Virtual Course Catalogue

Esta asignatura electiva se desarrollará bajo el enfoque COIL (Collaborative Online International Learning), en alianza con tres universidades: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Universidad del Rosario y Universidad de la Sabana, brindando a los estudiantes una experiencia académica intercultural.

En primer lugar, en articulación con la iniciativa Colombia Construye Confianza, el curso incorpora la metodología Bakondo, a través de una experiencia inmersiva en la que algunos de los estudiantes del curso podrán participar de un campamento para niños de comunidades vulnerables que involucra actores del conflicto armado históricamente antagónicos.

En segundo lugar, se desarrollará un espacio académico orientado a la socialización y reflexión crítica sobre los elementos teóricos que hacen posible la reconciliación en contextos de polarización y procesos transicionales. 

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Course description will be updated shortly

The course starts by introducing basic concepts, theories and critiques on the topic of “development”. Afterwards it discusses crucial topics related to the economic, social, environmental and political dimensions of development. The course will discuss the crisis of multilateralism and development cooperation and its consequences for the field of development.

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El curso analiza los desafíos de la diplomacia científica, como instrumento para promover el desarrollo sostenible, en el actual escenario de crisis del multilateralismo internacional. El curso ofrece una reflexión conceptual de la diplomacia científica y de su materialización en distintos temas del desarrollo sostenible: energía, salud, agua, océanos, seguridad alimentaria y medio ambiente. También reflexiona sobre las herramientas que dan forma a la cooperación científica internacional y sobre los posibles cambios que emergen como respuesta a las nuevas racionalidades de la cooperación, la seguridad global y la hegemonía internacional.

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The aim of this seminar is to analyze the differences and interconnections between individual rights and socio-economic rights from a comparative legal perspective.

During the course, participants will explore how various legal systems recognize, interpret, and enforce both categories of human rights. Particular emphasis will be placed on comparing the legal approaches in selected countries, especially European Union states. Both the common features and the key differences will be discussed, from the perspectives of legal theory and judicial practice.

The seminar seeks to demonstrate that, although civil and political rights have traditionally been regarded as “negative” rights (requiring the state to refrain from interference), and socio-economic rights as “positive” rights (requiring active measures and services by the state), modern legal systems increasingly acknowledge their interdependence and complementarity.

The final objective is to prepare a written paper in the form of a comparative legal analysis, presenting how these rights function in at least two different legal systems, including the legal system of the student’s home country.

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Introduction to European Energy Law is a beginner-level course designed to provide students with a foundational understanding of how energy is regulated within the European Union. Energy law stands at the very centre of contemporary climate policy, environmental protection, and debates on sustainable development. In today’s world, societies face the dual challenge of ensuring sufficient, reliable energy supplies while avoiding the global warming and climate change driven largely by fossil fuel consumption. As the demand for energy increases, the legal frameworks that govern the shift from fossil fuels to renewable and low-carbon sources—such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and nuclear energy—become more important than ever.

The course introduces students to the core principles, sources, and institutions of EU Energy Law. Students will explore how the general provisions of the EU Treaties—free movement, competition law, and environmental protection—apply directly to the energy sector. The module examines the development of the EU’s internal energy market, including the liberalisation of electricity and gas markets, the introduction of competition, and the opening of national markets to supplies from other Member States.

The course also addresses several thematic areas central to modern energy governance: Renewable energy law, Climate-related energy measures, Security of energy supply, Nuclear (atomic) energy law.

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Este seminario introduce a los estudiantes en los distintos componentes de la investigación cualitativa sobre interseccionalidad. Ofrece una visión general de los fundamentos epistemológicos de esta línea de investigación, de los aspectos centrales de la teoría de la interseccionalidad, así como de los métodos más habituales de recopilación y análisis de datos. Al mismo tiempo, el seminario se basa en el concepto de interseccionalidad como teoría y práctica de transformación social, en el que las comunidades y los grupos marginados ocupan un lugar central. En este sentido, el seminario propone un enfoque para la investigación sobre interseccionalidad que tiene como objetivo impedir la reproducción de aquellas estructuras de poder que son objeto de estudio en dicha investigación. Esto se logra mediante consideraciones metodológicas e instrumentos que ponen el énfasis en el conocimiento situado, la colaboración con las personas que participan en la investigación y la orientación del trabajo hacia la transformación de las estructuras de dominación investigadas.

