and historical Berliners, such as Dada artist Hannah Höch. The majority of classes are studio work sessions. There will also be several group critiques, slideshow presentations, and artist studio / gallery visits. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Students are expected to be self-motivated, open to exploring new ways of working, and comfortable sharing their artworks during class discussions. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Fri, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
FA106 Beginners Black and White Photography Class: The Slow Photo (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Fri, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
FA106 Beginners Black and White Photography Class: The Slow Photo (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Mon, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Carla Åhlander
This course is an introduction to digital photography with a focus on artistic expression. The course is aimed at those who want to learn digital photography at a basic level and develop their photographic work into a project. The course includes in-class critiques and discussions on the choice of method, technique and subject matter, as well as possible forms of presentation. Parts of the course will consist of looking at works by contemporary and historical photographers, as well as introductions to the technical and theoretical tools you will need to work on your project. We will ask questions such as: “what is my own way of seeing something?”; “what is my own point of view?"
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
FA108 Beginners in Digital Photography - Your own point of view
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Carla Åhlander
This course is an introduction to digital photography with a focus on artistic expression. The course is aimed at those who want to learn digital photography at a basic level and develop their photographic work into a project. The course includes in-class critiques and discussions on the choice of method, technique and subject matter, as well as possible forms of presentation. Parts of the course will consist of looking at works by contemporary and historical photographers, as well as introductions to the technical and theoretical tools you will need to work on your project. We will ask questions such as: “what is my own way of seeing something?”; “what is my own point of view?"
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Tue, 0930-1245
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and concepts of painting; it establishes the foundation for studio practice using oil- and water-based paints. With the help of practical demonstrations students will learn about the specific qualities of various paints; how to stretch canvases, prepare painting surfaces, and apply paint using traditional and experimental techniques. Assignments will cultivate an understanding of color mixing, hue, value, chroma, warm/cool temperature, composition building, perspectival space, mark-making, surface texture, and effects of shadow and light. Students will work from direct observation, use photographic references, and develop abstractions. Studio work will be supported by readings, discussions, and slide presentations that engage relevant themes in the discourse of contemporary painting. Special attention will be paid in classroom discussions to painters (past and present) with strong connections to the city of Berlin. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and a time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
FA109 Fundamentals of Painting
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and concepts of painting; it establishes the foundation for studio practice using oil- and water-based paints. With the help of practical demonstrations students will learn about the specific qualities of various paints; how to stretch canvases, prepare painting surfaces, and apply paint using traditional and experimental techniques. Assignments will cultivate an understanding of color mixing, hue, value, chroma, warm/cool temperature, composition building, perspectival space, mark-making, surface texture, and effects of shadow and light. Students will work from direct observation, use photographic references, and develop abstractions. Studio work will be supported by readings, discussions, and slide presentations that engage relevant themes in the discourse of contemporary painting. Special attention will be paid in classroom discussions to painters (past and present) with strong connections to the city of Berlin. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and a time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Mon, 1000-1300
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
FA112 Marble Stone Sculpture (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1000-1300
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Core
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
FA112 Marble Stone Sculpture (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1000-1300
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artistic Practice
FA112 Marble Stone Sculpture (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Art and Aesthetics
Approaching Arts Through Theory, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Tue, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sophie Lee
Daily life unfolds via the glow of the screen. As the auto-fictive turn merges with the ascendance of an attention economy we are all tasked with narrating our lives in real-time. Experience becomes content, subjectivity, our cultural and social capital. What impact does this have on artists’ moving image practices? What new vernaculars emerge from the primacy of the screen, and how do new forms of distribution shape different encounters with video? In this course we will consider how video’s proliferation in everyday life imbues the medium with a particular urgency, and seek accordingly to find euphoric new ways of making. We will consider the use of autobiography and performance in the moving image, looking here to the legacies of queer and feminist filmmaking practices. This is a hands-on, participatory course with weekly filmmaking assignments. Individual inquiry will be paired with radical modes of collaboration, allowing us to challenge traditional notions of authorship. We will look at contemporary artists working with the moving image and contextualize these works within existing legacies of experimental filmmaking. We will also draw on a wide range of other sources including cultural theory, poetry, music videos and Hollywood cinema in our bid to give form to what it feels like to live now. The focus of this course will not be on technical instruction, but rather on providing students with the conceptual and aesthetic tools with which to develop their own artistic language, and to bring their own works from idea to realization.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Artistic Practice
FA290 Touch Screen: Contemporary Moving Image Practices
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sophie Lee
Daily life unfolds via the glow of the screen. As the auto-fictive turn merges with the ascendance of an attention economy we are all tasked with narrating our lives in real-time. Experience becomes content, subjectivity, our cultural and social capital. What impact does this have on artists’ moving image practices? What new vernaculars emerge from the primacy of the screen, and how do new forms of distribution shape different encounters with video? In this course we will consider how video’s proliferation in everyday life imbues the medium with a particular urgency, and seek accordingly to find euphoric new ways of making. We will consider the use of autobiography and performance in the moving image, looking here to the legacies of queer and feminist filmmaking practices. This is a hands-on, participatory course with weekly filmmaking assignments. Individual inquiry will be paired with radical modes of collaboration, allowing us to challenge traditional notions of authorship. We will look at contemporary artists working with the moving image and contextualize these works within existing legacies of experimental filmmaking. We will also draw on a wide range of other sources including cultural theory, poetry, music videos and Hollywood cinema in our bid to give form to what it feels like to live now. The focus of this course will not be on technical instruction, but rather on providing students with the conceptual and aesthetic tools with which to develop their own artistic language, and to bring their own works from idea to realization.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Media, Practices, and Techniques
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Angela Anderson
“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with … It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories.” Donna Haraway, from Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
In the face of the multiple human-induced social and ecological crises unfolding across the globe, who is telling what story? How is the story being told, and to whom? These critical questions will frame and guide this theory and practice-based course which will engage with historical and contemporary positions in queer (eco)feminist moving image production in the expanded field between art and cinema. Starting from the assumption that there is an intimate connection between audiovisual media, the production of subjectivity, and the apprehension of the world, how can creative aesthetic practices foster inter-species and inter-material solidarity? How can they proactively intervene in monological narratives which reproduce destructive patriarchal value systems based on competition, hierarchy and exploitation? Through close readings of texts situated in film and media, gender, decolonial, postcolonial and indigenous studies, as well as film screenings, artist talks, and exhibition visits, students will be introduced to a wide range of queer (eco)feminist voices and artistic strategies. Through exercises in listening, writing and filming, students will develop their own filmic projects over the course of the semester. While experience in working with audio-visual media is helpful for this course, it is not a requirement.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
FA294 Queering the Capitalocene: (Eco-)feminist Film and Video Art for Earthly Survival
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Angela Anderson
“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with … It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories.” Donna Haraway, from Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
In the face of the multiple human-induced social and ecological crises unfolding across the globe, who is telling what story? How is the story being told, and to whom? These critical questions will frame and guide this theory and practice-based course which will engage with historical and contemporary positions in queer (eco)feminist moving image production in the expanded field between art and cinema. Starting from the assumption that there is an intimate connection between audiovisual media, the production of subjectivity, and the apprehension of the world, how can creative aesthetic practices foster inter-species and inter-material solidarity? How can they proactively intervene in monological narratives which reproduce destructive patriarchal value systems based on competition, hierarchy and exploitation? Through close readings of texts situated in film and media, gender, decolonial, postcolonial and indigenous studies, as well as film screenings, artist talks, and exhibition visits, students will be introduced to a wide range of queer (eco)feminist voices and artistic strategies. Through exercises in listening, writing and filming, students will develop their own filmic projects over the course of the semester. While experience in working with audio-visual media is helpful for this course, it is not a requirement.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Media, Practices, and Techniques
Fall 2023
Mon, 0930-1245
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This advanced studio course is designed to connect the gamut of materials and techniques in contemporary painting with the development of an individual aesthetic style. Weekly sessions will expose students to a range of traditional and experimental painting techniques with the aim of synchronizing materials and methods with content and style. From traditional linseed oil through to iridescent color-shifting acrylic additives, students will learn to choose, mix, and use paint more effectively, making the medium integral to the subject and content of their art.
Past topics of exploration include: making paint from pigments, customizing paint consistency, airbrushing, scumbling, marbling, masking, frottage, stamping, stencils, collage, cobalt driers, stand oil, Gamsol, malbutter, Maroger, Neo Megilp, Liquin, Ferrofluids, iridescent pigments, impasto paste, heavy gels, soft gels, retarder, Imprägnierung, gesso, Structura, Turpenoid, modeling (molding) paste, absorbent grounds, cold wax, Dammar varnish, UV varnish, polymer emulsion, matte medium, masking fluid, alkyd, casein, encaustic, enamel, vinyl Flashé, gouache, rabbit-skin glue, and inkjet printing on canvas. Material demonstrations will be augmented by readings, slideshows, gallery tours, and studio visits. The syllabus begins with directed assignments that demand greater independent initiative as the semester proceeds. Students are expected to have prior painting experience, a willingness to experiment, and be highly motivated to make and discuss art. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, this course requires a significant investment of time outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email inquiries to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
FA302 Advanced Painting: Oil Paint & After
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): John Kleckner
This advanced studio course is designed to connect the gamut of materials and techniques in contemporary painting with the development of an individual aesthetic style. Weekly sessions will expose students to a range of traditional and experimental painting techniques with the aim of synchronizing materials and methods with content and style. From traditional linseed oil through to iridescent color-shifting acrylic additives, students will learn to choose, mix, and use paint more effectively, making the medium integral to the subject and content of their art.
Past topics of exploration include: making paint from pigments, customizing paint consistency, airbrushing, scumbling, marbling, masking, frottage, stamping, stencils, collage, cobalt driers, stand oil, Gamsol, malbutter, Maroger, Neo Megilp, Liquin, Ferrofluids, iridescent pigments, impasto paste, heavy gels, soft gels, retarder, Imprägnierung, gesso, Structura, Turpenoid, modeling (molding) paste, absorbent grounds, cold wax, Dammar varnish, UV varnish, polymer emulsion, matte medium, masking fluid, alkyd, casein, encaustic, enamel, vinyl Flashé, gouache, rabbit-skin glue, and inkjet printing on canvas. Material demonstrations will be augmented by readings, slideshows, gallery tours, and studio visits. The syllabus begins with directed assignments that demand greater independent initiative as the semester proceeds. Students are expected to have prior painting experience, a willingness to experiment, and be highly motivated to make and discuss art. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, this course requires a significant investment of time outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email inquiries to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Media, Practices, and Techniques
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Carla Åhlander
This course combines photo analysis and practical photo work. We develop our awareness of what constitutes a narrative, and consider how the meaning of a photograph is created. In addition to producing their own photo series, the participants will become skilled at looking at, interpreting and talking about photographs. We will deal with issues such as subjectivity and objectivity, private and public, as well as technical issues like light situations. The workshop will include collaborations between students. Together we will explore a variety of aesthetic, practical and conceptual issues, asking questions like "What is my attitude to the subject-matter?" or “Where does this narrative begin or end?"
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
FA308 Finding the Stories
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Carla Åhlander
This course combines photo analysis and practical photo work. We develop our awareness of what constitutes a narrative, and consider how the meaning of a photograph is created. In addition to producing their own photo series, the participants will become skilled at looking at, interpreting and talking about photographs. We will deal with issues such as subjectivity and objectivity, private and public, as well as technical issues like light situations. The workshop will include collaborations between students. Together we will explore a variety of aesthetic, practical and conceptual issues, asking questions like "What is my attitude to the subject-matter?" or “Where does this narrative begin or end?"
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Approaching Arts Through Theory
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Approaching Arts Through Theory
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Matthias Hurst
Are we alone in the universe? Do other forms of (sentient) life exist beyond our home planet? Will there ever be an encounter between us and them? And will we be able to communicate? Film not only asks these dramatic questions so far unresolved by science, but has “answered” them many, many times, and in a wide variety of striking ways. Film history can be traced through the portrayal of the figure of the "alien," the creature from another planet, whether appearing as a lone entity or a massed horde. The alien crops up in the earliest manifestations of film, and features in its most popular iterations, whether as external or (quite literally) internal menace. Some explorations of the “sentient life beyond earth” story mark an absence where the alien might be expected to appear, hinting at an unknowable otherness, or even a nothingness onto which human obsession is projected, or by which human conflict is evaded. We ask about the cultural, psychological and political significance of these portrayals, as well as the technical and aesthetic transformation of film through the figure of the alien. Our voyage takes in early examples as well as classics by Nicolas Roeg, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and more recently, Neill Blomkamp, Jonathan Glazer, Denis Villeneuve, and Jordan Peele.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Approaching Arts Through Theory
FM229 Not of this World: Aliens in Film
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Matthias Hurst
Are we alone in the universe? Do other forms of (sentient) life exist beyond our home planet? Will there ever be an encounter between us and them? And will we be able to communicate? Film not only asks these dramatic questions so far unresolved by science, but has “answered” them many, many times, and in a wide variety of striking ways. Film history can be traced through the portrayal of the figure of the "alien," the creature from another planet, whether appearing as a lone entity or a massed horde. The alien crops up in the earliest manifestations of film, and features in its most popular iterations, whether as external or (quite literally) internal menace. Some explorations of the “sentient life beyond earth” story mark an absence where the alien might be expected to appear, hinting at an unknowable otherness, or even a nothingness onto which human obsession is projected, or by which human conflict is evaded. We ask about the cultural, psychological and political significance of these portrayals, as well as the technical and aesthetic transformation of film through the figure of the alien. Our voyage takes in early examples as well as classics by Nicolas Roeg, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and more recently, Neill Blomkamp, Jonathan Glazer, Denis Villeneuve, and Jordan Peele.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Artists, Genres, and Movements
Fall 2023
Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artists, Genres, and Movements
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Matthias Hurst
Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) was one of the world's most renowned and influential film directors, a true film auteur with his own vision of humanity and unique voice in the sphere of international cinema. His films deal with existential dilemmas of the human condition: the meaning of life, love and passion, the pursuit of happiness, the experience of suffering and disgrace, as well as questions of guilt and responsibility, and of the position of the artist in society. He relentlessly dissects our beliefs and social conventions with psychological precision and sometimes excruciating emotional insight. The visual effects he achieves are by turns stunning and beautiful, depressing and disturbing. We discuss the philosophical dimensions of Bergman’s work, as well as the specific features of his aesthetic style.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Artists, Genres, and Movements
FM325 Through a Glass Darkly: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Matthias Hurst
Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) was one of the world's most renowned and influential film directors, a true film auteur with his own vision of humanity and unique voice in the sphere of international cinema. His films deal with existential dilemmas of the human condition: the meaning of life, love and passion, the pursuit of happiness, the experience of suffering and disgrace, as well as questions of guilt and responsibility, and of the position of the artist in society. He relentlessly dissects our beliefs and social conventions with psychological precision and sometimes excruciating emotional insight. The visual effects he achieves are by turns stunning and beautiful, depressing and disturbing. We discuss the philosophical dimensions of Bergman’s work, as well as the specific features of his aesthetic style.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Art Objects and Experience
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Benjamin Hochman
Berlin’s musical life presents an embarrassment of riches- where to begin? This course helps you chart a path through Berlin’s endlessly fascinating musical offerings, from chamber music to symphonic music and opera, covering a wide range of musical styles from the last three hundred years. We will attend concerts throughout the city as well as musical performances in digital format. Choice of events to attend will depend on scheduling and the availability of low-cost tickets. Venues will include the Philharmonie Berlin, the Schillertheater, Hangar 1 of the former Tempelhof Airport, and the Villa Elisabeth. We will prepare for each event by reading texts (musicological, historical, critical), listening to recordings, and watching videos. We will host several guests representing the rich variety of current musical life in Berlin. Written requirements will include weekly short assignments, two short quizzes, and two longer assignments: a midterm and a final. No prior musical knowledge is required for this course: music-lovers and musicians of all levels are equally welcome. This course is organized with Google Classroom, where all materials will be provided.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Art Objects and Experience
MU171 Berlin: City of Music
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Benjamin Hochman
Berlin’s musical life presents an embarrassment of riches- where to begin? This course helps you chart a path through Berlin’s endlessly fascinating musical offerings, from chamber music to symphonic music and opera, covering a wide range of musical styles from the last three hundred years. We will attend concerts throughout the city as well as musical performances in digital format. Choice of events to attend will depend on scheduling and the availability of low-cost tickets. Venues will include the Philharmonie Berlin, the Schillertheater, Hangar 1 of the former Tempelhof Airport, and the Villa Elisabeth. We will prepare for each event by reading texts (musicological, historical, critical), listening to recordings, and watching videos. We will host several guests representing the rich variety of current musical life in Berlin. Written requirements will include weekly short assignments, two short quizzes, and two longer assignments: a midterm and a final. No prior musical knowledge is required for this course: music-lovers and musicians of all levels are equally welcome. This course is organized with Google Classroom, where all materials will be provided.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Approaching Arts Through Theory
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Approaching Arts Through Theory
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Antonia von Schöning
The modern western cultural tradition long made a distinction between nature and
culture, between the living organic being and the technical artefact. Under the title “new materialism,” an interdisciplinary and heterogenous constellation
of theories and methodologies has emerged in the past twenty years, opposing
anthropocentric world views and dualisms such as active subject/passive object or
nature/culture. Offering an alternative perspective, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Manuel DeLanda, Jane Bennett and others, often with reference to the works of philosopher Gilles Deleuze, argue for an ontological re-conceptualization of the material world, to which they attribute an agency of its own. They acknowledge and study the companionship of human and non-human (biological or technical) beings in complex ecologies. In this seminar, we will become familiar with this new materialist thinking and the inspiration it has taken from feminist, postcolonial, and ecological approaches, through the discussion of key positions, concepts, and methodologies. We will study new materialism’s links to and differences from the “old” materialism as well as its relationship to posthumanism and the Anthropocene. One aim of the seminar is to critically investigate the potential of new materialism for art theory and artistic practice.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Approaching Arts Through Theory
SC225 New Materialism – An Introduction
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Antonia von Schöning
The modern western cultural tradition long made a distinction between nature and
culture, between the living organic being and the technical artefact. Under the title “new materialism,” an interdisciplinary and heterogenous constellation
of theories and methodologies has emerged in the past twenty years, opposing
anthropocentric world views and dualisms such as active subject/passive object or
nature/culture. Offering an alternative perspective, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Manuel DeLanda, Jane Bennett and others, often with reference to the works of philosopher Gilles Deleuze, argue for an ontological re-conceptualization of the material world, to which they attribute an agency of its own. They acknowledge and study the companionship of human and non-human (biological or technical) beings in complex ecologies. In this seminar, we will become familiar with this new materialist thinking and the inspiration it has taken from feminist, postcolonial, and ecological approaches, through the discussion of key positions, concepts, and methodologies. We will study new materialism’s links to and differences from the “old” materialism as well as its relationship to posthumanism and the Anthropocene. One aim of the seminar is to critically investigate the potential of new materialism for art theory and artistic practice.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
Fall 2023
Thur, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Julia Hart
No female playwright has so strongly influenced the contemporary theatre in Germany as the Austrian Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek. In the fall of 2017, she was awarded the prestigious Faust prize for her relentless, searing observations and analysis of social phenomena. She focuses on three targets in her playwriting: capitalist consumer society, the remnants of Austria’s fascist past in public and private life, and the systematic exploitation and oppression of women in a capitalist-patriarchal society. Her work is highly controversial. How has Elfriede Jelinek’s writing affected theatre-making in Germany? How can her writing be considered postdramatic? Theatre scholar Karen Jürs-Mundby writes that Jelinek and other postdramatic playwrights “produce what could be called ‘open’ or ‘writerly’ texts for performance, in the sense that they require the spectators to become active co-writers of the performance text. The spectators are no longer just filling in the predictable gaps in a dramatic narrative but are asked to become active witnesses who reflect on their own meaning-making.” Language is not necessarily the speech of characters—if there are definable characters at all! In this seminar, we will read, discuss, and rehearse scenes from the most recent plays of Elfriede Jelinek available in English translation as directors, actors, and dramaturges. This course will explore concrete methods of directing and acting when working with postdramatic theatre texts. We will also attend performances of Jelinek’s plays at theaters in Berlin and discuss the new documentary film “Elfriede Jelinek - Language Unleashed” directed by Claudia Müller.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Approaching Arts Through Theory, Art and Artists in Context
TH133 Elfriede Jelinek: A Study of Postdramatic Playwriting, Directing, and Acting
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Julia Hart
No female playwright has so strongly influenced the contemporary theatre in Germany as the Austrian Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek. In the fall of 2017, she was awarded the prestigious Faust prize for her relentless, searing observations and analysis of social phenomena. She focuses on three targets in her playwriting: capitalist consumer society, the remnants of Austria’s fascist past in public and private life, and the systematic exploitation and oppression of women in a capitalist-patriarchal society. Her work is highly controversial. How has Elfriede Jelinek’s writing affected theatre-making in Germany? How can her writing be considered postdramatic? Theatre scholar Karen Jürs-Mundby writes that Jelinek and other postdramatic playwrights “produce what could be called ‘open’ or ‘writerly’ texts for performance, in the sense that they require the spectators to become active co-writers of the performance text. The spectators are no longer just filling in the predictable gaps in a dramatic narrative but are asked to become active witnesses who reflect on their own meaning-making.” Language is not necessarily the speech of characters—if there are definable characters at all! In this seminar, we will read, discuss, and rehearse scenes from the most recent plays of Elfriede Jelinek available in English translation as directors, actors, and dramaturges. This course will explore concrete methods of directing and acting when working with postdramatic theatre texts. We will also attend performances of Jelinek’s plays at theaters in Berlin and discuss the new documentary film “Elfriede Jelinek - Language Unleashed” directed by Claudia Müller.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Professor(s): Jeremiah Day
This course will offer participants the basis to experience performance as a mode of address, a tool of research, a historical field and a personal practice. The course gears towards practical experimentation (making and doing) with historic methods that can lead to new results of our own. From the start we will work together in the dance studio, anchoring the course in methods that come from “new dance,” in particular Simone Forti’s Logomotion speech & movement improvisation form. This core will enable us to consider historical paradigms of drama as well as what Happennings artist Allan Kaprow called “non-theatrical performance” and the way time-based strategies have developed so strongly in the visual arts. The course will introduce an embodied approach subject matter, and we’ll reach out to the city around us, with a Berlin map in one hand and the work of Hannah Arendt in the other, offering insights into local history with her unique method of thinking, based on “people, not concepts.” This course is open to those interested in creating a performance for the first time as well offering new tools for developing artists of all genres.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Modules: Art Objects and Experience, Artistic Practice
TH210 Composition in Real-Time: Introduction to the Performing Arts
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Professor(s): Jeremiah Day
This course will offer participants the basis to experience performance as a mode of address, a tool of research, a historical field and a personal practice. The course gears towards practical experimentation (making and doing) with historic methods that can lead to new results of our own. From the start we will work together in the dance studio, anchoring the course in methods that come from “new dance,” in particular Simone Forti’s Logomotion speech & movement improvisation form. This core will enable us to consider historical paradigms of drama as well as what Happennings artist Allan Kaprow called “non-theatrical performance” and the way time-based strategies have developed so strongly in the visual arts. The course will introduce an embodied approach subject matter, and we’ll reach out to the city around us, with a Berlin map in one hand and the work of Hannah Arendt in the other, offering insights into local history with her unique method of thinking, based on “people, not concepts.” This course is open to those interested in creating a performance for the first time as well offering new tools for developing artists of all genres.
Syllabus
Art and Aesthetics
Media, Practices, and Techniques
Fall 2023
Tue, 1730-2045
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1730-2045
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nina Tecklenburg
How does performance art and theater relate to digital culture? Traditionally understood as live embodied practice and communal encounter, theater’s relationship to digitality has been described as complex, challenging, even subversive. This course investigates various intersections of the performing arts and digital culture in a global collaboration to rethink theater in the digital era: students will create performances across cultures and geographic distances and explore new theatrical formats such as immersive performance, VR/AR-experiences, social media theater, or experiments with AI systems. Taught locally at BCB, we will reserve some of our class time for synchronous collaboration with students from our parallel classes in Johannesburg (South Africa), New York/Annandale (US), Bogotá (Colombia), Vienna (Austria), and London (UK). While embracing theatrical experiments with digital technology we will bring a critical lens to the study of digital culture and its inherent biases, politics of accessibility, and data surveillance.
Besides exercises and artistic reflections on class readings, each student will be able to choose one of six intensive skill-building workshops which will take place during four class sessions. Each workshop will be offered by an internationally renowned digital performance artist and centered around a specific practice such as techno-queer glitch performance, digital mapping, dramatic online theater, or multimedia performance. In addition, students of this course will be given the opportunity to apply for a one-week in-person student collaboration to create a performance at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá/Colombia in January 2024. This course is open to students from all disciplines. No previous experience in theater and performance is necessary.
This is an OSUN Network Collaborative Course taught in partnership with the following institutions: Bard College Annandale; Birkbeck, University of London; Central European University, Budapest/Vienna; Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá; Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg.
Syllabus
Concentration: Art and Aesthetics
Module: Media, Practices, and Techniques
TH261 Performance and Digital Culture. An International Student Collaboration
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1730-2045
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nina Tecklenburg
How does performance art and theater relate to digital culture? Traditionally understood as live embodied practice and communal encounter, theater’s relationship to digitality has been described as complex, challenging, even subversive. This course investigates various intersections of the performing arts and digital culture in a global collaboration to rethink theater in the digital era: students will create performances across cultures and geographic distances and explore new theatrical formats such as immersive performance, VR/AR-experiences, social media theater, or experiments with AI systems. Taught locally at BCB, we will reserve some of our class time for synchronous collaboration with students from our parallel classes in Johannesburg (South Africa), New York/Annandale (US), Bogotá (Colombia), Vienna (Austria), and London (UK). While embracing theatrical experiments with digital technology we will bring a critical lens to the study of digital culture and its inherent biases, politics of accessibility, and data surveillance.
Besides exercises and artistic reflections on class readings, each student will be able to choose one of six intensive skill-building workshops which will take place during four class sessions. Each workshop will be offered by an internationally renowned digital performance artist and centered around a specific practice such as techno-queer glitch performance, digital mapping, dramatic online theater, or multimedia performance. In addition, students of this course will be given the opportunity to apply for a one-week in-person student collaboration to create a performance at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá/Colombia in January 2024. This course is open to students from all disciplines. No previous experience in theater and performance is necessary.
