Virtual Course Catalogue

This course introduces students to various interesting questions in comparative constitutional law through selected constitutional instruments from various European jurisdictions. It provides not only an introduction but also a comprehensive overview of European constitutional law. The course aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to apply prevailing comparative legal methods in the development, interpretation, and evaluation of constitutional norms, institutions, and systems.
The course offers an overview of the European constitutional order at both the domestic and international levels. The relationship between European constitutional standards and national constitutions is a central focus. We will briefly examine European developments in both the European Union and the Council of Europe to better understand the constitutional landscapes of individual European countries. Additionally, we will explore the question of constitutional change, with a focus on how constitutions are amended and how new constitutions are written.

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El curso abordará las discusiones y los análisis principales en torno a la temática de los cuidados desde un análisis de género feminista. A lo largo de las clases se trabajará en torno a los debates y desafíos conceptuales sobre el contenido y el alcance de los cuidados, así como el vínculo entre el cuidado, el mundo del trabajo, la migración, la reproducción de desigualdades sociales  y la garantía de los derechos humanos.

En este curso se introducirá a los/as estudiantes en torno a las reflexiones sobre la perspectiva de la ética del cuidado; los vínculos entre teoría de género, trabajo doméstico y cuidados; las reflexiones sobre distintas dimensiones del cuidado, entre otras. Se abordarán las posturas que lo reconocen como un trabajo asociado al amor y a la identidad femenina, así como aquellas posturas que lo definen como un trabajo, tanto remunerado como no remunerado, asimilable o no a otros tipos de trabajo. 

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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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The seminar focused on the contributions of Latin American thought to the field of memory studies. Particularly, considering the experiences of the different truth commissions in the region. The goal is to critically portray different conflict contexts to understand the development, conclusions, and contributions of the mandates of truth commissions, both in the national scenarios in which they operated and the broader theoretical landscape of memory studies. 

The course will provide access to English and Spanish literature, audiovisual material, and enriching discussions that present and analyze the discourses, contents, and emphasis of the truth commissions according to the historical and social contexts that shaped each of the mandates. The approximation will allow the student to build up knowledge and understanding to evaluate the potential and challenges of the Latin American experience in relation to the global context of increasing violence and human rights violations. 

The aim is to promote critical reflections and the active participation of students after accessing concepts, notions, current debates, and other forms of knowledge that, despite being the result of specific settings, offer lessons and learnings for future experiences and also for increasing the scope of memory as a political and socio-cultural concern.

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El seminario busca generar espacios de reflexión acerca de las formas, métodos y metodologías para desarrollar investigación social en escenarios de conflicto y posconflicto desde perspectivas éticas, que cuestionen paradigmas clásicos y avancen en el reconocimiento de diversas fuentes de conocimiento.

El curso facilitará el acceso a literatura sobre metodologías decoloniales y críticas, a la discusión activa con profesores y profesoras invitadas y a material audiovisual que aborda el tema central. Ello, mientras genera fundamentos teórico/prácticos acerca del pensamiento decolonial, sus potencialidades y retos. 

El objetivo será contribuir a la reflexión crítica y al análisis de nuevos y posibles escenarios para la investigación social usando estrategias y conceptos que aportan a la construcción de paz, a la transformación de las desigualdades sociales y a la reivindicación de formas de conocimiento emergentes desde las orillas.

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En un escenario contemporáneo atravesado por disputas discursivas en torno al género, la sostenibilidad y los sentidos de lo político, este curso propone una aproximación crítica al lenguaje como espacio de construcción, conflicto y transformación social. Se ofrecerán herramientas conceptuales y metodológicas para leer y problematizar las narrativas que modelan la educación, las políticas públicas y las formas de subjetividad en el presente, con especial atención a los discursos sociales de odio promovidos por las nuevas derechas.

El curso se inscribe en la línea de la educación histórico-política y la educación para el desarrollo sostenible, desde un enfoque interdisciplinario, situado y decolonial. Busca comprender cómo las pedagogías de los discursos sociales —en los medios, en la escuela, en el arte, en los museos, en el cine, en la esfera política— configuran sentidos comunes sobre el pasado, el presente y el futuro, así como las posibilidades de acción y resistencia.

Se trabajará a partir de tres ejes: memoria(s), ambiente y desigualdad(es).

Memoria(s): explorará cómo los discursos sobre el pasado configuran identidades colectivas y formas de ciudadanía. Se abordarán las pedagogías de la memoria en su dimensión afectiva y política, atendiendo a sus silencios, disputas y reescrituras.