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El curso pone en el centro la categoría “mujeres” para analizar el fenómeno de la migración y la reproducción de las desigualdades sociales y de género. Se propone brindar a quienes participan en el curso contenidos que sirvan para el análisis teórico de las migraciones a partir de una visión crítica centrada en el enfoque feminista y de DD.HH. El curso releva la importancia de retomar la categoría “mujer” como sujeto histórico asociado a diferentes características culturales, sociales y biológicas que influyen tanto en su tránsito migratorio particular como en fenómenos estructurales como la feminización de las migraciones, la trata y tráfico de mujeres y las cadenas globales de cuidado.

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El curso ofrece una introducción sistemática a la política y la sociedad de la región del Medio Oriente contemporánea e interdisciplinaria. Se examinan los principales procesos históricos, estructuras estatales, identidades colectivas, economía política rentista, conflictos regionales y dinámicas de cambio político que definen la región. Se presta especial atención al caso de irán como potencia regional, a la dimensión migratoria y al papel de la Union Europea y Turquía en la gestión de los flujos de desplazados. El curso está diseñado para estudiantes de pregrado y posgrado con formación en ciencias políticas, relaciones internacionales, sociología o campos afines. Se abordan los temas desde una perspectiva de seguridad regional e internacional, con atención a las dinámicas de poder, amenazas transnacionales y estabilidad estatal.

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Die Veranstaltung besteht aus zwei Teilen. Im ersten Teil werden die Grundlagen der Buchführung und der externen Finanzberichterstattung vermittelt. Im zweiten Teil werden darauf aufbauend die Grundlagen der Kostenrechnung besprochen. Insbesondere werden betriebswirtschaftliche Begriffsabgrenzungen, Kostenarten-/Kostenstellen/-Kostenträgerrechnung, Voll- und Teilkostenrechnung  sowie die Einführung in die Anwendung weiterer Kostenrechnungsinstrumente erläutert.

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The goal of the course is to develop the basic concepts of Competition Policy and Industrial Organization. The students will learn how firms can compete in markets and how to evaluate market results. Based on this understanding, the participants will learn how to analyze horizontal and vertical mergers, agreements between firms (tacit and explicit collusion as well as horizontal and vertical agreements) and how firms may abuse a dominant market position. In doing so, several key concepts will be highlighted, such as market definition, contestability, network effects and foreclosure. The students will learn how to analyze these aforementioned topics from a technical perspective and how they are evaluated in a competition policy perspective.

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Die Veranstaltung bietet eine Einführung in die mikroökonomischen Bereiche der Volkswirtschaftslehre. Im Mittelpunkt steht die Funktionsweise von Märkten und die Frage, welche Ergebnisse das Zusammenwirken von Haushalten, Unternehmen und Staat unter verschiedenen Umständen produziert. 

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The course (lecture with exercises) introduces the basics of empirical economic research and econometric analysis. The presented approaches and methods will be explained by means of examples. The students should get to know the methods, critically evaluate them and be able to apply them themselves to suitable questions. For this purpose, basic knowledge of working with the freely available statistical and econometric software R can be acquired in the exercise part. In addition, the basis for a critical discussion of empirical work that uses econometric methods will be laid. Topics covered include approach to empirical economic research, data for empirical economics, input-output analysis, linear regression and residual analysis, models with qualitative variables (logistic regression), trend and seasonal adjustment, dynamic models and forecasts.

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This course extends the basic concepts of Industrial Organization and presents advanced methods and topics. The focus is on business strategies such as price discrimination and product differentiation and on strategic interaction in oligopoly. Students will learn about the importance of the research and development activities of firms and how they are influenced by public policy in general and by the patent system in particular. The course models and evaluates business behavior from both a public policy and a managerial perspective. 

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Basic theories to explain trade structures and the gains from trade integration. Analyses of trade policies and of the scope and problems of international policy coordination.

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This seminar is structured around the international lecture series Being Human – Remaining Human: International Perspectives on ‚Bildung‘, Peace, Justice and Inclusion and combines participation in the lecture sessions with accompanying seminar sessions. Attendance and active engagement in the lecture series are an integral and mandatory part of the course. In accordance with the core character of the IMPACCT project (International Mobility with Partners Abroad for Culturally Competent Teachers), the lecture series brings together perspectives from Christian and Islamic religious education as well as broader educational discourses around the themes of peace, justice, and inclusion.

Drawing on a multitude of conceptual and disciplinary reference points, all contributions focus on  the relevance of ‚Bildung‘ for humanity as well as for teaching and learning in schools. Theoretical approaches, legal as well as normative frameworks, and pedagogical practices applicable in the school classroom complement each other to enable a multi-layered exploration of the complexity behind human encounter in pluralistic societies and educational contexts characterized by diversity. All contributions culminate in the final question participating students and educators are asked to answer: What kind of person do I want to be in the classroom?