This is an OSUN Network Collaborative Course taught in partnership with the following institutions: Bard College Annandale; Birkbeck, University of London; Central European University, Budapest/Vienna; Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá; Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art History, Culture and Society
Fall 2023
Tue, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art History, Culture and Society
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Aya Soika
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
What aspects of the past are being remembered in German culture of the 20th and 21st centuries? How do Berlin’s numerous memorials, buildings and museums add to the dynamics of the remembrance culture discourse? And how do art and architecture reflect past and present attempts to define and redefine the nation’s narratives and memories? The seminar focuses on “the place of Germany’s past” in the country’s development throughout the twentieth century up until today, through an examination of art works, memorials and buildings. The many places in Berlin that deal with the Nazi dictatorship, with persecution, war and genocide will be central to our discussion; however, we will also address broader questions, for example on the relationship between history and memory (Aleida Assmann), Germany’s alleged special path (Mary Fulbrook), the development of the counter memorial (James E. Young), or the distinctive topography of Berlin (Andreas Huyssen). Our overview of the role of memory in 20th- and 21st-century German art and culture ends with an exploration of more recent debates concerning multidirectional memory and the future of Germany’s memory discourse. Site visits will be an important part of the seminar.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art History, Culture and Society
AH212 Memory Matters: The Place of Germany’s Past in the Present
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Aya Soika
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
What aspects of the past are being remembered in German culture of the 20th and 21st centuries? How do Berlin’s numerous memorials, buildings and museums add to the dynamics of the remembrance culture discourse? And how do art and architecture reflect past and present attempts to define and redefine the nation’s narratives and memories? The seminar focuses on “the place of Germany’s past” in the country’s development throughout the twentieth century up until today, through an examination of art works, memorials and buildings. The many places in Berlin that deal with the Nazi dictatorship, with persecution, war and genocide will be central to our discussion; however, we will also address broader questions, for example on the relationship between history and memory (Aleida Assmann), Germany’s alleged special path (Mary Fulbrook), the development of the counter memorial (James E. Young), or the distinctive topography of Berlin (Andreas Huyssen). Our overview of the role of memory in 20th- and 21st-century German art and culture ends with an exploration of more recent debates concerning multidirectional memory and the future of Germany’s memory discourse. Site visits will be an important part of the seminar.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art, Institutions and Engagement
Fall 2023
Fri, 1200-1730
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Institutions and Engagement
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1200-1730
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructors: Aya Soika , Andrea Meyer (T.U. Berlin)
Note that this course is a Blockseminar and begins in the second half of the semester
Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19 th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, taking the recent transformations in Berlin’s museumscape and the discussions that haven been sparked by them as its point of departure. To begin with we will explore the Humboldt Forum, a national prestige project that had become the subject of heated debate long before its recent opening. The fact that the building hosts Berlin’s colonial ethnographic collections whilst its newly built façade copies the former Prussian City Palace – once the seat of Germany’s last emperor and demolished in the early 1950s – allows to take a closer look at the complex relationship between museum space and its collections. We will also pay attention to the ongoing developments on Museum Island and at “Kulturforum” near Potsdamer Platz. Whereas Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie was re-opened in 2021, a new building for the State Museums’ comprehensive twentieth-century collection by Herzog & de Meuron architects is underway. However, we will also take the changes at the supposed periphery of the city into consideration, in Dahlem for example, where both the Brücke-Museum and the Kunsthaus Dahlem have effectively revised traditional exhibition and outreach programming. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Institutions and Engagement
AH216 Berlin’s Museum Controversies
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1200-1730
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructors: Aya Soika , Andrea Meyer (T.U. Berlin)
Note that this course is a Blockseminar and begins in the second half of the semester
Berlin has a long history as a museum center, possessing collections to rival Paris and London. Recently, the institution of the museum – quintessentially a 19 th century invention – has been the subject of radical transformation, resulting in changing modes of display and communication and a critical revision of existing notions of its public function. This class looks at some of the crucial themes within the current curatorial discourse, taking the recent transformations in Berlin’s museumscape and the discussions that haven been sparked by them as its point of departure. To begin with we will explore the Humboldt Forum, a national prestige project that had become the subject of heated debate long before its recent opening. The fact that the building hosts Berlin’s colonial ethnographic collections whilst its newly built façade copies the former Prussian City Palace – once the seat of Germany’s last emperor and demolished in the early 1950s – allows to take a closer look at the complex relationship between museum space and its collections. We will also pay attention to the ongoing developments on Museum Island and at “Kulturforum” near Potsdamer Platz. Whereas Mies van der Rohe’s Neue Nationalgalerie was re-opened in 2021, a new building for the State Museums’ comprehensive twentieth-century collection by Herzog & de Meuron architects is underway. However, we will also take the changes at the supposed periphery of the city into consideration, in Dahlem for example, where both the Brücke-Museum and the Kunsthaus Dahlem have effectively revised traditional exhibition and outreach programming. Pursuing these investigations will give us a unique insight into the decision-making processes, choices, and public discourse surrounding the modern display and understanding of art.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art History, Culture and Society, Art, Science and Ecology
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Modules: Art History, Culture and Society, Art, Science and Ecology
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Friederike Schäfer
The course considers the history of art in the twentieth century from the perspective of what can be termed the “nature–culture divide” in Western art traditions. We will look into different conceptions of “nature” that artists have developed in and through art, and end with the discussion around the “Anthropocene” and alternative models regarding the changing relation between humans and “nature,” which emerged at the turn of the millennium. Departing from landscape painting traditions that aimed at creating a compelling representation of an ideal image of nature, abstract painters took a more analytical approach to “the nature of nature.” The focus, however, is on the emergence of natural materials in the exhibition space. In the 1960s and 1970s, several art forms—from process art, and more specifically earth art and land art to performative practices—started to work directly with and in relation to nature. We will discuss this change from representational to material strategies, specifically considering feminist approaches, and look into the development of artistic practices that can be subsumed under environmental art. In doing so, we will ask how exhibitions deal with different conceptions of nature and analyze how “nature” is (re)presented in exhibition spaces, also taking into consideration non-Western concepts and epistemologies.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Modules: Art History, Culture and Society, Art, Science and Ecology
AH217 Nature on Display. From Landscape Representations to Mold(er)ing Earth in Exhibition Spaces
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Friederike Schäfer
The course considers the history of art in the twentieth century from the perspective of what can be termed the “nature–culture divide” in Western art traditions. We will look into different conceptions of “nature” that artists have developed in and through art, and end with the discussion around the “Anthropocene” and alternative models regarding the changing relation between humans and “nature,” which emerged at the turn of the millennium. Departing from landscape painting traditions that aimed at creating a compelling representation of an ideal image of nature, abstract painters took a more analytical approach to “the nature of nature.” The focus, however, is on the emergence of natural materials in the exhibition space. In the 1960s and 1970s, several art forms—from process art, and more specifically earth art and land art to performative practices—started to work directly with and in relation to nature. We will discuss this change from representational to material strategies, specifically considering feminist approaches, and look into the development of artistic practices that can be subsumed under environmental art. In doing so, we will ask how exhibitions deal with different conceptions of nature and analyze how “nature” is (re)presented in exhibition spaces, also taking into consideration non-Western concepts and epistemologies.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Theory, History, Art Forms
Fall 2023
Mon, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Theory, History, Art Forms
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Geoff Lehman
In this course, Diego Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas will serve as a focal point and framework for the exploration of a number of key issues related to the theory and practice of painting, looking at a diverse range of artworks. Major topics for the course include: portraiture and the gaze; perspective as pictorial structure and as depiction of (room) space; the intersection of chronos (the representation of narrative or historical time) and kairos (the plenitude of the depicted moment); self-reflexivity: the way pictures explicitly raise questions about artistic practice, the artist, and art itself; the phenomenology of the encounter with paintings; psychoanalytic interpretations of pictures; and “the anxiety of influence.” In reference to these themes, we consider the vast range of artworks that have been created in response to Las Meninas, especially since Picasso’s Las Meninas series in the 1950s. Discussing these different aspects of the encounter with painting and its interpretation, we will engage Velázquez’s complex painting in depth through close reading, sustained attention, and open-ended interpretation. Beyond this, we will have a chance to explore the topics above through consideration of selected artworks from the Renaissance up to the contemporary moment. Artists whose works we study will include Van Eyck, Mantegna, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Picasso, Sargent, Dalí, Witkin, Weems, and Sussman. Readings will be from Steinberg, Foucault, Calderón, Jung, Freud, Lispector, Woolf, Riegl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Bachelard, and others. Visits to museums to encounter works of art in person will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Theory, History, Art Forms
AH314 Las Meninas and the Pictorial Encounter
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Geoff Lehman
In this course, Diego Velázquez’s painting Las Meninas will serve as a focal point and framework for the exploration of a number of key issues related to the theory and practice of painting, looking at a diverse range of artworks. Major topics for the course include: portraiture and the gaze; perspective as pictorial structure and as depiction of (room) space; the intersection of chronos (the representation of narrative or historical time) and kairos (the plenitude of the depicted moment); self-reflexivity: the way pictures explicitly raise questions about artistic practice, the artist, and art itself; the phenomenology of the encounter with paintings; psychoanalytic interpretations of pictures; and “the anxiety of influence.” In reference to these themes, we consider the vast range of artworks that have been created in response to Las Meninas, especially since Picasso’s Las Meninas series in the 1950s. Discussing these different aspects of the encounter with painting and its interpretation, we will engage Velázquez’s complex painting in depth through close reading, sustained attention, and open-ended interpretation. Beyond this, we will have a chance to explore the topics above through consideration of selected artworks from the Renaissance up to the contemporary moment. Artists whose works we study will include Van Eyck, Mantegna, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Goya, Picasso, Sargent, Dalí, Witkin, Weems, and Sussman. Readings will be from Steinberg, Foucault, Calderón, Jung, Freud, Lispector, Woolf, Riegl, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Bachelard, and others. Visits to museums to encounter works of art in person will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art, Institutions and Engagement
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Institutions and Engagement
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Dorothea von Hantelmann
Museums and exhibitions derive their social function from the fact that they uphold certain values and concepts within society. Looking at art spaces historically as a series of decisive moments of transformation, we will explore the format of the exhibition as a modern ritual site in which particular aspects of the modern socio-economic order – such as the individual, the object, or notions of progress – were, and continue to be, performed and cultivated. What can the early modern cabinets of curiosities in the 16th century tell us about the emergence of an initial consumer culture? Can we retrace the entire history of individualization by following the increase of wall space between paintings in 19th- and 20th-century galleries? And what does the current transformation of white cubes into time-based experiential spaces tell us about early 21st-century societies? Combining historical and theoretical approaches, we’ll draw from sources of museum history, anthropology, and cultural history in order to understand the changing social role of art institutions throughout history. Looking at utopian institutional models of the 1960s and a selection of contemporary approaches, we will then also discuss the parameters of new arts institutions for today. We may find that the transformations of our epoch are asking for a new kind of ritual, to follow and perhaps replace that of the exhibition.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Institutions and Engagement
AH320 The Exhibition – A New Western Ritual?
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Dorothea von Hantelmann
Museums and exhibitions derive their social function from the fact that they uphold certain values and concepts within society. Looking at art spaces historically as a series of decisive moments of transformation, we will explore the format of the exhibition as a modern ritual site in which particular aspects of the modern socio-economic order – such as the individual, the object, or notions of progress – were, and continue to be, performed and cultivated. What can the early modern cabinets of curiosities in the 16th century tell us about the emergence of an initial consumer culture? Can we retrace the entire history of individualization by following the increase of wall space between paintings in 19th- and 20th-century galleries? And what does the current transformation of white cubes into time-based experiential spaces tell us about early 21st-century societies? Combining historical and theoretical approaches, we’ll draw from sources of museum history, anthropology, and cultural history in order to understand the changing social role of art institutions throughout history. Looking at utopian institutional models of the 1960s and a selection of contemporary approaches, we will then also discuss the parameters of new arts institutions for today. We may find that the transformations of our epoch are asking for a new kind of ritual, to follow and perhaps replace that of the exhibition.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Thur, 0930-1245
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This studio art course explores contemporary and historical approaches to drawing and collage. Suitable for all levels of artistic ability, the goal is to enhance aesthetic comprehension and personal expression through the creation of mixed-media drawings and collages. We begin by transcribing embodied experience into visual compositions, attending to our perceptual awareness in order to strengthen the coordination of mind, eyes, and hands. Course activities will ask students to: make analytical drawings of figure / object arrangements, develop conceptual methods of composition, make abstractions from nature by working outdoors, gather materials from Berlin's famous Flohmärkte (flea markets) to use in collages and assemblages, work collaboratively on large-scale drawings, and experiment with innovative combinations of text and imagery. A core theme will be the potential to generate new and surprising content from the juxtaposition of found printed fragments and hand-drawn lines. Of special interest for our class discussions will be works created by current and historical Berliners, such as Dada artist Hannah Höch. The majority of classes are studio work sessions. There will also be several group critiques, slideshow presentations, and artist studio / gallery visits. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Students are expected to be self-motivated, open to exploring new ways of working, and comfortable sharing their artworks during class discussions. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA103 Found Fragments and Layered Lines: Mixed-Media Techniques for Drawing and Collage
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This studio art course explores contemporary and historical approaches to drawing and collage. Suitable for all levels of artistic ability, the goal is to enhance aesthetic comprehension and personal expression through the creation of mixed-media drawings and collages. We begin by transcribing embodied experience into visual compositions, attending to our perceptual awareness in order to strengthen the coordination of mind, eyes, and hands. Course activities will ask students to: make analytical drawings of figure / object arrangements, develop conceptual methods of composition, make abstractions from nature by working outdoors, gather materials from Berlin's famous Flohmärkte (flea markets) to use in collages and assemblages, work collaboratively on large-scale drawings, and experiment with innovative combinations of text and imagery. A core theme will be the potential to generate new and surprising content from the juxtaposition of found printed fragments and hand-drawn lines. Of special interest for our class discussions will be works created by current and historical Berliners, such as Dada artist Hannah Höch. The majority of classes are studio work sessions. There will also be several group critiques, slideshow presentations, and artist studio / gallery visits. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Students are expected to be self-motivated, open to exploring new ways of working, and comfortable sharing their artworks during class discussions. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Fri, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA106 Beginners Black and White Photography Class: The Slow Photo (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Fri, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA106 Beginners Black and White Photography Class: The Slow Photo (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): April Gertler
The Slow Photo is an introduction to Black and White photography. The class will focus on learning how to use a manual camera and finding one’s way in an analogue darkroom. Students will be exposed to the rich photographic history of Berlin through presentations, discussions and a historical walk through parts of the city. The historical component of the class will cover works by Berlin-based photographers from Helga Paris to Michael Schmidt. Assignments throughout the semester will mirror various photo styles used in the historical examples discussed, from Portraiture to Street Photography. Camera techniques and Black and White printing will be the fundamental basis of the class. Students will leave the class understanding the time commitment and concentration it takes to produce beautiful Black and White analog images.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Mon, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Carla Åhlander
This course is an introduction to digital photography with a focus on artistic expression. The course is aimed at those who want to learn digital photography at a basic level and develop their photographic work into a project. The course includes in-class critiques and discussions on the choice of method, technique and subject matter, as well as possible forms of presentation. Parts of the course will consist of looking at works by contemporary and historical photographers, as well as introductions to the technical and theoretical tools you will need to work on your project. We will ask questions such as: “what is my own way of seeing something?”; “what is my own point of view?"
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA108 Beginners in Digital Photography - Your own point of view
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Carla Åhlander
This course is an introduction to digital photography with a focus on artistic expression. The course is aimed at those who want to learn digital photography at a basic level and develop their photographic work into a project. The course includes in-class critiques and discussions on the choice of method, technique and subject matter, as well as possible forms of presentation. Parts of the course will consist of looking at works by contemporary and historical photographers, as well as introductions to the technical and theoretical tools you will need to work on your project. We will ask questions such as: “what is my own way of seeing something?”; “what is my own point of view?"
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and concepts of painting; it establishes the foundation for studio practice using oil- and water-based paints. With the help of practical demonstrations students will learn about the specific qualities of various paints; how to stretch canvases, prepare painting surfaces, and apply paint using traditional and experimental techniques. Assignments will cultivate an understanding of color mixing, hue, value, chroma, warm/cool temperature, composition building, perspectival space, mark-making, surface texture, and effects of shadow and light. Students will work from direct observation, use photographic references, and develop abstractions. Studio work will be supported by readings, discussions, and slide presentations that engage relevant themes in the discourse of contemporary painting. Special attention will be paid in classroom discussions to painters (past and present) with strong connections to the city of Berlin. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and a time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA109 Fundamentals of Painting
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This course is an introduction to the materials, techniques, and concepts of painting; it establishes the foundation for studio practice using oil- and water-based paints. With the help of practical demonstrations students will learn about the specific qualities of various paints; how to stretch canvases, prepare painting surfaces, and apply paint using traditional and experimental techniques. Assignments will cultivate an understanding of color mixing, hue, value, chroma, warm/cool temperature, composition building, perspectival space, mark-making, surface texture, and effects of shadow and light. Students will work from direct observation, use photographic references, and develop abstractions. Studio work will be supported by readings, discussions, and slide presentations that engage relevant themes in the discourse of contemporary painting. Special attention will be paid in classroom discussions to painters (past and present) with strong connections to the city of Berlin. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and a time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, so this course will require a significant amount of time working outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email their questions to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructors: Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA112 Marble Stone Sculpture (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructors: Raphael Beil, Tobia Silvotti
This seminar introduces students to basic techniques of working stone by hand, using simple, traditional tools such as hammers and various chisels. The aim is to create our own marble sculpture. Along the way we learn how to handle the necessary tools, from the first rough work, to the differentiation and finally the partial grinding and polishing of the marble. We learn the basics of three-dimensional form, proportion and structure. In order to create our own work of art, we also discuss the possible sources of creativity, and ways of accessing inspiration and the imagination to create a very individual sculpture. The seminar will conclude with a presentation of all sculptures and joint analysis of the different artistic languages present in the works. The workshops will be accompanied by lectures on the works and public sculpture projects of Raphael Beil and other contemporary sculptors. Weather permitting, our workshops will take place in a sheltered beautiful garden in Reinickendorf on the grounds of Monopol. Tools, possibly light machinery and work tables as well as work protection will be provided. No previous experience is necessary to participate in the course.
Please note there is a fee of €40 for participation in this course to cover material expenses.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Tue, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Sophie Lee
Daily life unfolds via the glow of the screen. As the auto-fictive turn merges with the ascendance of an attention economy we are all tasked with narrating our lives in real-time. Experience becomes content, subjectivity, our cultural and social capital. What impact does this have on artists’ moving image practices? What new vernaculars emerge from the primacy of the screen, and how do new forms of distribution shape different encounters with video? In this course we will consider how video’s proliferation in everyday life imbues the medium with a particular urgency, and seek accordingly to find euphoric new ways of making. We will consider the use of autobiography and performance in the moving image, looking here to the legacies of queer and feminist filmmaking practices. This is a hands-on, participatory course with weekly filmmaking assignments. Individual inquiry will be paired with radical modes of collaboration, allowing us to challenge traditional notions of authorship. We will look at contemporary artists working with the moving image and contextualize these works within existing legacies of experimental filmmaking. We will also draw on a wide range of other sources including cultural theory, poetry, music videos and Hollywood cinema in our bid to give form to what it feels like to live now. The focus of this course will not be on technical instruction, but rather on providing students with the conceptual and aesthetic tools with which to develop their own artistic language, and to bring their own works from idea to realization.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA290 Touch Screen: Contemporary Moving Image Practices
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Sophie Lee
Daily life unfolds via the glow of the screen. As the auto-fictive turn merges with the ascendance of an attention economy we are all tasked with narrating our lives in real-time. Experience becomes content, subjectivity, our cultural and social capital. What impact does this have on artists’ moving image practices? What new vernaculars emerge from the primacy of the screen, and how do new forms of distribution shape different encounters with video? In this course we will consider how video’s proliferation in everyday life imbues the medium with a particular urgency, and seek accordingly to find euphoric new ways of making. We will consider the use of autobiography and performance in the moving image, looking here to the legacies of queer and feminist filmmaking practices. This is a hands-on, participatory course with weekly filmmaking assignments. Individual inquiry will be paired with radical modes of collaboration, allowing us to challenge traditional notions of authorship. We will look at contemporary artists working with the moving image and contextualize these works within existing legacies of experimental filmmaking. We will also draw on a wide range of other sources including cultural theory, poetry, music videos and Hollywood cinema in our bid to give form to what it feels like to live now. The focus of this course will not be on technical instruction, but rather on providing students with the conceptual and aesthetic tools with which to develop their own artistic language, and to bring their own works from idea to realization.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Angela Anderson
“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with … It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories.” Donna Haraway, from Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
In the face of the multiple human-induced social and ecological crises unfolding across the globe, who is telling what story? How is the story being told, and to whom? These critical questions will frame and guide this theory and practice-based course which will engage with historical and contemporary positions in queer (eco)feminist moving image production in the expanded field between art and cinema. Starting from the assumption that there is an intimate connection between audiovisual media, the production of subjectivity, and the apprehension of the world, how can creative aesthetic practices foster inter-species and inter-material solidarity? How can they proactively intervene in monological narratives which reproduce destructive patriarchal value systems based on competition, hierarchy and exploitation? Through close readings of texts situated in film and media, gender, decolonial, postcolonial and indigenous studies, as well as film screenings, artist talks, and exhibition visits, students will be introduced to a wide range of queer (eco)feminist voices and artistic strategies. Through exercises in listening, writing and filming, students will develop their own filmic projects over the course of the semester. While experience in working with audio-visual media is helpful for this course, it is not a requirement.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA294 Queering the Capitalocene: (Eco-)feminist Film and Video Art for Earthly Survival
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Angela Anderson
“It matters what matters we use to think other matters with; it matters what stories we tell to tell other stories with … It matters what stories make worlds, what worlds make stories.” Donna Haraway, from Staying with the Trouble: Making Kin in the Chthulucene
In the face of the multiple human-induced social and ecological crises unfolding across the globe, who is telling what story? How is the story being told, and to whom? These critical questions will frame and guide this theory and practice-based course which will engage with historical and contemporary positions in queer (eco)feminist moving image production in the expanded field between art and cinema. Starting from the assumption that there is an intimate connection between audiovisual media, the production of subjectivity, and the apprehension of the world, how can creative aesthetic practices foster inter-species and inter-material solidarity? How can they proactively intervene in monological narratives which reproduce destructive patriarchal value systems based on competition, hierarchy and exploitation? Through close readings of texts situated in film and media, gender, decolonial, postcolonial and indigenous studies, as well as film screenings, artist talks, and exhibition visits, students will be introduced to a wide range of queer (eco)feminist voices and artistic strategies. Through exercises in listening, writing and filming, students will develop their own filmic projects over the course of the semester. While experience in working with audio-visual media is helpful for this course, it is not a requirement.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Mon, 0930-1245
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This advanced studio course is designed to connect the gamut of materials and techniques in contemporary painting with the development of an individual aesthetic style. Weekly sessions will expose students to a range of traditional and experimental painting techniques with the aim of synchronizing materials and methods with content and style. From traditional linseed oil through to iridescent color-shifting acrylic additives, students will learn to choose, mix, and use paint more effectively, making the medium integral to the subject and content of their art.
Past topics of exploration include: making paint from pigments, customizing paint consistency, airbrushing, scumbling, marbling, masking, frottage, stamping, stencils, collage, cobalt driers, stand oil, Gamsol, malbutter, Maroger, Neo Megilp, Liquin, Ferrofluids, iridescent pigments, impasto paste, heavy gels, soft gels, retarder, Imprägnierung, gesso, Structura, Turpenoid, modeling (molding) paste, absorbent grounds, cold wax, Dammar varnish, UV varnish, polymer emulsion, matte medium, masking fluid, alkyd, casein, encaustic, enamel, vinyl Flashé, gouache, rabbit-skin glue, and inkjet printing on canvas. Material demonstrations will be augmented by readings, slideshows, gallery tours, and studio visits. The syllabus begins with directed assignments that demand greater independent initiative as the semester proceeds. Students are expected to have prior painting experience, a willingness to experiment, and be highly motivated to make and discuss art. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, this course requires a significant investment of time outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email inquiries to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA302 Advanced Painting: Oil Paint & After
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: John Kleckner
This advanced studio course is designed to connect the gamut of materials and techniques in contemporary painting with the development of an individual aesthetic style. Weekly sessions will expose students to a range of traditional and experimental painting techniques with the aim of synchronizing materials and methods with content and style. From traditional linseed oil through to iridescent color-shifting acrylic additives, students will learn to choose, mix, and use paint more effectively, making the medium integral to the subject and content of their art.
Past topics of exploration include: making paint from pigments, customizing paint consistency, airbrushing, scumbling, marbling, masking, frottage, stamping, stencils, collage, cobalt driers, stand oil, Gamsol, malbutter, Maroger, Neo Megilp, Liquin, Ferrofluids, iridescent pigments, impasto paste, heavy gels, soft gels, retarder, Imprägnierung, gesso, Structura, Turpenoid, modeling (molding) paste, absorbent grounds, cold wax, Dammar varnish, UV varnish, polymer emulsion, matte medium, masking fluid, alkyd, casein, encaustic, enamel, vinyl Flashé, gouache, rabbit-skin glue, and inkjet printing on canvas. Material demonstrations will be augmented by readings, slideshows, gallery tours, and studio visits. The syllabus begins with directed assignments that demand greater independent initiative as the semester proceeds. Students are expected to have prior painting experience, a willingness to experiment, and be highly motivated to make and discuss art. Class size is limited to ensure each student has adequate studio space and time with the professor for individual feedback and support. Evaluations and critiques occur at midterm and at the end of the term. The semester culminates in the “Open Studios” exhibition at the BCB Factory and a printed publication of student artworks. Studio work is the priority, this course requires a significant investment of time outside of class sessions. Prospective students should email inquiries to the professor directly.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Carla Åhlander
This course combines photo analysis and practical photo work. We develop our awareness of what constitutes a narrative, and consider how the meaning of a photograph is created. In addition to producing their own photo series, the participants will become skilled at looking at, interpreting and talking about photographs. We will deal with issues such as subjectivity and objectivity, private and public, as well as technical issues like light situations. The workshop will include collaborations between students. Together we will explore a variety of aesthetic, practical and conceptual issues, asking questions like "What is my attitude to the subject-matter?" or “Where does this narrative begin or end?"
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
FA308 Finding the Stories
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Carla Åhlander
This course combines photo analysis and practical photo work. We develop our awareness of what constitutes a narrative, and consider how the meaning of a photograph is created. In addition to producing their own photo series, the participants will become skilled at looking at, interpreting and talking about photographs. We will deal with issues such as subjectivity and objectivity, private and public, as well as technical issues like light situations. The workshop will include collaborations between students. Together we will explore a variety of aesthetic, practical and conceptual issues, asking questions like "What is my attitude to the subject-matter?" or “Where does this narrative begin or end?"