Ambiente: analizará las representaciones del territorio como espacio en disputa, indagando los cruces entre extractivismo, justicia ecológica y saberes locales. Se buscará pensar la sostenibilidad desde perspectivas críticas que articulen naturaleza, comunidad y cuidado.

Desigualdad(es): examinará los discursos que producen y legitiman jerarquías sociales, de género y de clase, y las pedagogías que posibilitan su cuestionamiento y transformación.

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En medio del boom de las tecnologías de inteligencia artificial (IA), que están reconfigurando desde sistemas políticos y económicos hasta nuestro sentido de la realidad, se hace necesario entender las estructuras de poder que las producen y que al tiempo son reproducidas por ellas.

Este curso ofrece una introducción a las perspectivas críticas de las inteligencias artificiales, centrándose en las estructuras de poder, las violencias y las resistencias. Se brindará herramientas a los estudiantes para identificar cuál es el paradigma dominante de desarrollo y uso de IAs, así como los impactos negativos que este tiene sobre personas, comunidades y territorios marginalizados. En ese paradigma se requiere siempre más: más datos, más tierras, más energía y agua, más control. En vez de aceptar esta trayectoria como inevitable, el curso también explora las formas de resistencia que han aparecido alrededor del mundo, así como formas alternativas de desarrollo y uso de IAs que desafían el modelo extractivo hegemónico. 

Las teorías y praxis decoloniales, feministas e interseccionales serán el lente para analizar la concentración de poder en oligarcas tecnológicos, la erosión de derechos laborales, responsabilidad algorítmica y cuidado ecológico, efectos como la desinformación y la automatización de sesgos, y respuestas a esto a partir de marcos éticos, de gobernanza y de IA responsable. A través de la lectura detallada de textos y ejemplos seleccionados, nos preguntaremos: ¿Qué tipo de “inteligencia” están posicionando los discursos y desarrollos de IAs? ¿A quién le beneficia el hype de las IA? ¿Quién está pagando el costo de estas? ¿Quién está proponiendo y quién está quedando por fuera de los marcos éticos? ¿Cómo imaginamos y creamos alternativas? ¿Qué podemos hacer desde nuestros contextos?

El objetivo de este enfoque interdisciplinario es ampliar tu repertorio analítico para reflexionar sobre las condiciones en las que las IAs reproducen, profundizan o subvierten las estructuras interconectadas de poder como el patriarcado, el capitalismo, el colonialismo y la supremacía blanca. Al mismo tiempo, busca brindarte recursos para cuestionar y transformar tu manera de entender y relacionarte con las IAs, desde lo personal hasta lo colectivo.

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This seminar introduces the key concepts, theories, and current debates surrounding sustainable development, considering recent reflections and actions related to environmental and climate justice. In the first part of the seminar, we will study the emergence of the sustainable development paradigm by examining its key definitions and regulatory documents. We will then explore various approaches to climate justice. This discussion will lead us to consider two significant critical approaches to development: post-development and alternatives to development. We will also explore complementary approaches to sustainable development based on feminist, anti-racist, and decolonial perspectives. The seminar concludes with a discussion of three case studies, enabling us to explore environmental conflicts related to extractivism, biodiversity loss, and air and water pollution in more depth, along with their implications for sustainable development theories and practices.

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This course addresses topical issues of the interaction between language and law, peculiarities of legal language, rules of use of legal terminology and legal structures, as well as other elements of legal technique.  

The course explores the language of law through comparative studies, focusing on the legal systems of Poland and Germany. It examines how legal concepts, terminology, and interpretation differ and interact in these systems. The course highlights the challenges of multilingual legal frameworks, the influence of EU law on member states, and the role of legal language in shaping jurisprudence and governance. The course will address the following topics:

- Introduction to Comparative Law (Comparative law: objectives and methods).

- Characteristics of Polish, German, and EU legal systems.

- Legal Terminology and Translation Challenges: Comparing key legal terms in Polish, German, and EU law. 

- Harmonization and Divergence in EU Law: The principle of supremacy of EU law and its impact on national systems, direct effect and the implementation of EU directives in Poland and Germany.

- The language of judicial opinions: Comparing the Polish Constitutional Tribunal, the German Federal Constitutional Court, and the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU). Inc. the interpretative role of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).

- Multicentricity of law and multilingualism in EU Law.

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Die Ringvorlesung behandelt die geschichtspolitischen und erinnerungskulturellen Veränderungen durch die extreme Rechte in internationaler und interdisziplinärer Perspektive und diskutiert Gegenstrategien zur Förderung von Demokratie und Menschenrechten.