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This seminar examines the interconnection between migration, diaspora networks, and transnational belonging in the case of Türkiye and Germany. We trace historical and contemporary migration trajectories between these two countries, from labour recruitment starting in the 1960s and family reunification in the 1970s and 80s to current refugee migration, asylum, and international student mobility as well as the second and third generations of the Turkish diaspora in Germany. In doing so, we explore how these movements shape new forms of citizenship, belonging and identity as well as networks and participation beyond the nation-state. In a nutshell, the key question of the seminar is how does Turkish migration actually shape transnational spaces between Türkiye and Germany? Combining and applying interdisciplinary perspectives from sociology, political science, ethnography, economics, migration studies, cultural studies, and health studies, the course introduces key theories and concepts of transnationalism, diaspora networks and politics, migration imaginaries, belongings, identities, and the migration–development nexus. Drawing on empirical case studies as well as the ongoing research of the instructors on Turkish migration, student mobility, and transnational health diasporas, students will critically engage with shifting migration and mobility patterns, the notion of the “German Dream” in Türkiye, diaspora dynamics, and the everyday realities and constructions of belonging of transnational life. The seminar concludes with student presentations on their selected case studies and collective reflections on contemporary mobility and belonging. Students have to write a 15 pages long paper to finish the seminar successfully. 

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The accelerating changes in the global climate are linked to a rise in the frequency and severity of extreme weather events and natural disasters, such as floods, droughts, and even earthquakes. These challenges transcend national borders, pose serious risks to societies, and give rise to new socio-political, economic, legal, and technological questions, as well as pressing transformation needs, necessitating a re-evaluation of disaster risk management strategies. Given the relevance and interdisciplinary significance of this topic, this lecture offers interdisciplinary perspectives on disaster risk (reduction) management. The lecture is structured into three thematic blocs, aligned with the disaster risk cycle. In the first bloc “(Natural) Hazards, risks and disasters”, students learn more about the governance of risks and the development of disasters. This bloc focuses on water-related risks in general, climate change scenarios and the political, economic and legal understanding of risks and disasters. In the second bloc “Prevention, mitigation and preparedness”, climate challenges are analysed from economic and engineering perspectives. This bloc highlights (green) financial policies and seismic risk prevention. In the third bloc “Response and recovery”, several disaster case studies are discussed and the impacts of disasters on food systems, pro-social preferences and community resilience are examined. The lecture combines sessions from the following disciplines: Political Science, Economics, Geography, Engineering, Law.

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The central question of the seminar is: Who owns the city? The seminar wants to deal with property relations of housing in the city (and in the countryside) and to explore the social, economic, political as well as ecological conditions of appropriate housing. After a brief introduction to classical property texts (by Locke, Marx, etc.), more recent texts on housing will be discussed along the following lines: Housing and the role of economics, financial markets and housing; the human right to housing; alternative housing.

We will stream and discuss with you an interesting film: "Push. For the basic right to housing". 

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This seminar critically examines the concept of civil society from the perspective of non-democratic and hybrid regimes. During the course, we will explore how the concept emerged, how it relates to neoliberal agenda and what problems does it cause.

We begin by exploring key theoretical traditions, ranging from Habermas’s concept of the public sphere and Cohen and Arato’s ideas on civil society and political theory, to Jeffrey Alexander’s approach to the civil sphere. Building on this, we will consider critical interventions that challenge liberal and Eurocentric interpretations of civil society. These include James C. Scott’s concept of “hidden transcripts” and critiques of global civil society research from a decolonial perspective.

The second part of the course turns to empirical case studies. We explore how civil society has been conceptualized and practiced in China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and Ukraine. Readings by Taru Salmenkari, Jeremy Morris, Karine Clément and Asef Bayat foreground everyday politics, labour struggles and “non-movements” rather than perspectives centered on NGOs or donors.

Across these case studies, we will analyze how ordinary people organize, navigate repression and reshape the boundaries of civic space. In the final sessions, we will connect these empirical insights to recent debates on civil society in authoritarian and hybrid regimes. We ask whether the concept should be revised or replaced when studying contentious politics beyond consolidated democracies.

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This seminar takes a closer look at how we communicate, learn, and work together in an era shaped by artificial intelligence. We will explore established and emerging theories of communication and cooperation and examine how generative AI is beginning to influence teaching, learning, and professional practice across different educational settings. Rather than treating AI as a purely technical phenomenon, we will consider its social, ethical, and pedagogical consequences, particularly with regard to inclusion, participation, and justice within European education systems.