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art History, Culture and Society
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art History, Culture and Society
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Matthias Hurst
Are we alone in the universe? Do other forms of (sentient) life exist beyond our home planet? Will there ever be an encounter between us and them? And will we be able to communicate? Film not only asks these dramatic questions so far unresolved by science, but has “answered” them many, many times, and in a wide variety of striking ways. Film history can be traced through the portrayal of the figure of the "alien," the creature from another planet, whether appearing as a lone entity or a massed horde. The alien crops up in the earliest manifestations of film, and features in its most popular iterations, whether as external or (quite literally) internal menace. Some explorations of the “sentient life beyond earth” story mark an absence where the alien might be expected to appear, hinting at an unknowable otherness, or even a nothingness onto which human obsession is projected, or by which human conflict is evaded. We ask about the cultural, psychological and political significance of these portrayals, as well as the technical and aesthetic transformation of film through the figure of the alien. Our voyage takes in early examples as well as classics by Nicolas Roeg, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and more recently, Neill Blomkamp, Jonathan Glazer, Denis Villeneuve, and Jordan Peele.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art History, Culture and Society
FM229 Not of this World: Aliens in Film
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900; Mon, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Matthias Hurst
Are we alone in the universe? Do other forms of (sentient) life exist beyond our home planet? Will there ever be an encounter between us and them? And will we be able to communicate? Film not only asks these dramatic questions so far unresolved by science, but has “answered” them many, many times, and in a wide variety of striking ways. Film history can be traced through the portrayal of the figure of the "alien," the creature from another planet, whether appearing as a lone entity or a massed horde. The alien crops up in the earliest manifestations of film, and features in its most popular iterations, whether as external or (quite literally) internal menace. Some explorations of the “sentient life beyond earth” story mark an absence where the alien might be expected to appear, hinting at an unknowable otherness, or even a nothingness onto which human obsession is projected, or by which human conflict is evaded. We ask about the cultural, psychological and political significance of these portrayals, as well as the technical and aesthetic transformation of film through the figure of the alien. Our voyage takes in early examples as well as classics by Nicolas Roeg, Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, and more recently, Neill Blomkamp, Jonathan Glazer, Denis Villeneuve, and Jordan Peele.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Theory, History, Art Forms
Fall 2023
Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Theory, History, Art Forms
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Matthias Hurst
Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) was one of the world's most renowned and influential film directors, a true film auteur with his own vision of humanity and unique voice in the sphere of international cinema. His films deal with existential dilemmas of the human condition: the meaning of life, love and passion, the pursuit of happiness, the experience of suffering and disgrace, as well as questions of guilt and responsibility, and of the position of the artist in society. He relentlessly dissects our beliefs and social conventions with psychological precision and sometimes excruciating emotional insight. The visual effects he achieves are by turns stunning and beautiful, depressing and disturbing. We discuss the philosophical dimensions of Bergman’s work, as well as the specific features of his aesthetic style.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Theory, History, Art Forms
FM325 Through a Glass Darkly: The Films of Ingmar Bergman
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900; Thur, 1930-2200
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Matthias Hurst
Ingmar Bergman (1918 – 2007) was one of the world's most renowned and influential film directors, a true film auteur with his own vision of humanity and unique voice in the sphere of international cinema. His films deal with existential dilemmas of the human condition: the meaning of life, love and passion, the pursuit of happiness, the experience of suffering and disgrace, as well as questions of guilt and responsibility, and of the position of the artist in society. He relentlessly dissects our beliefs and social conventions with psychological precision and sometimes excruciating emotional insight. The visual effects he achieves are by turns stunning and beautiful, depressing and disturbing. We discuss the philosophical dimensions of Bergman’s work, as well as the specific features of his aesthetic style.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Benjamin Hochman
Berlin’s musical life presents an embarrassment of riches- where to begin? This course helps you chart a path through Berlin’s endlessly fascinating musical offerings, from chamber music to symphonic music and opera, covering a wide range of musical styles from the last three hundred years. We will make field trips to attend concerts, masterclasses, and open rehearsals throughout the city. We will also explore a range of musical performances in digital format, from live broadcasts to historical recordings. Choice of events to attend, in person or virtually, will depend on scheduling and the availability of free or low-cost tickets. Venues may include the Hans Eisler School of Music, the University of the Arts, the Barenboim-Said Akademie, the Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin Konzerthaus, and other venues. We will prepare for each event by reading a variety of texts (musicological, historical, critical) and listening to recordings. Writing requirements will include short weekly assignments as well as two longer assignments such as a concert review or a response to one of the musical events we attend. No prior musical knowledge is required for this course: music-lovers and musicians of all levels are equally welcome.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
MU171 Berlin: City of Music
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Benjamin Hochman
Berlin’s musical life presents an embarrassment of riches- where to begin? This course helps you chart a path through Berlin’s endlessly fascinating musical offerings, from chamber music to symphonic music and opera, covering a wide range of musical styles from the last three hundred years. We will make field trips to attend concerts, masterclasses, and open rehearsals throughout the city. We will also explore a range of musical performances in digital format, from live broadcasts to historical recordings. Choice of events to attend, in person or virtually, will depend on scheduling and the availability of free or low-cost tickets. Venues may include the Hans Eisler School of Music, the University of the Arts, the Barenboim-Said Akademie, the Berlin Philharmonie, Berlin Konzerthaus, and other venues. We will prepare for each event by reading a variety of texts (musicological, historical, critical) and listening to recordings. Writing requirements will include short weekly assignments as well as two longer assignments such as a concert review or a response to one of the musical events we attend. No prior musical knowledge is required for this course: music-lovers and musicians of all levels are equally welcome.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Art, Science and Ecology
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Science and Ecology
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Antonia von Schöning
The modern western cultural tradition long made a distinction between nature and
culture, between the living organic being and the technical artefact. Under the title “new materialism,” an interdisciplinary and heterogenous constellation
of theories and methodologies has emerged in the past twenty years, opposing
anthropocentric world views and dualisms such as active subject/passive object or
nature/culture. Offering an alternative perspective, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Manuel DeLanda, Jane Bennett and others, often with reference to the works of philosopher Gilles Deleuze, argue for an ontological re-conceptualization of the material world, to which they attribute an agency of its own. They acknowledge and study the companionship of human and non-human (biological or technical) beings in complex ecologies. In this seminar, we will become familiar with this new materialist thinking and the inspiration it has taken from feminist, postcolonial, and ecological approaches, through the discussion of key positions, concepts, and methodologies. We will study new materialism’s links to and differences from the “old” materialism as well as its relationship to posthumanism and the Anthropocene. One aim of the seminar is to critically investigate the potential of new materialism for art theory and artistic practice.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Art, Science and Ecology
SC225 New Materialism – An Introduction
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Antonia von Schöning
The modern western cultural tradition long made a distinction between nature and
culture, between the living organic being and the technical artefact. Under the title “new materialism,” an interdisciplinary and heterogenous constellation
of theories and methodologies has emerged in the past twenty years, opposing
anthropocentric world views and dualisms such as active subject/passive object or
nature/culture. Offering an alternative perspective, Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti, Manuel DeLanda, Jane Bennett and others, often with reference to the works of philosopher Gilles Deleuze, argue for an ontological re-conceptualization of the material world, to which they attribute an agency of its own. They acknowledge and study the companionship of human and non-human (biological or technical) beings in complex ecologies. In this seminar, we will become familiar with this new materialist thinking and the inspiration it has taken from feminist, postcolonial, and ecological approaches, through the discussion of key positions, concepts, and methodologies. We will study new materialism’s links to and differences from the “old” materialism as well as its relationship to posthumanism and the Anthropocene. One aim of the seminar is to critically investigate the potential of new materialism for art theory and artistic practice.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Thur, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Julia Hart
No female playwright has so strongly influenced the contemporary theatre in Germany as the Austrian Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek. In the fall of 2017, she was awarded the prestigious Faust prize for her relentless, searing observations and analysis of social phenomena. She focuses on three targets in her playwriting: capitalist consumer society, the remnants of Austria’s fascist past in public and private life, and the systematic exploitation and oppression of women in a capitalist-patriarchal society. Her work is highly controversial. How has Elfriede Jelinek’s writing affected theatre-making in Germany? How can her writing be considered postdramatic? Theatre scholar Karen Jürs-Mundby writes that Jelinek and other postdramatic playwrights “produce what could be called ‘open’ or ‘writerly’ texts for performance, in the sense that they require the spectators to become active co-writers of the performance text. The spectators are no longer just filling in the predictable gaps in a dramatic narrative but are asked to become active witnesses who reflect on their own meaning-making.” Language is not necessarily the speech of characters—if there are definable characters at all! In this seminar, we will read, discuss, and rehearse scenes from the most recent plays of Elfriede Jelinek available in English translation as directors, actors, and dramaturges. This course will explore concrete methods of directing and acting when working with postdramatic theatre texts. We will also attend performances of Jelinek’s plays at theaters in Berlin and discuss the new documentary film “Elfriede Jelinek - Language Unleashed” directed by Claudia Müller.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
TH133 Elfriede Jelinek: A Study of Postdramatic Playwriting, Directing, and Acting
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Instructor: Julia Hart
No female playwright has so strongly influenced the contemporary theatre in Germany as the Austrian Nobel Laureate Elfriede Jelinek. In the fall of 2017, she was awarded the prestigious Faust prize for her relentless, searing observations and analysis of social phenomena. She focuses on three targets in her playwriting: capitalist consumer society, the remnants of Austria’s fascist past in public and private life, and the systematic exploitation and oppression of women in a capitalist-patriarchal society. Her work is highly controversial. How has Elfriede Jelinek’s writing affected theatre-making in Germany? How can her writing be considered postdramatic? Theatre scholar Karen Jürs-Mundby writes that Jelinek and other postdramatic playwrights “produce what could be called ‘open’ or ‘writerly’ texts for performance, in the sense that they require the spectators to become active co-writers of the performance text. The spectators are no longer just filling in the predictable gaps in a dramatic narrative but are asked to become active witnesses who reflect on their own meaning-making.” Language is not necessarily the speech of characters—if there are definable characters at all! In this seminar, we will read, discuss, and rehearse scenes from the most recent plays of Elfriede Jelinek available in English translation as directors, actors, and dramaturges. This course will explore concrete methods of directing and acting when working with postdramatic theatre texts. We will also attend performances of Jelinek’s plays at theaters in Berlin and discuss the new documentary film “Elfriede Jelinek - Language Unleashed” directed by Claudia Müller.
Syllabus
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits:
Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Jeremiah Day
This course will offer participants the basis to experience performance as a mode of address, a tool of research, a historical field and a personal practice. The course gears towards practical experimentation (making and doing) with historic methods that can lead to new results of our own. From the start we will work together in the dance studio, anchoring the course in methods that come from “new dance,” in particular Simone Forti’s Logomotion speech & movement improvisation form. This core will enable us to consider historical paradigms of drama as well as what Happennings artist Allan Kaprow called “non-theatrical performance” and the way time-based strategies have developed so strongly in the visual arts. The course will introduce an embodied approach subject matter, and we’ll reach out to the city around us, with a Berlin map in one hand and the work of Hannah Arendt in the other, offering insights into local history with her unique method of thinking, based on “people, not concepts.” This course is open to those interested in creating a performance for the first time as well offering new tools for developing artists of all genres.
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
TH210 Composition in Real-Time: Introduction to the Performing Arts
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits:
Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Jeremiah Day
This course will offer participants the basis to experience performance as a mode of address, a tool of research, a historical field and a personal practice. The course gears towards practical experimentation (making and doing) with historic methods that can lead to new results of our own. From the start we will work together in the dance studio, anchoring the course in methods that come from “new dance,” in particular Simone Forti’s Logomotion speech & movement improvisation form. This core will enable us to consider historical paradigms of drama as well as what Happennings artist Allan Kaprow called “non-theatrical performance” and the way time-based strategies have developed so strongly in the visual arts. The course will introduce an embodied approach subject matter, and we’ll reach out to the city around us, with a Berlin map in one hand and the work of Hannah Arendt in the other, offering insights into local history with her unique method of thinking, based on “people, not concepts.” This course is open to those interested in creating a performance for the first time as well offering new tools for developing artists of all genres.
Artistic Practice
Artistic Practice
Fall 2023
Tue, 1730-2045
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, Study Abroad
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1730-2045
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nina Tecklenburg
How does performance art and theater relate to digital culture? Traditionally understood as live embodied practice and communal encounter, theater’s relationship to digitality has been described as complex, challenging, even subversive. This course investigates various intersections of the performing arts and digital culture in a global collaboration to rethink theater in the digital era: students will create performances across cultures and geographic distances and explore new theatrical formats such as immersive performance, VR/AR-experiences, social media theater, or experiments with AI systems. Taught locally at BCB, we will reserve some of our class time for synchronous collaboration with students from our parallel classes in Johannesburg (South Africa), New York/Annandale (US), Bogotá (Colombia), Vienna (Austria), and London (UK). While embracing theatrical experiments with digital technology we will bring a critical lens to the study of digital culture and its inherent biases, politics of accessibility, and data surveillance.
Besides exercises and artistic reflections on class readings, each student will be able to choose one of six intensive skill-building workshops which will take place during four class sessions. Each workshop will be offered by an internationally renowned digital performance artist and centered around a specific practice such as techno-queer glitch performance, digital mapping, dramatic online theater, or multimedia performance. In addition, students of this course will be given the opportunity to apply for a one-week in-person student collaboration to create a performance at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá/Colombia in January 2024. This course is open to students from all disciplines. No previous experience in theater and performance is necessary.
This is an OSUN Network Collaborative Course taught in partnership with the following institutions: Bard College Annandale; Birkbeck, University of London; Central European University, Budapest/Vienna; Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá; Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg.
Syllabus
Concentration: Artistic Practice
Module: Artistic Practice
TH261 Performance and Digital Culture. An International Student Collaboration
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1730-2045
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nina Tecklenburg
How does performance art and theater relate to digital culture? Traditionally understood as live embodied practice and communal encounter, theater’s relationship to digitality has been described as complex, challenging, even subversive. This course investigates various intersections of the performing arts and digital culture in a global collaboration to rethink theater in the digital era: students will create performances across cultures and geographic distances and explore new theatrical formats such as immersive performance, VR/AR-experiences, social media theater, or experiments with AI systems. Taught locally at BCB, we will reserve some of our class time for synchronous collaboration with students from our parallel classes in Johannesburg (South Africa), New York/Annandale (US), Bogotá (Colombia), Vienna (Austria), and London (UK). While embracing theatrical experiments with digital technology we will bring a critical lens to the study of digital culture and its inherent biases, politics of accessibility, and data surveillance.
Besides exercises and artistic reflections on class readings, each student will be able to choose one of six intensive skill-building workshops which will take place during four class sessions. Each workshop will be offered by an internationally renowned digital performance artist and centered around a specific practice such as techno-queer glitch performance, digital mapping, dramatic online theater, or multimedia performance. In addition, students of this course will be given the opportunity to apply for a one-week in-person student collaboration to create a performance at Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá/Colombia in January 2024. This course is open to students from all disciplines. No previous experience in theater and performance is necessary.
This is an OSUN Network Collaborative Course taught in partnership with the following institutions: Bard College Annandale; Birkbeck, University of London; Central European University, Budapest/Vienna; Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá; Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg.
Syllabus
Core
Greek Civilization
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Core
Concentration: Core
Module: Greek Civilization
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow, Jeffrey Champlin, Tracy Colony, David Hayes, Hans Stauffacher, Giulia Clabassi
Bard College Berlin's core curriculum begins with a semester-long engagement with Plato’s Republic in dialogue with the main works and movements that shaped its cultural and intellectual context. The Republic offers a unique point of entry into the epochal philosophical, political, and literary achievements of fifth and fourth-century Athens. Through its depiction of Socrates in conversation, it draws us into a dialogue about ethical, political, aesthetic, and epistemic questions that are fundamental to human life. Rather than a series of separate treatises, the Republic addresses its themes as the subject of a dynamic and open investigation that transcends disciplinary boundaries as we have come to conceive them. And while it may be said to contain a social contract theory, a theory of psychology, a theology, a critique of mimetic art, a theory of education, and a typology of political regimes, it is reducible to none of these. In its aspiration and scope, the Republic offers an illuminating starting point for the endeavour of liberal education. Moreover, as an exemplar of open and critical inquiry, both in Plato’s time and beyond, the figure of Socrates is a vital resource for our own engagements with the contemporary world.
In this course, we will be particularly attentive to the dialogic character of Plato’s writing in its exchanges with other authors, genres and modes of thought. In the first week we read Plato’s Apology of Socrates as an introduction to the figure of Socrates. We will then read the Near Eastern works; The Epic of Gilgamesh and the poetry of Enheduana which anticipate many of the themes we will encounter throughout the course. We will also read Euripides’ The Bacchae and Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen and the lyric poetry of Sappho to trace the important dialogues that the Republic opens with tragedy, comedy and lyric poetry. Attending to the interlocutors with which the Republic is engaged, we will strive to better understand and evaluate its own poetics and arguments.
Syllabus
Concentration: Core
Module: Greek Civilization
IS101 Plato’s Republic and Its Interlocutors
Fall 2023Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow, Jeffrey Champlin, Tracy Colony, David Hayes, Hans Stauffacher, Giulia Clabassi
Bard College Berlin's core curriculum begins with a semester-long engagement with Plato’s Republic in dialogue with the main works and movements that shaped its cultural and intellectual context. The Republic offers a unique point of entry into the epochal philosophical, political, and literary achievements of fifth and fourth-century Athens. Through its depiction of Socrates in conversation, it draws us into a dialogue about ethical, political, aesthetic, and epistemic questions that are fundamental to human life. Rather than a series of separate treatises, the Republic addresses its themes as the subject of a dynamic and open investigation that transcends disciplinary boundaries as we have come to conceive them. And while it may be said to contain a social contract theory, a theory of psychology, a theology, a critique of mimetic art, a theory of education, and a typology of political regimes, it is reducible to none of these. In its aspiration and scope, the Republic offers an illuminating starting point for the endeavour of liberal education. Moreover, as an exemplar of open and critical inquiry, both in Plato’s time and beyond, the figure of Socrates is a vital resource for our own engagements with the contemporary world.
In this course, we will be particularly attentive to the dialogic character of Plato’s writing in its exchanges with other authors, genres and modes of thought. In the first week we read Plato’s Apology of Socrates as an introduction to the figure of Socrates. We will then read the Near Eastern works; The Epic of Gilgamesh and the poetry of Enheduana which anticipate many of the themes we will encounter throughout the course. We will also read Euripides’ The Bacchae and Aristophanes’ Assemblywomen and the lyric poetry of Sappho to trace the important dialogues that the Republic opens with tragedy, comedy and lyric poetry. Attending to the interlocutors with which the Republic is engaged, we will strive to better understand and evaluate its own poetics and arguments.
Syllabus
Programs: BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Core
Concentration: Core
Module: Renaissance Art and Thought
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Geoff Lehman, Katalin Makkai, Clio Nicastro, Laura Scuriatti, Anastassia Kostrioukova
In this course we examine the visual and intellectual culture of Renaissance Florence. A sustained engagement with a number of principal monuments in Florentine painting, sculpture, and architecture provides the basis for a consideration of key values within the development of Renaissance art that also shape, more broadly, the thought, cultural practices, and everyday experiences of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Renaissance could be characterized as an historical period in which the visual arts played the leading role in the culture as a whole. Thus the focus on works of visual art, in a dialogue with literary, philosophical, and political texts of the period, opens a consideration of trans-disciplinary problems such as the emergence of new models of subjectivity and objectivity, the relationship between religious and secular experiences, the framing of early modern political thought, and the origins of the scientific method. The course is structured around four principal topics, each a defining value for the visual arts between the thirteenth and the sixteenth centuries that is also central to the development of Renaissance thought: self-reflexivity, perspective, harmony and grace, humanism. The direct experience, evaluation, and interpretation of individual works of art are a crucial part of the course, and with this in mind there will be several visits to Berlin museums – specifically, the Gemäldegalerie and the Bode Museum, with their extensive Renaissance collections – to encounter works of art firsthand.
Syllabus
Concentration: Core
Module: Renaissance Art and Thought
IS102 Renaissance Florence
Fall 2023Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Geoff Lehman, Katalin Makkai, Clio Nicastro, Laura Scuriatti, Anastassia Kostrioukova
In this course we examine the visual and intellectual culture of Renaissance Florence. A sustained engagement with a number of principal monuments in Florentine painting, sculpture, and architecture provides the basis for a consideration of key values within the development of Renaissance art that also shape, more broadly, the thought, cultural practices, and everyday experiences of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Renaissance could be characterized as an historical period in which the visual arts played the leading role in the culture as a whole. Thus the focus on works of visual art, in a dialogue with literary, philosophical, and political texts of the period, opens a consideration of trans-disciplinary problems such as the emergence of new models of subjectivity and objectivity, the relationship between religious and secular experiences, the framing of early modern political thought, and the origins of the scientific method. The course is structured around four principal topics, each a defining value for the visual arts between the thirteenth and the sixteenth centuries that is also central to the development of Renaissance thought: self-reflexivity, perspective, harmony and grace, humanism. The direct experience, evaluation, and interpretation of individual works of art are a crucial part of the course, and with this in mind there will be several visits to Berlin museums – specifically, the Gemäldegalerie and the Bode Museum, with their extensive Renaissance collections – to encounter works of art firsthand.
Syllabus
Programs: BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Core
Concentration: Core
Module: Senior Core Colloquium
Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner, Nassim Abi Ghanem, Nina Tecklenburg (for students pursuing a Creative Component)
This seminar is a training in the methods of academic research. Focusing on representative contemporary research in the humanities and the social sciences, it supports students in proceeding with their own individual research projects by focusing on the essential elements of independent scholarly work: the choice of a topic or object of study; the outline of the main components of an article or scholarly paper; finding, gathering, collating and interpreting the sources needed for the project; correct citation, attribution, and bibliographical documentation, and lastly, the effective presentation of the final work in structure and style, as well as peer review and constructive feedback. Including the participation of thesis supervisors and other faculty members, this course meets in fall term and in spring term.
Syllabi: Tecklenburg, Abi Ghanem, Wagner
Concentration: Core
Module: Senior Core Colloquium
IS123 Academic Research in the Social Sciences
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner, Nassim Abi Ghanem, Nina Tecklenburg (for students pursuing a Creative Component)
This seminar is a training in the methods of academic research. Focusing on representative contemporary research in the humanities and the social sciences, it supports students in proceeding with their own individual research projects by focusing on the essential elements of independent scholarly work: the choice of a topic or object of study; the outline of the main components of an article or scholarly paper; finding, gathering, collating and interpreting the sources needed for the project; correct citation, attribution, and bibliographical documentation, and lastly, the effective presentation of the final work in structure and style, as well as peer review and constructive feedback. Including the participation of thesis supervisors and other faculty members, this course meets in fall term and in spring term.
Syllabi: Tecklenburg, Abi Ghanem, Wagner
Core
Origins of Political Economy
Fall 2023
Wed & Fri, 1045-1215; Kai Koddenbrock's section: Wed, 1045-1215 & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Core
Concentration: Core
Module: Origins of Political Economy
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1045-1215; Kai Koddenbrock's section: Wed, 1045-1215 & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinators: Jeffrey Champlin, Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann, Aysuda Köleman
This course explores the intellectual history of the contemporary disciplines of economics, political science and sociology, by examining the historical origins of the discourse and practice known as “political economy”: the means and processes by which societies and populations provide for their own survival and development. It offers an introduction to the reach and implications of this endeavor, its relationship to questions of law, sovereignty and political representation. It equally addresses changing state-market relationships and normative discourses about the best ways to organize societies as they echo in the liberal and critical traditions of Western political thought. In keeping with its attention to the formative history of modern categories and disciplines of knowledge, the course also addresses the ways in which changes in the (understanding of) political economy have led to disciplinary specializations and certain blind spots in linking development and underdevelopment, enlightenment and exclusion. It allows students to understand, draw upon and critique the historical formulation of contemporary problems and concerns such as the foundations of political freedom, the nature of markets, the sources and circulation of wealth, the social impact of inequality and racism, and the connection and differentiation between the economic and political spheres.
Syllabus
Concentration: Core
Module: Origins of Political Economy
IS303 Origins of Political Economy
Fall 2023Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1045-1215; Kai Koddenbrock's section: Wed, 1045-1215 & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinators: Jeffrey Champlin, Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann, Aysuda Köleman
This course explores the intellectual history of the contemporary disciplines of economics, political science and sociology, by examining the historical origins of the discourse and practice known as “political economy”: the means and processes by which societies and populations provide for their own survival and development. It offers an introduction to the reach and implications of this endeavor, its relationship to questions of law, sovereignty and political representation. It equally addresses changing state-market relationships and normative discourses about the best ways to organize societies as they echo in the liberal and critical traditions of Western political thought. In keeping with its attention to the formative history of modern categories and disciplines of knowledge, the course also addresses the ways in which changes in the (understanding of) political economy have led to disciplinary specializations and certain blind spots in linking development and underdevelopment, enlightenment and exclusion. It allows students to understand, draw upon and critique the historical formulation of contemporary problems and concerns such as the foundations of political freedom, the nature of markets, the sources and circulation of wealth, the social impact of inequality and racism, and the connection and differentiation between the economic and political spheres.
Syllabus
Economics
Principles of Economics
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Module: Principles of Economics
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
This course is an introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. It elaborates the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market, and examines several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly, minimum wages, and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. The assumptions concerning human behavior that underlie economics are presented and critiqued. The course is also concerned with the aggregate behavior of modern economies: growth and measurement of the economy, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, government spending, and its impact, and international trade. Part of the course focuses on the government tools used to influence economic growth and individuals' behavior.
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Module: Principles of Economics
EC110 Principles of Economics (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
This course is an introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. It elaborates the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market, and examines several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly, minimum wages, and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. The assumptions concerning human behavior that underlie economics are presented and critiqued. The course is also concerned with the aggregate behavior of modern economies: growth and measurement of the economy, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, government spending, and its impact, and international trade. Part of the course focuses on the government tools used to influence economic growth and individuals' behavior.
Syllabus
Economics
Principles of Economics
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1530 & Tue, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Module: Principles of Economics
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1530 & Tue, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
This course is an introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. It elaborates the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market, and examines several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly, minimum wages, and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. The assumptions concerning human behavior that underlie economics are presented and critiqued. The course is also concerned with the aggregate behavior of modern economies: growth and measurement of the economy, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, government spending, and its impact, and international trade. Part of the course focuses on the government tools used to influence economic growth and individuals' behavior.
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Module: Principles of Economics
EC110 Principles of Economics (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1530 & Tue, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
This course is an introduction to the essential ideas of economic analysis. It elaborates the basic model of consumer and firm behavior, including demand and supply, in the context of an idealized competitive market, and examines several ways in which the real world deviates from this model, including monopoly, minimum wages, and other price controls, taxes, and government regulation. The assumptions concerning human behavior that underlie economics are presented and critiqued. The course is also concerned with the aggregate behavior of modern economies: growth and measurement of the economy, unemployment, interest rates, inflation, government spending, and its impact, and international trade. Part of the course focuses on the government tools used to influence economic growth and individuals' behavior.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Module: Behavioral Economics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Israel Waichman
Experimental economics is the application of experimental methods to economic questions. Experiments are used in economics to test the descriptive accuracy of economic models, to study behavior in cases where theory provides ambiguous predictions (or no predictions), and also to test the effectiveness of economic policies. The course aims to introduce experimental economics and its various applications in economics. We will conduct some of the experiments in the classroom, providing the participants in the course with first-hand experience of the economic situations that are being thought through. The course consists of three parts: In the first part: “the methodology of experimental economics,” we introduce experimental economics. We discuss the merits (and limits) of experiments, and the principles of conducting and analyzing an experiment. In the second part “Applications: Influential experiments in economics”, we survey some of the seminal research in experimental (and behavioral) economics (e.g. on markets, bargaining, biases and heuristics under uncertainty, guessing games and predictions, experiments related to the environment and to climate change, etc.). In the third (short) part, students will present their own pilot studies.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed Principles of Economics and Microeconomics
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Module: Behavioral Economics
EC212 Experimental Economics
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Israel Waichman
Experimental economics is the application of experimental methods to economic questions. Experiments are used in economics to test the descriptive accuracy of economic models, to study behavior in cases where theory provides ambiguous predictions (or no predictions), and also to test the effectiveness of economic policies. The course aims to introduce experimental economics and its various applications in economics. We will conduct some of the experiments in the classroom, providing the participants in the course with first-hand experience of the economic situations that are being thought through. The course consists of three parts: In the first part: “the methodology of experimental economics,” we introduce experimental economics. We discuss the merits (and limits) of experiments, and the principles of conducting and analyzing an experiment. In the second part “Applications: Influential experiments in economics”, we survey some of the seminal research in experimental (and behavioral) economics (e.g. on markets, bargaining, biases and heuristics under uncertainty, guessing games and predictions, experiments related to the environment and to climate change, etc.). In the third (short) part, students will present their own pilot studies.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed Principles of Economics and Microeconomics
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Module: Econometrics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Israel Waichman
Economics is in many ways an applied science deeply anchored in real-world phenomena that can be measured and quantified. In order to answer important quantitative questions and in particular assess the descriptiveness of economic theories, the economist needs to collect data and assess the empirical relationships between objects of interest. Since most economic data is non-experimental, a main task of the econometrician is trying to find out whether events that are correlated also stand in causal relationship with each other. And in particular to test the accuracy of economic theories specifying a causal relationship between factors/events. This course expands on the basic statistics course by applying and developing core statistical notions within an economic context. In particular, we will learn how to estimate linear regressions and their requirements for causal inference. We will also learn how to deal with cases when the requirements are not fully met (e.g., the endogeneity problem, the binary outcome model, etc.). The course develops literacy in applied economics, and the capacity to analyze field data, as well as cultivating the ability to assess claims made in that field through critique of methods of econometric analysis. The course will introduce students to the statistical software package Stata, which will be used to analyze data applying the methods learned.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed Statistics and Microeconomics
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Module: Econometrics
EC320 Econometrics
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Israel Waichman
Economics is in many ways an applied science deeply anchored in real-world phenomena that can be measured and quantified. In order to answer important quantitative questions and in particular assess the descriptiveness of economic theories, the economist needs to collect data and assess the empirical relationships between objects of interest. Since most economic data is non-experimental, a main task of the econometrician is trying to find out whether events that are correlated also stand in causal relationship with each other. And in particular to test the accuracy of economic theories specifying a causal relationship between factors/events. This course expands on the basic statistics course by applying and developing core statistical notions within an economic context. In particular, we will learn how to estimate linear regressions and their requirements for causal inference. We will also learn how to deal with cases when the requirements are not fully met (e.g., the endogeneity problem, the binary outcome model, etc.). The course develops literacy in applied economics, and the capacity to analyze field data, as well as cultivating the ability to assess claims made in that field through critique of methods of econometric analysis. The course will introduce students to the statistical software package Stata, which will be used to analyze data applying the methods learned.
