Bard College Berlin accepts applications for entry to our BA degree programs and one-year programs in Fall 2025. The Early Action deadline for applying is November 1, 2024, at 23:59 in your time zone. Students who apply by the Early Action deadline can expect to receive their admission and financial aid/scholarship decisions by the end of December.
For more information on eligibility and application requirements, please refer here: How to Apply.
Should you have any questions about your application for admission and/or financial aid at BCB, please do not hesitate to reach out to the BCB Admissions Team at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your application!
W15 Cafe Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant festivals in Hindu culture. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, and is a time for families and communities to come together in joy and gratitude. Join us for a vibrant Diwali celebration at the W15 Cafe on November 1st, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm! We’ll embrace the spirit of Diwali with delicious food and beautiful lights. Whether you're familiar with the festival or experiencing it for the first time, this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and learn more about its traditions.
The Factory Celebrate Halloween at BCB this year with an open-mic night and costume party. All students are invited to sign up to perform and share their musical talents with their fellow BCB community. There will also be a Halloween costume competition, and a prize will be awarded to the best dressed! You can register to perform using the QR code on the event poster, or by opening this link. Performance registration will also be available the night of, so if you're inspired to perform after seeing others do so, you can register then as well. Even if you're not looking to perform, come enjoy a night full of music and fun Halloween spirit!
Online Event Interested in learning more about Bard College Berlin? Save the date and join us on November 2 for Virtual Open Day!
You will have the chance to meet current BCB students, and attend informational sessions about our application process, degree programs, student life, campus facilities, and more.
AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI
Saturday, November 2, 2024 10 am – 3 pm
W15 Cafe On Saturday November 2nd, we will have the opening lectures of the program AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI.
BCB alumni Khalil Hammod and Professor Hans-Christian von Hermann of the TU Berlin will deliver lectures on the current state of AI in an academic context. Lectures: Khalil Hammod: “Generative AI Essentials: Chatbots, Prompts, and Live Demos” Hans-Christian von Hermann: “Large Language Models as Reading and Writing Machines: Artificial Intelligence Between Language Experiment and Cliché”
This series of lectures and student-led discussions aims to create a common playbook for developing a strategy for the ethical use of Generative AI in academic spaces. All members of the BCB community are invited to participate and contribute their input.
10 AM to 3 PM in the W15 Cafe. Lunch will be provided.
In cooperation with the American University of Bulgaria.
Human Rights Open Source Investigations: A Workshop on Digital Research Techniques
Saturday, November 2, 2024 10 am – 6 pm
Platanenstraße 98, 13156 Berlin This one-day workshop, hosted by the Ukraine students club and Digital Verification Corps at Bard College Berlin in collaboration with OSINT for Ukraine, offers participants the chance to immerse themselves in the growing field of open-source research. The morning session will feature OSINT for Ukraine’s work documenting war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, plus their analysis of disinformation campaigns targeting Europe. Following this, participants will engage in a hands-on skills workshop focused on researching Russian real estate companies that benefit from the sale of occupied land.
In the afternoon, Hesham Moadamani from Bard College Berlin’s Civic Engagement Office will share the open-source techniques he has applied in his research on Syria. He will then lead a workshop on documenting unlawful attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon and Yemen.
This event is designed to equip students and human rights practitioners with skills to leverage open-source information for human rights investigations.
11:00 - 11:15 : Introduction of first workshop topic and forming groups Russian real estate companies in occupied Ukraine This workshop will offer hands-on practice for participants in documenting unlawful seizures of private property by an occupying state. Participants will research Russian real estate companies profiting from the annexation of Ukrainian territory, using a combination of techniques, such as social media and archive-based research.
15:10 - 15:25 : Introduction of second workshop topic and forming groups Documenting Human Rights Violations in Armed Conflict: Leveraging Open-Source Intelligence This workshop explores how open source research can document laws-of-war violations related to the targeting of healthcare facilities. Participants will learn techniques for finding, collecting, verifying, and presenting digital evidence, such as social media content and satellite imagery, while navigating challenges such as misinformation and bias, as well as self-care when viewing traumatic imagery. We'll cover the role of open source work in journalism, advocacy, and legal proceedings, highlighting key standards such as the Berkeley Protocol. 15:25 - 17:30 : Second group sessions 17:30 - 18:00 : Wrap-up and closing remarks
John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Lansstr. 7-9 14195 Berlin, Room 340 Join the panel discussion on the election with professors from the FU and HU. Bring all the questions you may have about the election and what it could mean for our future.
Organized by the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies.
W15 Cafe Polls on the east coast of the US will begin closing in the early morning of November 6 in Berlin. In case you don’t want to be alone as the results start coming in, Student Life will set up a TV screen so that students can watch together. There will be snacks and tea.
The livestream will be left on until mid-day and all are welcome to gather in the W15 Cafe at any point from early morning to mid-day.
Graduate Education in Germany Info Session (with the Hertie School)
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 12:45–1:45 pm
Lecture Hall, Platanenstraße 98a, 13156 Berlin Join us for an in-person info session on "Applying to Graduate Schools in Germany: What are your options and how to boost your chances” presented by Matthew Poet from the Hertie School, one of Europe’s top policy schools (Berlin, Germany).
Silenced Voices at COP29: Repression in Azerbaijan
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 6–7:30 pm
W15 Café (Waldstr. 15, 13156 Berlin) Azerbaijan is about to host COP29, the UN Climate Change Conference, with events in Baku from November 11 to 22. At the same time, the government has intensified its crackdown on government critics, independent groups, environmental activists, and the media, arresting dozens of people on bogus charges. As an oil and gas producing country, Azerbaijan’s hostility towards critics will prevent activists, human rights defenders, and journalists from meaningfully participating in COP29.
Please join us on November 6, from 6 to 7:30pm, to hear from two prominent Azeri human rights lawyers: Emin Aslanov and Nijat Mammadbayli. They will describe the difficult human rights situation in the country today and what this means for democracy in the country, stability in the region, and the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change. Journalist and author Angelina Davydova will discuss the issues and controversies around COP29. Moderated by Arzu Geybullayeva and co-hosted by Araminta.
Nijat Mammadbayli is a human rights lawyer specializing in human rights and international law, with an extensive track record in legal advocacy and strategic litigation. He has successfully represented individuals and organizations in complex cases involving civil liberties, justice reform, and the protection of fundamental rights. Currently based in Berlin, he leads the newly established NGO, Free Voices Collective e.V.
Emin Aslanov is a human rights lawyer specializing in human rights. He has experience in strategic litigation and has represented political cases before local and international courts. He is currently a member of the newly established NGO Free Voices Collective e.V in Berlin.
Angelina Davydova, environmental and climate journalist, fellow with the Institute for Global Reconstitution, environmental projects coordinator with the Dialogue for Understanding e. V, expert with the Ukraine war Environmental Consequences Work Group, co-host of the podcast the Eurasian Climate Brief, observer with the UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC) since 2008.
K24 The Druze Religion & As-swayda marks the third event of the Human Library project. Each meeting features a different "book"—a real person with a meaningful, lived experience to share. Unlike a traditional library, the "books" in our Human Library are individuals who open up their personal stories for us to engage with, creating deeper connections and promoting understanding.
Our goal is to create space for authentic, human stories—stories that often get lost or overshadowed by the noise of media, stereotypes, and the routine of everyday life. The narratives can explore themes such as identity, immigration, places, culture, and more. The possibilities are endless.
John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Lansstr. 7-9 14195 Berlin, Room 340 or Online Join us on November 7, 2024, for "The US Elections: A First Appraisal," a timely debrief conference analyzing the outcomes of the US elections. Co-organized by the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies and Bard College Berlin.
The conference will feature two panels: Democracy: Still Under Siege? (10:00-11:15), focusing on domestic political developments, and The Future of the Liberal International Order (11:30-12:45), exploring the global implications of the elections. Experts from leading US and European institutions will participate in-person and online.
Register via [email protected]e for Webex participation.Sponsored by: Bard College Berlin.
Does Liberalism Have a Future? And Does It Look Like Its Past?
Thursday, November 7, 2024 7–8:30 pm
Zentrum Liberale Moderne (Reinhardtstraße 15, 10117 Berlin) Bard College Berlin, in cooperation with the Ludwig-Erhard-Forum für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft and Zentrum Liberale Moderne cordially invite you to a debate on the past and future of liberalism with Prof. Dr. Alan S. Kahan. Drawing on his recent book, Freedom from Fear: An Incomplete History of Liberalism (Princeton University Press) which was named among the ‘Best Books of 2023’ by the Financial Times, Professor Kahan will discuss the troubled relationship of liberalism and populism in historical perspective. Beginning his story in the late eighteenth century, and carrying it into the 21st, he will argue that a return to the traditional three pillars of liberalism - freedom, markets, and morals - can help liberals respond to the populist challenge. The event takes place two days ahead of the 35th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and two days after the US elections – events deeply connected to the past and future of liberty. Panelists include: Ewa Atanassow (Bard College Berlin), Stefan Kolev (Ludwig-Erhard-Forum), and Karolina Wigura (Zentrum Liberale Moderne).
Alan S. Kahan is a US-born Professor of British Civilization at the Université Paris-Saclay and a distinguished historian of liberalism. His many books include Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion; Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe; and Aristocratic Liberalism.
Ewa Atanassow is Professor of Politics at Bard College Berlin whose research focuses on the troubled relationship between liberalism and democracy. She is the author of Tocqueville’s Dilemmas, and Ours: Sovereignty, Nationalism, Globalization (Princeton University Press, 2022); and the co-editor of When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2023) among others.