Throughout the semester, we will work with concrete examples from schools, universities, and adult learning. Participants will assess both the opportunities and the constraints of AI-supported tools and reflect on what responsible use can and should look like in collaborative learning environments. The course is deliberately designed to be interdisciplinary: students will engage with academic literature, analyse case studies, experiment with digital tools, and discuss their insights in structured synchronous sessions.

A central element of the seminar is the collaborative project work. In mixed, international teams, participants will develop a small practice-oriented project that brings together communication theory, cooperative learning approaches, and ethical frameworks for AI. My aim is to provide a space in which students can think critically, test ideas, and build the communicative and collaborative competencies that will shape future educational practice.

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This course will introduce participants to emerging concerns and criticisms about entrepreneurship, or, more generally, to the process of demystifying entrepreneurship. Given the diversity of perspectives through which entrepreneurship has been challenged in recent years, the course is designed to cover seven topics (either as double or single sessions), including entrepreneurship and slavery, business propaganda, and institutional aspects of destructive entrepreneurship. The course aims to guide participants to further explore its subjects in economic sociology, management critical studies, or entrepreneurship critical studies. The main teaching references will be a combination of seminal papers and book chapters; moreover, multimodal content (e.g., videos) will be used to enhance the audience’s learning quality and sensory engagement.

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Die Europäische Union hat ihre internen Grenzen durch den Aufbau des Binnenmarktes, die Einführung einer gemeinsamen Währung und die Schaffung der Schengen-Freizügigkeitszone im physischen Sinne nahezu aufgelöst. Dabei hat sie auch ihre externen Schranken für den globalen Handel maßgeblich reduziert. Doch die sogenannte „Flüchtlingskrise“ hat die Aufmerksamkeit erneut auf die einst als überwunden geglaubten Staatsgrenzen in Europa gelenkt und ihre Auswirkungen sowie Funktionen in den Mittelpunkt der öffentlichen Diskussion gerückt. Gleichzeitig führt die zunehmende Autokratisierung in Staaten wie Belarus, der Türkei und in nordafrikanischen Ländern wie Libyen zu einem „Rebordering“ an den Außengrenzen der EU. Während die innere Reisefreiheit als grundlegendes Element der europäischen Identität gefeiert wird, geraten die europäischen Werte durch Menschenrechtsverletzungen bei Kontrollen an den und sogar jenseits der Außengrenzen des Kontinents in Bedrängnis. Diese Kontrollmechanismen erstrecken sich oft weit über physische Grenzen hinaus, indem sie in andere Staaten verlagert sowie auf private Unternehmen, nichtmenschliche Akteure und automatisierte Technologien übertragen werden. Die Veranstaltung „Grenzpolitik im europäischen Vergleich“ bietet einen umfassenden Überblick über das vielschichtige europäische Grenzregime. Sie beinhaltet eine tiefgreifende Einführung in die Grenzforschung und lädt zur kritischen Reflexion ein, was Grenzen heute wirklich bedeuten. Außerdem werden die Rolle der Akteur*innen und Praktiken der EU und ihrer Mitgliedsstaaten vergleichend betrachtet, um ein Verständnis der aktuellen Grenzdynamiken in Europa zu erlangen.

Some stories, as Benjamin suggested, unearth violence expressions from their historical context to transform them under the lens of current aesthetic values. To speak about violence, we use words such as “horror”, terror”, “barbarism”, or “terrorism”. But art internalizes it and plays with it, creating images and narratives to illustrate the consequences of violence on our bodies and souls. This seminar examines how metaphors about violence shape meanings and cultural memories of contemporary violence. Drawing on narrative theory and cultural memory approaches, the course analizes violence is represented and how metaphors emerge and compose stories about mourning, grief, and dignity. In recent years, we have been experiencing the growth of violent phenomena around the world. So that reading contemporary stories about violence can help us understand our present and reflect on future horizons.

The seminar focuses on four visual media and literary cases, co-selected with students in the first session within the following selection: Human Acts by Han Kang, Zone of interest by Jonathan Glazer, Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich, Looking at Women, Looking at War: A War and Justice Diary  by Victoria Amelina, Paradais by Fernanda Melchor, Civil War by Alex Garland, and The Secret Agent by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The theoretical framework thrives on Edward Said’s concepts (imaginary geographies), Müller-Funk (latent/silent narratives), and Jacques Rancière (aesthetic regime). We connect cultural memory theory and narrative approaches to explore aesthetic strategies, metaphors, symbols, and tropes used in the selected cases. 

By the end of the seminar, students will be able to apply core concepts to different stories and to describe political narratives presented in them. Then, we highlight the potential of stories to foster reflection on violence registers and consequences, their cultural meaning, and with the aim to support peacebuilding amid worldwide confrontation.