Prerequisites: Students must have completed Statistics and Microeconomics
Syllabus
Economics
Choice, Resources, and Development
Fall 2023
Mon 1730-1900 & Tue 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Module: Choice, Resources, and Development
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon 1730-1900 & Tue 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Stephan Müller
Game theory is a fundamental discipline in the fields of economics, political science, biology, and beyond, as it provides a systematic framework for analyzing strategic interactions among rational decision-makers. This undergraduate course in Game Theory offers students a comprehensive introduction to the core concepts, principles, and applications of this fascinating field. The course begins with an overview of the basic components of game theory, including players, strategies, payoffs, and extensive and normal form representations. Students will learn how to model different types of games, ranging from simple two-player games to more complex multi-player scenarios, and study various solution concepts such as dominant strategies, Nash equilibrium, and subgame perfection. Throughout the course, students will explore various classical games, including the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Battle of the Sexes, and the Tragedy of the Commons. By examining these games, students will gain insight into real-world situations such as social dilemmas, competition, cooperation, and bargaining. Furthermore, applications of game theory in diverse fields will be discussed, ranging from economics and business strategy to politics, law, and environmental issues. The course will include interactive discussions and problem-solving exercises to enhance students' understanding of the concepts and their practical applications.
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Module: Choice, Resources, and Development
EC325 Strategy: An Intoduction to Game Theory
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon 1730-1900 & Tue 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Stephan Müller
Game theory is a fundamental discipline in the fields of economics, political science, biology, and beyond, as it provides a systematic framework for analyzing strategic interactions among rational decision-makers. This undergraduate course in Game Theory offers students a comprehensive introduction to the core concepts, principles, and applications of this fascinating field. The course begins with an overview of the basic components of game theory, including players, strategies, payoffs, and extensive and normal form representations. Students will learn how to model different types of games, ranging from simple two-player games to more complex multi-player scenarios, and study various solution concepts such as dominant strategies, Nash equilibrium, and subgame perfection. Throughout the course, students will explore various classical games, including the Prisoner's Dilemma, the Battle of the Sexes, and the Tragedy of the Commons. By examining these games, students will gain insight into real-world situations such as social dilemmas, competition, cooperation, and bargaining. Furthermore, applications of game theory in diverse fields will be discussed, ranging from economics and business strategy to politics, law, and environmental issues. The course will include interactive discussions and problem-solving exercises to enhance students' understanding of the concepts and their practical applications.
Syllabus
Economics
Mathematics, Mathematics and Science Requirement
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Modules: Mathematics, Mathematics and Science Requirement
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Stephan Müller
This course focuses on the mathematical tools important for the study of economics: analytic geometry, functions of a single variable, functions of two variables, calculus, integrals, and linear algebra (matrices, determinants, systems of linear equations, and methods for solving them). A large part of the course will deal with optimization in one or more variables and will also cover financial math and first-order difference equations. The course will also be of interest to any student with a general interest in mathematics, or who does not intend advanced specialization in economics but wishes to become informed regarding the essential mathematical building blocks of economics as a discipline.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Modules: Mathematics, Mathematics and Science Requirement
MA120 Mathematics for Economics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Stephan Müller
This course focuses on the mathematical tools important for the study of economics: analytic geometry, functions of a single variable, functions of two variables, calculus, integrals, and linear algebra (matrices, determinants, systems of linear equations, and methods for solving them). A large part of the course will deal with optimization in one or more variables and will also cover financial math and first-order difference equations. The course will also be of interest to any student with a general interest in mathematics, or who does not intend advanced specialization in economics but wishes to become informed regarding the essential mathematical building blocks of economics as a discipline.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Economics
Mathematics and Science Requirement, Statistics
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Economics
Modules: Mathematics and Science Requirement, Statistics
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
The goal of this course is to introduce students to quantitative methods in political science and economics. The course covers the basics of descriptive and inferential statistics, including probability theory, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. To facilitate students’ ability to understand and critically engage with these methods, examples of quantitative social science research are discussed throughout the course. Classes are complemented with exercises to build students’ skills in applying the learned methods independently. Many of these exercises use data from public opinion surveys, which cover a wide range of social, economic, and political topics. Working with this survey data, students will also have the opportunity to explore research questions of their own. At the end of the course, students will be able to read and engage with the majority of modern quantitative research. They also will be well prepared to pursue a variety of more advanced quantitative research courses.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Concentration: Economics
Modules: Mathematics and Science Requirement, Statistics
MA151 Introduction to Statistics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ann-Kathrin Blankenberg
The goal of this course is to introduce students to quantitative methods in political science and economics. The course covers the basics of descriptive and inferential statistics, including probability theory, hypothesis testing, and regression analysis. To facilitate students’ ability to understand and critically engage with these methods, examples of quantitative social science research are discussed throughout the course. Classes are complemented with exercises to build students’ skills in applying the learned methods independently. Many of these exercises use data from public opinion surveys, which cover a wide range of social, economic, and political topics. Working with this survey data, students will also have the opportunity to explore research questions of their own. At the end of the course, students will be able to read and engage with the majority of modern quantitative research. They also will be well prepared to pursue a variety of more advanced quantitative research courses.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Methods in Social and Historical Studies
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Methods in Social and Historical Studies
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
This course is part of a longer-term effort by Princeton University's "Global History Lab" to work towards an integrated, encompassing, and multi-faceted history of the world. It gives you a thorough overview of global historical developments from Chinggis Khan’s armies conquering China and Baghdad in the thirteenth century, to the crises of the present day. In addition, it provides tools and techniques to situate any historical event, place or person in broader, globally-relevant narratives, and to be able to tell your own story in a broader context. You will explore models and concepts for explaining the cycles of world integration and disintegration, like the rise and fall of empires and the role of free trade, religious conversion, and global governance. Do earlier modes of globalization help us to understand our own age? What explains European global expansion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries? How can one explain the staggering wealth of China in the centuries up to 1750, as well as China’s recent ascent? How have world wars and revolutions shaped the international system over time? What role have diseases and pandemics played? The aim of this course is to understand some of the vital forces that pull the parts together as well as those that drive them apart.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Methods in Social and Historical Studies
HI109 Global History Lab: A History of the World since 1300
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
This course is part of a longer-term effort by Princeton University's "Global History Lab" to work towards an integrated, encompassing, and multi-faceted history of the world. It gives you a thorough overview of global historical developments from Chinggis Khan’s armies conquering China and Baghdad in the thirteenth century, to the crises of the present day. In addition, it provides tools and techniques to situate any historical event, place or person in broader, globally-relevant narratives, and to be able to tell your own story in a broader context. You will explore models and concepts for explaining the cycles of world integration and disintegration, like the rise and fall of empires and the role of free trade, religious conversion, and global governance. Do earlier modes of globalization help us to understand our own age? What explains European global expansion in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries? How can one explain the staggering wealth of China in the centuries up to 1750, as well as China’s recent ascent? How have world wars and revolutions shaped the international system over time? What role have diseases and pandemics played? The aim of this course is to understand some of the vital forces that pull the parts together as well as those that drive them apart.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Political Systems and Structures
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aaron Allen
In the social sciences, globalization is often defined as an increase in the mobility of various factors and actors. This definition includes heightened flows of finance capital, the rise of global production networks in expanding divisions of labor as well as the movement of people and ideas. This course uses standard international relations theories as a starting point to examine how growing networks of exchange and circulation have altered political calculation, economic geographies, and governmental arrangements. A particular focus will be placed on the political processes that have facilitated and increased mobility over time, from the emergence of the interstate system in the late nineteenth century, to the globalization of trade and interdependence in our own historical moment. This course will explore new actor constellations and shifting power arrangements in more detail with regards to transnational environmental issues, asymmetric warfare, and humanitarian interventions. In so doing, this course will consider the ways in which the phenomena and levels of globalization challenge the traditional paradigms of the social sciences and prompt a new formulation of the field of international relations.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
IN110 Globalization and International Relations
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aaron Allen
In the social sciences, globalization is often defined as an increase in the mobility of various factors and actors. This definition includes heightened flows of finance capital, the rise of global production networks in expanding divisions of labor as well as the movement of people and ideas. This course uses standard international relations theories as a starting point to examine how growing networks of exchange and circulation have altered political calculation, economic geographies, and governmental arrangements. A particular focus will be placed on the political processes that have facilitated and increased mobility over time, from the emergence of the interstate system in the late nineteenth century, to the globalization of trade and interdependence in our own historical moment. This course will explore new actor constellations and shifting power arrangements in more detail with regards to transnational environmental issues, asymmetric warfare, and humanitarian interventions. In so doing, this course will consider the ways in which the phenomena and levels of globalization challenge the traditional paradigms of the social sciences and prompt a new formulation of the field of international relations.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tracy Colony
What is the basis for ethical action? Since its beginnings, philosophy has confronted this question. In this course we will read some of the central texts in Western philosophy that have attempted to come to terms with it. Starting with Socrates and focusing on the works of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Levinas we will trace a tradition which has sought to understand and elaborate the possible grounds and scope of ethical action. The approach of the course will be predominantly chronological and we will engage in close readings of these seminal texts with an eye to their historical context and reception. However, we will also approach their concepts and vocabularies as possible starting points for ethics within our own current historical situation.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Ethics and Moral Philosophy
PL105 Introduction to Ethics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tracy Colony
What is the basis for ethical action? Since its beginnings, philosophy has confronted this question. In this course we will read some of the central texts in Western philosophy that have attempted to come to terms with it. Starting with Socrates and focusing on the works of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Levinas we will trace a tradition which has sought to understand and elaborate the possible grounds and scope of ethical action. The approach of the course will be predominantly chronological and we will engage in close readings of these seminal texts with an eye to their historical context and reception. However, we will also approach their concepts and vocabularies as possible starting points for ethics within our own current historical situation.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Fall 2023
Thur, 1000-1300
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Ethics and Moral Philosophy
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sinem Kılıç
Throughout the history of Western philosophy, the importance of Arabic philosophy has long been underestimated. For G. W. F. Hegel, for example, Arabic philosophy had “no content of any interest” whatsoever, and was therefore “not philosophy, but mere manner.” Although this position is no longer likely to find many academic adherents today, most institutions still do not offer any courses dedicated to Arabic philosophy and therefore continue to leave this pivotal part of our West-Eastern intellectual history unaddressed.
In this course on Arabic philosophy, we will mainly focus on the period between the 9th and the 12th century, when Muslim, Christian, and Jewish philosophers composed their works in the Arabic language and transferred philosophical questions from the ancient Greek tradition into their falsafa (Arabic for ‘philosophy’).
We will read representative texts of major thinkers like al-Kindī, ar-Rāzī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, Ibn Bāǧǧa (Avempace), Ibn Ṭufaīl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Gabirol and Maimonides, but also modern intellectuals like Abdallah Laroui and Fatema Mernissi. By providing an overview of the multifaceted tradition of Arabic philosophy, this course aims to shed light on the rich heritage of falsafa as a vital component of intellectual tradition within the Islamicate world.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Ethics and Moral Philosophy
PL170 Falsafa: Introduction to Arabic Philosophy
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sinem Kılıç
Throughout the history of Western philosophy, the importance of Arabic philosophy has long been underestimated. For G. W. F. Hegel, for example, Arabic philosophy had “no content of any interest” whatsoever, and was therefore “not philosophy, but mere manner.” Although this position is no longer likely to find many academic adherents today, most institutions still do not offer any courses dedicated to Arabic philosophy and therefore continue to leave this pivotal part of our West-Eastern intellectual history unaddressed.
In this course on Arabic philosophy, we will mainly focus on the period between the 9th and the 12th century, when Muslim, Christian, and Jewish philosophers composed their works in the Arabic language and transferred philosophical questions from the ancient Greek tradition into their falsafa (Arabic for ‘philosophy’).
We will read representative texts of major thinkers like al-Kindī, ar-Rāzī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, Ibn Bāǧǧa (Avempace), Ibn Ṭufaīl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Gabirol and Maimonides, but also modern intellectuals like Abdallah Laroui and Fatema Mernissi. By providing an overview of the multifaceted tradition of Arabic philosophy, this course aims to shed light on the rich heritage of falsafa as a vital component of intellectual tradition within the Islamicate world.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Movements and Thinkers
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sam Dolbear
This course provides a survey of the work of philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most significant thinkers of the twentieth century. It will explore Benjamin’s diverse oeuvre, from his writings on history, politics, and aesthetics, to those on urban life, experience, and technology. Though grounded on weekly close readings on the level of the paragraph and the sentence, the course will also jump out of the texts, to take account of larger cultural, political and philosophical currents. It will do this by placing Benjamin within a network of contemporaries and interlocutors, including those not typically named, such as the sexologist and palm-reader Charlotte Wolff and the fashion journalist Helen Grund. It will also find context outside of the classroom, by engaging through field trips with Berlin, the city of Benjamin's birth and the subject of his memoir Berlin Childhood around 1900, to explore how his writings can be traced onto the present. By the end of the course, students will have a wide and detailed appreciation of Benjamin’s work and be able to produce rigorous yet creative responses to it.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
PL317 Walter Benjamin: Theory, History, Context
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sam Dolbear
This course provides a survey of the work of philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most significant thinkers of the twentieth century. It will explore Benjamin’s diverse oeuvre, from his writings on history, politics, and aesthetics, to those on urban life, experience, and technology. Though grounded on weekly close readings on the level of the paragraph and the sentence, the course will also jump out of the texts, to take account of larger cultural, political and philosophical currents. It will do this by placing Benjamin within a network of contemporaries and interlocutors, including those not typically named, such as the sexologist and palm-reader Charlotte Wolff and the fashion journalist Helen Grund. It will also find context outside of the classroom, by engaging through field trips with Berlin, the city of Benjamin's birth and the subject of his memoir Berlin Childhood around 1900, to explore how his writings can be traced onto the present. By the end of the course, students will have a wide and detailed appreciation of Benjamin’s work and be able to produce rigorous yet creative responses to it.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Movements and Thinkers
Fall 2023
Fri, 1230-1545
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Gilad Nir
Ludwig Wittgenstein is widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century. His reception has tended to focus on his theoretical philosophy — his philosophy of language, his critique of metaphysics, and his contributions to logic and epistemology. While not entirely neglecting these aspects of Wittgenstein’s work, this course puts a different set of questions at the center, namely: what are Wittgenstein's contributions to our understanding of the cultural and ethical dimensions of human existence? We will see that Wittgenstein’s philosophy, early and late, consists in a struggle against the problem of modernity, the corrupting influence of science on society, and the individualism and subjectivism of modern philosophy. We will find in his work deep reflections on the search for meaning, on the difficulty of intercultural understanding, and on the challenge posed by skepticism. Exploring the intellectual heritage Wittgenstein draws on, we will consider excerpts from the works of Kant, Schopenhauer, Hertz, Ernst, Tolstoy, William James, Goethe, and Spengler. We will see how these influences inform Wittgenstein’s early and late writings, looking in particular at the Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, "Lecture on Ethics”, Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough, Philosophical Investigations, Lectures on Aesthetics, and On Certainty. And we will also consider Wittgenstein’s influence on later philosophers such as Stanley Cavell, Michael Fried, Peter Winch, and Cora Diamond.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
PL319 Wittgenstein as a Philosopher of Culture
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Gilad Nir
Ludwig Wittgenstein is widely considered one of the greatest philosophers of the 20th century. His reception has tended to focus on his theoretical philosophy — his philosophy of language, his critique of metaphysics, and his contributions to logic and epistemology. While not entirely neglecting these aspects of Wittgenstein’s work, this course puts a different set of questions at the center, namely: what are Wittgenstein's contributions to our understanding of the cultural and ethical dimensions of human existence? We will see that Wittgenstein’s philosophy, early and late, consists in a struggle against the problem of modernity, the corrupting influence of science on society, and the individualism and subjectivism of modern philosophy. We will find in his work deep reflections on the search for meaning, on the difficulty of intercultural understanding, and on the challenge posed by skepticism. Exploring the intellectual heritage Wittgenstein draws on, we will consider excerpts from the works of Kant, Schopenhauer, Hertz, Ernst, Tolstoy, William James, Goethe, and Spengler. We will see how these influences inform Wittgenstein’s early and late writings, looking in particular at the Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, "Lecture on Ethics”, Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough, Philosophical Investigations, Lectures on Aesthetics, and On Certainty. And we will also consider Wittgenstein’s influence on later philosophers such as Stanley Cavell, Michael Fried, Peter Winch, and Cora Diamond.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Movements and Thinkers
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hans Stauffacher
Freedom is one of the core concepts of modern political thought. This course will focus on seminal conceptions of freedom in European philosophy from the 17th to the 19th centuries that continue to shape our thinking today. But we will look at these conceptions through the lens of the supposed opposite of freedom: slavery.
Philosophers like Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche defined freedom in contrast to slavery. Strikingly, though, they rarely – if ever – paid any attention to the real-life slavery in the Americas, a system they were at least indirectly complicit in. Instead, they drew their examples from Greek and Roman antiquity and the Bible or operated with abstract ideas of slavery. Taking this disturbing observation as a starting point, we will discuss if and to what extent the classical western concepts of freedom can still provide answers to big questions such as: What is freedom? Are there different kinds of freedom? How do we gain freedom? For one person to be free, must another person be un-free? Where, when, and how can we be truly free? We will proceed in four steps: first, we will look at some pre-modern origins of modern concepts of freedom, like the Hebrew and Greek Bible, ancient Greek philosophy, and medieval theology. Second, we will discuss the aforementioned classical positions. Third, we will confront them with perspectives from (formerly) enslaved or colonized people. And fourth, we will discuss critical reflections on the western tradition of thinking about freedom from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Movements and Thinkers
PL340 Freedom and Slavery in Western Philosophy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hans Stauffacher
Freedom is one of the core concepts of modern political thought. This course will focus on seminal conceptions of freedom in European philosophy from the 17th to the 19th centuries that continue to shape our thinking today. But we will look at these conceptions through the lens of the supposed opposite of freedom: slavery.
Philosophers like Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche defined freedom in contrast to slavery. Strikingly, though, they rarely – if ever – paid any attention to the real-life slavery in the Americas, a system they were at least indirectly complicit in. Instead, they drew their examples from Greek and Roman antiquity and the Bible or operated with abstract ideas of slavery. Taking this disturbing observation as a starting point, we will discuss if and to what extent the classical western concepts of freedom can still provide answers to big questions such as: What is freedom? Are there different kinds of freedom? How do we gain freedom? For one person to be free, must another person be un-free? Where, when, and how can we be truly free? We will proceed in four steps: first, we will look at some pre-modern origins of modern concepts of freedom, like the Hebrew and Greek Bible, ancient Greek philosophy, and medieval theology. Second, we will discuss the aforementioned classical positions. Third, we will confront them with perspectives from (formerly) enslaved or colonized people. And fourth, we will discuss critical reflections on the western tradition of thinking about freedom from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Political Systems and Structures
Fall 2023
Wed, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann
Laying the foundation for the politics track in the Economics, Politics and Social Thought (EPST) program, this class covers three aspects of what an academic engagement with politics presupposes. First, it provides an introduction to key concepts (nation, democracy, power, federalism, etc.), debates (e.g. state-market relations, subsidiarity, etc.), and traditions (e.g., liberalism, realism, Marxism, etc.) in political science. As such, it also facilitates a deeper understanding of the role of political science as an academic discipline within the broader range of social science traditions. Second, the course explores historical developments of the recent past, providing students with an overview of actors and institutions at various scales within and beyond nation-states. Finally, the course introduces students to foundational methodological tools and academic skills. As such, students will gain familiarity with central concepts, debates and theory traditions in political science and its subfields, deepen their understanding of major developments, players and power relationships in recent global political history, and develop foundational methodological skills.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
PS129 Understanding Politics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann
Laying the foundation for the politics track in the Economics, Politics and Social Thought (EPST) program, this class covers three aspects of what an academic engagement with politics presupposes. First, it provides an introduction to key concepts (nation, democracy, power, federalism, etc.), debates (e.g. state-market relations, subsidiarity, etc.), and traditions (e.g., liberalism, realism, Marxism, etc.) in political science. As such, it also facilitates a deeper understanding of the role of political science as an academic discipline within the broader range of social science traditions. Second, the course explores historical developments of the recent past, providing students with an overview of actors and institutions at various scales within and beyond nation-states. Finally, the course introduces students to foundational methodological tools and academic skills. As such, students will gain familiarity with central concepts, debates and theory traditions in political science and its subfields, deepen their understanding of major developments, players and power relationships in recent global political history, and develop foundational methodological skills.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Political Systems and Structures
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
While postcolonial scholars have had enduring impact on disciplines such as anthropology, history, art history and comparative literature, their influence on the study of the political systems and political thought from and about the “Global South,” or the non-western world, has been less impactful. This opposition to postcolonialism as a theoretical and conceptual lens in the study of Comparative Politics is related to the endurance of Eurocentric perspectives on the Global South and the impact of their colonial histories. Dominant theories of democracy, revolutions, displacement, humanitarianism and civil wars, for instance, continue to be trapped in orientalist frameworks of analysis. Against this backdrop, this course has two central aims. The first is to encourage students to question the epistemological foundations of the study of postcolonial societies and politics so they learn to critically question the context in which the scholarly body of knowledge about non-western history, politics and society has been constructed and produced. The second aim of the course is to contextualize such theories by focusing on the region known as the “Middle East” with some cross-reference to various countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in order to uncover the relationship between the political and the postcolonial. The course will run thematically and cover topics such as colonialism and decolonization, the authoritarian state, nationalism(s), the politics of gender and sexuality, the politics of culture, military states, development and humanitarian aid, oil, the “global war on terror”, wars, displacement and revolutions.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
PS179 Postcolonial Politics: The Middle East and Beyond
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
While postcolonial scholars have had enduring impact on disciplines such as anthropology, history, art history and comparative literature, their influence on the study of the political systems and political thought from and about the “Global South,” or the non-western world, has been less impactful. This opposition to postcolonialism as a theoretical and conceptual lens in the study of Comparative Politics is related to the endurance of Eurocentric perspectives on the Global South and the impact of their colonial histories. Dominant theories of democracy, revolutions, displacement, humanitarianism and civil wars, for instance, continue to be trapped in orientalist frameworks of analysis. Against this backdrop, this course has two central aims. The first is to encourage students to question the epistemological foundations of the study of postcolonial societies and politics so they learn to critically question the context in which the scholarly body of knowledge about non-western history, politics and society has been constructed and produced. The second aim of the course is to contextualize such theories by focusing on the region known as the “Middle East” with some cross-reference to various countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in order to uncover the relationship between the political and the postcolonial. The course will run thematically and cover topics such as colonialism and decolonization, the authoritarian state, nationalism(s), the politics of gender and sexuality, the politics of culture, military states, development and humanitarian aid, oil, the “global war on terror”, wars, displacement and revolutions.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinator: Aaron Allen
This multidisciplinary course explores the structural evolution of the United States’ role in the world and the institutions shaping elite policy-making. Through an interactive approach, students will be able to contextualize contemporary American foreign policy challenges from their geographic, material, and ideational roots. Furthermore, course activities and assignments are tailored to assist students in becoming foreign policy practitioners fully capable of applying national security decision theories. The curriculum threads together historical cases, international relations scholarship, and security studies in order to provide a holistic understanding of all the constituent parts influencing America’s external posture. How did a nation once known for its relatively isolationist disposition become a global superpower and key enforcer of the liberal international order? What are the unique attributes of American-style foreign policy that have remained consistent across presidential administrations since the end of World War II? A critical appraisal of topics such as hard and soft power, alliances, globalization and multilateralism, bureaucratic politics, and the rise of the military industrial complex offers students the necessary tools to answer these core questions. The complementary emphasis on professional development will allow participants to garner practical skills through simulations, seminar debates, and presentations.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PS271 US Foreign Policy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinator: Aaron Allen
This multidisciplinary course explores the structural evolution of the United States’ role in the world and the institutions shaping elite policy-making. Through an interactive approach, students will be able to contextualize contemporary American foreign policy challenges from their geographic, material, and ideational roots. Furthermore, course activities and assignments are tailored to assist students in becoming foreign policy practitioners fully capable of applying national security decision theories. The curriculum threads together historical cases, international relations scholarship, and security studies in order to provide a holistic understanding of all the constituent parts influencing America’s external posture. How did a nation once known for its relatively isolationist disposition become a global superpower and key enforcer of the liberal international order? What are the unique attributes of American-style foreign policy that have remained consistent across presidential administrations since the end of World War II? A critical appraisal of topics such as hard and soft power, alliances, globalization and multilateralism, bureaucratic politics, and the rise of the military industrial complex offers students the necessary tools to answer these core questions. The complementary emphasis on professional development will allow participants to garner practical skills through simulations, seminar debates, and presentations.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Fri, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tobias Wuttke
This course engages on the topic of economic development in a context of ‘globalisation’, understood here as the rising interconnectedness of economic activity across borders, since World War II. It will pay particular attention to the needs and ambitions of so-called developing countries and on the different ways that they have pursued economic development historically until today. In this course, we will unpack both the opportunities as well as the constraints that globalisation presents for developing countries. We examine how policies adopted in the Global North shape the conditions of action for countries in the Global South who must still increase income levels in order to improve living standards for their citizens. A special focus will be on so-called industrial policies, which are increasingly being used as a tool to achieve developmental objectives in the Global South, while in the Global North they are deployed to pursue the greening of the economy, to aim for global leadership in emerging technologies, and to navigate geopolitical changes and conflicts. We will engage with readings and concepts from global political economy, heterodox and orthodox development economics, development studies and the international business literature. Along the way, the course addresses theories of economic development and the role of the state, the emergence of global value chains and global production networks and the role of transnational corporations, the history of globalisation, the US-China Trade War, the success story of East Asian economies, and the general implications of the green transition for the global economy.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PS362 Globalization, Development and Industrial Policy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tobias Wuttke
This course engages on the topic of economic development in a context of ‘globalisation’, understood here as the rising interconnectedness of economic activity across borders, since World War II. It will pay particular attention to the needs and ambitions of so-called developing countries and on the different ways that they have pursued economic development historically until today. In this course, we will unpack both the opportunities as well as the constraints that globalisation presents for developing countries. We examine how policies adopted in the Global North shape the conditions of action for countries in the Global South who must still increase income levels in order to improve living standards for their citizens. A special focus will be on so-called industrial policies, which are increasingly being used as a tool to achieve developmental objectives in the Global South, while in the Global North they are deployed to pursue the greening of the economy, to aim for global leadership in emerging technologies, and to navigate geopolitical changes and conflicts. We will engage with readings and concepts from global political economy, heterodox and orthodox development economics, development studies and the international business literature. Along the way, the course addresses theories of economic development and the role of the state, the emergence of global value chains and global production networks and the role of transnational corporations, the history of globalisation, the US-China Trade War, the success story of East Asian economies, and the general implications of the green transition for the global economy.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This course offers an introduction to an over one hundred-year-old history of conflictual claims to modern nation-state territory in Palestine/Israel; the politics of the contentious and charged sentiments it has generated; the attempts to address this history, and how as onlookers of the turmoil in that part of the world we experience and process it. Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, including key readings, theories and insights on the subject from the fields of international politics, history, anthropology, environmental studies, gender studies, media and cultural studies, the course will grapple with the fundamental concepts and themes that define and shape the politics of Palestine/Israel. These include: the histories of contested nationalisms; land, ecologies and urban change; borders, walls and securitization; displacements and exile; “peace-building”; racialization, refugees and humanitarianism; media, art and the politics of representation. Besides the key scholarly literature covered, primary sources such as UN and other international and human rights organizations’ documents, film and documentary, literary works, memoirs, archival resources and images and maps will also be studied. By the end of the course students will be able to critically think about and analyze the events of the past 130 years that have played a key role in shaping how we understand Palestine/Israel in a more theoretically and methodologically informed way.