Stefan Kolev is the academic director of the Ludwig Erhard Forum for Economy and Society in Berlin and Professor for Political Economy at the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Stefan Kolev’s research focuses on the history of economic thought, especially ordoliberalism, Austrian economics and the German Historical School, on constitutional and institutional economics, and on economic sociology, especially Max Weber.
Karolina Wigura is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity (Berlin) and a board member of the Kultura Liberalna Foundation (Warsaw). She specializes in the political philosophy of the 20th century, history of emotions, and populism. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian. Her recent publications include Posttraumatische Souveränität (Suhrkamp 2023, with Jarosław Kuisz).
In coorperation with Ludwig-Erhard-Forum für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Zentrum Liberale Moderne
Focus! Neurodiversity: A Personal Perspective, and Global Diagnostic Disparities
Thursday, November 7, 2024 7:30 pm
Join us for a Focus session where an autistic student shares firsthand insights into life with Autism and ADHD. Learn about the challenges of diagnosis in the Middle East, or general diagnoses challenges, and deepen your understanding of neurodiversity. Whether you're curious or looking to expand your knowledge, this is a great chance to listen, learn, and engage.
This event is part of the BCB Focus student-led event series that explores global issues and their impact on us as members of the BCB community. Focus! is a new student-led talk series in collaboration with the Civic Engagement initiative at BCB that explores global issues on a local scale. We imagine this event series as a space outside of the classroom where we can talk about the politics that concern us, especially the politics that don’t make the headlines of international news, but nevertheless are important and relevant topics to discuss, especially in such an international context like our school!
When it comes to the topic or scope of a Focus, anything goes! Even if you have a half-developed idea, we’re here to brainstorm and help you shape it into a strong presentation for your peers.
Maybe something major is happening in your country that you'd like to explore beyond the headlines. Maybe you want to address a common stereotype or misconception that has never really been true. Or perhaps there’s an issue you’re passionate about and want to bring more attention to. You might even have written a great midterm paper that deserves more than just catching dust on Google Drive or your professor's desk—why not share it with your peers?
We especially encourage you to think of collaborative presentations, where you can work with your friends, flatmates or classmates to examine a topic across different countries and contexts, highlighting how similar issues, patterns, or solutions emerge in different but nevertheless interconnected ways.
The Pan-European and the Local in Russian National Narratives. Visual, Performing Arts, and Literature
Friday, November 8, 2024 6:15–8:15 pm
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Slawistik, Dorotheenstraße 65, Raum 5.57 To what extent have national narratives in Russia since the 19th century been constructed from local sources on the one hand, and after pan-European models on the other? To what extent was this dual nature of national reflections, representations, and manifestations intended, originally recognized, and accepted? What were the correlations between the notions of the national, European, global, and modern? How have these correlations changed over time? We will address these questions when (re)considering some cases from the visual, performing arts, and literature of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. We will explore how it was possible to compose a drama from the Russian national past based on a modern Italian opera libretto; to maintain a pan-European perspective in national history and exhibitions of Russian art; to remain a national poet in exile; and, in conclusion, how it has been possible to build an image of Russia that is not opposed to, but integrated with, Western civilization.
Speakers: Maria Chernysheva (BCB, Smolny Beyond Borders), Andrey Shabanov (Berlin-based freelance researcher and curator), Stanislav Savitski (Smolny Beyond Borders, Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen), Ilya Kalinin (Smolny Beyond Borders, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Hosted by Smolny Beyond Borders in collaboration with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
W15 Cafe Bring your lunch and gather with interested students, staff and faculty to ask scholar of American politics, Dr. Aysuda Kölemen, questions about the US election and discuss together its global impacts
Battle of the Sexes? A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Gender Differences in Competitiveness and Pay (Faculty Colloquium)
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
SR 8 (P24) This study illustrates the impact of employees’ preferences for competitiveness on gender pay gaps, highlighting differences between variable and base pay as well as variations across countries. Based on survey and human resource data on 6,746 employees from a large multinational firm, our analyses produce three main results: First, we show that competitiveness explains 5.47 percent of the unadjusted and 3.17 percent of the adjusted gender gap in total pay. Second, results reveal that competitiveness contributes more strongly to gender gaps in variable pay than base pay, suggesting that higher managerial discretion in variable pay exacerbates gender biases in favor of more competitive employees. Third, we show that in highly gender-equal countries, competitiveness has a greater effect on pay and gender pay gaps, indicating that competitiveness is used as a differentiator in pay especially when access to social and economic resources is equal.
Speaker: Stephan Müller holds a PhD in Economics (2015) from the University of Kassel. Before joining Bard College Berlin, he was a post doctoral fellow at the Chair of Microeconomics at the University of Göttingen. His research has been published in a number of journals including: Management Science, Theoretical Economics, Journal of Public Economics, European Economic Review, and Games and Economic Behavior.
Faculty members are cordially invited to the Fall 2024 Faculty Colloquium series! The colloquium is a multidisciplinary forum for discussing faculty work in various stages of progress, from brainstorming new ideas to already published work. Each session will take place over lunchtime and feature a short presentation followed by a discussion. All talks will take place on Tuesdays at 12:30-1:30pm in Seminar Room 8 (P24).
Online and W15 Student Life invites you to attend our series of programs aimed at supporting students as you make plans for post-graduation life.
Job Seekers Visas and Your Residence Permit after Graduation Wednesday, 2 October, 5pm-6pm Online (video call link) If you’re interested in staying in Germany, there’s no time like the present to be thinking about what comes after your student residence permit! We will discuss the different options including extending the student permit for graduate studies and Amber will do her best to demystify the LEA by sharing tips, tricks, and timelines for navigating the process.
CV Writing Workshop Monday, 14 October, 12:30pm W15 Cafe Want to brush up your CV or CV writing skills? Unsure about the German expectations for a CV? Don't know where to start or what questions even to ask? The CV Writing Workshop has you covered. We'll be going over the German CV requirements and I'll guide you through how to present your skills professionally, concisely, and relevantly to potential employers. No matter what your prior experience, you will learn how to portray your transferable skills, integrate your soft skills, and brag appropriately about your hard skills within the appropriate framework.
Bureaucracy in Reverse Wednesday, 13 November, 5pm - 6pm Online (video call link) You did it, but now what? Come learn about how to wrap up your time at BCB and transition to your next adventure, be that in Berlin or across the globe. In this session we will cover:
How to wrap up your academic time at BCB
What bureaucratic paperwork you need to take care of
A Comparative Analysis of Turkish and Russian Foreign Aids in Kyrgyzstan: Geopolitical Motivations, Economic Impacts, and Public Perceptions
Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
P24 Seminar Room 8 Kyrgyzstan as a landlocked country in Central Asia, has been the focus of foreign aid from various regional powers, including Turkiye and Russia. The aim of this presentation is to comparatively analyze the foreign aid strategies, objectives, and impacts of Turkiye and Russia in Kyrgyzstan, exploring their geopolitical interests and the socioeconomic effects of the assistance. In this vein, the foreign aid strategies of Turkiye and Russia illustrate distinct approaches shaped by their national interests and regional aspirations, even leadership strategies. Turkish aid fosters cultural linguistic, ethnic, and social ties, while Russian assistance reinforces strategic and security priorities as part of the Russkiy Mir narrative.Sponsored by: Bard College Berlin; OSUN.
W15 Cafe We are cordially inviting you to the Thesis Gong Ceremony for our Fall 2024 Graduates! The ceremony will take place on Fri. Nov. 15th at 4pm in the W15 Cafe. Light refreshments will be served.
K24, SR 12 Join the Bard Feminist Collective for a commemorative screening of The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo, a powerful documentary on the struggles and courage of women fighting for justice. In honor of the Mexican Day of the Dead, we’ll gather to remember and reflect on the lives of those who have been lost in this struggle. The event will be held on Friday, November 15th, from 7-9 pm in K24, Seminar Room 12.
This presentation showcases three studies to highlight the versatility of experimental economics. The first study examines asset market experiments and the role cognitive ability plays in them. The second is a survey in collaboration with the Bundesbank. Lastly (if time allows), we will explore how loss contracts affect group work. Together, these studies offer diverse examples of how experimental methodologies can be applied to economic research.
Part of Dr. Israel Waichman's Experimental Economics course.
War on Record: The Archive and the Afterlife of the U.S. Civil War
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 7–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe Please join us for a presentation and discussion of the award-winning book War on Record: The Archive and the Afterlife of the Civil War (2024) by author Yael Sternhell (Tel Aviv University/Harvard University), a history of the United States’ greatest archival project and how it has shaped what we know about the Civil War. It was the winner of the 2024 Tom Watson Brown Book Award and was shortlisted for the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize.
The Civil War generated a vast archive of official records—documents that would shape the postwar era and determine what future generations would know about the war. Yael Sternhell traces these records from their creation during wartime through their deployment in a host of postwar battles, including those between the federal government and Southerners seeking reparations and between veterans blaming each other for defeat.
These documents were eventually published in the most important historical collection ever to have been assembled in the United States: The War of the Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and the Confederate Armies. Known as the OR, it is the ultimate source for generations of scholars and writers and ordinary citizens researching the war. By delving into the archive, Sternhell reveals its power to shape myths, hide truths, perpetuate rancor, and foster reconciliation. Far more than a storehouse of papers, the Civil War archive is a major historical actor in its own right.
The Neuroscience of Mental Health & Dr. Elliot Brown's Living Experience with Depression
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 7:30–9 pm
W15 Café Jointhe Aura Club for an upcoming exciting in person guest lecture about the neuroscience of mental health and Dr. Elliot Brown’s experience navigating depression.