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The course will discuss open government data as a socio-technological issue. It will prepare students to work with open data as a practitioner or scholar. Seven seminars will constitute three main modules. 

The first module (seminars on October 15 and 29) will provide basic concepts to understand open data development globally. It is expected that interactive discussions about open data role in democratic countries will take place during these sessions on the basis of the suggested readings. 

The second module (seminars on November 12 and 26, and December 10) will be devoted to theoretical approaches to analyze open data. Students will be invited to adopt multidisciplinary social science lens to look at this phenomenon and to prepare an individual analytical paper afterwards. 

The third module (seminars on January 14 and 28) will discuss examples of open data practices from different countries. It is planned to invite two open data practitioners to talk about their work and to have an interactive discussion with course participants. 

The course will conclude with a group assignment to present open data practices in a specific country from a critical perspective of the studied material. As a result, students will be prepared to use open data in their future work and to conduct further academic studies on it.

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This course examines queer diasporic performances (Turkey/MENA origin) in Berlin as "agonistic spaces" for democratic negotiation within Europe’s shifting political landscape. Moving beyond aesthetics, we analyze these practices through a Political Science lens as "acts of citizenship" where non-citizen subjects claim the "right to have rights". The curriculum addresses the transition from pluralistic reforms to more restrictive citizenship regimes, exploring how marginalized bodies resist "homonationalism" and far-right "remigration" discourses. Key topics include the "migration of border regimes" into digital platforms (e.g., dating apps, algorithms) and the role of the stage as an "extra-parliamentary democratic institution". Students will engage with theorists such as Mouffe, Isin, Puar, and Ahmed to understand how performance becomes a strategic political maneuver for institutional recognition and cultural survival. 

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The relatedness of societies towards the future cannot be taken for granted. It rather is a characteristic of modernity which conceptualizes the future as open horizon of infinite dynamics, plannings, and designs. This affects economic as much as political agency and individual biographies. Hence, the future has developed into one of the core variables of society and sociation. At the same time, the future remains unknown, is hard or simply not predictable and, thus, invariably remains risky. This class reflects on approaches towards the future from the social sciences and cultural studies.

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Although contemporary debates often portray Islam as a religion “alien” to Europe, Muslim communities have been an integral part of European societies for centuries. This course examines the historical development of Islam and Muslim societies in Europe, with a particular focus on Southeast Europe, where Islamic institutions, practices, and identities have shaped political and social life for over 500 years.

Adopting a historical perspective, the course explores key themes such as empire and state formation, religious authority, nationalism, and the governance of religious diversity in the Ottoman Empire and its aftermath. It also examines changing discourses about Islam and Muslims, asking how such representations have emerged, evolved, and been contested over time. By situating the Balkans within a broader global context, the course highlights the interconnected histories of Islam across regions and challenges simplified narratives of separation between “Europe” and the “Muslim world.”

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Der Gemeinsame europäische Referenzrahmen für Sprachen (GeR) gehört zu den einflussreichsten sprachenpolitischen Dokumenten der letzten Jahrzehnte. Seit seiner Veröffentlichung im Jahr 2001 hat er sich weit über Europa hinaus als Referenzgröße für die Entwicklung von Lehr- und Lernmaterialien, Sprachtests und Curricula etabliert – und wird dabei in höchst unterschiedlichen Kontexten rezipiert, adaptiert und eingesetzt.

In diesem Seminar nähern wir uns dem GeR zunächst theoretisch: Wir erschließen seine Grundlagen, das zugrundeliegende Kompetenzmodell und v.a. die weit über den GeR bekannten Niveaustufen. Auf dieser theoretischen Basis wenden wir uns verschiedenen nationalen und internationalen Sprachlernkontexten (mit einem Schwerpunkt auf DaZ und DaF) zu und erarbeiten dazu, welche Rolle der GeR in diesem Kontext jeweils spielt und wofür er konkret genutzt wird. Wir reflektieren außerdem kritisch, welche Chancen seine Anwendung je nach Lernkontext eröffnet und welche Risiken und Herausforderungen er mitbringt.

Die Teilnehmenden erwerben fundierte Kenntnisse über den GeR und seine sprachenpolitische Einbettung, entwickeln die Fähigkeit zur kontextsensiblen Analyse seiner Anwendung und Adaption und schärfen ihren kritischen Blick auf die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen eines europäischen Referenzrahmens im internationalen Einsatz. Die Arbeit in internationalen Kleingruppen ist deshalb ein zentrales Element des Seminars und eine entsprechende Bereitschaft wird von allen Teilnehmenden erwartet.