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PS387 Palestine / Israel
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This course offers an introduction to an over one hundred-year-old history of conflictual claims to modern nation-state territory in Palestine/Israel; the politics of the contentious and charged sentiments it has generated; the attempts to address this history, and how as onlookers of the turmoil in that part of the world we experience and process it. Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, including key readings, theories and insights on the subject from the fields of international politics, history, anthropology, environmental studies, gender studies, media and cultural studies, the course will grapple with the fundamental concepts and themes that define and shape the politics of Palestine/Israel. These include: the histories of contested nationalisms; land, ecologies and urban change; borders, walls and securitization; displacements and exile; “peace-building”; racialization, refugees and humanitarianism; media, art and the politics of representation. Besides the key scholarly literature covered, primary sources such as UN and other international and human rights organizations’ documents, film and documentary, literary works, memoirs, archival resources and images and maps will also be studied. By the end of the course students will be able to critically think about and analyze the events of the past 130 years that have played a key role in shaping how we understand Palestine/Israel in a more theoretically and methodologically informed way.
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Timo Lochocki
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This seminar aims to contextualize the recent political developments in Western democracies in the light of recent research. Our primary focus will be the topic of political polarization. We focus on understanding what societal and political processes alternately benefit from and prevent polarization. Our findings will be applied to the recent political developments in the USA, UK, France and Germany. The class has four goals: firstly, to comprehend the underlying processes currently defining political developments in liberal democracies; secondly, to understand polarization as the root cause for most contemporary political challenges; thirdly, to acquire a detailed understanding of what societal and political processes are driving polarization and how to work against them; and finally, to critically reflect upon the role of the academic system in contemporary political debates. At the end of the seminar, students should understand what is pulling our societies apart and how to reunite them.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PS388 Contemporary Political Polarization and How to Address it
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Timo Lochocki
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This seminar aims to contextualize the recent political developments in Western democracies in the light of recent research. Our primary focus will be the topic of political polarization. We focus on understanding what societal and political processes alternately benefit from and prevent polarization. Our findings will be applied to the recent political developments in the USA, UK, France and Germany. The class has four goals: firstly, to comprehend the underlying processes currently defining political developments in liberal democracies; secondly, to understand polarization as the root cause for most contemporary political challenges; thirdly, to acquire a detailed understanding of what societal and political processes are driving polarization and how to work against them; and finally, to critically reflect upon the role of the academic system in contemporary political debates. At the end of the seminar, students should understand what is pulling our societies apart and how to reunite them.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Political Systems and Structures
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Citizenship is traditionally a concept associated with nation-states, and at base signifies the status of belonging to a bounded political order and the rights and duties this entails. Yet economic, legal, and technological globalization increasingly call state boundaries into question. Transnational challenges such as climate change, forced migration, epidemics, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism also require collective action on a global scale. In this context, global citizenship has been promoted both as a sensibility and as an emerging reality. This course explores the notion of "global citizenship" from its philosophical foundations. We also address cultural and political perspectives, thinking critically about what global citizenship can and should mean. Building on these investigations, we explore the contemporary experiences and movements through which a future idea or reality of global citizenship might be shaped. The heart of the course will be in an interdisciplinary exploration of two of the transnational problems already noted above – climate change and ethno-nationalist conflicts – through readings and discussion of novels, historical work, film, social theory, social scientific research, and policy documents. We present and compare rising political and social movements relevant to the definition of the category of the citizen across the globe. Texts will include essays by Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Jürgen Habermas, Edward Said, Martha Nussbaum, Craig Calhoun, along with Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines, Tayib Salih's Season of Migration to the North, Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior and Michael Winterbottom's In This World.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Political Systems and Structures
PT150 Global Citizenship
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Citizenship is traditionally a concept associated with nation-states, and at base signifies the status of belonging to a bounded political order and the rights and duties this entails. Yet economic, legal, and technological globalization increasingly call state boundaries into question. Transnational challenges such as climate change, forced migration, epidemics, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism also require collective action on a global scale. In this context, global citizenship has been promoted both as a sensibility and as an emerging reality. This course explores the notion of "global citizenship" from its philosophical foundations. We also address cultural and political perspectives, thinking critically about what global citizenship can and should mean. Building on these investigations, we explore the contemporary experiences and movements through which a future idea or reality of global citizenship might be shaped. The heart of the course will be in an interdisciplinary exploration of two of the transnational problems already noted above – climate change and ethno-nationalist conflicts – through readings and discussion of novels, historical work, film, social theory, social scientific research, and policy documents. We present and compare rising political and social movements relevant to the definition of the category of the citizen across the globe. Texts will include essays by Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Jürgen Habermas, Edward Said, Martha Nussbaum, Craig Calhoun, along with Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines, Tayib Salih's Season of Migration to the North, Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior and Michael Winterbottom's In This World.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Ethics and Moral Philosophy, History of Political Thought
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Ethics and Moral Philosophy, History of Political Thought
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Named after bell hooks’ 2000 essay collection Feminism Is for Everybody, and with an essential transnational focus, this course offers an introduction to feminism as a political movement to end sexist oppression across differences. Students will discuss, try out, and question various feminist theories and methodologies to critically examine a range of cultural, social, and economic issues across geographical and historical contexts. While acknowledging the importance of one’s personal experience in finding feminism and committing to it, this course also invites students to look beyond the personal and focus on political projects that actively seek out solidarity-yielding connections. Among other topics, we will discuss the demands of early socialist women’s rights activists, queer feminist formations in the Global South, transfeminist activism in Latin America and beyond, sex workers’ struggles across borders, decolonial feminist interventions in Europe, and the connections between gender justice and environmental justice. Bringing together feminist contributions from sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, political science, activism, and more, the course will also serve as an introduction to the work of such influential thinkers as Sara Ahmed, Angela Davis, Silvia Federici, Alexandra Kollontai, Audre Lorde, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Françoise Vergès, and Clara Zetkin, among many others. Students will employ feminist methodologies as a means to question established knowledge paradigms and dominant intellectual traditions derived from the Global North. The transnational feminist dimension of this course is also reflected in its design as parts of it were jointly developed by scholars and educators from across the Open Society University Network (AlQuds Bard College in Palestine, American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, Bard College in the United States, and Bard College Berlin in Germany) and scholars affiliated with Off-University.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Ethics and Moral Philosophy, History of Political Thought
PT160 Transnational Feminism Is for Everybody
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Named after bell hooks’ 2000 essay collection Feminism Is for Everybody, and with an essential transnational focus, this course offers an introduction to feminism as a political movement to end sexist oppression across differences. Students will discuss, try out, and question various feminist theories and methodologies to critically examine a range of cultural, social, and economic issues across geographical and historical contexts. While acknowledging the importance of one’s personal experience in finding feminism and committing to it, this course also invites students to look beyond the personal and focus on political projects that actively seek out solidarity-yielding connections. Among other topics, we will discuss the demands of early socialist women’s rights activists, queer feminist formations in the Global South, transfeminist activism in Latin America and beyond, sex workers’ struggles across borders, decolonial feminist interventions in Europe, and the connections between gender justice and environmental justice. Bringing together feminist contributions from sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, political science, activism, and more, the course will also serve as an introduction to the work of such influential thinkers as Sara Ahmed, Angela Davis, Silvia Federici, Alexandra Kollontai, Audre Lorde, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Françoise Vergès, and Clara Zetkin, among many others. Students will employ feminist methodologies as a means to question established knowledge paradigms and dominant intellectual traditions derived from the Global North. The transnational feminist dimension of this course is also reflected in its design as parts of it were jointly developed by scholars and educators from across the Open Society University Network (AlQuds Bard College in Palestine, American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, Bard College in the United States, and Bard College Berlin in Germany) and scholars affiliated with Off-University.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics, Literature and Rhetoric
Movements and Thinkers, Theories of Literature and Culture, Writer and World
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentrations: Ethics and Politics, Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Movements and Thinkers, Theories of Literature and Culture, Writer and World
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner
OSUN network course at Bard College Berlin and BRAC University.
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
As a political project with deep roots in the Enlightenment, feminism has been concerned with the relationship between individuals and their political and social communities from its inception. For centuries women had experienced that the societies they inhabited did not consider them as individuals, citizens and members of the community with equal rights. The course examines a variety of feminist projects as they grew out of these experiences, and took on distinctive shapes, developing practices and theoretical frameworks all geared toward assessing, questioning and refashioning women’s places, voices and legal status in their respective societies, thus also addressing notions of community, collectivity, and democracy. We will also look at today’s globally connected community-building practices and examine how these joint efforts have given way to newly conceived notions of society and community in intersectional feminist theories. Students will examine texts and practices of reading, writing, and conversation ranging from the sociability cultivated by elite women during the Haskala (the Jewish Enlightenment in Germany) to contemporary feminist theories of intersectionality, via the literary and political works of feminist artists and activists through the twentieth century. Amongst the authors read in the course are: Henriette Herz, Rahel Varnhagen, Hannah Arendt, Fanny Lewald, George Sand, Germaine de Stael, Mary Wollstonecraft, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Alexandra Kollontai, Virginia Woolf, Georg Simmel, Ferdinand Tönnies, Claudia Jones, Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, Uma Narayan, Saba Mahmood, Gloria Anzaldúa, Alice Walker, Luisa Passerini, bell hooks, Adrienne Rich, Silvia Federici, Judith Butler, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Amina Jamal, Michael Hart, Antonio Negri, Ann Ferguson, Dubravka Ugresic, and Carmen Gaite. As part of the course, students from both campuses (BCB and BRAC) will work on group assignments throughout the semester, aimed at preparing a course lexicon and online resources together with faculty. The results of the collaborative work will be presented at a final workshop with all participants in Berlin.
Syllabus
Concentrations: Ethics and Politics, Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Movements and Thinkers, Theories of Literature and Culture, Writer and World
PT241 Feminism and Community
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner
OSUN network course at Bard College Berlin and BRAC University.
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
As a political project with deep roots in the Enlightenment, feminism has been concerned with the relationship between individuals and their political and social communities from its inception. For centuries women had experienced that the societies they inhabited did not consider them as individuals, citizens and members of the community with equal rights. The course examines a variety of feminist projects as they grew out of these experiences, and took on distinctive shapes, developing practices and theoretical frameworks all geared toward assessing, questioning and refashioning women’s places, voices and legal status in their respective societies, thus also addressing notions of community, collectivity, and democracy. We will also look at today’s globally connected community-building practices and examine how these joint efforts have given way to newly conceived notions of society and community in intersectional feminist theories. Students will examine texts and practices of reading, writing, and conversation ranging from the sociability cultivated by elite women during the Haskala (the Jewish Enlightenment in Germany) to contemporary feminist theories of intersectionality, via the literary and political works of feminist artists and activists through the twentieth century. Amongst the authors read in the course are: Henriette Herz, Rahel Varnhagen, Hannah Arendt, Fanny Lewald, George Sand, Germaine de Stael, Mary Wollstonecraft, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Alexandra Kollontai, Virginia Woolf, Georg Simmel, Ferdinand Tönnies, Claudia Jones, Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, Uma Narayan, Saba Mahmood, Gloria Anzaldúa, Alice Walker, Luisa Passerini, bell hooks, Adrienne Rich, Silvia Federici, Judith Butler, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Amina Jamal, Michael Hart, Antonio Negri, Ann Ferguson, Dubravka Ugresic, and Carmen Gaite. As part of the course, students from both campuses (BCB and BRAC) will work on group assignments throughout the semester, aimed at preparing a course lexicon and online resources together with faculty. The results of the collaborative work will be presented at a final workshop with all participants in Berlin.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, German Studies, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Michael Thomas Taylor
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This course is held in German and engages pressing debates in German media today, asking about the issues and forms of discourse that shape German politics and social life. It is structured around visits to cultural sites, events, and organizations in Berlin, along with topics chosen from current media by the participants in cooperation with the instructor. These may include visits to museums, political parties, NGOs, or media producers. Reflecting the ongoing shift of public life to online venues, we will also examine the virtual presence of these traditionally site-based forms of publicness in relation to old and new media. In addition to the study of current public debates and civic engagement, the purpose of this course is to refine and advance your ability to articulate yourself verbally and in writing through constant vocabulary building.
NB: Students taking the class should have a B2 proficiency level in German or higher
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
PT320 Discussing Deutschland: What Germans Are Talking About Today
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Michael Thomas Taylor
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This course is held in German and engages pressing debates in German media today, asking about the issues and forms of discourse that shape German politics and social life. It is structured around visits to cultural sites, events, and organizations in Berlin, along with topics chosen from current media by the participants in cooperation with the instructor. These may include visits to museums, political parties, NGOs, or media producers. Reflecting the ongoing shift of public life to online venues, we will also examine the virtual presence of these traditionally site-based forms of publicness in relation to old and new media. In addition to the study of current public debates and civic engagement, the purpose of this course is to refine and advance your ability to articulate yourself verbally and in writing through constant vocabulary building.
NB: Students taking the class should have a B2 proficiency level in German or higher
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Thur, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Berit Ebert
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
The institutions and political processes of the European Union (EU), summed up in the concept of supranationality, offer a unique construct of international collaboration that was developed with clear goals by founding members. This course will analyze the institutions that have developed over the more than 70-year history of the Union: the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the Committee of the Regions, as well as the European Economic and Social Committee. We will also compare the institutions’ supranational characteristics with those of the nation-state and of international organizations. Major cases tried in the European Court of Justice and key legal principles that have shaped the Union’s political advances will be interpreted. We will discuss some of the European Union’s current political developments, among them the European electoral-law reform, the reform of the judicial system in Poland, the rule-of-law mechanism, gender equality, as well as migration and asylum regulations. For the latter, we will be joined by Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor in Residence at Princeton University and her students taking a trip to Berlin in October. Students will engage with original EU policy documents to acquire the skills of analyzing and interpreting them. At the end of the seminar, they will have a solid knowledge of the functioning of the Union’s institutions, and the capacity to evaluate legal texts, treaty provisions, and policy approaches, enabling a clearer judgement regarding the future of the European project.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PT325 The European Union: Institutions, Policies, Procedures
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Berit Ebert
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
The institutions and political processes of the European Union (EU), summed up in the concept of supranationality, offer a unique construct of international collaboration that was developed with clear goals by founding members. This course will analyze the institutions that have developed over the more than 70-year history of the Union: the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the Committee of the Regions, as well as the European Economic and Social Committee. We will also compare the institutions’ supranational characteristics with those of the nation-state and of international organizations. Major cases tried in the European Court of Justice and key legal principles that have shaped the Union’s political advances will be interpreted. We will discuss some of the European Union’s current political developments, among them the European electoral-law reform, the reform of the judicial system in Poland, the rule-of-law mechanism, gender equality, as well as migration and asylum regulations. For the latter, we will be joined by Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor in Residence at Princeton University and her students taking a trip to Berlin in October. Students will engage with original EU policy documents to acquire the skills of analyzing and interpreting them. At the end of the seminar, they will have a solid knowledge of the functioning of the Union’s institutions, and the capacity to evaluate legal texts, treaty provisions, and policy approaches, enabling a clearer judgement regarding the future of the European project.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Tue 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Taught simultaneously at Bard College Berlin and NSYSU Taiwan, this OSUN network collaborative course will examine two visions of modern society elaborated by classical liberalism on the one hand, and the left radical tradition on the other. Probing the different understandings of human rights as a normative ideal and its role in each of those visions, the course will trace how these understandings played out in the modern history of the Mandarin speaking world. Our point of departure will be Tocqueville’s assertion in the Introduction to Democracy in America that democracy, defined by the principles of equality and popular sovereignty, is on the rise the world over. As Tocqueville anticipated, whether modern democratic societies enshrine and protect individual rights or sacrifice them on the altar of national sovereignty and omnipotent statehood would depend on a host of factors that shape the trajectory of modernization. A key among those factors is how the modern age itself is understood.
After tracing a paradigmatic liberal conceptualization of modernity and human rights, and its comprehensive critique by Marx and Lenin, we will take up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as case studies. Starting from similar cultural legacies and related ideological standpoints, and both embracing the Leninist vision, in the course of the 20th century China and Taiwan developed two distinct and idiosyncratic paths to modernity. To understand how and why this happened, in the second part of the course we will trace the political history and probe the theoretical and cultural debates about human rights that have shaped modern Taiwan and China respectively.
The course will culminate with a one-day conference on current human rights practices in China and Taiwan, and their significance for the politics of Asia-Pacific and the world, to be hosted at Bard College Berlin.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Law, Politics, and Society
PT340 Modern Society and Human Rights: the case of China and Taiwan
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Taught simultaneously at Bard College Berlin and NSYSU Taiwan, this OSUN network collaborative course will examine two visions of modern society elaborated by classical liberalism on the one hand, and the left radical tradition on the other. Probing the different understandings of human rights as a normative ideal and its role in each of those visions, the course will trace how these understandings played out in the modern history of the Mandarin speaking world. Our point of departure will be Tocqueville’s assertion in the Introduction to Democracy in America that democracy, defined by the principles of equality and popular sovereignty, is on the rise the world over. As Tocqueville anticipated, whether modern democratic societies enshrine and protect individual rights or sacrifice them on the altar of national sovereignty and omnipotent statehood would depend on a host of factors that shape the trajectory of modernization. A key among those factors is how the modern age itself is understood.
After tracing a paradigmatic liberal conceptualization of modernity and human rights, and its comprehensive critique by Marx and Lenin, we will take up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as case studies. Starting from similar cultural legacies and related ideological standpoints, and both embracing the Leninist vision, in the course of the 20th century China and Taiwan developed two distinct and idiosyncratic paths to modernity. To understand how and why this happened, in the second part of the course we will trace the political history and probe the theoretical and cultural debates about human rights that have shaped modern Taiwan and China respectively.
The course will culminate with a one-day conference on current human rights practices in China and Taiwan, and their significance for the politics of Asia-Pacific and the world, to be hosted at Bard College Berlin.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kerry Bystrom
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Scholars, students, and other researchers around the world are routinely threatened, jailed, or punished. Sometimes they are simply trapped in a dangerous place, while in other cases they are deliberately targeted because of their identity or their work. Academic freedom, or freedom of thought and inquiry, is usually considered a basic human right, but its definition and content is essentially contested. This seminar will explore the idea of academic freedom by examining - and attempting to intervene in - situations where it is threatened. In conjunction with the human rights organization Scholars at Risk, we will investigate the cases of scholars currently living under threat and develop projects aimed at releasing them from detention or securing refuge for them. This will involve direct hands-on advocacy work with SAR, taking public positions and creating smart and effective advocacy campaigns for specific endangered students, teachers, and researchers. In order not to do this naively or uncritically, our action-oriented work will be paired throughout the semester with critical reflection on human rights and humanitarian advocacy more generally. Through readings about the historical rise of human rights and humanitarianism as paradigms for creating a better world--as well as the pitfalls of these paradigms--and by engaging with texts that outline the ethical and practical challenges of doing advocacy, we will together work towards creating an intellectual framework that allows us to be more attentive, deliberate and effective advocates for social change.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
PT358 Critical Human Rights and Humanitarian Advocacy/ Scholars At Risk
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kerry Bystrom
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Scholars, students, and other researchers around the world are routinely threatened, jailed, or punished. Sometimes they are simply trapped in a dangerous place, while in other cases they are deliberately targeted because of their identity or their work. Academic freedom, or freedom of thought and inquiry, is usually considered a basic human right, but its definition and content is essentially contested. This seminar will explore the idea of academic freedom by examining - and attempting to intervene in - situations where it is threatened. In conjunction with the human rights organization Scholars at Risk, we will investigate the cases of scholars currently living under threat and develop projects aimed at releasing them from detention or securing refuge for them. This will involve direct hands-on advocacy work with SAR, taking public positions and creating smart and effective advocacy campaigns for specific endangered students, teachers, and researchers. In order not to do this naively or uncritically, our action-oriented work will be paired throughout the semester with critical reflection on human rights and humanitarian advocacy more generally. Through readings about the historical rise of human rights and humanitarianism as paradigms for creating a better world--as well as the pitfalls of these paradigms--and by engaging with texts that outline the ethical and practical challenges of doing advocacy, we will together work towards creating an intellectual framework that allows us to be more attentive, deliberate and effective advocates for social change.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Global Economic Systems, Global Social Theory, Mathematics and Science Requirement, Movements and Thinkers
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Global Economic Systems, Global Social Theory, Mathematics and Science Requirement, Movements and Thinkers
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Maria Avxentevskaya
This course is being offered as an OSUN online course and will include students joining from other OSUN universities.
Making sense of scientific information has become part of our daily lives. Whether it be questions about digital data, vaccination, or the environment, all of them involve interpreting scientific materials. At the same time, scientists in a variety of fields also need to get their insights across to the public and policymakers. 'Science communication' occurs when society and science meet on common ground. However, that often requires a willingness to consider uncomfortable questions that may arise in democratic debates about specific policies. How to bring society and science into a dialogue for the benefit of mankind? This course will discuss science communication as a process that produces shared evidence and mechanisms of persuasion. We will look at how metaphors help bring astounding discoveries to whole new audiences, how rhetoric can foster and shatter scientific expertise, and how scientific debates help cultural minorities achieve their social and political goals. We will explore contentious socio-scientific issues in genetics, AI automation, and space exploration in a series of case studies that will begin with early modernity and reach into the future of how science communication may help make a difference in people’s lives. We will learn how to craft science stories, create science podcasts, and collaborate with artists to improve mutual understanding between science and society. These skills are also part of the job of a professional in science communication, which has grown in popularity as a branch of public relations. The students will complete their own mini-research projects and work towards online publications in science communication.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Global Economic Systems, Global Social Theory, Mathematics and Science Requirement, Movements and Thinkers
SC250 Science Communication
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Maria Avxentevskaya
This course is being offered as an OSUN online course and will include students joining from other OSUN universities.
Making sense of scientific information has become part of our daily lives. Whether it be questions about digital data, vaccination, or the environment, all of them involve interpreting scientific materials. At the same time, scientists in a variety of fields also need to get their insights across to the public and policymakers. 'Science communication' occurs when society and science meet on common ground. However, that often requires a willingness to consider uncomfortable questions that may arise in democratic debates about specific policies. How to bring society and science into a dialogue for the benefit of mankind? This course will discuss science communication as a process that produces shared evidence and mechanisms of persuasion. We will look at how metaphors help bring astounding discoveries to whole new audiences, how rhetoric can foster and shatter scientific expertise, and how scientific debates help cultural minorities achieve their social and political goals. We will explore contentious socio-scientific issues in genetics, AI automation, and space exploration in a series of case studies that will begin with early modernity and reach into the future of how science communication may help make a difference in people’s lives. We will learn how to craft science stories, create science podcasts, and collaborate with artists to improve mutual understanding between science and society. These skills are also part of the job of a professional in science communication, which has grown in popularity as a branch of public relations. The students will complete their own mini-research projects and work towards online publications in science communication.
This course fulfills the mathematics and science requirement for humanities students.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Mon, 1230-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1230-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Cassandra Ellerbe
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirements
The lived experience of the human body forms in many ways the cornerstone of human identity. As we move throughout the social world and interact with various human groups, we see that our bodies create, maintain and perpetuate power dynamics. However, certain human bodies are disproportionately exposed to numerous forms of violence and inequalities. In this course, we will explore and critically examine social justice movements from a body-centered perspective, as well as what bodies do in and how they affect such movements. Select case studies from various areas of the Global North and South and historical periods will assist us in this exploration. The goal here is to not only examine the interconnection between various forms of oppression such as colonialism, racism, environmental exploitation, militarized or police aggression, femicide etc., but also to understand the ways in which awareness of the body’s power and limitations (vulnerability or defiance) are experienced in relationship to participation in social justice movements. Utilizing an interdisciplinary and critical analytical approach to knowledge production; we will focus upon and interrogate why certain bodies are ascribed less value, considered to disrupt and question state sanctioned norms, and treated as readily disposable.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
SE291 Social Justice and the Body
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1230-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Cassandra Ellerbe
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirements
The lived experience of the human body forms in many ways the cornerstone of human identity. As we move throughout the social world and interact with various human groups, we see that our bodies create, maintain and perpetuate power dynamics. However, certain human bodies are disproportionately exposed to numerous forms of violence and inequalities. In this course, we will explore and critically examine social justice movements from a body-centered perspective, as well as what bodies do in and how they affect such movements. Select case studies from various areas of the Global North and South and historical periods will assist us in this exploration. The goal here is to not only examine the interconnection between various forms of oppression such as colonialism, racism, environmental exploitation, militarized or police aggression, femicide etc., but also to understand the ways in which awareness of the body’s power and limitations (vulnerability or defiance) are experienced in relationship to participation in social justice movements. Utilizing an interdisciplinary and critical analytical approach to knowledge production; we will focus upon and interrogate why certain bodies are ascribed less value, considered to disrupt and question state sanctioned norms, and treated as readily disposable.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice, Law, Politics, and Society
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Civic Engagement and Social Justice, Law, Politics, and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Fred Abrahams
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This workshop-oriented class teaches the practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify the topic and focus of an investigation, how to design an investigative strategy, how to conduct the fact-finding, and how to present findings. Covered topics include research design, interviewing victims and witnesses, interviewing officials, corroborating evidence, using new technologies, consulting experts and using secondary sources, mitigating security risks, and managing personal stress, wellbeing and resilience. Students will develop their writing and presentation skills to communicate human rights findings in clear, concise and compelling ways. Guest speakers from the human rights movement will occasionally join to present their experiences and advice.