LitFest 2024 at Bard College Berlin: Polyphony of a Metropolis
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Friday, November 22, 2024
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) LitFest is a two-day series of readings and author talks celebrating the work of writers working across linguistic and national boundaries. In accordance with its motto, LitFest explores “Berlin - Polyphonie einer Großstadt,” or “Berlin - Polyphony of a Metropolis,” celebrating Berlin's literary diversity by highlighting writers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to create meaningful connections. All events take place at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, Berlin 13156) and are free and open to the public. Organized and moderated by Dr. Martin Widmann and Prof. Dr. Laura Scuriatti.
Thursday, November 21 18:00-19:00: Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf (Germany) and Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus) Language: German Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva, recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf, whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
19:30-20:30: The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (Ireland) Language: English Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Friday, November 22 17:30-18:30: Bard College Berlin Student Reading Language: English This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
19:30-21:00: Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) and John Erpenbeck (Germany)* Language: German Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling. *NOTE: This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Alumni Talk with Pauline Jäckels (AY '21), a political journalist and editor
Thursday, November 21, 2024 2–3:30 pm
W15 Join us for an Alumni Talk with Pauline Jäckels (AY '21), a political journalist and editor at the German daily newspaper nd. Her recent reportage has focused on the interior-political dimensions of the war in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon in Germany (among other topics). She heads public relations for the Bildungsverein and magazine dis:orient. In the context of her master's degree in ‘Global Diplomacy in the MENA Region’ at SOAS University (London), Jäckels examined the topic of silence and silencing of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian narratives as a public diplomacy instrument of the German government. During her talk followed by a Q&A, Pauline will reflect on her post-college trajectory and how liberal arts education prepared her for her current career.
This Alumni Talk takes place in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Agata Lisiak's IS331 Internship Seminar.
Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf and Volha Hapeyeva (LitFest 2024)
Thursday, November 21, 2024 6–7 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstrasse 15, 13156) Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus), recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf (Germany), whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
Volha Hapeyeva is a poet, novelist, essayist, and holds a PhD in linguistics. She was born in Minsk, Belarus, and has lived in exile in Germany since 2020. In her work, she reflects on topics such as origin, identity, and on the experience of violence and the loss of one's own language. Volha Hapeyeva describes herself as a nomad who wanders through languages and countries, times and planets in her writing. In 2019/2020 she was recipient of the Stadtschreiber fellowship in Graz. In 2021/2022 she was a fellow in the Writers-in-Exile programme of the PEN Centre Germany and in 2022 a fellow of the DAAD's Berlin Artists-in-Residence Programme 2022. She received the WORTMELDUNGEN Ulrike Crespo Literature Prize for Critical Short Texts in 2022 for her essay ‘Die Verteidigung der Poesie in Zeiten dauernden Exils’. Her most recent publications in German translation include the poetry collection Trapezherz (2023) and the novel Samota. Die Einsamkeit wohnte im Zimmer gegenüber (2024).
Uljana Wolf is a poet, translator, and essayist. In her writing she explores the everchanging space between languages. She teaches at various institutions such as the Pratt Berlin Programme, the Institute for Language Arts in Vienna, and the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. In 2022, she curated the international literature festival Poetica VI in Cologne with the title Sounding Archives - Poetry between Experiment and Document. She has been a member of the German Academy for Language and Poetry since 2017. In 2019, she held the August Wilhelm von Schlegel Visiting Professorship for Poetics of Translation at the Free University of Berlin; in 2024, she will be Thomas Kling Poetry Lecturer at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. Her most recent publications include the poetry collection muttertask (2023); the translation of her poetry collection Kochanie, Today I Bought Bread into English by Greg Nissan (2023); and, as a translator, DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi (2023) and Musik für die Toten und Auferstandenen by Valzhyna Mort (in joint translation with Katharina Narbutovic, 2021). Wolf lives and works in Berlin.
The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (LitFest 2024)
Thursday, November 21, 2024 7:30–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin) Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Naoise Dolan is an Irish novelist. She studied English literature in Dublin and Oxford, and taught English in Singapore and Hong Kong. Her debut novel, Exciting Times (2020), was nominated for the Women′s Prize for Fiction und den Dylan Thomas Prize, and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award, and the Dalkey Award (Emerging Writers). Her latest novel, The Happy Couple (2023), has been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award. Naoise Dolan lives in Berlin.
LitFest 2024 at Bard College Berlin: Polyphony of a Metropolis
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Friday, November 22, 2024
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) LitFest is a two-day series of readings and author talks celebrating the work of writers working across linguistic and national boundaries. In accordance with its motto, LitFest explores “Berlin - Polyphonie einer Großstadt,” or “Berlin - Polyphony of a Metropolis,” celebrating Berlin's literary diversity by highlighting writers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to create meaningful connections. All events take place at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, Berlin 13156) and are free and open to the public. Organized and moderated by Dr. Martin Widmann and Prof. Dr. Laura Scuriatti.
Thursday, November 21 18:00-19:00: Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf (Germany) and Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus) Language: German Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva, recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf, whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
19:30-20:30: The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (Ireland) Language: English Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Friday, November 22 17:30-18:30: Bard College Berlin Student Reading Language: English This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
19:30-21:00: Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) and John Erpenbeck (Germany)* Language: German Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling. *NOTE: This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Communication Beyond Violence? A Workshop on Managing Conflict
Friday, November 22, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
W15 Cafe This workshop will bring together various ideas on how to better communication in conflict situations. The workshop consists of verbal input, collaborative reflection, and exercises, most of which rely on concepts and methods from Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication and the Betzavta approach of the Adam Institute. Our goal is to engage with the basic concepts underlying meaningful communication around the identification and communication of needs in emotionally laden contexts in order to allow us to pay closer attention to our needs and those of others. The promise of the workshop is not to enable us to single-handedly transform communication and solve interpersonal conflict, but to offer concepts and tools for working together to enable healthier ways of communicating that may facilitate compromises that address everyone’s needs.
Till Luge is a historian of religions who worked on religious encounters in South Asia and Islam in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey. He lived, studied and worked in the US, Turkey, India and Germany. He currently works as a teacher of humanist ethics in the German school system.
Bard College Berlin Student Reading (LitFest 2024)
Friday, November 22, 2024 5:30–6:30 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstrasse 15, 13156) This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck and John Erpenbeck (LitFest 2024)
Friday, November 22, 2024 7:30–9 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize (2024) winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Pankow-Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling.
Language: German
This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Jenny Erpenbeck was born in East Berlin. She is a novelist, playwright, theatre director, and essayist. Her works include the collections of short stories The Old Child & Other Stories, The End of Days, The Book of Words, the novel Visitation and the plays Katzen haben sieben Leben (Cats Have Seven Lives, 2000) and Leibesübungen für eine Sünderin (Physical Exercises for a Sinner, 2003). She contributed to a biweekly column to the FAZ. She received a host of prestigious literary awards in Germany and abroad. The End of Days won the Hans Fallada Prize and the International Foreign Fiction Prize, representing Erpenbeck for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Her acclaimed novel Go, Went, Gone was longlisted for the 2018 International Man Booker Prize, and her latest, Kairos, won the 2024 International Booker Prize. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Berlin.
John Erpenbeck is a prominent German physicist, scholar, and novelist. As a scientist, he is known for his work in the fields of learning theory and knowledge management. As an academic and researcher, he has made significant contributions to the study of competence development, exploring how individuals acquire and apply knowledge. His interdisciplinary approach combines elements of psychology, education, and economics. Erpenbeck has authored numerous publications on these subjects, establishing himself as a leading thinker in the German academic community. He taught at the Center for Philosophy of Science in Pittsburgh, and was Professor at Potsdam University. Among his literary works are the novels Der blaue Turm (The Blue Tower, 1980), Gruppentherapie (Group Therapy, 1989), and Aufschwung (Upswing, 1996). He lives in Berlin-Niederschönhausen.
Winter on Fire: Remembering the Revolution of Dignity
Monday, November 25, 2024 6:30–9 pm
The Factory (Eichenstraße 43, 13156 Berlin) The event is dedicated to the memory of the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity of 2014. We invite our campus community to remember, reflect and share their experiences of revolution together on this day. Ongoing struggles in Ukraine and many other places keep reminding us that the struggle for freedom does not end with gaining independence. We will begin with a creative workshop on family history to jumpstart the discussion, followed by a teach-in about the Revolution of Dignity featuring live footage, and then further reflections.
Academic Freedom in the United States: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right
Monday, November 25, 2024 7–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin) Please join us for a talk by lawyer and legal scholar Prof. David M. Rabban on the meaning and importance of academic freedom and its relationship to freedom of expression in the United States. This talk will be based on Rabban's newly published work Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right (2024). Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University and author of Safe Enough Spaces, has called this text “[t]he best kind of scholarship―deeply researched and immensely useful. Wherever you stand on issues of free speech and academic freedom, you will learn from this book.” Political scientist and Open Society University Network Threatened Scholar Integration Initiative Manager Dr. Aysuda Kölemen will serve as respondent to Prof. Rabban before we open to Q&A. The event will be moderated by Associate Dean of the College Prof. Dr. Kerry Bystrom.
ProfessorDavid M. Rabban is the Dahr Jamail, Randall Hage Jamail, and Robert Lee Jamail Regents Chair in Law at the University of Texas. Professor Rabban served as counsel to the American Association of University Professors for several years before joining the Texas faculty in 1983. He later served as its general counsel and as chair of its committee on academic freedom and tenure. His teaching and research focus on free speech, academic freedom, higher education and the law, and American legal history. He was a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 2016 and of the Program in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University in 2016-17. His most recent book is Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right.
