Faculty of History and Cultural Studies
Piracy in the Early Modern World - Media, Culture and Politics (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
Pirates are a staple of pop culture, from Treasure Island to Pirates of the Caribbean; Piracy captures imaginations, not only today but in the past as well.
While many of the depictions of piracy we know of today portrait pirates as the antithesis of the ordinary society of their times, and therefore often seen as separate from ‘ordinary’ early modern history. These depictions mostly focus on the Caribbean (around 1700 the so-called Golden Age of Piracy), but this phenomenon existed all over the world and came in many different forms.
In this course, we will look at the early modern world by considering various forms of ‘piracy’ all over the world between 1500 and 1800, as well as through the lenses of gender, media, law or power.
To pass either the writing of an essay or the holding of a presentation will be required, as well as regular participation in the in session discussions of the reading every week.
Faculty
History and Cultural Studies
Institute
Historical Faculty
Lecturer
Bennet Rosswag, M.A.
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly on Tuesday 4-6 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
BigBlueButton, Stud.IP
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
English B2, interest in (early modern) history
Examination Format
Essay & Presentation
ECTS
3
Violence in Eastern Europe in the 20th Century (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
Recent events in Eastern Europe are again largely connected with mass violence: the brutal suppression of protests in Belarus and mass repressions, the war and massacres against the civilians in Ukraine.
Timothy Snyder designated the region as the Bloodlands. However, society was not only a witness to these deaths, but also to a large extent a accomplice. Mass violence cannot be seen as taking place outside of history, it requires broad contextualization. In our course, we will try to place these questions in the broader historical context of 20th century violence. We will talk about the violence of revolutions and wars, repressive systems, instruments of constant political control. We will try to focus not only on power and its actions, but also on how an ever wider population becomes participants in this violence, why so many so diverse people take part in violence, what are the consequences of this for participants of all parties, what is the individual human experience war and violence? Victims and perpetrators are rightfully part of our vocabulary of responding to violence. But beyond the inevitable categories of victims and perpetrators, there is a need for a broader understanding of the problem. The involved subject is neither victim nor perpetrator, but rather a participant in stories and social formations that give rise to positions of victim and perpetrator, but in which most people do not occupy such well-defined roles. We will also talk about how violence is related to longer-term social conditions and change, and how we can understand the far-reaching consequences.
Faculty
History and Cultural Studies
Institute
Historical Faculty
Lecturer
Dr. Iryna Ramanava
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly on Tuesday 2-4 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
BigBlueButton, Stud.IP
Language of Instruction
English
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
English B2
ECTS
5
History Painting in the 19th century / Historienmalerei im 19. Jahrhundert (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
The 19th century was the age of Historicism – a century mastered by the desire to know and present the history of the earth, nature, humanity and the peoples. It was also a period of intense nation building and inventing. Along with the fall of monarchies and the significant loss of influence of the church, it were the academies of art, government officials, and the privileged bourgeoise class that started influencing what was being expected from the artist.
Moreover, the 19th century brought about many changes to the social life in Europe. The development of railways, newspapers and other communication media encouraged a lively and transnational exchange of knowledge. The rise of academies of art and transforming previously privately owned collections into museums open for the public encouraged a wider audience to discuss the purposes and qualities of the fine arts.
History painting was the dominant genre in 19th century painting. The goal of the course will be to explore its themes, forms, and protagonists in Western and Eastern Europe as well as in the newly founded United States of America. We will focus on the nation-building qualities of the genre and on what roles history painting was expected to fulfil, also in terms of its presentation in exhibitions and public buildings. For that matter, we will also explore the strategies of visual narrative, of how the artists told history and histories in their paintings and in staging them to convey particular messages.
The course is designed to provide an overview of the phenomenon, i.e history painting in the 19th century in Europe and the United States. It will further enable the student to read and interpret the artworks critically – informed by postcolonial and feminist theories in particular.