Syllabus
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Modules: Civic Engagement and Social Justice, Law, Politics, and Society
SE301 Making the Case: Human Rights Research and Reporting
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Fred Abrahams
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This workshop-oriented class teaches the practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify the topic and focus of an investigation, how to design an investigative strategy, how to conduct the fact-finding, and how to present findings. Covered topics include research design, interviewing victims and witnesses, interviewing officials, corroborating evidence, using new technologies, consulting experts and using secondary sources, mitigating security risks, and managing personal stress, wellbeing and resilience. Students will develop their writing and presentation skills to communicate human rights findings in clear, concise and compelling ways. Guest speakers from the human rights movement will occasionally join to present their experiences and advice.
Syllabus
Ethics and Politics
Methods in Social and Historical Studies
Fall 2023
Fri, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Methods in Social and Historical Studies
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Joshua Paul
Social science is often described as having two main methodological branches, “quantitative” and “qualitative.” This course concentrates on the approaches described by the term “qualitative,” and which are used in research on a wide variety of issues and topics, from urban sociology and history to peace and conflict studies. The central method of qualitative research is data-gathering from individual and collective testimony, using various data collection methods and feedback from the sources. We focus on a number of stages and procedures in the research process, such as the challenge of identifying a research puzzle, defining a research question, the carrying-out of qualitative data collection, the ethics of research methods, and the gathering and analysis of information. In our investigation, we will also look at scholarly research articles and their presentation and interpretation of research findings. Participants in the course will pursue their own research project in application of the methods and principles addressed in class.
Concentration: Ethics and Politics
Module: Methods in Social and Historical Studies
SO203 How to do Social Research
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Joshua Paul
Social science is often described as having two main methodological branches, “quantitative” and “qualitative.” This course concentrates on the approaches described by the term “qualitative,” and which are used in research on a wide variety of issues and topics, from urban sociology and history to peace and conflict studies. The central method of qualitative research is data-gathering from individual and collective testimony, using various data collection methods and feedback from the sources. We focus on a number of stages and procedures in the research process, such as the challenge of identifying a research puzzle, defining a research question, the carrying-out of qualitative data collection, the ethics of research methods, and the gathering and analysis of information. In our investigation, we will also look at scholarly research articles and their presentation and interpretation of research findings. Participants in the course will pursue their own research project in application of the methods and principles addressed in class.
Literature and Rhetoric
Literary History
Fall 2023
Wed, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Literary History
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Catherine Toal
To become a reader—argues a recent article on “Reading for Pleasure”—we need historical knowledge, an understanding of the literary past that gives familiarity with important developments and why they happened, as well as an awareness of what we don’t know, and might want to investigate at a later moment. This course provides an introduction to the central phases and forms of literature in English. We begin by addressing the origins and strange early literary manifestations of this “bastard” language, with its hybrid emergence from Germanic and Latin sources. Focusing on epic, drama, lyric and the rise of the novel, as well as genres that escape categorization or are extinct in the contemporary world, the course charts the mutations that literature in English undergoes. We see the modern language move from the marginal, non-standardized and sometimes derided status it still had even after the era of Shakespeare, to a transnational vernacular, under the aegis of imperial power. In that process, poetic works which disregard classical literary rules are canonized, and the very fluidity of English comes to be lauded as a creative virtue. The eventual reach of the colonial enterprises first sponsored by the 17th-century English state ultimately produced Anglophone literary traditions very different in theme and shape from that which developed in England itself. The linguistic dispossession and inheritance imposed by empire generated rewritings of these traditions, as well as new departures that form part of our story.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Literary History
LT135 Learning to Curse: Introduction to the Study of Literature in English
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Catherine Toal
To become a reader—argues a recent article on “Reading for Pleasure”—we need historical knowledge, an understanding of the literary past that gives familiarity with important developments and why they happened, as well as an awareness of what we don’t know, and might want to investigate at a later moment. This course provides an introduction to the central phases and forms of literature in English. We begin by addressing the origins and strange early literary manifestations of this “bastard” language, with its hybrid emergence from Germanic and Latin sources. Focusing on epic, drama, lyric and the rise of the novel, as well as genres that escape categorization or are extinct in the contemporary world, the course charts the mutations that literature in English undergoes. We see the modern language move from the marginal, non-standardized and sometimes derided status it still had even after the era of Shakespeare, to a transnational vernacular, under the aegis of imperial power. In that process, poetic works which disregard classical literary rules are canonized, and the very fluidity of English comes to be lauded as a creative virtue. The eventual reach of the colonial enterprises first sponsored by the 17th-century English state ultimately produced Anglophone literary traditions very different in theme and shape from that which developed in England itself. The linguistic dispossession and inheritance imposed by empire generated rewritings of these traditions, as well as new departures that form part of our story.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Written Arts
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clare Wigfall
With over seventeen years experience of teaching creative writing, British author and BBC National Short Story Award Winner Clare Wigfall has developed a method that guarantees to inspire your imagination. Whether you are a total beginner, or a writer with some prior experience keen to work on your craft in collaboration with other writers, her intention is to break down the barriers that inhibit so that the creative process can come naturally. Her maxim for teaching is that in creative writing there are no rules. You’ll be challenged to experiment with new writing techniques and different genres, such as dystopian fiction and reversioning fairytales, as well as exploring how to mine your own experience for inspiration. You’ll also be introduced to inspirational and thought-provoking fiction by established authors, from Roxane Gay to Vladimir Nabokov, and will have a chance to hone your critical skills through discussion of these texts. Encouragement and guidance will be given to help you with shaping your ideas into fully developed writing, and of course you’ll gain invaluable feedback from the group through sharing your work in class. This course will work you hard and provide challenges and surprises, but it also promises lots of laughter, as well as much stimulation and encouragement from the others in the group. As per tradition, Clare’s workshops always conclude with a lively public reading to which other BCB students and faculty are warmly invited, offering a chance for the group to share their new work with the world.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Written Arts
LT142 Writing Fiction (Group B)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clare Wigfall
With over seventeen years experience of teaching creative writing, British author and BBC National Short Story Award Winner Clare Wigfall has developed a method that guarantees to inspire your imagination. Whether you are a total beginner, or a writer with some prior experience keen to work on your craft in collaboration with other writers, her intention is to break down the barriers that inhibit so that the creative process can come naturally. Her maxim for teaching is that in creative writing there are no rules. You’ll be challenged to experiment with new writing techniques and different genres, such as dystopian fiction and reversioning fairytales, as well as exploring how to mine your own experience for inspiration. You’ll also be introduced to inspirational and thought-provoking fiction by established authors, from Roxane Gay to Vladimir Nabokov, and will have a chance to hone your critical skills through discussion of these texts. Encouragement and guidance will be given to help you with shaping your ideas into fully developed writing, and of course you’ll gain invaluable feedback from the group through sharing your work in class. This course will work you hard and provide challenges and surprises, but it also promises lots of laughter, as well as much stimulation and encouragement from the others in the group. As per tradition, Clare’s workshops always conclude with a lively public reading to which other BCB students and faculty are warmly invited, offering a chance for the group to share their new work with the world.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Written Arts
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clare Wigfall
With over seventeen years experience of teaching creative writing, British author and BBC National Short Story Award Winner Clare Wigfall has developed a method that guarantees to inspire your imagination. Whether you are a total beginner, or a writer with some prior experience keen to work on your craft in collaboration with other writers, her intention is to break down the barriers that inhibit so that the creative process can come naturally. Her maxim for teaching is that in creative writing there are no rules. You’ll be challenged to experiment with new writing techniques and different genres, such as dystopian fiction and reversioning fairytales, as well as exploring how to mine your own experience for inspiration. You’ll also be introduced to inspirational and thought-provoking fiction by established authors, from Roxane Gay to Vladimir Nabokov, and will have a chance to hone your critical skills through discussion of these texts. Encouragement and guidance will be given to help you with shaping your ideas into fully developed writing, and of course you’ll gain invaluable feedback from the group through sharing your work in class. This course will work you hard and provide challenges and surprises, but it also promises lots of laughter, as well as much stimulation and encouragement from the others in the group. As per tradition, Clare’s workshops always conclude with a lively public reading to which other BCB students and faculty are warmly invited, offering a chance for the group to share their new work with the world.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Written Arts
LT142 Writing Fiction (Group A)
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Fri, 1230-1545
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clare Wigfall
With over seventeen years experience of teaching creative writing, British author and BBC National Short Story Award Winner Clare Wigfall has developed a method that guarantees to inspire your imagination. Whether you are a total beginner, or a writer with some prior experience keen to work on your craft in collaboration with other writers, her intention is to break down the barriers that inhibit so that the creative process can come naturally. Her maxim for teaching is that in creative writing there are no rules. You’ll be challenged to experiment with new writing techniques and different genres, such as dystopian fiction and reversioning fairytales, as well as exploring how to mine your own experience for inspiration. You’ll also be introduced to inspirational and thought-provoking fiction by established authors, from Roxane Gay to Vladimir Nabokov, and will have a chance to hone your critical skills through discussion of these texts. Encouragement and guidance will be given to help you with shaping your ideas into fully developed writing, and of course you’ll gain invaluable feedback from the group through sharing your work in class. This course will work you hard and provide challenges and surprises, but it also promises lots of laughter, as well as much stimulation and encouragement from the others in the group. As per tradition, Clare’s workshops always conclude with a lively public reading to which other BCB students and faculty are warmly invited, offering a chance for the group to share their new work with the world.
Syllabus
Literature and Rhetoric
Close Reading
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Close Reading
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): James Harker
In an era when the study of the humanities is under threat and the very activity of reading is seemingly in decline, a great many arguments have been put forth that literature is not just beneficial, it is ethical. But are these claims true? And where do they come from? This course is structured around four related topics: Focusing on fiction, we will consider how we should read, and the hypothesis that “close reading” enhances fundamental skills in critical thinking. Second, beyond learning about what “close reading” is (or was) we will look at recent alternatives including “distant reading” and “surface reading.” Turning to ethical questions, we will ask why we read and consider the “empathy hypothesis,” which suggests that reading fiction improves our ability to appreciate the different experiences of others. Finally, we will survey new theories of the novel that emphasize the “ethics of otherness.” Our exploration of close reading and ethical claims for fiction will be complemented by reading novels that provoke striking ethical questions for both their protagonists and their readers: Henry James’s What Maisie Knew, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Lydia Davis’s The End of the Story, J.M. Coetzee’s Elizabeth Costello, and Zadie Smith’s On Beauty.
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Close Reading
LT143: Close Reading, Ethics, and the Novel
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): James Harker
In an era when the study of the humanities is under threat and the very activity of reading is seemingly in decline, a great many arguments have been put forth that literature is not just beneficial, it is ethical. But are these claims true? And where do they come from? This course is structured around four related topics: Focusing on fiction, we will consider how we should read, and the hypothesis that “close reading” enhances fundamental skills in critical thinking. Second, beyond learning about what “close reading” is (or was) we will look at recent alternatives including “distant reading” and “surface reading.” Turning to ethical questions, we will ask why we read and consider the “empathy hypothesis,” which suggests that reading fiction improves our ability to appreciate the different experiences of others. Finally, we will survey new theories of the novel that emphasize the “ethics of otherness.” Our exploration of close reading and ethical claims for fiction will be complemented by reading novels that provoke striking ethical questions for both their protagonists and their readers: Henry James’s What Maisie Knew, Toni Morrison’s Beloved, Lydia Davis’s The End of the Story, J.M. Coetzee’s Elizabeth Costello, and Zadie Smith’s On Beauty.
Literature and Rhetoric
Critical and Cultural Theory
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Critical and Cultural Theory
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clio Nicastro
The body has always attracted the interest of thinkers and researchers from different disciplines, from philosophy to critical theory to neuroscience. The crucial challenge is to overcome the dichotomy between mind and body, reason and feeling, that has affected Western culture especially from Descartes on. What does it mean to think through the body and what are its ‘dialectics’ (Lisa Yun Lee)? Is there such a thing as a ‘natural’ body or are bodies always constructed by class, race, gender, and our personal stories? This course introduces the main theories of literature and culture by looking at the body as an object of the “medical gaze” (Barbara Duden, Michel Foucault) and of political/gender persecutions (Silvia Federici) as well as a site of both active and passive resistance and expression. The experience of the body is often at the limit of the expressible and challenges the artistic and verbal forms we have available to articulate and give meaning to it. Furthermore, we will look at efforts to find a language to speak for/through the body, its desires, and its idiosyncrasies (Dodie Bellamy, Audre Lorde). What kinds of stories are mapped and inscribed in our physical bodies (Paul B. Preciado, Roxane Gay)? Does the body forget? And how are our bodies influenced by their narratives and representations?
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Critical and Cultural Theory
LT168 Theories of the Body
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Clio Nicastro
The body has always attracted the interest of thinkers and researchers from different disciplines, from philosophy to critical theory to neuroscience. The crucial challenge is to overcome the dichotomy between mind and body, reason and feeling, that has affected Western culture especially from Descartes on. What does it mean to think through the body and what are its ‘dialectics’ (Lisa Yun Lee)? Is there such a thing as a ‘natural’ body or are bodies always constructed by class, race, gender, and our personal stories? This course introduces the main theories of literature and culture by looking at the body as an object of the “medical gaze” (Barbara Duden, Michel Foucault) and of political/gender persecutions (Silvia Federici) as well as a site of both active and passive resistance and expression. The experience of the body is often at the limit of the expressible and challenges the artistic and verbal forms we have available to articulate and give meaning to it. Furthermore, we will look at efforts to find a language to speak for/through the body, its desires, and its idiosyncrasies (Dodie Bellamy, Audre Lorde). What kinds of stories are mapped and inscribed in our physical bodies (Paul B. Preciado, Roxane Gay)? Does the body forget? And how are our bodies influenced by their narratives and representations?
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Close Reading
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): David Hayes
We will closely read Homer’s epic poem, with special attention to the theme of the difficult restoration, even rehabilitation, of its hero after twenty years of suffering in war and wandering. We will aim to understand the poem’s numerous fairy-tale or fantasy elements as meaningful parts of this story of a man’s struggle to “win his soul.” Concepts important to the poem that we will be discussing throughout the course include: hospitality, anger, eating, storytelling, camaraderie and friendship, sex and marriage, heroism and post-heroism; humanity, monstrousness, and divinity; coming-of-age and growing old; violence and intelligence; and the values of travel and home. It is recommended that students taking this class read Homer’s Iliad as preparation.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Close Reading
LT237 The Odyssey
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): David Hayes
We will closely read Homer’s epic poem, with special attention to the theme of the difficult restoration, even rehabilitation, of its hero after twenty years of suffering in war and wandering. We will aim to understand the poem’s numerous fairy-tale or fantasy elements as meaningful parts of this story of a man’s struggle to “win his soul.” Concepts important to the poem that we will be discussing throughout the course include: hospitality, anger, eating, storytelling, camaraderie and friendship, sex and marriage, heroism and post-heroism; humanity, monstrousness, and divinity; coming-of-age and growing old; violence and intelligence; and the values of travel and home. It is recommended that students taking this class read Homer’s Iliad as preparation.
Syllabus
Literature and Rhetoric
Producing Literature
Fall 2023
Tue, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Producing Literature
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Rebecca Rukeyser
This course is designed for students who want to continue honing their writing craft and are interested in working within the genre of fiction—although “genre” is a slippery concept and the definition of fiction is extremely malleable. As a workshop class, we’ll be focusing primarily on peer-written fiction, examining formal and structural components, and discussing creative writing craft elements like tone, character, point of view, temporality, dialogue, and scene. But we’ll also be reading widely from work by both canonical writers (e.g., James Baldwin, Katherine Mansfield, Yasunari Kawabata, J.G. Ballard) and contemporary writers (e.g., Carmen Maria Machado, Etgar Keret, Mariana Enriquez, Helen Oyeyemi). This class's written assignments include: writing and revising two short fiction pieces due on a rotating schedule over the course of the semester; completing short workshop letters as part of the peer review process. The class participation requirements include: reading all assigned works carefully and coming to class prepared to discuss them in detail, being an active and vocal participant in workshops, giving a short presentation on a work of fiction you recommend to your fellow participants, and attending a literary reading. All reading material will be supplied in both hard copy and PDF form.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Module: Producing Literature
LT326 Advanced Fiction Writing Workshop
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Rebecca Rukeyser
This course is designed for students who want to continue honing their writing craft and are interested in working within the genre of fiction—although “genre” is a slippery concept and the definition of fiction is extremely malleable. As a workshop class, we’ll be focusing primarily on peer-written fiction, examining formal and structural components, and discussing creative writing craft elements like tone, character, point of view, temporality, dialogue, and scene. But we’ll also be reading widely from work by both canonical writers (e.g., James Baldwin, Katherine Mansfield, Yasunari Kawabata, J.G. Ballard) and contemporary writers (e.g., Carmen Maria Machado, Etgar Keret, Mariana Enriquez, Helen Oyeyemi). This class's written assignments include: writing and revising two short fiction pieces due on a rotating schedule over the course of the semester; completing short workshop letters as part of the peer review process. The class participation requirements include: reading all assigned works carefully and coming to class prepared to discuss them in detail, being an active and vocal participant in workshops, giving a short presentation on a work of fiction you recommend to your fellow participants, and attending a literary reading. All reading material will be supplied in both hard copy and PDF form.
Syllabus
Literature and Rhetoric
Producing Literature, Writer and World
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Producing Literature, Writer and World
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Martin Widmann
This course is designed for students who are interested in the various and multiple intersections of literary studies, creative writing and the publishing world. To find out how the literary scene works and develops in Berlin and elsewhere, we will examine lines of tradition and current trends in German writing, both literary and other. Students will learn to engage with literature beyond the page by exploring questions such as: how do manuscripts get published and/or become books? What role do journals and magazines play, both corporate and independent, in the literary scene? How do writers make a living and what are the functions of literary awards, fellowships etc.? Where do the German and international literary communities interact? And how do writers and publishers respond to the challenges of the digital era? Areas to be covered by the reading material include translation, non-fiction, graphic novel, audiobooks and the book market. In addition to seminar discussions there will be field trips to literary institutions, publishing houses, magazines and events, such as readings and talks during the internationales literaturfestival berlin (ilb) in September. Guest speakers will include professionals from the world of publishing: editors, translators, journalists and writers.
NB: Reading material and discussions will be both in German and English; students should therefore have B2 level competence of German.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Producing Literature, Writer and World
LT329 The Writing Life
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Martin Widmann
This course is designed for students who are interested in the various and multiple intersections of literary studies, creative writing and the publishing world. To find out how the literary scene works and develops in Berlin and elsewhere, we will examine lines of tradition and current trends in German writing, both literary and other. Students will learn to engage with literature beyond the page by exploring questions such as: how do manuscripts get published and/or become books? What role do journals and magazines play, both corporate and independent, in the literary scene? How do writers make a living and what are the functions of literary awards, fellowships etc.? Where do the German and international literary communities interact? And how do writers and publishers respond to the challenges of the digital era? Areas to be covered by the reading material include translation, non-fiction, graphic novel, audiobooks and the book market. In addition to seminar discussions there will be field trips to literary institutions, publishing houses, magazines and events, such as readings and talks during the internationales literaturfestival berlin (ilb) in September. Guest speakers will include professionals from the world of publishing: editors, translators, journalists and writers.
NB: Reading material and discussions will be both in German and English; students should therefore have B2 level competence of German.
Syllabus
Literature and Rhetoric
Literary Movements and Forms, Writer and World
Fall 2023
Wed & Fri, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Literary Movements and Forms, Writer and World
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Laura Scuriatti
Despite continuing transformations of what is regarded as “canonical” in English-language literature, the work of Virginia Woolf remains a valued point of reference for contemporary readers and writers, whether in translation or in their original language. Woolf’s life and career embodied a number of contradictions: a woman writer rising to prominence in the wake of a Victorian culture dominated by “great men”; a queer subject who had an outwardly conventional upbringing and marriage; a reclusive artist who nevertheless participated, in directly practical ways, in the wider tasks (mentoring, publishing) of the modernist movement; an ostensibly non-aligned political figure who nevertheless commented on the key issues and pressures of her day, contributing to the causes of pacifism and feminism. Above all, however, Woolf was an innovator in literary prose who eschewed the monumental epic narrative forms of her male contemporaries, revolutionizing the portrayal of human consciousness. It is this aspect of her work that constitutes our main focus, though we also examine the more uncomfortable elements of Woolf’s legacy. These include her infamous snobbery, and the role of imperialist and class hierarchies in her narratives. We examine the responses of contemporary writers and critics to these and other themes, as well as the inspiration that Woolf’s aesthetic continues to provide.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Literary Movements and Forms, Writer and World
LT335 Virginia Woolf and the Modern in Literature
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Laura Scuriatti
Despite continuing transformations of what is regarded as “canonical” in English-language literature, the work of Virginia Woolf remains a valued point of reference for contemporary readers and writers, whether in translation or in their original language. Woolf’s life and career embodied a number of contradictions: a woman writer rising to prominence in the wake of a Victorian culture dominated by “great men”; a queer subject who had an outwardly conventional upbringing and marriage; a reclusive artist who nevertheless participated, in directly practical ways, in the wider tasks (mentoring, publishing) of the modernist movement; an ostensibly non-aligned political figure who nevertheless commented on the key issues and pressures of her day, contributing to the causes of pacifism and feminism. Above all, however, Woolf was an innovator in literary prose who eschewed the monumental epic narrative forms of her male contemporaries, revolutionizing the portrayal of human consciousness. It is this aspect of her work that constitutes our main focus, though we also examine the more uncomfortable elements of Woolf’s legacy. These include her infamous snobbery, and the role of imperialist and class hierarchies in her narratives. We examine the responses of contemporary writers and critics to these and other themes, as well as the inspiration that Woolf’s aesthetic continues to provide.
Syllabus
Literature and Rhetoric
Literary Movements and Forms, Theories of Literature and Culture
Fall 2023
Fri, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Literary Movements and Forms, Theories of Literature and Culture
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kathy-Ann Tan
This course will center the writings of Black and brown feminists that speak to the importance of differentiating between the lived experiences – and hence social realities – of women of color and white (and white-passing) women. In the first half of the course, we will discuss the works of Audre Lorde, bell hooks and Gloria Anzaldúa, whose writings and collaborative literary projects (such as the Combahee River Collective and the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press) continue to be highly influential on the work of writers today who seek to engage in a practice of intersectional and transformative justice. In the second half of the course, we will turn to contemporary works of poetry, essayistic writing and fiction that develop, queer and expand on the practice of intersectional feminism(s) in the literary realm. Texts will include works by Ocean Vuong, Angela Davis, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins. Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory, Jennifer Nash, Audre Lorde, Sara Ahmed, Francois Verges, Danez Smith, Warsan Shire.
Syllabus
Concentration: Literature and Rhetoric
Modules: Literary Movements and Forms, Theories of Literature and Culture
LT345 Intersectional Feminisms and Contemporary Literature
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kathy-Ann Tan
This course will center the writings of Black and brown feminists that speak to the importance of differentiating between the lived experiences – and hence social realities – of women of color and white (and white-passing) women. In the first half of the course, we will discuss the works of Audre Lorde, bell hooks and Gloria Anzaldúa, whose writings and collaborative literary projects (such as the Combahee River Collective and the Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press) continue to be highly influential on the work of writers today who seek to engage in a practice of intersectional and transformative justice. In the second half of the course, we will turn to contemporary works of poetry, essayistic writing and fiction that develop, queer and expand on the practice of intersectional feminism(s) in the literary realm. Texts will include works by Ocean Vuong, Angela Davis, bell hooks, Patricia Hill Collins. Intersectionality as Critical Social Theory, Jennifer Nash, Audre Lorde, Sara Ahmed, Francois Verges, Danez Smith, Warsan Shire.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): E. Cameron Wilson
This course is for students who use English as a second or additional language, who want to strengthen their academic writing skills. We will read and discuss texts exploring linguistic issues from a variety of perspectives (e.g., scientific, social, philosophical). Students will develop their own academic voices in response to these texts through informal writing activities in and out of class. Formal writing assignments will increase in length and complexity over the course of the semester, culminating in researching, drafting, revising and editing a term paper on an issue of the student’s choice related to the intersection of language and culture.
Module: Elective
EL211 Academic Writing Seminar: Language & Culture
Fall 2023Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): E. Cameron Wilson
This course is for students who use English as a second or additional language, who want to strengthen their academic writing skills. We will read and discuss texts exploring linguistic issues from a variety of perspectives (e.g., scientific, social, philosophical). Students will develop their own academic voices in response to these texts through informal writing activities in and out of class. Formal writing assignments will increase in length and complexity over the course of the semester, culminating in researching, drafting, revising and editing a term paper on an issue of the student’s choice related to the intersection of language and culture.
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Joon Park
This studio course covers the broad ceramics-making techniques at the foundational level. It explores a variety of ceramic materials and methods for the production of functional ware and ceramic art objects. Students learn basic skills of clay preparation, clay recycling, wheel-throwing, hand-building, slip casting, glazing, and applying decorations. The selected works will be glazed and fired in collaboration with the Ceramic Kingdom in Neukoelln.
.
Please note there is a fee of €50 for participation in this course to cover material expenses and firing processes. For registration, please send a brief statement of interest to Joon Park ([email protected]).
Syllabus
Module: Elective
FA107 Ceramics I (Group A)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Joon Park
This studio course covers the broad ceramics-making techniques at the foundational level. It explores a variety of ceramic materials and methods for the production of functional ware and ceramic art objects. Students learn basic skills of clay preparation, clay recycling, wheel-throwing, hand-building, slip casting, glazing, and applying decorations. The selected works will be glazed and fired in collaboration with the Ceramic Kingdom in Neukoelln.
.
Please note there is a fee of €50 for participation in this course to cover material expenses and firing processes. For registration, please send a brief statement of interest to Joon Park ([email protected]).
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Joon Park
This studio course covers the broad ceramics-making techniques at the foundational level. It explores a variety of ceramic materials and methods for the production of functional ware and ceramic art objects. Students learn basic skills of clay preparation, clay recycling, wheel-throwing, hand-building, slip casting, glazing, and applying decorations. The selected works will be glazed and fired in collaboration with the Ceramic Kingdom in Neukoelln.
.
Please note there is a fee of €50 for participation in this course to cover material expenses and firing processes. For registration, please send a brief statement of interest to Joon Park ([email protected]).
Syllabus
Module: Elective
FA107 Ceramics I (Group B)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Fri, 1545-1900
Credits:
Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Joon Park
This studio course covers the broad ceramics-making techniques at the foundational level. It explores a variety of ceramic materials and methods for the production of functional ware and ceramic art objects. Students learn basic skills of clay preparation, clay recycling, wheel-throwing, hand-building, slip casting, glazing, and applying decorations. The selected works will be glazed and fired in collaboration with the Ceramic Kingdom in Neukoelln.
.
Please note there is a fee of €50 for participation in this course to cover material expenses and firing processes. For registration, please send a brief statement of interest to Joon Park ([email protected]).