In cooperation with the OSUN Threatened Scholar Integration Initiative.
Kínēsis. The Structure of Motion in Aristotle’s Physics VIII (Faculty Colloquium)
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
SR 8 (P24) Modern science is often portrayed as a radical departure from the teaching and methods of Aristotle's natural philosophy. Reexamining the discussion of motion in book VIII of Aristotle's Physics, this talk will argue that Aristotle continues to offer valuable insights into the mechanism of motion. How is motion structured in the physical world, according to Aristotle? How is it articulated? What is the relationship between the motion of a cat getting up from the couch and the motion of the universe? What is the role of experience, induction and reasoning in Aristotle's view of scientific explanation? In other words, how far can we go in explaining the nature and causes of motion in a world that knows neither Newton nor Einstein?
Speaker: Giulia Clabassihas just earned her PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, with a dissertation on Aristotle’s Physics VIII. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy from Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy. Giulia works at the intersection of ancient philosophy and contemporary science, focusing on concepts such as Motion, Time, and Entropy. She has presented her research at Princeton University and Université Paris Sorbonne among others, with forthcoming publications in Dialogoi (Ancient Philosophy Journal). She is currently in the process of publishing her doctoral dissertation.
"Urgently Wanted: Freedom of Learning and Research" Discussion of a Work-in-Progress with Off University
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 7–9 pm
W15 Café This event is part of a Berlin-based project, part of the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 (Year of Science) initiative by the Federal Ministry for Education Research.
During summer and autumn 2024, Off University carried out artistic collaborative research on the freedom of learning, research, higher education and professional training for New Berliners.
Two groups led by experienced artist-educators, conducted field research on the barriers to access higher education and research in Berlin and documented them in a video and radio play. Join the discussion, learn, watch and hear more about the results of this process!
Learn more about the project here. Read more about the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 here.
Off University is a self-organization of politically persecuted scholars that seeks new strategies to uphold academic life and knowledge threatened by anti-democratic and authoritarian regimes. This event on BCB campus is meant to create an opportunity to engage with audiences that have similar concerns and learn how they perceive the situation of freedom of education in Berlin.
Agenda: 1. Arrival, tea & cookies 2. Welcome: presenting Off University and Access to Education initiatives at BCB 3. What we know already from literature: A short introduction on the situation of New Berliners and their freedom of education 4. Radio Play: “The Situation or the Freedom to be Loud” (19 min) – with brief introduction by Anouschka Trocker and Eunike Kramer with Alize, Pelagia, Sana, Zac and visitors of the Long Night of Science 5. Video: “An anonymous Request!” (13 min) – with brief introduction. A collective work by the participants of the Visual Storytelling Workshop 6. Q&A and moderated discussion 7. Wrap up
SLC Community Forum (hosted by Studies Committee StuPa reps)
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
W15 Cafe The final Community Forum of the semester will be hosted by the Studies Committee StuPa representatives. The main focus of the meeting will be the reaccreditation of the HAST program. All are invited to attend.
Learning Commons, on the top floor of W16 "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Abendbrot is your chance to improve your German skills in a fun and casual setting. If you are hesitant to speak the language or just want to practice in a relaxed environment, this is the place to be. We meet every other Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm, and you are welcome to join us anytime. At Abendbrot, we play games, enjoy a meal together, and simply hang out. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced in German; everyone is welcome. Come along, make mistakes, and improve your German with a friendly group of language enthusiasts.
Fall 2024 dates: Wednesday, September 25 Wednesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 30 Wednesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 27 Wednesday, December 11
From October 9 the event will be held in the Learning Commons in W16.
Intersectional Activism: Shreya Patel on Film, Feminism, and Change
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 7:30–9 pm
Join actress, filmmaker, and activist Shreya Patel for a deep dive into the intersections of feminist activism, global disparities, and storytelling through film. Known for her humanitarian work, Shreya brings a unique perspective to women’s rights issues across the globe, from human trafficking to mental health advocacy, and shares her journey from modeling to activism after witnessing stark inequalities between Global North and Global South countries. Through her films, she aims to challenge misconceptions and highlight often-overlooked issues, such as the complexities of forced migration and the legal hurdles faced by women and refugees. Expect an inspiring conversation organized by EJAAD Berlin with a Q&A to follow.
Learning Commons, on the top floor of W16 "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Abendbrot is your chance to improve your German skills in a fun and casual setting. If you are hesitant to speak the language or just want to practice in a relaxed environment, this is the place to be. We meet every other Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm, and you are welcome to join us anytime. At Abendbrot, we play games, enjoy a meal together, and simply hang out. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced in German; everyone is welcome. Come along, make mistakes, and improve your German with a friendly group of language enthusiasts.
Fall 2024 dates: Wednesday, September 25 Wednesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 30 Wednesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 27 Wednesday, December 11
From October 9 the event will be held in the Learning Commons in W16.
Learning Commons, on the top floor of W16 "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Abendbrot is your chance to improve your German skills in a fun and casual setting. If you are hesitant to speak the language or just want to practice in a relaxed environment, this is the place to be. We meet every other Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm, and you are welcome to join us anytime. At Abendbrot, we play games, enjoy a meal together, and simply hang out. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced in German; everyone is welcome. Come along, make mistakes, and improve your German with a friendly group of language enthusiasts.
Fall 2024 dates: Wednesday, September 25 Wednesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 30 Wednesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 27 Wednesday, December 11
From October 9 the event will be held in the Learning Commons in W16.
Black Hole Sun: Perspectives on Cinematic Alienation
Friday, November 29, 2024 3:45–6 pm
Lecture Hall This lecture, by filmmaker Alon Sahar, explores the way cinema approaches the phenomenon of alienation. Scenes showcasing protagonists' alienation from people and objects have existed since the dawn of cinema. Paradoxically, such depictions tend to evoke in the viewer a feeling which is the opposite of alienation - namely identification and empathy with the alienated protagonist. A well-known example for this is Charlie Chaplin’s struggle against the factory’s production line in Modern Times (1936). But it was only in the postwar period that filmmakers began to use alienation as a central effect. Not unlike the Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt in theater, created for the political purpose of undermining capitalist false-consciousness, alienation in modern cinema is often used to highlight the possibility of different modes of thinking and perceiving. This concern with alienation can be seen as a response to the collapse of the imperialistic world-order and to the upheaval in traditional values brought about by the economic boom of the postwar period. Alienation remains a theme in 21st century cinema, despite the gradual decline of arthouse cinema in recent years, for instance in the work of Chantal Akerman and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. By reference to the work of these filmmakers, as well as to the work of Ozu, Antonioni, Kubrick, and Costa, the lecture will delineate three perspectives through which modern cinema has approached the theme of alienation: in its engagement with tensions between rural and urban life; in its investigation of relations between empires and colonies; and in its exploration of the relation between body and soul.
The lecture is hosted by PL322: The Uncanny, led by Dr. Gilad Nir. In this seminar students explore the aesthetic, psychological and social aspects of the frightening and disorienting experiences to which we are exposed in modernity.
Alon Sahar is a filmmaker based in Berlin. His works are known for exploring film philosophy, complex narratives, and politics. His short film, Gelem (2014), premiered in Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and won the special jury prize at the Haifa International Film Festival. His diploma film, OUT (2018), held its world premiere in the Pardi di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival and won the best short film at Haifa. Scholarly studies of his work were published in magazines like Cultural Treasures, Takriv, and Portfolio. Sahar occasionally publishes socio-political analysis in Der Spiegel, Der Freitag, and The Jerusalem Post. He is currently developing his first feature film.
Learning Commons, on the top floor of W16 "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Abendbrot is your chance to improve your German skills in a fun and casual setting. If you are hesitant to speak the language or just want to practice in a relaxed environment, this is the place to be. We meet every other Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm, and you are welcome to join us anytime. At Abendbrot, we play games, enjoy a meal together, and simply hang out. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced in German; everyone is welcome. Come along, make mistakes, and improve your German with a friendly group of language enthusiasts.
Fall 2024 dates: Wednesday, September 25 Wednesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 30 Wednesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 27 Wednesday, December 11
From October 9 the event will be held in the Learning Commons in W16.
AI in Assignments: Second Meeting of AI Aware Universities Series
Saturday, November 30, 2024 10–11:30 am
W15 Cafe How should we adapt assignments at Bard College Berlin in response to AI? What are class assignments for? And what do you want to get from them? What should assessment really assess?
In this workshop, we’ll think about the goals of coursework and grading and what ways, if any, they are different in light of advancements in AI. BCB faculty will give short presentations on their goals for assignments. Student-led groups will then develop an AI-aware assignment that reflects the shared values of the group on learning and assessment. We look forward to thinking about what an ethical use of AI would look like from both faculty and student sides.
All members of the BCB community are invited to participate and contribute.
Together with the American University of Bulgaria and other partners, this fall Bard College Berlin hosts the program AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI. This series of lectures and student-led discussions aims to create a common playbook for developing a strategy for the ethical use of Generative AI in academic spaces.
Bard College Berlin accepts applications for entry to our BA degree programs and one-year programs in Fall 2025. The Early Action deadline for applying is November 1, 2024, at 23:59 in your time zone. Students who apply by the Early Action deadline can expect to receive their admission and financial aid/scholarship decisions by the end of December.
For more information on eligibility and application requirements, please refer here: How to Apply.
Should you have any questions about your application for admission and/or financial aid at BCB, please do not hesitate to reach out to the BCB Admissions Team at [email protected]. We look forward to receiving your application!