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The study of the history of the English language offers highly relevant insights into how we ended up with the English language as it is structured and as it functions all around the world today. In this lecture, we will pay particular attention to the different periods in the history of the English language, i.e. Old English, Middle English, Early Modern English, Late Modern English and Present-day English, in order to follow the structural changes on the levels of phonology, lexis, syntax and semantics that have led to the English language as we use it today. We will also consider various areas of linguistic study that include a historical component, e.g. historical text linguistics, historical sociolinguistics, historical corpus linguistics, etc

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This course aims at familiarizing students with approaches to the study of human language in general and to English in particular. Attention will be paid to important concepts and terms of core areas of theoretical linguistics (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) and to their relevance to the fields of applied linguistics, such as language acquisition, sociolinguistics and computational linguistics.

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This course focuses on the depictions of war and peace in postwar Lebanese anglophone literature. The course focuses on how the war is remembered, and how cultural productions can play a role in highlighting issues of justice in post-conflict societies. The course will take into considerations theories of cultural memory, combining them with methods of literary analysis to examine the intersection between memory, war literature, and post-conflict justice. 

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Unter Nominalstil versteht man im Allgemeinen die überdurchschnittliche Verwendung nominaler grammatischer Ausdrucksformen (bspw. Nominalisierung, Attribute, Komposita). Als Komplementärbegriff zu Verbalstil meint Nominalstil die nominale Realisierung solcher Satzinhalte, die alternativ auch durch verbale Strukturen ausgedrückt werden könnten. Die Gründe für die Wahl nominalstilistischer Mittel liegen in der Regel außerhalb der Grammatik, d.h., in bestimmten Kommunikationsbereichen (Behördensprache, Rechtssprache, Wissenschaftssprache) kommen nominalstilistische Mittel bevorzugt zum Einsatz, weil sie besonders adäquat für die jeweiligen Anforderungen dieser Bereiche erscheinen. Das Seminar legt einen Fokus auf die grammatischen Grundlagen des Nominalstils (nominale Grammatik, nominale Komplexität), bietet aber auch Raum für Analysen zu den stilistischen Effekten, die mit dem Nominalstil erzielt werden.

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Der Kurs setzt es sich zum Ziel, die vier Romane, die auf der Liste des angesehensten französischen Literaturpreises figurieren, gemeinsam zu lesen. Der Kurs wird den besten Text von vier Auswahltexten nominieren und zwei Vertreter:innen des Kurses reisen nach Berlin, um gemeinsam mit Abgeordneten anderer Universitäten an der Auswahlsitzung der Bestimmung des besten Prix-Goncourt-Romans mitzuwirken.

The seminar is concerned with the literary transfer of concepts and the linguistic coding of figurative meaning in intellectual and cultural history. Selected works of Ukrainian philosopher Hryhorij Skovoroda (1722-1794) will be analysed to examine the migration of concepts in time and space as building blocks of culture as a phenomenon of transformation. We will read Skovoroda in translation, if needed, of course, comparing them with the Ukrainian original. We want to discuss the migration of ideas and concepts, which may be found in other media (painting, sculpture, architecture, dramatic plays) of Skovoroda's time, as well. Participants are welcome to broaden the thematic range of the seminar according to their academic interests (e.g. translation theory, literary studies, linguistic phenomena). The seminar combines a close reading of some of Skovoroda's work and corpus-based contextualisation of their key-words.

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Wie kann Fremdsprachenunterricht Lernende dazu befähigen, selbstständig und reflektiert zu lernen? Das Seminar „Coach statt Lehrkraft? Wege zu selbstständigem Sprachenlernen im Französisch- und Spanischunterricht“ greift diese und weitere zentrale Fragen einer modernen Lernkultur auf. Welche Rolle spielt die Lehrkraft im Prozess zunehmender Lernerautonomie? Wie können Lernende gezielt dabei unterstützt werden, Verantwortung für ihren Lernprozess zu übernehmen?

Im Mittelpunkt des Seminars sollen die theoretischen Grundlagen des Sprachlerncoachings diskutiert, eigene Erfahrungen mit Lernberatungen ermöglicht und Ansätze einer wissenschaftlichen Begleitforschung aufgezeigt werden. Zudem sind erste Schritte einer Ausbildung zum Lernberater vorgesehen.