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Nadania Idriss
During the class that will run once a week on Wednesdays from 10:00-13:00, students will learn the 2000-year-old technique of making molds that are used to make glass objects. We will take students on a journey from the positive form to thinking about negative and hollow spaces. We will also teach students how to cut and polish glass so that each object will go from prototype to working model to finished object. A pop-up show at the end of the class will allow all of us to reflect on the process and show our sculptures to a wider audience. Mold-blowing is a technique of shaping glass by using negative forms made of plaster. The gaffer (main glassblower) prepares the molten glass and blows it into the mold. Participants will learn to assist the gaffer and have an interactive experience of the process. This workshop is geared for an experience of learning a new and exciting technique; so do not be discouraged if your piece is not successful. Join the class with lots of ideas and don't be afraid to try
Syllabus
Module: Elective
FA113 Introduction to Mold-Making and Mold-Blowing
Fall 2023Day/Time: Wed, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Nadania Idriss
During the class that will run once a week on Wednesdays from 10:00-13:00, students will learn the 2000-year-old technique of making molds that are used to make glass objects. We will take students on a journey from the positive form to thinking about negative and hollow spaces. We will also teach students how to cut and polish glass so that each object will go from prototype to working model to finished object. A pop-up show at the end of the class will allow all of us to reflect on the process and show our sculptures to a wider audience. Mold-blowing is a technique of shaping glass by using negative forms made of plaster. The gaffer (main glassblower) prepares the molten glass and blows it into the mold. Participants will learn to assist the gaffer and have an interactive experience of the process. This workshop is geared for an experience of learning a new and exciting technique; so do not be discouraged if your piece is not successful. Join the class with lots of ideas and don't be afraid to try
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Fri, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Eva Burghardt
In addition to ongoing movement training as an essential foundation, the focus of this course will be on exploring the crossover of dance and visual arts, looking at dance and choreography outside of its usual context, the theater space. Drawing from contemporary dance and improvisation techniques, students will train their body as an “instrument,” deepening its awareness, sense of presence and musicality, practicing listening to oneself as well as the others. Starting from this inner awareness, we bring attention to our surroundings, making connections to other bodies, objects, space and architecture. Weather permitting, we will leave the dance floor and take our explorations out into the neighborhood to work site-specifically. How can we refresh our eyes and reshape experiences of known places with our present body? How can the experience of the surroundings inspire, inform and bring form to the dances within us or create relationships with the environment we live in? How does our body relate to forms, lines, textures, colors, sounds, or the history or memories of a place? How does it change our experience of a place as a dancer or spectator? Open score improvisations and tasks will be given to be explored individually and with the group. A final presentation, including sketches, experiments and scores created by students will be shown at the end of the semester. Throughout the course, we will look at and discuss works from artists who had a big impact in widening the understanding of dance and choreography, crossing the borders between dance and visual arts. From postmodern artists Trisha Brown, Simone Forti and Anna Halprin to contemporary artists such as Tino Sehgal, William Forsythe, Willi Dorner or Anne Imhoff.
Two off-site excursions to performances in Berlin, including discussions and a written reflection afterwards, will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Module: Elective
FA156 Dance Lab: Body Space Image. Dance and Visual Arts
Fall 2023Day/Time: Fri, 0930-1245
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Eva Burghardt
In addition to ongoing movement training as an essential foundation, the focus of this course will be on exploring the crossover of dance and visual arts, looking at dance and choreography outside of its usual context, the theater space. Drawing from contemporary dance and improvisation techniques, students will train their body as an “instrument,” deepening its awareness, sense of presence and musicality, practicing listening to oneself as well as the others. Starting from this inner awareness, we bring attention to our surroundings, making connections to other bodies, objects, space and architecture. Weather permitting, we will leave the dance floor and take our explorations out into the neighborhood to work site-specifically. How can we refresh our eyes and reshape experiences of known places with our present body? How can the experience of the surroundings inspire, inform and bring form to the dances within us or create relationships with the environment we live in? How does our body relate to forms, lines, textures, colors, sounds, or the history or memories of a place? How does it change our experience of a place as a dancer or spectator? Open score improvisations and tasks will be given to be explored individually and with the group. A final presentation, including sketches, experiments and scores created by students will be shown at the end of the semester. Throughout the course, we will look at and discuss works from artists who had a big impact in widening the understanding of dance and choreography, crossing the borders between dance and visual arts. From postmodern artists Trisha Brown, Simone Forti and Anna Halprin to contemporary artists such as Tino Sehgal, William Forsythe, Willi Dorner or Anne Imhoff.
Two off-site excursions to performances in Berlin, including discussions and a written reflection afterwards, will be an integral part of the course.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Janina Schabig
This beginners’ introduction course teaches the foundations of video making. You will be introduced to professional video and audio equipment throughout the semester. In hands-on workshops you will learn all about your camera and how to use its manual settings, how to light a scene and record sound as well as the basics of editing in Adobe Premiere. We will explore different genres to examine a range of creative shooting styles and use what we examine as inspiration for assignments that we will work on individually as well as in small groups to create a body of work ranging from short video exercises to full productions. The goal of this course is to give you an understanding of the various creative choices within the art of making videos, and the technical knowledge to help realize your visions.
Syllabus
Module: Elective
FA188 The Art of Making Videos
Fall 2023Day/Time: Tue, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS Credits, 4 U.S. Credits
Professor(s): Janina Schabig
This beginners’ introduction course teaches the foundations of video making. You will be introduced to professional video and audio equipment throughout the semester. In hands-on workshops you will learn all about your camera and how to use its manual settings, how to light a scene and record sound as well as the basics of editing in Adobe Premiere. We will explore different genres to examine a range of creative shooting styles and use what we examine as inspiration for assignments that we will work on individually as well as in small groups to create a body of work ranging from short video exercises to full productions. The goal of this course is to give you an understanding of the various creative choices within the art of making videos, and the technical knowledge to help realize your visions.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Manuel Gebhardt
Module: German Language
GM101 German Beginner A1 (Group A)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Manuel Gebhardt
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Professor(s): Ursula Kohler
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM101 German Beginner A1 (Group B)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Professor(s): Ursula Kohler
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Sebastian Brass
Module: German Language
GM101 German Beginner A1 (Group C)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Sebastian Brass
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Ursula Kohler
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM101 German Beginner A1 (Group D)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Ursula Kohler
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1400-1530
Professor(s): Ariane Faber
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM101 German Beginner A1 (Group E)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1400-1530
Professor(s): Ariane Faber
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1730-1930
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Julia Gehring
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM150 German Conversation
Fall 2023Day/Time: Wed & Fri, 1730-1930
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Julia Gehring
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aleksandra Kudriashova
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM151 German Beginner A2 (Group A)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aleksandra Kudriashova
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1545-1715
Professor(s): Ariane Faber
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM151 German Beginner A2 (Group B)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1545-1715
Professor(s): Ariane Faber
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, Fri: 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aleksandra Kudriashova
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM151 German Beginner A2 (Group C)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, Fri: 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aleksandra Kudriashova
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sebastian Brass
Module: German Language
GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group A)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sebastian Brass
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Christiane Bethke
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group B)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1045-1215
Professor(s): Christiane Bethke
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1400-1530
Professor(s): Christiane Bethke
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group C)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1400-1530
Professor(s): Christiane Bethke
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1545-1715
Professor(s): Julia Gehring
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM201 German Intermediate B1 (Group D)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 1545-1715
Professor(s): Julia Gehring
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ariane Friedländer
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM251 German Intermediate B2
Fall 2023Day/Time: Mon, Wed, & Fri, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ariane Friedländer
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, German Studies, Study Abroad
Module: German Language
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1000-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ariane Friedländer
Students enrolled in this differentiated C-level German course will reach a proficiency level up to C2. Depending on the level and interest of the individual student, the topics covered in C1 will be extended and deepened with additional C2 level material. At the end of the course, students sit a graded exam to obtain a C1 or C2 qualification.
Syllabus
Module: German Language
GM352 German Advanced C1/C2
Fall 2023Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1000-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ariane Friedländer
Students enrolled in this differentiated C-level German course will reach a proficiency level up to C2. Depending on the level and interest of the individual student, the topics covered in C1 will be extended and deepened with additional C2 level material. At the end of the course, students sit a graded exam to obtain a C1 or C2 qualification.
Syllabus
Elective
Fall 2023
Thur, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Artistic Practice and Society, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, BA in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Electives, Study Abroad
Module: Elective
Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits (in combination with an internship)
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak, Asli Vatansever
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Right Certificate requirements
Students enrolled in the Bard College Berlin Internship Program are required to complete the Berlin Internship Seminar, an interdisciplinary course designed to accompany the internship experience. We will meet on a weekly basis and discuss contemporary ways of living and working in Berlin and beyond: What do we mean when we talk about work? Do we need to love what we do? What renders work in/visible? How is work gendered and classed? How is work organized temporally and spatially and how does it, in turn, affect the city and its residents? What distinguishes the spaces in which we live and work today? Which new forms of work have recently emerged in Berlin? Which of them seem to thrive? How do Berlin’s art institutions and citizen-activist organizations operate? Besides in-class discussions, invited lectures, and off-campus visits, the seminar offers a platform for the exchange of observations, reflections, and comments on individual internships. Participation in this seminar depends on successful and timely application for the Internship Program.
Syllabus
Module: Elective
IS331 Berlin Internship Seminar: Working Cultures, Urban Cultures (Groups A&B)
Fall 2023Day/Time: Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits (in combination with an internship)
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak, Asli Vatansever
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Right Certificate requirements
Students enrolled in the Bard College Berlin Internship Program are required to complete the Berlin Internship Seminar, an interdisciplinary course designed to accompany the internship experience. We will meet on a weekly basis and discuss contemporary ways of living and working in Berlin and beyond: What do we mean when we talk about work? Do we need to love what we do? What renders work in/visible? How is work gendered and classed? How is work organized temporally and spatially and how does it, in turn, affect the city and its residents? What distinguishes the spaces in which we live and work today? Which new forms of work have recently emerged in Berlin? Which of them seem to thrive? How do Berlin’s art institutions and citizen-activist organizations operate? Besides in-class discussions, invited lectures, and off-campus visits, the seminar offers a platform for the exchange of observations, reflections, and comments on individual internships. Participation in this seminar depends on successful and timely application for the Internship Program.
Syllabus
Politics
International Studies and Globalization
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: International Studies and Globalization
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aaron Allen
In the social sciences, globalization is often defined as an increase in the mobility of various factors and actors. This definition includes heightened flows of finance capital, the rise of global production networks in expanding divisions of labor as well as the movement of people and ideas. This course uses standard international relations theories as a starting point to examine how growing networks of exchange and circulation have altered political calculation, economic geographies, and governmental arrangements. A particular focus will be placed on the political processes that have facilitated and increased mobility over time, from the emergence of the interstate system in the late nineteenth century, to the globalization of trade and interdependence in our own historical moment. This course will explore new actor constellations and shifting power arrangements in more detail with regards to transnational environmental issues, asymmetric warfare, and humanitarian interventions. In so doing, this course will consider the ways in which the phenomena and levels of globalization challenge the traditional paradigms of the social sciences and prompt a new formulation of the field of international relations.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: International Studies and Globalization
IN110 Globalization and International Relations
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Aaron Allen
In the social sciences, globalization is often defined as an increase in the mobility of various factors and actors. This definition includes heightened flows of finance capital, the rise of global production networks in expanding divisions of labor as well as the movement of people and ideas. This course uses standard international relations theories as a starting point to examine how growing networks of exchange and circulation have altered political calculation, economic geographies, and governmental arrangements. A particular focus will be placed on the political processes that have facilitated and increased mobility over time, from the emergence of the interstate system in the late nineteenth century, to the globalization of trade and interdependence in our own historical moment. This course will explore new actor constellations and shifting power arrangements in more detail with regards to transnational environmental issues, asymmetric warfare, and humanitarian interventions. In so doing, this course will consider the ways in which the phenomena and levels of globalization challenge the traditional paradigms of the social sciences and prompt a new formulation of the field of international relations.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tracy Colony
What is the basis for ethical action? Since its beginnings, philosophy has confronted this question. In this course we will read some of the central texts in Western philosophy that have attempted to come to terms with it. Starting with Socrates and focusing on the works of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Levinas we will trace a tradition which has sought to understand and elaborate the possible grounds and scope of ethical action. The approach of the course will be predominantly chronological and we will engage in close readings of these seminal texts with an eye to their historical context and reception. However, we will also approach their concepts and vocabularies as possible starting points for ethics within our own current historical situation.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
PL105 Introduction to Ethics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1730-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tracy Colony
What is the basis for ethical action? Since its beginnings, philosophy has confronted this question. In this course we will read some of the central texts in Western philosophy that have attempted to come to terms with it. Starting with Socrates and focusing on the works of Aristotle, Hume, Kant, Emerson, Nietzsche, and Levinas we will trace a tradition which has sought to understand and elaborate the possible grounds and scope of ethical action. The approach of the course will be predominantly chronological and we will engage in close readings of these seminal texts with an eye to their historical context and reception. However, we will also approach their concepts and vocabularies as possible starting points for ethics within our own current historical situation.
Syllabus
Politics
Moral and Political Thought
Fall 2023
Thur, 1000-1300
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sinem Kılıç
Throughout the history of Western philosophy, the importance of Arabic philosophy has long been underestimated. For G. W. F. Hegel, for example, Arabic philosophy had “no content of any interest” whatsoever, and was therefore “not philosophy, but mere manner.” Although this position is no longer likely to find many academic adherents today, most institutions still do not offer any courses dedicated to Arabic philosophy and therefore continue to leave this pivotal part of our West-Eastern intellectual history unaddressed.
In this course on Arabic philosophy, we will mainly focus on the period between the 9th and the 12th century, when Muslim, Christian, and Jewish philosophers composed their works in the Arabic language and transferred philosophical questions from the ancient Greek tradition into their falsafa (Arabic for ‘philosophy’).
We will read representative texts of major thinkers like al-Kindī, ar-Rāzī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, Ibn Bāǧǧa (Avempace), Ibn Ṭufaīl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Gabirol and Maimonides, but also modern intellectuals like Abdallah Laroui and Fatema Mernissi. By providing an overview of the multifaceted tradition of Arabic philosophy, this course aims to shed light on the rich heritage of falsafa as a vital component of intellectual tradition within the Islamicate world.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
PL170 Falsafa: Introduction to Arabic Philosophy
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Thur, 1000-1300
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sinem Kılıç
Throughout the history of Western philosophy, the importance of Arabic philosophy has long been underestimated. For G. W. F. Hegel, for example, Arabic philosophy had “no content of any interest” whatsoever, and was therefore “not philosophy, but mere manner.” Although this position is no longer likely to find many academic adherents today, most institutions still do not offer any courses dedicated to Arabic philosophy and therefore continue to leave this pivotal part of our West-Eastern intellectual history unaddressed.
In this course on Arabic philosophy, we will mainly focus on the period between the 9th and the 12th century, when Muslim, Christian, and Jewish philosophers composed their works in the Arabic language and transferred philosophical questions from the ancient Greek tradition into their falsafa (Arabic for ‘philosophy’).
We will read representative texts of major thinkers like al-Kindī, ar-Rāzī, al-Fārābī, Ibn Miskawayh, Ibn Sīnā (Avicenna), al-Ghazālī, Ibn Bāǧǧa (Avempace), Ibn Ṭufaīl, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Gabirol and Maimonides, but also modern intellectuals like Abdallah Laroui and Fatema Mernissi. By providing an overview of the multifaceted tradition of Arabic philosophy, this course aims to shed light on the rich heritage of falsafa as a vital component of intellectual tradition within the Islamicate world.
Syllabus
Politics
Philosophy and Society
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sam Dolbear
This course provides a survey of the work of philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most significant thinkers of the twentieth century. It will explore Benjamin’s diverse oeuvre, from his writings on history, politics, and aesthetics, to those on urban life, experience, and technology. Though grounded on weekly close readings on the level of the paragraph and the sentence, the course will also jump out of the texts, to take account of larger cultural, political and philosophical currents. It will do this by placing Benjamin within a network of contemporaries and interlocutors, including those not typically named, such as the sexologist and palm-reader Charlotte Wolff and the fashion journalist Helen Grund. It will also find context outside of the classroom, by engaging through field trips with Berlin, the city of Benjamin's birth and the subject of his memoir Berlin Childhood around 1900, to explore how his writings can be traced onto the present. By the end of the course, students will have a wide and detailed appreciation of Benjamin’s work and be able to produce rigorous yet creative responses to it.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
PL317 Walter Benjamin: Theory, History, Context
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Sam Dolbear
This course provides a survey of the work of philosopher and critic Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), one of the most significant thinkers of the twentieth century. It will explore Benjamin’s diverse oeuvre, from his writings on history, politics, and aesthetics, to those on urban life, experience, and technology. Though grounded on weekly close readings on the level of the paragraph and the sentence, the course will also jump out of the texts, to take account of larger cultural, political and philosophical currents. It will do this by placing Benjamin within a network of contemporaries and interlocutors, including those not typically named, such as the sexologist and palm-reader Charlotte Wolff and the fashion journalist Helen Grund. It will also find context outside of the classroom, by engaging through field trips with Berlin, the city of Benjamin's birth and the subject of his memoir Berlin Childhood around 1900, to explore how his writings can be traced onto the present. By the end of the course, students will have a wide and detailed appreciation of Benjamin’s work and be able to produce rigorous yet creative responses to it.
Syllabus
Politics
Philosophy and Society
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hans Stauffacher
Freedom is one of the core concepts of modern political thought. This course will focus on seminal conceptions of freedom in European philosophy from the 17th to the 19th centuries that continue to shape our thinking today. But we will look at these conceptions through the lens of the supposed opposite of freedom: slavery.
Philosophers like Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche defined freedom in contrast to slavery. Strikingly, though, they rarely – if ever – paid any attention to the real-life slavery in the Americas, a system they were at least indirectly complicit in. Instead, they drew their examples from Greek and Roman antiquity and the Bible or operated with abstract ideas of slavery. Taking this disturbing observation as a starting point, we will discuss if and to what extent the classical western concepts of freedom can still provide answers to big questions such as: What is freedom? Are there different kinds of freedom? How do we gain freedom? For one person to be free, must another person be un-free? Where, when, and how can we be truly free? We will proceed in four steps: first, we will look at some pre-modern origins of modern concepts of freedom, like the Hebrew and Greek Bible, ancient Greek philosophy, and medieval theology. Second, we will discuss the aforementioned classical positions. Third, we will confront them with perspectives from (formerly) enslaved or colonized people. And fourth, we will discuss critical reflections on the western tradition of thinking about freedom from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
PL340 Freedom and Slavery in Western Philosophy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hans Stauffacher
Freedom is one of the core concepts of modern political thought. This course will focus on seminal conceptions of freedom in European philosophy from the 17th to the 19th centuries that continue to shape our thinking today. But we will look at these conceptions through the lens of the supposed opposite of freedom: slavery.
Philosophers like Hobbes, Spinoza, Locke, Rousseau, Kant, Hegel, Mill, Marx, and Nietzsche defined freedom in contrast to slavery. Strikingly, though, they rarely – if ever – paid any attention to the real-life slavery in the Americas, a system they were at least indirectly complicit in. Instead, they drew their examples from Greek and Roman antiquity and the Bible or operated with abstract ideas of slavery. Taking this disturbing observation as a starting point, we will discuss if and to what extent the classical western concepts of freedom can still provide answers to big questions such as: What is freedom? Are there different kinds of freedom? How do we gain freedom? For one person to be free, must another person be un-free? Where, when, and how can we be truly free? We will proceed in four steps: first, we will look at some pre-modern origins of modern concepts of freedom, like the Hebrew and Greek Bible, ancient Greek philosophy, and medieval theology. Second, we will discuss the aforementioned classical positions. Third, we will confront them with perspectives from (formerly) enslaved or colonized people. And fourth, we will discuss critical reflections on the western tradition of thinking about freedom from the 20th and 21st centuries.
Syllabus
Politics
Moral and Political Thought, Understanding Politics
Fall 2023
Wed, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Modules: Moral and Political Thought, Understanding Politics
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann
Laying the foundation for the politics track in the Economics, Politics and Social Thought (EPST) program, this class covers three aspects of what an academic engagement with politics presupposes. First, it provides an introduction to key concepts (nation, democracy, power, federalism, etc.), debates (e.g. state-market relations, subsidiarity, etc.), and traditions (e.g., liberalism, realism, Marxism, etc.) in political science. As such, it also facilitates a deeper understanding of the role of political science as an academic discipline within the broader range of social science traditions. Second, the course explores historical developments of the recent past, providing students with an overview of actors and institutions at various scales within and beyond nation-states. Finally, the course introduces students to foundational methodological tools and academic skills. As such, students will gain familiarity with central concepts, debates and theory traditions in political science and its subfields, deepen their understanding of major developments, players and power relationships in recent global political history, and develop foundational methodological skills.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Modules: Moral and Political Thought, Understanding Politics
PS129 Understanding Politics
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Wed, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kai Koddenbrock, Gale Raj-Reichert, Boris Vormann
Laying the foundation for the politics track in the Economics, Politics and Social Thought (EPST) program, this class covers three aspects of what an academic engagement with politics presupposes. First, it provides an introduction to key concepts (nation, democracy, power, federalism, etc.), debates (e.g. state-market relations, subsidiarity, etc.), and traditions (e.g., liberalism, realism, Marxism, etc.) in political science. As such, it also facilitates a deeper understanding of the role of political science as an academic discipline within the broader range of social science traditions. Second, the course explores historical developments of the recent past, providing students with an overview of actors and institutions at various scales within and beyond nation-states. Finally, the course introduces students to foundational methodological tools and academic skills. As such, students will gain familiarity with central concepts, debates and theory traditions in political science and its subfields, deepen their understanding of major developments, players and power relationships in recent global political history, and develop foundational methodological skills.
Syllabus
Politics
Comparative Politics
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Comparative Politics
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
While postcolonial scholars have had enduring impact on disciplines such as anthropology, history, art history and comparative literature, their influence on the study of the political systems and political thought from and about the “Global South,” or the non-western world, has been less impactful. This opposition to postcolonialism as a theoretical and conceptual lens in the study of Comparative Politics is related to the endurance of Eurocentric perspectives on the Global South and the impact of their colonial histories. Dominant theories of democracy, revolutions, displacement, humanitarianism and civil wars, for instance, continue to be trapped in orientalist frameworks of analysis. Against this backdrop, this course has two central aims. The first is to encourage students to question the epistemological foundations of the study of postcolonial societies and politics so they learn to critically question the context in which the scholarly body of knowledge about non-western history, politics and society has been constructed and produced. The second aim of the course is to contextualize such theories by focusing on the region known as the “Middle East” with some cross-reference to various countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in order to uncover the relationship between the political and the postcolonial. The course will run thematically and cover topics such as colonialism and decolonization, the authoritarian state, nationalism(s), the politics of gender and sexuality, the politics of culture, military states, development and humanitarian aid, oil, the “global war on terror”, wars, displacement and revolutions.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Comparative Politics
PS179 Postcolonial Politics: The Middle East and Beyond
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
While postcolonial scholars have had enduring impact on disciplines such as anthropology, history, art history and comparative literature, their influence on the study of the political systems and political thought from and about the “Global South,” or the non-western world, has been less impactful. This opposition to postcolonialism as a theoretical and conceptual lens in the study of Comparative Politics is related to the endurance of Eurocentric perspectives on the Global South and the impact of their colonial histories. Dominant theories of democracy, revolutions, displacement, humanitarianism and civil wars, for instance, continue to be trapped in orientalist frameworks of analysis. Against this backdrop, this course has two central aims. The first is to encourage students to question the epistemological foundations of the study of postcolonial societies and politics so they learn to critically question the context in which the scholarly body of knowledge about non-western history, politics and society has been constructed and produced. The second aim of the course is to contextualize such theories by focusing on the region known as the “Middle East” with some cross-reference to various countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in order to uncover the relationship between the political and the postcolonial. The course will run thematically and cover topics such as colonialism and decolonization, the authoritarian state, nationalism(s), the politics of gender and sexuality, the politics of culture, military states, development and humanitarian aid, oil, the “global war on terror”, wars, displacement and revolutions.
Syllabus
Politics
Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics, Public Policy
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Modules: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics, Public Policy
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinator: Aaron Allen
This multidisciplinary course explores the structural evolution of the United States’ role in the world and the institutions shaping elite policy-making. Through an interactive approach, students will be able to contextualize contemporary American foreign policy challenges from their geographic, material, and ideational roots. Furthermore, course activities and assignments are tailored to assist students in becoming foreign policy practitioners fully capable of applying national security decision theories. The curriculum threads together historical cases, international relations scholarship, and security studies in order to provide a holistic understanding of all the constituent parts influencing America’s external posture. How did a nation once known for its relatively isolationist disposition become a global superpower and key enforcer of the liberal international order? What are the unique attributes of American-style foreign policy that have remained consistent across presidential administrations since the end of World War II? A critical appraisal of topics such as hard and soft power, alliances, globalization and multilateralism, bureaucratic politics, and the rise of the military industrial complex offers students the necessary tools to answer these core questions. The complementary emphasis on professional development will allow participants to garner practical skills through simulations, seminar debates, and presentations.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Modules: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics, Public Policy
PS271 US Foreign Policy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Coordinator: Aaron Allen
This multidisciplinary course explores the structural evolution of the United States’ role in the world and the institutions shaping elite policy-making. Through an interactive approach, students will be able to contextualize contemporary American foreign policy challenges from their geographic, material, and ideational roots. Furthermore, course activities and assignments are tailored to assist students in becoming foreign policy practitioners fully capable of applying national security decision theories. The curriculum threads together historical cases, international relations scholarship, and security studies in order to provide a holistic understanding of all the constituent parts influencing America’s external posture. How did a nation once known for its relatively isolationist disposition become a global superpower and key enforcer of the liberal international order? What are the unique attributes of American-style foreign policy that have remained consistent across presidential administrations since the end of World War II? A critical appraisal of topics such as hard and soft power, alliances, globalization and multilateralism, bureaucratic politics, and the rise of the military industrial complex offers students the necessary tools to answer these core questions. The complementary emphasis on professional development will allow participants to garner practical skills through simulations, seminar debates, and presentations.
Syllabus
Politics
Public Policy
Fall 2023
Fri, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Public Policy
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tobias Wuttke
This course engages on the topic of economic development in a context of ‘globalisation’, understood here as the rising interconnectedness of economic activity across borders, since World War II. It will pay particular attention to the needs and ambitions of so-called developing countries and on the different ways that they have pursued economic development historically until today. In this course, we will unpack both the opportunities as well as the constraints that globalisation presents for developing countries. We examine how policies adopted in the Global North shape the conditions of action for countries in the Global South who must still increase income levels in order to improve living standards for their citizens. A special focus will be on so-called industrial policies, which are increasingly being used as a tool to achieve developmental objectives in the Global South, while in the Global North they are deployed to pursue the greening of the economy, to aim for global leadership in emerging technologies, and to navigate geopolitical changes and conflicts. We will engage with readings and concepts from global political economy, heterodox and orthodox development economics, development studies and the international business literature. Along the way, the course addresses theories of economic development and the role of the state, the emergence of global value chains and global production networks and the role of transnational corporations, the history of globalisation, the US-China Trade War, the success story of East Asian economies, and the general implications of the green transition for the global economy.
Concentration: Politics
Module: Public Policy
PS362 Globalization, Development and Industrial Policy
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Tobias Wuttke
This course engages on the topic of economic development in a context of ‘globalisation’, understood here as the rising interconnectedness of economic activity across borders, since World War II. It will pay particular attention to the needs and ambitions of so-called developing countries and on the different ways that they have pursued economic development historically until today. In this course, we will unpack both the opportunities as well as the constraints that globalisation presents for developing countries. We examine how policies adopted in the Global North shape the conditions of action for countries in the Global South who must still increase income levels in order to improve living standards for their citizens. A special focus will be on so-called industrial policies, which are increasingly being used as a tool to achieve developmental objectives in the Global South, while in the Global North they are deployed to pursue the greening of the economy, to aim for global leadership in emerging technologies, and to navigate geopolitical changes and conflicts. We will engage with readings and concepts from global political economy, heterodox and orthodox development economics, development studies and the international business literature. Along the way, the course addresses theories of economic development and the role of the state, the emergence of global value chains and global production networks and the role of transnational corporations, the history of globalisation, the US-China Trade War, the success story of East Asian economies, and the general implications of the green transition for the global economy.