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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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This course gives an overview of the economic study of innovation and the production of new goods and services. 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 introduces patent races, the economics of licensing, and the study of adoption and diffusion of new technology. A further topic concerns R&D cooperation with a focus on the working of Research Joint Ventures. Throughout the course we will discuss the Schumpeterian themes of the relation between market structure, firm size and innovation. The course will also evaluate current technology policy as implemented in various countries. A seminar-like part will conclude the course with various case studies of firms’ research and development activities and innovations with a special focus on the pharmaceutical sector. 

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This course deals with network industries like electricity, gas and water supply as well as with the telecommunication sector and how to regulate them. A special focus is laid on the consequences of the asymmetric distribution of information among the agents active in these sectors. Here, one might think of product markets characterized by uncertainty about qualities and prices as well as labor markets, insurance markets, or financial markets. These markets are characterized by endogenous information that is generated by some market participants' behavior affecting other market participants' behavior. As a consequence, the market mechanism may be distorted or even fail.

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The module is comprised by 2 classes: Videos of the virtual lecture ``Debt: Game Theory Applications'' given by Prof. Filip Vesely (University of Wisconsin/Milwaukee) and the online seminar given by PD Dr. Martin Mandler (JLU Giessen) with specific topic tba

Videos of the virtual lecture will be available on ILIAS (see link on StudIP) for streaming from May, 1st on according to the time schedule below. PDF-files of the lecture slides are available on the ILIAS site.

The virtual lecture will end with a written exam (open book) at the end of July 2026. There will also be a voluntary midterm test to prepare for the exam in this part of the class. The results of this voluntary test will not be credited for the final exam.

PD Dr. Mandler will publish the schedule for the seminar asap.

Examination/grading in the seminar will be fixed in the first meeting of the seminar. The language of all classes is English.

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Artificial intelligence, especially large language models found in many digital applications, including social media apps, is ubiquitous—usually without us noticing. Our everyday lives, from everyday language use to discussions in the political public sphere to political action, are now significantly influenced by AI applications.

The visualization of everyday and political content, but also doxxing, swarming, and other forms of discrimination and agitation are playing an increasingly important role. The financial and economic context of influential tech companies is also significant. 

The seminar aims to explore the question of how AI programs should be understood, how technical path dependencies influence democratic processes, and how trends toward tech autocracies are emerging.

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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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What does „ethics“ mean? Why does it matter (if it does)? How can we think (decide) and act ethically? And, what would be the answers to these questions if we are economic agents (of any kind)? Either as a single businessperson (e.g., freelancer), a shopkeeper, or the CEO of a multinational company, what are the ethical principles we must follow, and what are the consequences if we do not? These are the questions that „Business Ethics“provides considerable responses for. Business ethics is the field of „shoulds“ and „should n’ts “ at the micro-, meso-, and macro-level socioeconomic interactions. It benefits from theories and empirical findings in Philosophy, Sociology, Psychology, Behavioral Economics, and Organization Sciences, to draw a practical framework within which acting ensures minimizing costs for „others“ (e.g., society, environment) and maximizing benefits for „everyone.“ Responsible entrepreneurship, a more contemporary concept, goes beyond the „cost-minimizing“ standpoint and suggests ways for proactive, other-oriented value-creation. These two fields, merged into one course, can familiarize the audience with the plausible bright side of the economic world (so that they can actualize it) and equip them with functional scales to determine what, in the current business world, is and isn’t ethical and/or responsible. The course’s reference book is Managing Business Ethics: Straight Talk about How to Do It Right (2021), one of the most cited and admired textbooks in business ethics; however, relevant papers will also be utilized as supplementary material.

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Following IPCC, Southern Africa is among those regions worldwide, most vulnerable to climate change impact. Consequences can be observed already by drought, extreme weather, etc., in many parts seasons are shifting with consequences to agriculture, water security and modes of sociation. Climate change is not just one of the most urgent environmental challenges of our time. As anthropogenic climate change, it emerges from economic, political, and social conditions. It is thus impacting on social institutions, cultural self-understanding, and political and economic development. This class traces the social and cultural dimension of climate change with focus on Botswana and South Africa, two societies in the Southern African region that struggle with the diverse impact of climate change. 