Faculty
History and Cultural Studies
Institute
Historical Faculty
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. Sigrid Ruby / Kacper Radny
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly on Tuesday 4.15-5.45 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
Zoom
Language of Instruction
English/German
Target Group
Bachelor
Prerequisites
English B2 or German
ECTS
5
Kunstgeschichte Siziliens im Mittelalter / Art History of Sicily in the Middle Ages (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
Sicily is located in the centre of the Mediterranean and is considered a melting pot of cultures. Therefore, it is central to the understanding of European art history and the ongoing cultural exchange with the Mediterranean world. The island was under Roman rule in Late Antiquity and, after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, fell first to the Ostrogoths, in the 6th century to the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire, and in the 9th century to Arab conquerors. The Norman rule lasting over a century from the 11th century onwards is considered the island’s cultural heyday, as was the subsequent rule of the Hohenstaufen dynasty, while art production declined under the houses of Anjou and Aragon.
In the bilingual course, the medieval art history of Sicily will be discussed on the basis of major works of art and their references to Byzantine, Islamic and European art. Starting with the famous late Roman villa of Piazza Armerina, we will follow the art history of the island into the late Middle Ages, focusing on the best preserved works of the Norman and Hohenstaufen rule in the 12th and 13th centuries (z. B. Cappella Palatina, Monreale, Cefalù). In particular, the multi-cultural, multi-linguistic and multi-confessional social structure, especially among the Normans, will be addressed, which is repeatedly cited but meanwhile also critically debated.
Faculty
History and Cultural Studies
Institute
Historical Faculty
Lecturer
Dr. Antje Bosselmann-Ruickbie
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: weekly on Tuesday 6.15-7.45 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
Zoom
Language of Instruction
English/German
Target Group
Bachelor
Prerequisites
English B2 or German
ECTS
5
“Islam in digitalen Räumen” – „Islam in digital spaces“ (winter semester 2023/24)
Course Description
Die Ringvorlesung "Islam in digitalen Räumen" widmet sich drei thematischen Bereichen, für die international renommierte Wissenschaftler:innen und Expert:innen aus der Praxis gewonnen werden konnten. Zum einen nimmt sie in den Blick, wie sich religiöses Leben durch die verschiedenen Formen der Digitalität wandelt: Was haben digitale Räume für Einflüsse auf religiöse Autorität? Wie nutzen muslimische Frauen diese? Und wie wirkt sich Digitalität auf religiöse Texte und ihre Rezeption aus? Zum zweiten werden verschiedene Radikalisierungen in den Blick genommen: Was haben digitale Räume für Auswirkungen auf das Sagbare sowie Form und Inhalt von Diskursen und religiösen Positionierungen? In einem dritten Schritt rücken die Auswirkungen für islamische Lehr- und Lernprozesse im schulischen Kontext in den Fokus: Wie muss sich das Lehren über Religion ändern? Und Wie ist bei Lehrkräften und Schüler:innen die Medienkompetenz zu stärken? sind hier leitende Fragen.
The lecture series "Islam in Digital Spaces" is dedicated to three thematic areas, for which internationally renowned scholars and experts from the field have been recruited. First, it takes a look at how religious life is being transformed by the various forms of digitality: What influences do digital spaces have on religious authority? How do Muslim women use them? And how does digitality affect religious texts and its reception? Secondly, different radicalizations will be looked at: What are the effects of digital spaces on what can be said and on the form and content of discourses and religious positionings? In a third step, the implications for Islamic teaching and learning processes in the school context come into focus: How must teaching about religion change? And how to strengthen the media competence of teachers and students are leading questions.
The lecture series will be held in German and English and will be organized by Prof. Dr. Armina and Prof. Dr. Naime Çakır-Mattner within the framework of the Center for Islamic Studies Frankfurt/Gießen (Zefis).
Faculty
History and Cultural Studies
Institute
Historical Faculty
Lecturer
Prof. Dr. Naime Cakir- Mattner
Study Period (dd/mm/yy)
16/10/2023 - 09/02/2024
Mode and Time
Synchronous: Thursday 6 - 8 pm
Online Tool for Teaching
Stud.IP
Language of Instruction
English/German
Target Group
Bachelor, Master
Prerequisites
English and or German language skills
ECTS
-
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