W15 Cafe Diwali, or the Festival of Lights, is one of the most significant festivals in Hindu culture. It symbolizes the victory of light over darkness and good over evil, and is a time for families and communities to come together in joy and gratitude. Join us for a vibrant Diwali celebration at the W15 Cafe on November 1st, from 5:30pm to 7:30pm! We’ll embrace the spirit of Diwali with delicious food and beautiful lights. Whether you're familiar with the festival or experiencing it for the first time, this is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and learn more about its traditions.
The Factory Celebrate Halloween at BCB this year with an open-mic night and costume party. All students are invited to sign up to perform and share their musical talents with their fellow BCB community. There will also be a Halloween costume competition, and a prize will be awarded to the best dressed! You can register to perform using the QR code on the event poster, or by opening this link. Performance registration will also be available the night of, so if you're inspired to perform after seeing others do so, you can register then as well. Even if you're not looking to perform, come enjoy a night full of music and fun Halloween spirit!
Online Event Interested in learning more about Bard College Berlin? Save the date and join us on November 2 for Virtual Open Day!
You will have the chance to meet current BCB students, and attend informational sessions about our application process, degree programs, student life, campus facilities, and more.
AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI
Saturday, November 2, 2024 10 am – 3 pm
W15 Cafe On Saturday November 2nd, we will have the opening lectures of the program AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI.
BCB alumni Khalil Hammod and Professor Hans-Christian von Hermann of the TU Berlin will deliver lectures on the current state of AI in an academic context. Lectures: Khalil Hammod: “Generative AI Essentials: Chatbots, Prompts, and Live Demos” Hans-Christian von Hermann: “Large Language Models as Reading and Writing Machines: Artificial Intelligence Between Language Experiment and Cliché”
This series of lectures and student-led discussions aims to create a common playbook for developing a strategy for the ethical use of Generative AI in academic spaces. All members of the BCB community are invited to participate and contribute their input.
10 AM to 3 PM in the W15 Cafe. Lunch will be provided.
In cooperation with the American University of Bulgaria.
Human Rights Open Source Investigations: A Workshop on Digital Research Techniques
Saturday, November 2, 2024 10 am – 6 pm
Platanenstraße 98, 13156 Berlin This one-day workshop, hosted by the Ukraine students club and Digital Verification Corps at Bard College Berlin in collaboration with OSINT for Ukraine, offers participants the chance to immerse themselves in the growing field of open-source research. The morning session will feature OSINT for Ukraine’s work documenting war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, plus their analysis of disinformation campaigns targeting Europe. Following this, participants will engage in a hands-on skills workshop focused on researching Russian real estate companies that benefit from the sale of occupied land.
In the afternoon, Hesham Moadamani from Bard College Berlin’s Civic Engagement Office will share the open-source techniques he has applied in his research on Syria. He will then lead a workshop on documenting unlawful attacks on healthcare facilities in Lebanon and Yemen.
This event is designed to equip students and human rights practitioners with skills to leverage open-source information for human rights investigations.
11:00 - 11:15 : Introduction of first workshop topic and forming groups Russian real estate companies in occupied Ukraine This workshop will offer hands-on practice for participants in documenting unlawful seizures of private property by an occupying state. Participants will research Russian real estate companies profiting from the annexation of Ukrainian territory, using a combination of techniques, such as social media and archive-based research.
15:10 - 15:25 : Introduction of second workshop topic and forming groups Documenting Human Rights Violations in Armed Conflict: Leveraging Open-Source Intelligence This workshop explores how open source research can document laws-of-war violations related to the targeting of healthcare facilities. Participants will learn techniques for finding, collecting, verifying, and presenting digital evidence, such as social media content and satellite imagery, while navigating challenges such as misinformation and bias, as well as self-care when viewing traumatic imagery. We'll cover the role of open source work in journalism, advocacy, and legal proceedings, highlighting key standards such as the Berkeley Protocol. 15:25 - 17:30 : Second group sessions 17:30 - 18:00 : Wrap-up and closing remarks
John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Lansstr. 7-9 14195 Berlin, Room 340 Join the panel discussion on the election with professors from the FU and HU. Bring all the questions you may have about the election and what it could mean for our future.
Organized by the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies.
W15 Cafe Polls on the east coast of the US will begin closing in the early morning of November 6 in Berlin. In case you don’t want to be alone as the results start coming in, Student Life will set up a TV screen so that students can watch together. There will be snacks and tea.
The livestream will be left on until mid-day and all are welcome to gather in the W15 Cafe at any point from early morning to mid-day.
Graduate Education in Germany Info Session (with the Hertie School)
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 12:45–1:45 pm
Lecture Hall, Platanenstraße 98a, 13156 Berlin Join us for an in-person info session on "Applying to Graduate Schools in Germany: What are your options and how to boost your chances” presented by Matthew Poet from the Hertie School, one of Europe’s top policy schools (Berlin, Germany).
Silenced Voices at COP29: Repression in Azerbaijan
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 6–7:30 pm
W15 Café (Waldstr. 15, 13156 Berlin) Azerbaijan is about to host COP29, the UN Climate Change Conference, with events in Baku from November 11 to 22. At the same time, the government has intensified its crackdown on government critics, independent groups, environmental activists, and the media, arresting dozens of people on bogus charges. As an oil and gas producing country, Azerbaijan’s hostility towards critics will prevent activists, human rights defenders, and journalists from meaningfully participating in COP29.
Please join us on November 6, from 6 to 7:30pm, to hear from two prominent Azeri human rights lawyers: Emin Aslanov and Nijat Mammadbayli. They will describe the difficult human rights situation in the country today and what this means for democracy in the country, stability in the region, and the urgent need to address the impacts of climate change. Journalist and author Angelina Davydova will discuss the issues and controversies around COP29. Moderated by Arzu Geybullayeva and co-hosted by Araminta.
Nijat Mammadbayli is a human rights lawyer specializing in human rights and international law, with an extensive track record in legal advocacy and strategic litigation. He has successfully represented individuals and organizations in complex cases involving civil liberties, justice reform, and the protection of fundamental rights. Currently based in Berlin, he leads the newly established NGO, Free Voices Collective e.V.
Emin Aslanov is a human rights lawyer specializing in human rights. He has experience in strategic litigation and has represented political cases before local and international courts. He is currently a member of the newly established NGO Free Voices Collective e.V in Berlin.
Angelina Davydova, environmental and climate journalist, fellow with the Institute for Global Reconstitution, environmental projects coordinator with the Dialogue for Understanding e. V, expert with the Ukraine war Environmental Consequences Work Group, co-host of the podcast the Eurasian Climate Brief, observer with the UN climate negotiations (UNFCCC) since 2008.
K24 The Druze Religion & As-swayda marks the third event of the Human Library project. Each meeting features a different "book"—a real person with a meaningful, lived experience to share. Unlike a traditional library, the "books" in our Human Library are individuals who open up their personal stories for us to engage with, creating deeper connections and promoting understanding.
Our goal is to create space for authentic, human stories—stories that often get lost or overshadowed by the noise of media, stereotypes, and the routine of everyday life. The narratives can explore themes such as identity, immigration, places, culture, and more. The possibilities are endless.
John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies, Lansstr. 7-9 14195 Berlin, Room 340 or Online Join us on November 7, 2024, for "The US Elections: A First Appraisal," a timely debrief conference analyzing the outcomes of the US elections. Co-organized by the John F. Kennedy Institute for North American Studies and Bard College Berlin.
The conference will feature two panels: Democracy: Still Under Siege? (10:00-11:15), focusing on domestic political developments, and The Future of the Liberal International Order (11:30-12:45), exploring the global implications of the elections. Experts from leading US and European institutions will participate in-person and online.
Register via [email protected]e for Webex participation.Sponsored by: Bard College Berlin.
Does Liberalism Have a Future? And Does It Look Like Its Past?
Thursday, November 7, 2024 7–8:30 pm
Zentrum Liberale Moderne (Reinhardtstraße 15, 10117 Berlin) Bard College Berlin, in cooperation with the Ludwig-Erhard-Forum für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft and Zentrum Liberale Moderne cordially invite you to a debate on the past and future of liberalism with Prof. Dr. Alan S. Kahan. Drawing on his recent book, Freedom from Fear: An Incomplete History of Liberalism (Princeton University Press) which was named among the ‘Best Books of 2023’ by the Financial Times, Professor Kahan will discuss the troubled relationship of liberalism and populism in historical perspective. Beginning his story in the late eighteenth century, and carrying it into the 21st, he will argue that a return to the traditional three pillars of liberalism - freedom, markets, and morals - can help liberals respond to the populist challenge. The event takes place two days ahead of the 35th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall and two days after the US elections – events deeply connected to the past and future of liberty. Panelists include: Ewa Atanassow (Bard College Berlin), Stefan Kolev (Ludwig-Erhard-Forum), and Karolina Wigura (Zentrum Liberale Moderne).
Alan S. Kahan is a US-born Professor of British Civilization at the Université Paris-Saclay and a distinguished historian of liberalism. His many books include Tocqueville, Democracy, and Religion; Liberalism in Nineteenth-Century Europe; and Aristocratic Liberalism.
Ewa Atanassow is Professor of Politics at Bard College Berlin whose research focuses on the troubled relationship between liberalism and democracy. She is the author of Tocqueville’s Dilemmas, and Ours: Sovereignty, Nationalism, Globalization (Princeton University Press, 2022); and the co-editor of When the People Rule: Popular Sovereignty in Theory and Practice (Cambridge University Press, 2023) among others.