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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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The seminar “Democratic Development of Migration and Mobility”is inspired and based on the EU Peace forerunner seminars “Migration and Health in the European Union and Turkey,” which we (Prof. Ilgit from Cukurova U. and Prof. Sascha Krannich) did in the summer semester 2025. This seminar should deepen the insights of the forerunner project and enlarge the geographical scope of migration and democratic development above Germany and Turkey, and include developments in Italy and Spain as well. While we investigated the nexus of migration and health in the first seminar, this seminar focuses particularly on the interrelations of migration and democratic development by addressing the question of how migrants in European countries affect democratic developments in their countries of residence as well as of origin. In a comparative perspective, we explore how democratic development interacts with cross-border mobility, civic participation, and public discourse. Through conceptual and comparative discussions, the course examines how migrants, diasporas, and the broader public engage in re-defining democratic values and practices across Europe and its neighbourhood. For instance, we take a look at discourses about refugees in Germany, which resulted in the so-called “Stadtbild” debate, and in Italy and Spain about the negotiation processes and enforcements of asylum policies. The seminar should improve knowledge about issues of peace, migration, and democracy, and contribute to a better understanding of European migration and integration policies, and enlarge intercultural competences and English skills of students and future teachers (particularly regarding terminologies, categories, and concepts of peace and democracy).

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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 April 01 and 15) 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 April 29, and May 13 and 27) 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 June 10 and 24) 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 seminar examines how platform media organize public meaning and responsibility. Drawing on a critical theoretical approach and recent debates on media polarization, we investigate how power is articulated and how hegemonic discourses emerge; who performs the care work that sustains information environments; and how data extraction and recommendation systems govern publics. The course focuses on visual media and transnational cases, co-selected with students in the first session.

The course’s meaning/power framework draws on Stuart Hall (encoding/decoding; articulation) and Antonio Gramsci (hegemony; common sense). We connect this to feminist theories of social reproduction and care (Nancy Fraser; Tithi Bhattacharya) and to decolonial critiques of knowledge and labor (Françoise Vergès), as well as analyses of data colonialism (Nick Couldry and Ulises A. Mejias). Methods are introduced through scholarship on framing and visual analysis.

In the seminar, we will identify who claims to protect whom, who shoulders moderation and verification labor, and how “safety” narratives authorize exclusion or control by analyzing public clips and posts, media articles and essays, and short excerpts from screen media (films and TV shows).

By the end of the course, students will be able to explain and apply core concepts to concrete platform artifacts; evaluate the distribution of care and labor in an information ecology and propose at least one care/externality indicator; communicate and self-assess results for academic and non-academic audiences; and reflect on ethics and limits.

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In a rapidly globalizing world, increasing migration and multiculturalism have heightened the socio-cultural complexities in educational systems. Teachers now face the challenge of integrating this diversity while actively promoting equal opportunities and justice. This seminar aims to equip future educators with the necessary skills and attitudes to foster respect and build inclusive, peaceful, and tolerant classroom communities. By developing a global mindset, teachers can serve as role models for their students, demonstrating how to embrace diversity.

Important: This seminar depends on mutual exchange and interaction. Active participation is therefore expected. 

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Gold and Silver Metalwork from the Carolingian Period to the Baroque 

This seminar examines the history, craftsmanship, functions, and cultural meaning of goldsmiths’ and silversmiths’ work from the Carolingian period (8th century) through to the Baroque era (18th century). We will explore a broad range of objects, including liturgical vessels such as chalices, portable reliquaries, monumental shrines; insignia, such as crowns and sceptres; and items of personal, ceremonial, or symbolically charged significance, such as jewellery.

A central component of the course is an introduction to the principal techniques of historical metalwork — including repoussé, granulation, filigree, and enamelling — alongside their technological development, diffusion and adaptation across the early medieval and early modern Euro-Mediterranean world. In discussing these works, we will consider how such objects were used, what functions they fulfilled in sacred and secular environments, and what they reveal about identity, status, memory, piety, and representation in pre-modern societies.

Goldsmiths’ and silversmiths’ works constitute one of the most significant areas within the applied arts; notably, several of the earliest signed artworks of the medieval period belong to this category. As such, the seminar introduces students to broader historiographical questions of craftsmanship, artistic authorship, and material culture.

The seminar will be delivered primarily in a lecture-based format and taught in hybrid mode: students in Gießen will attend in person, while external participants join online.