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Kinder- und Jugendliteratur (KJL) eröffnet vielfältige Möglichkeiten, gesellschaftliche Diversität, Migrationserfahrungen und Fragen von Zugehörigkeit literarisch zu verhandeln. Das Seminar beschäftigt sich daher mit Kinder- und Jugendmedien im postmigrantischen Kontext und nimmt insbesondere Darstellungen von Identität, Sprache, Diskriminierung, Erinnerung und gesellschaftlicher Teilhabe in den Blick.

Im Zentrum stehen die gemeinsame Lektüre und Analyse aktueller Kinder- und Jugendromane sowie deren Bedeutung für einen diversitätssensiblen Literaturunterricht. Dabei werden literaturdidaktische Perspektiven auf postmigrantische Gesellschaften mit Fragen ästhetischen Lernens, literarischer Kompetenzförderung und digitaler Rezeptions- und Vermittlungsformen verbunden.

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The focus in this course is on selected aspects of education for sustainable development (ESD) and transformative education. This course can be attended editorially independently of other courses of this module.

Within the aspects of ESD, topics such as peace, justice and inclusion are addressed in line with the orientation framework for global learning (recognize, evaluate, act). Furthermore, the selected contents are based on the UN´s Agenda, that is related to the 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs). The broader objective of ESD is to teach skills such as creativity, critical thinking, sense of responsibility and systemic thinking (KMK/BMZ ORIENTIERUNGSRAHMEN GLOBALE ENTWICKLUNG 2025), for which geography as a discipline is predestined. Examples might include on whether one should buy bananas in winter or how to build resilience to climate change.

Towards achieving those targets set for 2030 it is of the utmost importance that key competences, knowledge and experience among other things, e. g. language-sensitive communication in order to discuss conflict-laden topics, reflecting discrimination, prejudices or judgement, are further developed by future teachers. Above all, the interconnection of knowledge is often very complex, as conflicts and their solutions are multifaceted.

When it comes to the aspect of transformative education, the focus is primarily on justice and inclusion, with lessons addressing ethical judgement, dilemmas and reflecting one´s own involvement. By trying out different settings and methods, students are introduced to implement these concepts in their own teaching later on.

After all, teachers are important multiplicators when it comes to imparting key competences, skills, knowledge and experience to future citizens.

Children, our future citizens, should be taught about those topics as early as possible. Future teachers must therefore be trained in this regard.

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• Thermodynamics of Surfaces and Interfaces
• Influence of Interfaces on Phase Equilibria
• Forces in Colloidal Systems
• Colloidal Stability: DLVO Theory
• Surfactants and the Self-Organized Structures Formed From Them (Micelles, Vesicles)
• Theory of Micellation: Packing Parameters, Tanford Model
• Sedimentation of Colloids
• Methods for Characterizing Colloids: Ultracentrifugation, Light Scattering, Methods for Determining Surface Tension

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• Atomic structure
• Periodic table of the elements
• Chemical bonding
• Valence structures
• Redox-reactions
• Acid-base chemistry
• Energetic and kinetics of reactions
• Organic compounds, hybridization
• Isomers and nomenclature
• Organic substance groups
• Reaction mechanisms
• Naturals products, biomolecules

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The aims of the course are to introduce students to the basics concepts of sustainability, starting from an historical perspective and providing different declinations of sustainability (e.g., but not limited to, biodiversity, circular economy, resource depletion, raw materials criticality, climate changes). To enable students to address, in a holistic and transdisciplinary approach, the complexity and interdependencies underpinning the concept of sustainability and to critically correlate them (e.g. relationships between biodiversity depletion and climate changes/global warming).

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• Types of polymers and polymerization
• Transition metal catalyzed polymerization
• Organometallic chemistry, methods for construction of carbon-carbon bonds
• Polymer and material properties
• Processing of materials
• Carbon materials
• Liquid crystals and OLEDs

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This course focuses on the analysis and evaluation of scientific publications, coupled with intensive writing exercises and self-editing to enhance text correction skills. Students will learn how to plan, organize, and detail research projects, as well as collect, prepare, and present data effectively. The course also includes training in creating graphical representations of scientific results and presenting personal research findings. Additionally, it covers the use of specialized English terminology and nuances pertinent to scientific communication.