Stefan Kolev is the academic director of the Ludwig Erhard Forum for Economy and Society in Berlin and Professor for Political Economy at the University of Applied Sciences Zwickau. Stefan Kolev’s research focuses on the history of economic thought, especially ordoliberalism, Austrian economics and the German Historical School, on constitutional and institutional economics, and on economic sociology, especially Max Weber.
Karolina Wigura is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Liberal Modernity (Berlin) and a board member of the Kultura Liberalna Foundation (Warsaw). She specializes in the political philosophy of the 20th century, history of emotions, and populism. She is a regular contributor to The New York Times and The Guardian. Her recent publications include Posttraumatische Souveränität (Suhrkamp 2023, with Jarosław Kuisz).
In coorperation with Ludwig-Erhard-Forum für Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft Zentrum Liberale Moderne
Focus! Neurodiversity: A Personal Perspective, and Global Diagnostic Disparities
Thursday, November 7, 2024 7:30 pm
Join us for a Focus session where an autistic student shares firsthand insights into life with Autism and ADHD. Learn about the challenges of diagnosis in the Middle East, or general diagnoses challenges, and deepen your understanding of neurodiversity. Whether you're curious or looking to expand your knowledge, this is a great chance to listen, learn, and engage.
This event is part of the BCB Focus student-led event series that explores global issues and their impact on us as members of the BCB community. Focus! is a new student-led talk series in collaboration with the Civic Engagement initiative at BCB that explores global issues on a local scale. We imagine this event series as a space outside of the classroom where we can talk about the politics that concern us, especially the politics that don’t make the headlines of international news, but nevertheless are important and relevant topics to discuss, especially in such an international context like our school!
When it comes to the topic or scope of a Focus, anything goes! Even if you have a half-developed idea, we’re here to brainstorm and help you shape it into a strong presentation for your peers.
Maybe something major is happening in your country that you'd like to explore beyond the headlines. Maybe you want to address a common stereotype or misconception that has never really been true. Or perhaps there’s an issue you’re passionate about and want to bring more attention to. You might even have written a great midterm paper that deserves more than just catching dust on Google Drive or your professor's desk—why not share it with your peers?
We especially encourage you to think of collaborative presentations, where you can work with your friends, flatmates or classmates to examine a topic across different countries and contexts, highlighting how similar issues, patterns, or solutions emerge in different but nevertheless interconnected ways.
The Pan-European and the Local in Russian National Narratives. Visual, Performing Arts, and Literature
Friday, November 8, 2024 6:15–8:15 pm
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institut für Slawistik, Dorotheenstraße 65, Raum 5.57 To what extent have national narratives in Russia since the 19th century been constructed from local sources on the one hand, and after pan-European models on the other? To what extent was this dual nature of national reflections, representations, and manifestations intended, originally recognized, and accepted? What were the correlations between the notions of the national, European, global, and modern? How have these correlations changed over time? We will address these questions when (re)considering some cases from the visual, performing arts, and literature of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. We will explore how it was possible to compose a drama from the Russian national past based on a modern Italian opera libretto; to maintain a pan-European perspective in national history and exhibitions of Russian art; to remain a national poet in exile; and, in conclusion, how it has been possible to build an image of Russia that is not opposed to, but integrated with, Western civilization.
Speakers: Maria Chernysheva (BCB, Smolny Beyond Borders), Andrey Shabanov (Berlin-based freelance researcher and curator), Stanislav Savitski (Smolny Beyond Borders, Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen), Ilya Kalinin (Smolny Beyond Borders, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin)
Hosted by Smolny Beyond Borders in collaboration with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
W15 Cafe Bring your lunch and gather with interested students, staff and faculty to ask scholar of American politics, Dr. Aysuda Kölemen, questions about the US election and discuss together its global impacts
Battle of the Sexes? A Cross-Cultural Analysis of Gender Differences in Competitiveness and Pay (Faculty Colloquium)
Tuesday, November 12, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
SR 8 (P24) This study illustrates the impact of employees’ preferences for competitiveness on gender pay gaps, highlighting differences between variable and base pay as well as variations across countries. Based on survey and human resource data on 6,746 employees from a large multinational firm, our analyses produce three main results: First, we show that competitiveness explains 5.47 percent of the unadjusted and 3.17 percent of the adjusted gender gap in total pay. Second, results reveal that competitiveness contributes more strongly to gender gaps in variable pay than base pay, suggesting that higher managerial discretion in variable pay exacerbates gender biases in favor of more competitive employees. Third, we show that in highly gender-equal countries, competitiveness has a greater effect on pay and gender pay gaps, indicating that competitiveness is used as a differentiator in pay especially when access to social and economic resources is equal.
Speaker: Stephan Müller holds a PhD in Economics (2015) from the University of Kassel. Before joining Bard College Berlin, he was a post doctoral fellow at the Chair of Microeconomics at the University of Göttingen. His research has been published in a number of journals including: Management Science, Theoretical Economics, Journal of Public Economics, European Economic Review, and Games and Economic Behavior.
Faculty members are cordially invited to the Fall 2024 Faculty Colloquium series! The colloquium is a multidisciplinary forum for discussing faculty work in various stages of progress, from brainstorming new ideas to already published work. Each session will take place over lunchtime and feature a short presentation followed by a discussion. All talks will take place on Tuesdays at 12:30-1:30pm in Seminar Room 8 (P24).
Online and W15 Student Life invites you to attend our series of programs aimed at supporting students as you make plans for post-graduation life.
Job Seekers Visas and Your Residence Permit after Graduation Wednesday, 2 October, 5pm-6pm Online (video call link) If you’re interested in staying in Germany, there’s no time like the present to be thinking about what comes after your student residence permit! We will discuss the different options including extending the student permit for graduate studies and Amber will do her best to demystify the LEA by sharing tips, tricks, and timelines for navigating the process.
CV Writing Workshop Monday, 14 October, 12:30pm W15 Cafe Want to brush up your CV or CV writing skills? Unsure about the German expectations for a CV? Don't know where to start or what questions even to ask? The CV Writing Workshop has you covered. We'll be going over the German CV requirements and I'll guide you through how to present your skills professionally, concisely, and relevantly to potential employers. No matter what your prior experience, you will learn how to portray your transferable skills, integrate your soft skills, and brag appropriately about your hard skills within the appropriate framework.
Bureaucracy in Reverse Wednesday, 13 November, 5pm - 6pm Online (video call link) You did it, but now what? Come learn about how to wrap up your time at BCB and transition to your next adventure, be that in Berlin or across the globe. In this session we will cover:
How to wrap up your academic time at BCB
What bureaucratic paperwork you need to take care of
A Comparative Analysis of Turkish and Russian Foreign Aids in Kyrgyzstan: Geopolitical Motivations, Economic Impacts, and Public Perceptions
Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
P24 Seminar Room 8 Kyrgyzstan as a landlocked country in Central Asia, has been the focus of foreign aid from various regional powers, including Turkiye and Russia. The aim of this presentation is to comparatively analyze the foreign aid strategies, objectives, and impacts of Turkiye and Russia in Kyrgyzstan, exploring their geopolitical interests and the socioeconomic effects of the assistance. In this vein, the foreign aid strategies of Turkiye and Russia illustrate distinct approaches shaped by their national interests and regional aspirations, even leadership strategies. Turkish aid fosters cultural linguistic, ethnic, and social ties, while Russian assistance reinforces strategic and security priorities as part of the Russkiy Mir narrative.Sponsored by: Bard College Berlin; OSUN.
W15 Cafe We are cordially inviting you to the Thesis Gong Ceremony for our Fall 2024 Graduates! The ceremony will take place on Fri. Nov. 15th at 4pm in the W15 Cafe. Light refreshments will be served.
K24, SR 12 Join the Bard Feminist Collective for a commemorative screening of The Three Deaths of Marisela Escobedo, a powerful documentary on the struggles and courage of women fighting for justice. In honor of the Mexican Day of the Dead, we’ll gather to remember and reflect on the lives of those who have been lost in this struggle. The event will be held on Friday, November 15th, from 7-9 pm in K24, Seminar Room 12.
This presentation showcases three studies to highlight the versatility of experimental economics. The first study examines asset market experiments and the role cognitive ability plays in them. The second is a survey in collaboration with the Bundesbank. Lastly (if time allows), we will explore how loss contracts affect group work. Together, these studies offer diverse examples of how experimental methodologies can be applied to economic research.
Part of Dr. Israel Waichman's Experimental Economics course.
War on Record: The Archive and the Afterlife of the U.S. Civil War
Tuesday, November 19, 2024 7–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe Please join us for a presentation and discussion of the award-winning book War on Record: The Archive and the Afterlife of the Civil War (2024) by author Yael Sternhell (Tel Aviv University/Harvard University), a history of the United States’ greatest archival project and how it has shaped what we know about the Civil War. It was the winner of the 2024 Tom Watson Brown Book Award and was shortlisted for the 2024 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize.
The Civil War generated a vast archive of official records—documents that would shape the postwar era and determine what future generations would know about the war. Yael Sternhell traces these records from their creation during wartime through their deployment in a host of postwar battles, including those between the federal government and Southerners seeking reparations and between veterans blaming each other for defeat.
These documents were eventually published in the most important historical collection ever to have been assembled in the United States: The War of the Rebellion: The Official Records of the Union and the Confederate Armies. Known as the OR, it is the ultimate source for generations of scholars and writers and ordinary citizens researching the war. By delving into the archive, Sternhell reveals its power to shape myths, hide truths, perpetuate rancor, and foster reconciliation. Far more than a storehouse of papers, the Civil War archive is a major historical actor in its own right.