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• Zusammenhänge von Religion und Politik aus christlich-theologischer Perspektive
• Ansätze, Herausforderungen, Impulse und Grenzen politischer Theologien

(Literatur: Lukas Bormann/Ansgar Kreutzer (Hg.), Politische Theologien. Aufbrüche und Neukonzipierungen, Freiburg 2025)  

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Der Kurs hat das Ziel, einen Einblick in aktuelle literatur- und kulturwissenschaftliche Forschungsprojekte, -debatten und -themen zu vermitteln. Zudem sollen die Studierenden bereits erworbene Kenntnisse vertiefen und in konkreten Forschungszusammenhängen anwenden. Der Kurs bietet damit auch die Möglichkeit, Interesse an eigenen literatur- und kulturwissenschaftlichen Fragestellungen zu entwickeln und diese zu begleiten.

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Mit der ‘Leichten Sprache’ soll Menschen mit Einschränkungen in der literalen Kompetenz (bspw. Personen mit kognitiven Einschränkungen, funktionale Analphabeten) ein Zugang zu literalen Praktiken in unserer Gesellschaft ermöglicht werden. Das Seminar beleuchtet diese noch junge Form der deutschen Sprache aus variationslinguistischer Perspektive, erörtert aber auch Fragen zur didaktischen Relevanz (bspw. mit Bezug auf Deutsch als Fremd- und Zweitsprache). 

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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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Der Kurs rückt den Prozess des Schreibens in den Fokus und berücksichtigt dabei unterschiedliche (neue) Medien: Ausgehend von einer Reflexion und Rekonstruktion der Studierenden zu ihren ersten eigenen Erfahrungen des Produzierens und Rezipierens von Texten werden sie in verschiedenen Schritten an den Prozess des eigenständigen (kreativen) Schreibens in bzw. für verschiedenen Medien herangeführt. Praktischer Input, Tipps und Erfahrungen werden von der französischen Autorin Dr. Nirina Ralantoaritsimba ergänzt und von der Seminarleiterin literaturwissenschaftlich eingeordnet. Beide nehmen die Studierenden mit in den Entstehungsprozess ihrer eigenen Texte und in die Frage der Reflexion narrativer Mittel und begleiten das Schreiben der Studierenden in einem interdisziplinären Dialog von Praxis und theoretischer Reflexion, wobei die Freude über den Erfolg der ersten eigenen Texte im Vordergrund steht.

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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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War and trauma have profoundly shaped and continue to shape human history and experience. Each year, a wealth of novels, memoirs, and films revisits past, present, and even imagined future conflicts. This seminar considers how such narratives can be used as valuable resources in peace education, human rights education, and global citizenship education within the English as a Foreign Language classroom (EFLC). Drawing upon an array of textual and visual media – from personal diaries and letters to fiction, poetry, and film – we will examine various representations of conflict from the First World War to the present day, attending closely to the ways in which they narrate the lived experiences of war, trauma, displacement, resistance and survival.

Drawing together the fields of critical pedagogy, literary studies, gender studies, history, and cognitive psychology, the seminar prepares future educators to engage thoughtfully and responsibly with wartime narratives in their own educational work. We shall explore how language-learning environments can cultivate empathy, critical awareness, cultural learning, intercultural understanding, democratic values and a commitment to peace, justice and inclusion. Ultimately, this course highlights the potential of stories of war and (in)justice in EFL teaching and learning to support peacebuilding, foster intercultural dialogue, and nurture globally informed, socially responsible learners.

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Das Seminar gibt einen Überblick über text- und medienlinguistische Fragestellungen und Methoden. Das Seminar findet in Kooperation mit der Nationalen Iwan-Ohijenko-Universität Kamjanez-Podilskyj in der Ukraine statt und wird deshalb als Online-Seminar per Videokonferenz durchgeführt. Das Seminar setzt die Bereitschaft voraus, in virtuellen, Teams über ein Semester hinweg gemeinsam an text- und medienlinguistischen Projekten zu arbeiten.

Das Seminar wird als Co-Teaching durchgeführt, Seminarleiterin auf ukrainischer Seite ist Dr. Tetiana Kalyniuk.

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Categorization as a conclusion drawn from phenomenological similarity is the driving force in cognitive processes and shapes the grammatical system of human language as well as the expressive use of language in literature. The seminar will consider different forms of similarity like coincidence, analogy, cooccurence, comparison, allegory and metaphor, starting from auditive similarities like case syncretism in language or rhyme in literature, going over to visual-observable shared features like epigraphy in writing or length of sentences in prose, finally analysing complex metaphorical transfers like grammatical tense respectively density of description. The phenomena will be discussed on the material of Ukrainian language and literature, both in original and in translation. The seminar will serve as a platform for discussing the interplay of language as a system, expression as an intention, and medium as their manifestation. Knowledge of a (preferably East) Slavic language is not mandatory, but intensive interest in linguistics and literature are expected.