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• Basic electrochemistry (galvanic cells, electrolysis)
• Concepts for batteries (Li-ion battery, metal-oxygen batteries, redox-flow cell)
• Solar cells, LEDs, OLEDs
• Water splitting and fuel cells
• Sustainability concepts for energy materials (following the 12 criteria of Anatas)
• General thermodynamic considerations for the energy revolution (energy content of storage materials, energy conversion efficiency)

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• Overview of alternative modes of activation of chemical reactions (i.e. microwaves, ultrasound, light), their mode of action and use in organic chemistry
• Principles of photochemistry and photocatalysis for the synthesis of organic molecules
• Application of mechanochemistry for selective transformation of organic molecules
• Principles of electrochemistry and their application in organic synthesis
• Design of flow systems for their application in synthesis
• Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts for the development of green/sustainable chemical processes
• Valorization of the use of organic solvents and an overview of the development of alternative solvents (new solvents from biomass resources, ionic liquids, deep eutectic salts, water...)
• Biomass as a source of industrial chemicals and an analysis of the sustainable use of biomass for industry
• Biorefinery concept for valorization of biomass to useful chemicals and materials
• Basic platform of chemicals from biomass
• Examples of green chemistry in the pharmaceutical industry
• Green chemistry metrics for valorization of chemical reactions and processes
• Quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the environmental potential of chemical processes. Application of green chemistry principles to the design of sustainable chemical processes

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• Identify and evaluate impacts of pollutants on water quality
• Correlate sources and available technologies for pollution minimization and control
• Discuss characteristics of different types of advanced oxidation processes
• Analyze influence of process parameters on efficiency of water treatment by advanced oxidation processes
• Correlate degradation mechanisms of water pollutants with biodegradability and toxicity changes
• Assess inhibitory effect of water matrix in practical application of advanced oxidation processes.
• Explain the basics for the selection of materials for membrane preparation, and how to characterize membranes
• Define types of membrane operations and design membrane systems
• Select membranes for specific purposes and to test their main characteristics

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The course covers topics such as analysis of variance, comparison of treatments, mixed linear models, experimental designs, and data analysis using statistical software. The students must have knowledge of statistical methods and experimental designs, and be able to analyse experiments and studies.

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The course introduces the students to key concepts for analysing economic development and applies them to a range of current development topics. I place specific emphasis on the role of natural resources and institutions in the process of development. While the course takes an economics perspective, it considers economic development as a multidisciplinary topic and integrates viewpoints from neighbouring social sciences into a problem-centred approach. It is divided into four parts (I to IV), each consisting of three sessions. Starting with an introduction to essential theories and models of economic growth and structural change in part I, the roles of natural resources and agriculture will be explored in part II. Part III focuses on institutions and the pivotal governance mechanisms of growth and development. In part IV, I will extend the concepts learned so far to investigate current problems of finance and development aid, culture, corruption, religion and violent conflict. Throughout the course, students will be exposed to case studies and applications with a specific eye on emerging and transition economies.

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Even though the importance of sustainable development and the Sustainable Development Goals are increasingly acknowledged and accepted throughout society, we still need to identify tangible ways it can be implemented in practice. The course provides a general introduction to the theory and methodologies of sustainability research and it will show how transdisciplinary approaches can deliver better solutions in practice. The course is structured in three main parts: I) origins of sustainable development and the core idea of sustainable research. Using international and regional cases to provide active student participation and critical reflection II) Introduction to inter- and transdisciplinary research and collaboration. Students will look at the process of transdisciplinary collaboration III) and investigate the use of specific tools and methodologies which can apply to various sectors.

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The course “Basic Books” is structured as a reading course, which deals with central books on global health. Students can choose between different books, which they would like to read as well as to discuss and present in groups. These books include “A History of Global Health”, “Blind Spot” and “Fresh Fruit, Broken Bodies - Migrant Farmworkers in the United States”. The course should improve reading skills and contribute to a better understanding of global health issues.

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Il programma del corso mira a sviluppare una competenza comunicativa orientata all'azione nell'ambito delle abilità ricettive e produttive nella lingua straniera al livello B1+ del QCER, a insegnare strategie di apprendimento e a sviluppare una competenza pluriculturale.

Contenuti del corso:

- Attività di comprensione orale e scritta, grammatica, vocabolario, produzione e interazione scritta e orale

- Mediazione sotto l'aspetto dell'interazione e della collaborazione

- Aspetti socio-culturali del paese della lingua di riferimento

Please Note Important Information: Students who can not provide a language certificate have to fill out a free placement test and send the results directly to the lecturer Grazia Caiati via Email grazia.c.caiatizfbk.uni-giessen.de !!!

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Das Angebot fördert die selbstgesteuerte Erweiterung sprachlicher Fähigkeiten in einer Sprachtandem-Partnerschaft. Studierende setzen individuelle Lernziele, verbessern Sprach- und Kommunikationskompetenzen, dokumentieren ihre Fortschritte und reflektieren interkulturelle Erfahrungen.

The course supports the self-directed development of language skills in a language tandem partnership. Students set individual learning goals, enhance their language and communication skills, document their progress, and reflect on intercultural experiences.

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