Politics
Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This course offers an introduction to an over one hundred-year-old history of conflictual claims to modern nation-state territory in Palestine/Israel; the politics of the contentious and charged sentiments it has generated; the attempts to address this history, and how as onlookers of the turmoil in that part of the world we experience and process it. Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, including key readings, theories and insights on the subject from the fields of international politics, history, anthropology, environmental studies, gender studies, media and cultural studies, the course will grapple with the fundamental concepts and themes that define and shape the politics of Palestine/Israel. These include: the histories of contested nationalisms; land, ecologies and urban change; borders, walls and securitization; displacements and exile; “peace-building”; refugees and humanitarianism/ the UN and NGOs; media, art and the politics of representation. Besides the key scholarly literature covered, primary sources such as film and documentaries, literary works, memoirs, archival resources, images and maps will also be studied. By the end of the course students will be able to critically think about and analyze the events of the past 100 years that have played a key role in shaping the politics of Palestine/Israel and the ways in which we understand it, in a nuanced and thoughtful way.
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
PS387 The Politics of Palestine / Israel
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Hanan Toukan
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This course offers an introduction to an over one hundred-year-old history of conflictual claims to modern nation-state territory in Palestine/Israel; the politics of the contentious and charged sentiments it has generated; the attempts to address this history, and how as onlookers of the turmoil in that part of the world we experience and process it. Studied through an interdisciplinary lens, including key readings, theories and insights on the subject from the fields of international politics, history, anthropology, environmental studies, gender studies, media and cultural studies, the course will grapple with the fundamental concepts and themes that define and shape the politics of Palestine/Israel. These include: the histories of contested nationalisms; land, ecologies and urban change; borders, walls and securitization; displacements and exile; “peace-building”; refugees and humanitarianism/ the UN and NGOs; media, art and the politics of representation. Besides the key scholarly literature covered, primary sources such as film and documentaries, literary works, memoirs, archival resources, images and maps will also be studied. By the end of the course students will be able to critically think about and analyze the events of the past 100 years that have played a key role in shaping the politics of Palestine/Israel and the ways in which we understand it, in a nuanced and thoughtful way.
Politics
Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Fall 2023
Mon, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Timo Lochocki
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This seminar aims to contextualize the recent political developments in Western democracies in the light of recent research. Our primary focus will be the topic of political polarization. We focus on understanding what societal and political processes alternately benefit from and prevent polarization. Our findings will be applied to the recent political developments in the USA, UK, France and Germany. The class has four goals: firstly, to comprehend the underlying processes currently defining political developments in liberal democracies; secondly, to understand polarization as the root cause for most contemporary political challenges; thirdly, to acquire a detailed understanding of what societal and political processes are driving polarization and how to work against them; and finally, to critically reflect upon the role of the academic system in contemporary political debates. At the end of the seminar, students should understand what is pulling our societies apart and how to reunite them.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
PS388 Contemporary Political Polarization and How to Address it
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Timo Lochocki
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This seminar aims to contextualize the recent political developments in Western democracies in the light of recent research. Our primary focus will be the topic of political polarization. We focus on understanding what societal and political processes alternately benefit from and prevent polarization. Our findings will be applied to the recent political developments in the USA, UK, France and Germany. The class has four goals: firstly, to comprehend the underlying processes currently defining political developments in liberal democracies; secondly, to understand polarization as the root cause for most contemporary political challenges; thirdly, to acquire a detailed understanding of what societal and political processes are driving polarization and how to work against them; and finally, to critically reflect upon the role of the academic system in contemporary political debates. At the end of the seminar, students should understand what is pulling our societies apart and how to reunite them.
Syllabus
Politics
International Studies and Globalization
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: International Studies and Globalization
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
This course fulfills Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Citizenship is traditionally a concept associated with nation-states, and at base signifies the status of belonging to a bounded political order and the rights and duties this entails. Yet economic, legal, and technological globalization increasingly call state boundaries into question. Transnational challenges such as climate change, forced migration, epidemics, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism also require collective action on a global scale. In this context, global citizenship has been promoted both as a sensibility and as an emerging reality. This course explores the notion of "global citizenship" from its philosophical foundations. We also address cultural and political perspectives, thinking critically about what global citizenship can and should mean. Building on these investigations, we explore the contemporary experiences and movements through which a future idea or reality of global citizenship might be shaped. The heart of the course will be in an interdisciplinary exploration of two of the transnational problems already noted above – climate change and ethno-nationalist conflicts – through readings and discussion of novels, historical work, film, social theory, social scientific research, and policy documents. We present and compare rising political and social movements relevant to the definition of the category of the citizen across the globe. Texts will include essays by Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Jürgen Habermas, Edward Said, Martha Nussbaum, Craig Calhoun, along with Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines, Tayib Salih's Season of Migration to the North, Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior and Michael Winterbottom's In This World.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: International Studies and Globalization
PT150 Global Citizenship
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Nassim Abi Ghanem
This course fulfills Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Citizenship is traditionally a concept associated with nation-states, and at base signifies the status of belonging to a bounded political order and the rights and duties this entails. Yet economic, legal, and technological globalization increasingly call state boundaries into question. Transnational challenges such as climate change, forced migration, epidemics, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism also require collective action on a global scale. In this context, global citizenship has been promoted both as a sensibility and as an emerging reality. This course explores the notion of "global citizenship" from its philosophical foundations. We also address cultural and political perspectives, thinking critically about what global citizenship can and should mean. Building on these investigations, we explore the contemporary experiences and movements through which a future idea or reality of global citizenship might be shaped. The heart of the course will be in an interdisciplinary exploration of two of the transnational problems already noted above – climate change and ethno-nationalist conflicts – through readings and discussion of novels, historical work, film, social theory, social scientific research, and policy documents. We present and compare rising political and social movements relevant to the definition of the category of the citizen across the globe. Texts will include essays by Immanuel Kant, Hannah Arendt, Jürgen Habermas, Edward Said, Martha Nussbaum, Craig Calhoun, along with Amitav Ghosh's The Shadow Lines, Tayib Salih's Season of Migration to the North, Barbara Kingsolver's Flight Behavior and Michael Winterbottom's In This World.
Syllabus
Politics
Moral and Political Thought
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak
This course fulfills Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Named after bell hooks’ 2000 essay collection Feminism Is for Everybody, and with an essential transnational focus, this course offers an introduction to feminism as a political movement to end sexist oppression across differences. Students will discuss, try out, and question various feminist theories and methodologies to critically examine a range of cultural, social, and economic issues across geographical and historical contexts. While acknowledging the importance of one’s personal experience in finding feminism and committing to it, this course also invites students to look beyond the personal and focus on political projects connected with feminism to seek out solidarity-yielding connections. Among other topics, we will discuss the demands of early socialist women’s rights activists, queer feminist formations in the Global South, transfeminist activism in Latin America and beyond, sex workers’ struggles across borders, decolonial feminist interventions in Europe, and the connections between gender justice and environmental justice. Bringing together feminist contributions from sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, political science, activism, and more, the course will also serve as an introduction to the work of such influential thinkers as Sara Ahmed, Angela Davis, Silvia Federici, Alexandra Kollontai, Audre Lorde, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Françoise Vergès, and Clara Zetkin, among many others. Students will employ feminist methodologies as a means to question established knowledge paradigms and dominant intellectual traditions derived from the Global North. Designed jointly by scholars and educators from across the Open Society University Network (AlQuds Bard College in Palestine, American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, Bard College in the United States, and Bard College Berlin in Germany) and scholars affiliated with Off-University, the course is part of OSUN‘s Transnational Feminism, Solidarity, and Social Justice project. Through a series of shared readings and assignments, students will have a unique opportunity to engage with peers and professors from other OSUN campuses, thereby building local and international alliances, challenging dogma, and experimenting with powerful forms of feminist expression.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Moral and Political Thought
PT160 Transnational Feminism Is for Everybody
Fall 2023Level: Foundational
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 1045-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Agata Lisiak
This course fulfills Civic Engagement Certificate requirement
Named after bell hooks’ 2000 essay collection Feminism Is for Everybody, and with an essential transnational focus, this course offers an introduction to feminism as a political movement to end sexist oppression across differences. Students will discuss, try out, and question various feminist theories and methodologies to critically examine a range of cultural, social, and economic issues across geographical and historical contexts. While acknowledging the importance of one’s personal experience in finding feminism and committing to it, this course also invites students to look beyond the personal and focus on political projects connected with feminism to seek out solidarity-yielding connections. Among other topics, we will discuss the demands of early socialist women’s rights activists, queer feminist formations in the Global South, transfeminist activism in Latin America and beyond, sex workers’ struggles across borders, decolonial feminist interventions in Europe, and the connections between gender justice and environmental justice. Bringing together feminist contributions from sociology, philosophy, cultural studies, political science, activism, and more, the course will also serve as an introduction to the work of such influential thinkers as Sara Ahmed, Angela Davis, Silvia Federici, Alexandra Kollontai, Audre Lorde, Chandra Talpade Mohanty, Françoise Vergès, and Clara Zetkin, among many others. Students will employ feminist methodologies as a means to question established knowledge paradigms and dominant intellectual traditions derived from the Global North. Designed jointly by scholars and educators from across the Open Society University Network (AlQuds Bard College in Palestine, American University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan, Bard College in the United States, and Bard College Berlin in Germany) and scholars affiliated with Off-University, the course is part of OSUN‘s Transnational Feminism, Solidarity, and Social Justice project. Through a series of shared readings and assignments, students will have a unique opportunity to engage with peers and professors from other OSUN campuses, thereby building local and international alliances, challenging dogma, and experimenting with powerful forms of feminist expression.
Syllabus
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner
OSUN network course at Bard College Berlin and BRAC University
As a political project with deep roots in the Enlightenment, feminism has been concerned with the relationship between individuals and their political and social communities from its inception. For centuries women had experienced that the societies they inhabited did not consider them as individuals, citizens and members of the community with equal rights. The course examines a variety of feminist projects as they grew out of these experiences, and took on distinctive shapes, developing practices and theoretical frameworks all geared toward assessing, questioning and refashioning women’s places, voices and legal status in their respective societies, thus also addressing notions of community, collectivity, and democracy. We will also look at today’s globally connected community-building practices and examine how these joint efforts have given way to newly conceived notions of society and community in intersectional feminist theories. Students will examine texts and practices of reading, writing, and conversation ranging from the sociability cultivated by elite women during the Haskala (the Jewish Enlightenment in Germany) to contemporary feminist theories of intersectionality, via the literary and political works of feminist artists and activists through the twentieth century. Amongst the authors read in the course are: Henriette Herz, Rahel Varnhagen, Hannah Arendt, Fanny Lewald, George Sand, Germaine de Stael, Mary Wollstonecraft, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Alexandra Kollontai, Virginia Woolf, Georg Simmel, Ferdinand Tönnies, Claudia Jones, Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, Uma Narayan, Saba Mahmood, Gloria Anzaldúa, Alice Walker, Luisa Passerini, bell hooks, Adrienne Rich, Silvia Federici, Judith Butler, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Amina Jamal, Michael Hart, Antonio Negri, Ann Ferguson, Dubravka Ugresic, and Carmen Gaite. As part of the course, students from both campuses (BCB and BRAC) will work on group assignments throughout the semester, aimed at preparing a course lexicon and online resources together with faculty. The results of the collaborative work will be presented at a final workshop with all participants in Berlin.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Philosophy and Society
PT241 Feminism and Community
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1400-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ulrike Wagner
OSUN network course at Bard College Berlin and BRAC University
As a political project with deep roots in the Enlightenment, feminism has been concerned with the relationship between individuals and their political and social communities from its inception. For centuries women had experienced that the societies they inhabited did not consider them as individuals, citizens and members of the community with equal rights. The course examines a variety of feminist projects as they grew out of these experiences, and took on distinctive shapes, developing practices and theoretical frameworks all geared toward assessing, questioning and refashioning women’s places, voices and legal status in their respective societies, thus also addressing notions of community, collectivity, and democracy. We will also look at today’s globally connected community-building practices and examine how these joint efforts have given way to newly conceived notions of society and community in intersectional feminist theories. Students will examine texts and practices of reading, writing, and conversation ranging from the sociability cultivated by elite women during the Haskala (the Jewish Enlightenment in Germany) to contemporary feminist theories of intersectionality, via the literary and political works of feminist artists and activists through the twentieth century. Amongst the authors read in the course are: Henriette Herz, Rahel Varnhagen, Hannah Arendt, Fanny Lewald, George Sand, Germaine de Stael, Mary Wollstonecraft, Rosa Luxemburg, Clara Zetkin, Alexandra Kollontai, Virginia Woolf, Georg Simmel, Ferdinand Tönnies, Claudia Jones, Vandana Shiva, Maria Mies, Uma Narayan, Saba Mahmood, Gloria Anzaldúa, Alice Walker, Luisa Passerini, bell hooks, Adrienne Rich, Silvia Federici, Judith Butler, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Amina Jamal, Michael Hart, Antonio Negri, Ann Ferguson, Dubravka Ugresic, and Carmen Gaite. As part of the course, students from both campuses (BCB and BRAC) will work on group assignments throughout the semester, aimed at preparing a course lexicon and online resources together with faculty. The results of the collaborative work will be presented at a final workshop with all participants in Berlin.
Syllabus
Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Wed, 1545-1900
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, German Studies, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Michael Thomas Taylor
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This course is held in German and engages pressing debates in German media today, asking about the issues and forms of discourse that shape German politics and social life. It is structured around visits to cultural sites, events, and organizations in Berlin, along with topics chosen from current media by the participants in cooperation with the instructor. These may include visits to museums, political parties, NGOs, or media producers. Reflecting the ongoing shift of public life to online venues, we will also examine the virtual presence of these traditionally site-based forms of publicness in relation to old and new media. In addition to the study of current public debates and civic engagement, the purpose of this course is to refine and advance your ability to articulate yourself verbally and in writing through constant vocabulary building.
NB: Students taking the class should have a B2 proficiency level in German or higher
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
PT320 Discussing Deutschland: What Germans Are Talking About Today
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Wed, 1545-1900
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Michael Thomas Taylor
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
This course is held in German and engages pressing debates in German media today, asking about the issues and forms of discourse that shape German politics and social life. It is structured around visits to cultural sites, events, and organizations in Berlin, along with topics chosen from current media by the participants in cooperation with the instructor. These may include visits to museums, political parties, NGOs, or media producers. Reflecting the ongoing shift of public life to online venues, we will also examine the virtual presence of these traditionally site-based forms of publicness in relation to old and new media. In addition to the study of current public debates and civic engagement, the purpose of this course is to refine and advance your ability to articulate yourself verbally and in writing through constant vocabulary building.
NB: Students taking the class should have a B2 proficiency level in German or higher
Syllabus
Politics
Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Fall 2023
Thur, 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Berit Ebert
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
The institutions and political processes of the European Union (EU), summed up in the concept of supranationality, offer a unique construct of international collaboration that was developed with clear goals by founding members. This course will analyze the institutions that have developed over the more than 70-year history of the Union: the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the Committee of the Regions, as well as the European Economic and Social Committee. We will also compare the institutions’ supranational characteristics with those of the nation-state and of international organizations. Major cases tried in the European Court of Justice and key legal principles that have shaped the Union’s political advances will be interpreted. We will discuss some of the European Union’s current political developments, among them the European electoral-law reform, the reform of the judicial system in Poland, the rule-of-law mechanism, gender equality, as well as migration and asylum regulations. For the latter, we will be joined by Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor in Residence at Princeton University and her students taking a trip to Berlin in October. Students will engage with original EU policy documents to acquire the skills of analyzing and interpreting them. At the end of the seminar, they will have a solid knowledge of the functioning of the Union’s institutions, and the capacity to evaluate legal texts, treaty provisions, and policy approaches, enabling a clearer judgement regarding the future of the European project.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
PT325 The European Union: Institutions, Policies, Procedures
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Thur, 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Berit Ebert
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate requirement.
The institutions and political processes of the European Union (EU), summed up in the concept of supranationality, offer a unique construct of international collaboration that was developed with clear goals by founding members. This course will analyze the institutions that have developed over the more than 70-year history of the Union: the European Council, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the Court of Justice of the European Union, the European Central Bank, the Committee of the Regions, as well as the European Economic and Social Committee. We will also compare the institutions’ supranational characteristics with those of the nation-state and of international organizations. Major cases tried in the European Court of Justice and key legal principles that have shaped the Union’s political advances will be interpreted. We will discuss some of the European Union’s current political developments, among them the European electoral-law reform, the reform of the judicial system in Poland, the rule-of-law mechanism, gender equality, as well as migration and asylum regulations. For the latter, we will be joined by Deborah Amos, Ferris Professor in Residence at Princeton University and her students taking a trip to Berlin in October. Students will engage with original EU policy documents to acquire the skills of analyzing and interpreting them. At the end of the seminar, they will have a solid knowledge of the functioning of the Union’s institutions, and the capacity to evaluate legal texts, treaty provisions, and policy approaches, enabling a clearer judgement regarding the future of the European project.
Syllabus
Politics
Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Fall 2023
Tue 0900-1215
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Taught simultaneously at Bard College Berlin and NSYSU Taiwan, this OSUN network collaborative course will examine two visions of modern society elaborated by classical liberalism on the one hand, and the left radical tradition on the other. Probing the different understandings of human rights as a normative ideal and its role in each of those visions, the course will trace how these understandings played out in the modern history of the Mandarin speaking world. Our point of departure will be Tocqueville’s assertion in the Introduction to Democracy in America that democracy, defined by the principles of equality and popular sovereignty, is on the rise the world over. As Tocqueville anticipated, whether modern democratic societies enshrine and protect individual rights or sacrifice them on the altar of national sovereignty and omnipotent statehood would depend on a host of factors that shape the trajectory of modernization. A key among those factors is how the modern age itself is understood.
After tracing a paradigmatic liberal conceptualization of modernity and human rights, and its comprehensive critique by Marx and Lenin, we will take up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as case studies. Starting from similar cultural legacies and related ideological standpoints, and both embracing the Leninist vision, in the course of the 20th century China and Taiwan developed two distinct and idiosyncratic paths to modernity. To understand how and why this happened, in the second part of the course we will trace the political history and probe the theoretical and cultural debates about human rights that have shaped modern Taiwan and China respectively.
The course will culminate with a one-day conference on current human rights practices in China and Taiwan, and their significance for the politics of Asia-Pacific and the world, to be hosted at Bard College Berlin.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Advanced Topics in Global and Comparative Politics
PT340 Modern Society and Human Rights: the case of China and Taiwan
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue 0900-1215
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Ewa Atanassow
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Taught simultaneously at Bard College Berlin and NSYSU Taiwan, this OSUN network collaborative course will examine two visions of modern society elaborated by classical liberalism on the one hand, and the left radical tradition on the other. Probing the different understandings of human rights as a normative ideal and its role in each of those visions, the course will trace how these understandings played out in the modern history of the Mandarin speaking world. Our point of departure will be Tocqueville’s assertion in the Introduction to Democracy in America that democracy, defined by the principles of equality and popular sovereignty, is on the rise the world over. As Tocqueville anticipated, whether modern democratic societies enshrine and protect individual rights or sacrifice them on the altar of national sovereignty and omnipotent statehood would depend on a host of factors that shape the trajectory of modernization. A key among those factors is how the modern age itself is understood.
After tracing a paradigmatic liberal conceptualization of modernity and human rights, and its comprehensive critique by Marx and Lenin, we will take up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (Taiwan) as case studies. Starting from similar cultural legacies and related ideological standpoints, and both embracing the Leninist vision, in the course of the 20th century China and Taiwan developed two distinct and idiosyncratic paths to modernity. To understand how and why this happened, in the second part of the course we will trace the political history and probe the theoretical and cultural debates about human rights that have shaped modern Taiwan and China respectively.
The course will culminate with a one-day conference on current human rights practices in China and Taiwan, and their significance for the politics of Asia-Pacific and the world, to be hosted at Bard College Berlin.
Syllabus
Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kerry Bystrom
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Scholars, students, and other researchers around the world are routinely threatened, jailed, or punished. Sometimes they are simply trapped in a dangerous place, while in other cases they are deliberately targeted because of their identity or their work. Academic freedom, or freedom of thought and inquiry, is usually considered a basic human right, but its definition and content is essentially contested. This seminar will explore the idea of academic freedom by examining - and attempting to intervene in - situations where it is threatened. In conjunction with the human rights organization Scholars at Risk, we will investigate the cases of scholars currently living under threat and develop projects aimed at releasing them from detention or securing refuge for them. This will involve direct hands-on advocacy work with SAR, taking public positions and creating smart and effective advocacy campaigns for specific endangered students, teachers, and researchers. In order not to do this naively or uncritically, our action-oriented work will be paired throughout the semester with critical reflection on human rights and humanitarian advocacy more generally. Through readings about the historical rise of human rights and humanitarianism as paradigms for creating a better world--as well as the pitfalls of these paradigms--and by engaging with texts that outline the ethical and practical challenges of doing advocacy, we will together work towards creating an intellectual framework that allows us to be more attentive, deliberate and effective advocates for social change.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
PT358 Critical Human Rights and Humanitarian Advocacy/ Scholars At Risk
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon & Wed, 1545-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS credits, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Kerry Bystrom
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
Scholars, students, and other researchers around the world are routinely threatened, jailed, or punished. Sometimes they are simply trapped in a dangerous place, while in other cases they are deliberately targeted because of their identity or their work. Academic freedom, or freedom of thought and inquiry, is usually considered a basic human right, but its definition and content is essentially contested. This seminar will explore the idea of academic freedom by examining - and attempting to intervene in - situations where it is threatened. In conjunction with the human rights organization Scholars at Risk, we will investigate the cases of scholars currently living under threat and develop projects aimed at releasing them from detention or securing refuge for them. This will involve direct hands-on advocacy work with SAR, taking public positions and creating smart and effective advocacy campaigns for specific endangered students, teachers, and researchers. In order not to do this naively or uncritically, our action-oriented work will be paired throughout the semester with critical reflection on human rights and humanitarian advocacy more generally. Through readings about the historical rise of human rights and humanitarianism as paradigms for creating a better world--as well as the pitfalls of these paradigms--and by engaging with texts that outline the ethical and practical challenges of doing advocacy, we will together work towards creating an intellectual framework that allows us to be more attentive, deliberate and effective advocates for social change.
Syllabus
Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Mon, 1230-1530
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Certificate in Civic Engagement, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1230-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Cassandra Ellerbe
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirements
The lived experience of the human body forms in many ways the cornerstone of human identity. As we move throughout the social world and interact with various human groups, we see that our bodies create, maintain and perpetuate power dynamics. However, certain human bodies are disproportionately exposed to numerous forms of violence and inequalities. In this course, we will explore and critically examine social justice movements from a body-centered perspective, as well as what bodies do in and how they affect such movements. Select case studies from various areas of the Global North and South and historical periods will assist us in this exploration. The goal here is to not only examine the interconnection between various forms of oppression such as colonialism, racism, environmental exploitation, militarized or police aggression, femicide etc., but also to understand the ways in which awareness of the body’s power and limitations (vulnerability or defiance) are experienced in relationship to participation in social justice movements. Utilizing an interdisciplinary and critical analytical approach to knowledge production; we will focus upon and interrogate why certain bodies are ascribed less value, considered to disrupt and question state sanctioned norms, and treated as readily disposable.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
SE291 Social Justice and the Body
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Mon, 1230-1530
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Cassandra Ellerbe
Fulfills OSUN Civic Engagement Certificate and OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirements
The lived experience of the human body forms in many ways the cornerstone of human identity. As we move throughout the social world and interact with various human groups, we see that our bodies create, maintain and perpetuate power dynamics. However, certain human bodies are disproportionately exposed to numerous forms of violence and inequalities. In this course, we will explore and critically examine social justice movements from a body-centered perspective, as well as what bodies do in and how they affect such movements. Select case studies from various areas of the Global North and South and historical periods will assist us in this exploration. The goal here is to not only examine the interconnection between various forms of oppression such as colonialism, racism, environmental exploitation, militarized or police aggression, femicide etc., but also to understand the ways in which awareness of the body’s power and limitations (vulnerability or defiance) are experienced in relationship to participation in social justice movements. Utilizing an interdisciplinary and critical analytical approach to knowledge production; we will focus upon and interrogate why certain bodies are ascribed less value, considered to disrupt and question state sanctioned norms, and treated as readily disposable.
Syllabus
Politics
Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Fall 2023
Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Fred Abrahams
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This workshop-oriented class teaches the practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify the topic and focus of an investigation, how to design an investigative strategy, how to conduct the fact-finding, and how to present findings. Covered topics include research design, interviewing victims and witnesses, interviewing officials, corroborating evidence, using new technologies, consulting experts and using secondary sources, mitigating security risks, and managing personal stress, wellbeing and resilience. Students will develop their writing and presentation skills to communicate human rights findings in clear, concise and compelling ways. Guest speakers from the human rights movement will occasionally join to present their experiences and advice.
Syllabus
Concentration: Politics
Module: Civic Engagement and Social Justice
SE301 Making the Case: Human Rights Research and Reporting
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Tue & Thur, 0900-1030
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Fred Abrahams
Fulfills OSUN Human Rights Certificate requirement
This workshop-oriented class teaches the practical skills of a human rights investigator: how to identify the topic and focus of an investigation, how to design an investigative strategy, how to conduct the fact-finding, and how to present findings. Covered topics include research design, interviewing victims and witnesses, interviewing officials, corroborating evidence, using new technologies, consulting experts and using secondary sources, mitigating security risks, and managing personal stress, wellbeing and resilience. Students will develop their writing and presentation skills to communicate human rights findings in clear, concise and compelling ways. Guest speakers from the human rights movement will occasionally join to present their experiences and advice.
Syllabus
Politics
Qualitative Methods in Social Sciences
Fall 2023
Fri, 1400-1715
Programs: Academy Year, BA in Economics, Politics, and Social Thought, Study Abroad
Concentration: Politics
Module: Qualitative Methods in Social Sciences
Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Joshua Paul
Social science is often described as having two main methodological branches, “quantitative” and “qualitative.” This course concentrates on the approaches described by the term “qualitative,” and which are used in research on a wide variety of issues and topics, from urban sociology and history to peace and conflict studies. The central method of qualitative research is data-gathering from individual and collective testimony, using various data collection methods and feedback from the sources. We focus on a number of stages and procedures in the research process, such as the challenge of identifying a research puzzle, defining a research question, the carrying-out of qualitative data collection, the ethics of research methods, and the gathering and analysis of information. In our investigation, we will also look at scholarly research articles and their presentation and interpretation of research findings. Participants in the course will pursue their own research project in application of the methods and principles addressed in class.
Concentration: Politics
Module: Qualitative Methods in Social Sciences
SO203 How to do Social Research
Fall 2023Level: Advanced
Day/Time: Fri, 1400-1715
Credits: Credits: 8 ECTS, 4 U.S. credits
Professor(s): Joshua Paul
Social science is often described as having two main methodological branches, “quantitative” and “qualitative.” This course concentrates on the approaches described by the term “qualitative,” and which are used in research on a wide variety of issues and topics, from urban sociology and history to peace and conflict studies. The central method of qualitative research is data-gathering from individual and collective testimony, using various data collection methods and feedback from the sources. We focus on a number of stages and procedures in the research process, such as the challenge of identifying a research puzzle, defining a research question, the carrying-out of qualitative data collection, the ethics of research methods, and the gathering and analysis of information. In our investigation, we will also look at scholarly research articles and their presentation and interpretation of research findings. Participants in the course will pursue their own research project in application of the methods and principles addressed in class.
To view courses offered prior to Spring 2023, please visit the course archive.