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A course description is not yet available. The content will be published once it has been finalized by the instructor.

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Mehrsprachigkeit ist längst kein Randthema mehr, sondern eine zentrale Aufgabe modernen Fremdsprachenunterrichts. Das Seminar „Von der Vielfalt zum Mehrwert: Mehrsprachigkeit als Ressource im Französisch- und Spanisch-unterricht“ greift diesen Paradigmenwechsel auf und eröffnet Perspektiven auf eine Unterrichtspraxis, die sprachliche Viel-falt als Ressource begreift – sei es durch schulisch gelernte Sprachen oder durch migrationsbedingte Mehrsprachigkeit der Lernenden.

Neben theoretischen Grundlagen der Mehrsprachigkeitsdidaktik werden im Seminar auch aktuelle Entwicklungen im Bereich digitaler und KI-gestützter Lernumgebungen aufgegriffen. Dabei wird diskutiert, wie Künstliche Intelligenz Lehrkräfte bei der Planung, Durchführung und Reflexion mehrsprachigkeits-fördernder Aufgaben unterstützen kann – etwa durch adaptive Lernsysteme, automatische Sprachanalyse oder individualisierte Feedbackformen.

Ziel ist es, Studierende zu befähigen, Mehrsprachigkeit und digitale Innovationen gemeinsam zu denken und in ihrem zukünftigen Französisch- und Spanischunterricht lernwirksam und reflektiert einzusetzen.

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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
• Carbohydrates, proteins, fats

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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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• Fundamentals of polymer sciences: molecular weight, coil models
• Types of polymers and polymerization
• Transition metal catalyzed polymerization
• Organometallic chemistry, methods for construction of carbon-carbon bonds
• Polymer and material properties
• Crystallinity of polymers
• Polymer recycling
• Processing of 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
• Photovoltaics: potential for the energy revolution
• 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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• Basic concepts of green and sustainable chemistry and the evolution of the field.
• 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 etc.).

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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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Our modern technology- and services-based economy crucially depends on natural resources. Thus, many current policies deal with the overexploitation of natural resources. In the modern economy, the electricity (power) sector plays a central role. On the one hand, it exploits renewable resources (wind, solar power etc.) and non-renewable resources (fossil fuels), on the other hand, it contributes to climate change by exploiting the atmosphere as a non-renewable resource (greenhouse gas dump). Against this backdrop, this course explains basic methods and advanced models and provides a deeper understanding of the underlying economic mechanisms referring to current policy challenges.

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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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Diese Vorlesung gibt einen Einblick in die Gebiete der mündlichen Kommunikation. Wer einen Rundumblick zur Funktion und Anwendung der Stimme, zur Fremd- und Eigenwirkung beim Vortrag, Körpersprache, Gespräch und Argumentation bekommen und dies für sich selbst in Zusammenhang setzen möchte, ist in dieser Vorlesung genau richtig. Theoretische Elemente werden in praktischen Kurzübungen ausprobiert und verständlich gemacht. 

Die Veranstaltung wird mit bestanden / nicht bestanden abgeschlossen und mit 2 CP angerechnet. Für Studierende aller Studiengänge und Semester. Die Veranstaltung wird asynchron digital stattfinden und beinhaltet das Bearbeiten von wöchentlichen Hausaufgaben.

Als Leistungsnachweis (2 CP) müssen alle Hausaufgaben bearbeitet und fristgerecht eingereicht werden. 

Die Vorlesung ist Voraussetzung für den Erwerb des Zusatzzeugnisses "Kompetent mündlich kommunizieren" (https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/afk/zusatzzeugn-20141001/muendlichkommuniziere-20141001).

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In diesem Seminar verbessern Sie Ihre interkulturellen und regionalen Kompetenzen:

Das Wissen und die Kompetenzen, die durchdieses Modul erworben werden können, sind sowohlfür das Studium (durch die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung mit der Geschichte, Gesellschaft und Kultur der jeweiligen Region) alsauch für den Beruf(als Vorbereitung aufeinen möglichen Auslandsaufenthalt o.Ä.) relevant.

Das Seminar kann für den Erwerb des Zusatzzeugnisses "Kompetent mündlich kommunizieren" (https://www.uni-giessen.de/de/fbz/zentren/zfbk/afk/zusatzzeugn-20141001/muendlichkommuniziere-20141001) angerechnet werden.

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

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

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