The Neuroscience of Mental Health & Dr. Elliot Brown's Living Experience with Depression
Wednesday, November 20, 2024 7:30–9 pm
W15 Café Jointhe Aura Club for an upcoming exciting in person guest lecture about the neuroscience of mental health and Dr. Elliot Brown’s experience navigating depression.
LitFest 2024 at Bard College Berlin: Polyphony of a Metropolis
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Friday, November 22, 2024
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) LitFest is a two-day series of readings and author talks celebrating the work of writers working across linguistic and national boundaries. In accordance with its motto, LitFest explores “Berlin - Polyphonie einer Großstadt,” or “Berlin - Polyphony of a Metropolis,” celebrating Berlin's literary diversity by highlighting writers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to create meaningful connections. All events take place at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, Berlin 13156) and are free and open to the public. Organized and moderated by Dr. Martin Widmann and Prof. Dr. Laura Scuriatti.
Thursday, November 21 18:00-19:00: Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf (Germany) and Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus) Language: German Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva, recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf, whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
19:30-20:30: The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (Ireland) Language: English Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Friday, November 22 17:30-18:30: Bard College Berlin Student Reading Language: English This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
19:30-21:00: Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) and John Erpenbeck (Germany)* Language: German Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling. *NOTE: This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Alumni Talk with Pauline Jäckels (AY '21), a political journalist and editor
Thursday, November 21, 2024 2–3:30 pm
W15 Join us for an Alumni Talk with Pauline Jäckels (AY '21), a political journalist and editor at the German daily newspaper nd. Her recent reportage has focused on the interior-political dimensions of the war in Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon in Germany (among other topics). She heads public relations for the Bildungsverein and magazine dis:orient. In the context of her master's degree in ‘Global Diplomacy in the MENA Region’ at SOAS University (London), Jäckels examined the topic of silence and silencing of Palestinian and pro-Palestinian narratives as a public diplomacy instrument of the German government. During her talk followed by a Q&A, Pauline will reflect on her post-college trajectory and how liberal arts education prepared her for her current career.
This Alumni Talk takes place in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Agata Lisiak's IS331 Internship Seminar.
Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf and Volha Hapeyeva (LitFest 2024)
Thursday, November 21, 2024 6–7 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstrasse 15, 13156) Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus), recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf (Germany), whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
Volha Hapeyeva is a poet, novelist, essayist, and holds a PhD in linguistics. She was born in Minsk, Belarus, and has lived in exile in Germany since 2020. In her work, she reflects on topics such as origin, identity, and on the experience of violence and the loss of one's own language. Volha Hapeyeva describes herself as a nomad who wanders through languages and countries, times and planets in her writing. In 2019/2020 she was recipient of the Stadtschreiber fellowship in Graz. In 2021/2022 she was a fellow in the Writers-in-Exile programme of the PEN Centre Germany and in 2022 a fellow of the DAAD's Berlin Artists-in-Residence Programme 2022. She received the WORTMELDUNGEN Ulrike Crespo Literature Prize for Critical Short Texts in 2022 for her essay ‘Die Verteidigung der Poesie in Zeiten dauernden Exils’. Her most recent publications in German translation include the poetry collection Trapezherz (2023) and the novel Samota. Die Einsamkeit wohnte im Zimmer gegenüber (2024).
Uljana Wolf is a poet, translator, and essayist. In her writing she explores the everchanging space between languages. She teaches at various institutions such as the Pratt Berlin Programme, the Institute for Language Arts in Vienna, and the German Literature Institute in Leipzig. In 2022, she curated the international literature festival Poetica VI in Cologne with the title Sounding Archives - Poetry between Experiment and Document. She has been a member of the German Academy for Language and Poetry since 2017. In 2019, she held the August Wilhelm von Schlegel Visiting Professorship for Poetics of Translation at the Free University of Berlin; in 2024, she will be Thomas Kling Poetry Lecturer at the Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn. Her most recent publications include the poetry collection muttertask (2023); the translation of her poetry collection Kochanie, Today I Bought Bread into English by Greg Nissan (2023); and, as a translator, DMZ Colony by Don Mee Choi (2023) and Musik für die Toten und Auferstandenen by Valzhyna Mort (in joint translation with Katharina Narbutovic, 2021). Wolf lives and works in Berlin.
The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (LitFest 2024)
Thursday, November 21, 2024 7:30–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin) Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Naoise Dolan is an Irish novelist. She studied English literature in Dublin and Oxford, and taught English in Singapore and Hong Kong. Her debut novel, Exciting Times (2020), was nominated for the Women′s Prize for Fiction und den Dylan Thomas Prize, and shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award, the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year award, and the Dalkey Award (Emerging Writers). Her latest novel, The Happy Couple (2023), has been shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award. Naoise Dolan lives in Berlin.
LitFest 2024 at Bard College Berlin: Polyphony of a Metropolis
Thursday, November 21, 2024 – Friday, November 22, 2024
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) LitFest is a two-day series of readings and author talks celebrating the work of writers working across linguistic and national boundaries. In accordance with its motto, LitFest explores “Berlin - Polyphonie einer Großstadt,” or “Berlin - Polyphony of a Metropolis,” celebrating Berlin's literary diversity by highlighting writers from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds to create meaningful connections. All events take place at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, Berlin 13156) and are free and open to the public. Organized and moderated by Dr. Martin Widmann and Prof. Dr. Laura Scuriatti.
Thursday, November 21 18:00-19:00: Poetry Reading & Conversation with Uljana Wolf (Germany) and Volha Hapeyeva (Belarus) Language: German Poet, translator, and linguist Volha Hapeyeva, recipient of the prestigious Wortmeldungen Prize 2022 for her essay on poetry and exile, will be in conversation with award-winning poet, essayist, and translator Uljana Wolf, whose writing oscillates between her native German and several other languages.
19:30-20:30: The Happy Couple: Novel Reading & Conversation with Naoise Dolan (Ireland) Language: English Irish novelist Naoise Dolan, author of Exciting Times (2020) and The Happy Couple (2023), will discuss her writing featuring the experiences, fears, and hopes of the millennial generation through characters who navigate an increasingly technologically connected but politically complex world.
Friday, November 22 17:30-18:30: Bard College Berlin Student Reading Language: English This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
19:30-21:00: Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck (Germany) and John Erpenbeck (Germany)* Language: German Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling. *NOTE: This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Communication Beyond Violence? A Workshop on Managing Conflict
Friday, November 22, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
W15 Cafe This workshop will bring together various ideas on how to better communication in conflict situations. The workshop consists of verbal input, collaborative reflection, and exercises, most of which rely on concepts and methods from Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication and the Betzavta approach of the Adam Institute. Our goal is to engage with the basic concepts underlying meaningful communication around the identification and communication of needs in emotionally laden contexts in order to allow us to pay closer attention to our needs and those of others. The promise of the workshop is not to enable us to single-handedly transform communication and solve interpersonal conflict, but to offer concepts and tools for working together to enable healthier ways of communicating that may facilitate compromises that address everyone’s needs.
Till Luge is a historian of religions who worked on religious encounters in South Asia and Islam in the Ottoman Empire and Turkey. He lived, studied and worked in the US, Turkey, India and Germany. He currently works as a teacher of humanist ethics in the German school system.
Bard College Berlin Student Reading (LitFest 2024)
Friday, November 22, 2024 5:30–6:30 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstrasse 15, 13156) This event features Bard College Berlin students reading from their works of creative writing, fiction, and poetry.
Familienstraße: Novel Reading & Conversation with Jenny Erpenbeck and John Erpenbeck (LitFest 2024)
Friday, November 22, 2024 7:30–9 pm
W15 Cafe at Bard College Berlin (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin, Germany) Jenny Erpenbeck, renowned German novelist, playwright, and International Booker Prize (2024) winner for her novel Kairos, with her father, acclaimed scientist, novelist and longtime resident of Pankow-Niederschönhausen John Erpenbeck will talk about their respective careers in the GDR and in Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall, about the history of their family, and about how their writing captures recent social changes and universal human issues through storytelling.
Language: German
This talk requires registration. Please register online here.
Jenny Erpenbeck was born in East Berlin. She is a novelist, playwright, theatre director, and essayist. Her works include the collections of short stories The Old Child & Other Stories, The End of Days, The Book of Words, the novel Visitation and the plays Katzen haben sieben Leben (Cats Have Seven Lives, 2000) and Leibesübungen für eine Sünderin (Physical Exercises for a Sinner, 2003). She contributed to a biweekly column to the FAZ. She received a host of prestigious literary awards in Germany and abroad. The End of Days won the Hans Fallada Prize and the International Foreign Fiction Prize, representing Erpenbeck for the 2024 Neustadt International Prize for Literature. Her acclaimed novel Go, Went, Gone was longlisted for the 2018 International Man Booker Prize, and her latest, Kairos, won the 2024 International Booker Prize. Her works have been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Berlin.
John Erpenbeck is a prominent German physicist, scholar, and novelist. As a scientist, he is known for his work in the fields of learning theory and knowledge management. As an academic and researcher, he has made significant contributions to the study of competence development, exploring how individuals acquire and apply knowledge. His interdisciplinary approach combines elements of psychology, education, and economics. Erpenbeck has authored numerous publications on these subjects, establishing himself as a leading thinker in the German academic community. He taught at the Center for Philosophy of Science in Pittsburgh, and was Professor at Potsdam University. Among his literary works are the novels Der blaue Turm (The Blue Tower, 1980), Gruppentherapie (Group Therapy, 1989), and Aufschwung (Upswing, 1996). He lives in Berlin-Niederschönhausen.
Winter on Fire: Remembering the Revolution of Dignity
Monday, November 25, 2024 6:30–9 pm
The Factory (Eichenstraße 43, 13156 Berlin) The event is dedicated to the memory of the Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity of 2014. We invite our campus community to remember, reflect and share their experiences of revolution together on this day. Ongoing struggles in Ukraine and many other places keep reminding us that the struggle for freedom does not end with gaining independence. We will begin with a creative workshop on family history to jumpstart the discussion, followed by a teach-in about the Revolution of Dignity featuring live footage, and then further reflections.
Academic Freedom in the United States: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right
Monday, November 25, 2024 7–8:30 pm
W15 Cafe (Waldstraße 15, 13156 Berlin) Please join us for a talk by lawyer and legal scholar Prof. David M. Rabban on the meaning and importance of academic freedom and its relationship to freedom of expression in the United States. This talk will be based on Rabban's newly published work Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right (2024). Michael Roth, President of Wesleyan University and author of Safe Enough Spaces, has called this text “[t]he best kind of scholarship―deeply researched and immensely useful. Wherever you stand on issues of free speech and academic freedom, you will learn from this book.” Political scientist and Open Society University Network Threatened Scholar Integration Initiative Manager Dr. Aysuda Kölemen will serve as respondent to Prof. Rabban before we open to Q&A. The event will be moderated by Associate Dean of the College Prof. Dr. Kerry Bystrom.
ProfessorDavid M. Rabban is the Dahr Jamail, Randall Hage Jamail, and Robert Lee Jamail Regents Chair in Law at the University of Texas. Professor Rabban served as counsel to the American Association of University Professors for several years before joining the Texas faculty in 1983. He later served as its general counsel and as chair of its committee on academic freedom and tenure. His teaching and research focus on free speech, academic freedom, higher education and the law, and American legal history. He was a fellow of the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation in 2016 and of the Program in Law and Public Affairs at Princeton University in 2016-17. His most recent book is Academic Freedom: From Professional Norm to First Amendment Right.
In cooperation with the OSUN Threatened Scholar Integration Initiative.
Kínēsis. The Structure of Motion in Aristotle’s Physics VIII (Faculty Colloquium)
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
SR 8 (P24) Modern science is often portrayed as a radical departure from the teaching and methods of Aristotle's natural philosophy. Reexamining the discussion of motion in book VIII of Aristotle's Physics, this talk will argue that Aristotle continues to offer valuable insights into the mechanism of motion. How is motion structured in the physical world, according to Aristotle? How is it articulated? What is the relationship between the motion of a cat getting up from the couch and the motion of the universe? What is the role of experience, induction and reasoning in Aristotle's view of scientific explanation? In other words, how far can we go in explaining the nature and causes of motion in a world that knows neither Newton nor Einstein?
Speaker: Giulia Clabassihas just earned her PhD in Philosophy from Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, with a dissertation on Aristotle’s Physics VIII. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy from Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy. Giulia works at the intersection of ancient philosophy and contemporary science, focusing on concepts such as Motion, Time, and Entropy. She has presented her research at Princeton University and Université Paris Sorbonne among others, with forthcoming publications in Dialogoi (Ancient Philosophy Journal). She is currently in the process of publishing her doctoral dissertation.
"Urgently Wanted: Freedom of Learning and Research" Discussion of a Work-in-Progress with Off University
Tuesday, November 26, 2024 7–9 pm
W15 Café This event is part of a Berlin-based project, part of the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 (Year of Science) initiative by the Federal Ministry for Education Research.
During summer and autumn 2024, Off University carried out artistic collaborative research on the freedom of learning, research, higher education and professional training for New Berliners.
Two groups led by experienced artist-educators, conducted field research on the barriers to access higher education and research in Berlin and documented them in a video and radio play. Join the discussion, learn, watch and hear more about the results of this process!
Learn more about the project here. Read more about the Wissenschaftsjahr 2024 here.
Off University is a self-organization of politically persecuted scholars that seeks new strategies to uphold academic life and knowledge threatened by anti-democratic and authoritarian regimes. This event on BCB campus is meant to create an opportunity to engage with audiences that have similar concerns and learn how they perceive the situation of freedom of education in Berlin.
Agenda: 1. Arrival, tea & cookies 2. Welcome: presenting Off University and Access to Education initiatives at BCB 3. What we know already from literature: A short introduction on the situation of New Berliners and their freedom of education 4. Radio Play: “The Situation or the Freedom to be Loud” (19 min) – with brief introduction by Anouschka Trocker and Eunike Kramer with Alize, Pelagia, Sana, Zac and visitors of the Long Night of Science 5. Video: “An anonymous Request!” (13 min) – with brief introduction. A collective work by the participants of the Visual Storytelling Workshop 6. Q&A and moderated discussion 7. Wrap up
SLC Community Forum (hosted by Studies Committee StuPa reps)
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 12:30–1:30 pm
W15 Cafe The final Community Forum of the semester will be hosted by the Studies Committee StuPa representatives. The main focus of the meeting will be the reaccreditation of the HAST program. All are invited to attend.
Learning Commons, on the top floor of W16 "Abendbrot" is an informal social gathering for all students interested in speaking German. Takes place bi-weekly on Wednesdays.
Abendbrot is your chance to improve your German skills in a fun and casual setting. If you are hesitant to speak the language or just want to practice in a relaxed environment, this is the place to be. We meet every other Wednesday of the month at 7:30pm, and you are welcome to join us anytime. At Abendbrot, we play games, enjoy a meal together, and simply hang out. It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or more advanced in German; everyone is welcome. Come along, make mistakes, and improve your German with a friendly group of language enthusiasts.
Fall 2024 dates: Wednesday, September 25 Wednesday, October 9 Wednesday, October 30 Wednesday, November 13 Wednesday, November 27 Wednesday, December 11
From October 9 the event will be held in the Learning Commons in W16.
Intersectional Activism: Shreya Patel on Film, Feminism, and Change
Wednesday, November 27, 2024 7:30–9 pm
Join actress, filmmaker, and activist Shreya Patel for a deep dive into the intersections of feminist activism, global disparities, and storytelling through film. Known for her humanitarian work, Shreya brings a unique perspective to women’s rights issues across the globe, from human trafficking to mental health advocacy, and shares her journey from modeling to activism after witnessing stark inequalities between Global North and Global South countries. Through her films, she aims to challenge misconceptions and highlight often-overlooked issues, such as the complexities of forced migration and the legal hurdles faced by women and refugees. Expect an inspiring conversation organized by EJAAD Berlin with a Q&A to follow.
Black Hole Sun: Perspectives on Cinematic Alienation
Friday, November 29, 2024 3:45–6 pm
Lecture Hall This lecture, by filmmaker Alon Sahar, explores the way cinema approaches the phenomenon of alienation. Scenes showcasing protagonists' alienation from people and objects have existed since the dawn of cinema. Paradoxically, such depictions tend to evoke in the viewer a feeling which is the opposite of alienation - namely identification and empathy with the alienated protagonist. A well-known example for this is Charlie Chaplin’s struggle against the factory’s production line in Modern Times (1936). But it was only in the postwar period that filmmakers began to use alienation as a central effect. Not unlike the Brechtian Verfremdungseffekt in theater, created for the political purpose of undermining capitalist false-consciousness, alienation in modern cinema is often used to highlight the possibility of different modes of thinking and perceiving. This concern with alienation can be seen as a response to the collapse of the imperialistic world-order and to the upheaval in traditional values brought about by the economic boom of the postwar period. Alienation remains a theme in 21st century cinema, despite the gradual decline of arthouse cinema in recent years, for instance in the work of Chantal Akerman and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. By reference to the work of these filmmakers, as well as to the work of Ozu, Antonioni, Kubrick, and Costa, the lecture will delineate three perspectives through which modern cinema has approached the theme of alienation: in its engagement with tensions between rural and urban life; in its investigation of relations between empires and colonies; and in its exploration of the relation between body and soul.
The lecture is hosted by PL322: The Uncanny, led by Dr. Gilad Nir. In this seminar students explore the aesthetic, psychological and social aspects of the frightening and disorienting experiences to which we are exposed in modernity.
Alon Sahar is a filmmaker based in Berlin. His works are known for exploring film philosophy, complex narratives, and politics. His short film, Gelem (2014), premiered in Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival and won the special jury prize at the Haifa International Film Festival. His diploma film, OUT (2018), held its world premiere in the Pardi di Domani section at the Locarno Film Festival and won the best short film at Haifa. Scholarly studies of his work were published in magazines like Cultural Treasures, Takriv, and Portfolio. Sahar occasionally publishes socio-political analysis in Der Spiegel, Der Freitag, and The Jerusalem Post. He is currently developing his first feature film.
AI in Assignments: Second Meeting of AI Aware Universities Series
Saturday, November 30, 2024 10–11:30 am
W15 Cafe How should we adapt assignments at Bard College Berlin in response to AI? What are class assignments for? And what do you want to get from them? What should assessment really assess?
In this workshop, we’ll think about the goals of coursework and grading and what ways, if any, they are different in light of advancements in AI. BCB faculty will give short presentations on their goals for assignments. Student-led groups will then develop an AI-aware assignment that reflects the shared values of the group on learning and assessment. We look forward to thinking about what an ethical use of AI would look like from both faculty and student sides.
All members of the BCB community are invited to participate and contribute.
Together with the American University of Bulgaria and other partners, this fall Bard College Berlin hosts the program AI Aware Universities: Empowering University Communities for The Ethical Use of AI. This series of lectures and student-led discussions aims to create a common playbook for developing a strategy for the ethical use of Generative AI in academic spaces.
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