Universität zu Köln International

The institutions of the European Union

Wednesdays, 14:00-15:30
in S101 (building 211)
Lecturer: Dr. Tobias Kunstein, Institute of Political Science tobias.kunstein(at)uni-koeln.de

The process of integration among sovereign nation states embodied by the European Union (EU) is a unique attempt of organising the co-existence of peoples. The EU’s sui generis character – something between a federation of nation states, or “Staatenbund”, and a federal state, or “Bundesstaat” (which led the German Constitutional Court to invent the term “Staatenverbund”) – makes the EU an ideal test case for political scientists interested in international cooperation. 

Although the EU is used to sailing rough seas, recent years have seen a succession of apparently existential crises and frantic reforms. Most recently, the decision on the first-ever exit of a Member State may form a watershed moment for the Union as a whole. At the very least it implies that fast-paced institutional adaptation will continue.

The seminar aims to take a closer look at the structures underlying the EU. Based on a systematic appraisal of the Union’s institutional foundations, its strength and weaknesses will be the subject of debate and assessment. In particular, the seminar will include three sessions organised along the lines of a Tilbury debate. Students will controversially discuss a statement in two teams and try to defend a point of view that is not necessarily their own.

Introduction to German and European Law

Wednesdays, 16:00-17:30h
in S165 (building 213)
Lecturer: Dipl.-Jur. Nico S. Schmidt, M.A., Chair of Public Law, Public International Law and European Law – nicos.schmidt(at)uni-koeln.de

This course provides an introduction to German law and the German legal system as well as with an introduction to European law and the European legal system. The structure of the course lessons is interactive, active participation thus highly desired and expected. Therefore, every student will be given the opportunity to prepare a topic of his or her specific interest and present the results in front of the course (5 to 15 minutes). After the presentation the topic at hand will be discussed amongst the students. The lecturer will then give additional information on the topic and lead through the rest of the lesson. The students have to write a paper on their topic (3 to 5 pages). This paper shall be handed in one week after the oral presentation.

1) Course introduction (11th of October)

Part I: Introduction to German Law

2) Areas of Law, Sources of Law (18th of October)

3) Court system, sources of legal information, legal education and careers (25th of October)

– no lecture on the 1st of November –

4) Constitutional Organs (8th of November)

5) Constitutional Organs (15th of November)

6) Fundamental Rights (22nd of November)

7) Fundamental Rights (29th of November)

8) Private Law (6th of December)

9) Criminal Law (13th of December)

Part II: Introduction to European Law

10) European Law/Law of the EU (20th of December)

– Christmas holidays –

11) European Court system (10th of January)

12) European single market (17th of January)

13) Linguistic regime (24th of January)

14) Repetition (31st of January)

European Regional Development

Thursdays, 16:00-17:30h (start: 19 Oct 2017)
in Ü2 (Geographie Rundbau, building 302) 
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Peter Dannenberg, Institute of Geography, p.dannenberg(at)uni-koeln.de ; Dipl.-Geogr. Birte Rafflenbeul, Institute of Geography, birte.rafflenbeul@uni-koeln.de 

The seminar is targeting students in all relevant disciplines which are interested in the different aspects of European city and regional development including e.g. city and regional planning, geography, politics, social sciences and economics. The aim of the seminar is to understand and learn about the different challenges European regions are facing, e.g. integration and migration, social exclusion, demographic changes, creative milieus, economic decline, shrinking cities and ecological renewal. During the course of the seminar, we will target different kinds of research questions like the following examples show: 

• How is the aging society affecting our rural and urban areas?

• How are creative class affecting cities?

• How are migrants integrated into the city of Cologne and which problems do different actors face in multi-ethnical neighborhoods?

The City of Cologne is a hot spot for various regional developments. As a result, several of these aspects will be discussed and explained at short excursions directly on examples in Cologne (e.g. ethnic businesses and the migration situation in selected “Veedel” of Colgne, Waterfront Development at the Rhine River). During the seminar, students will give power point presentations in which selected developments or planning programs are shown and discussed on regional examples all over Europe (including e.g. the home regions of the participants).

European Social Policy and International Social Rights, Inclusion 

and Community-Building

Wednesdays, 10:00-11:30
in S81 (Philosophikum, building 103)
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Frank Schulz-Nieswandt, Chair of Social Policy and Methods of Qualitative Social Research – schulz-nieswandt(at)wiso.uni-koeln.de

Inclusion does not happen overnight. We cannot understand inclusion as if we switch on and off the light. Beyond legal frameworks and economic incentives as important preconditions to generate social change by Pareto-optimal solutions in allocation, successful inclusion is a process of social change understood as cultural transformation.

Inclusion as metamorphosis (Gestalt-switch) of the collective agreement about the question of a good life needs time but during this time-span, society has to organize social learning processes that transform the psychodynamics of individuals and the cultural grammar of exclusion.

This broad problem has to be located in the legal context of the EU and the UN, connected with the national legal regime development in the structure of multi-level-system with final results on the local level.

 Images of Europe

102 S3.206
Tuesday: 16:00-17:30
Lecturer: Benjamin Naujoks

Pictures seem to be omnipresent. As icons they have a significant, may be even overriding impact on the perception of public and private spaces as well as on private and political communication. As a matter of fact: iconographic communication is an integral part of the history of humankind. This seminar will deal with European History of the 19^th and 20^th centuries under particular consideration of Visual History. Its guiding question is: Do we already have a collective European iconographic memory or is there a variety of collective national memories related to European history? 

From War to War – Europe during the first half of the 20th Century  (AS)

Mondays, 8:00-9:30
103, S 3.006 (3rd floor)
Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Müller, Historical Institute/Division 9 International Office johannes.mueller(at)uni-koeln.de

European History during the 20th Century has been described as an “Age of Extremes” (Eric Hobsbawm), as a period in which the “Dark Continent” (Mark Mazower) went “to Hell and Back” (Ian Kershaw) and then had to be rebuild “Out of Ashes” (Konrad Jarausch). This is all the more surprising as the 19th Century seemed to forebode an age of culminating progress, characterised by scientific triumphs, civilizing achievements, accelerated discoveries and technological solutions for all problems and needs of mankind. Yet, the 20th century saw the most barbaric set-back Europe had experienced for ages: Two world-wars, slaughter and repression of entire people and populations, excesses of intolerance, hate and violence, dictatorship, tyranny and the spectre of nuclear apocalypse. 

Examining the first half of the 20th century is examining how Europe arrived at the edge of self-destruction. It also means to identify the lessons to be learnt by successive generations – as at least in part the second half of the century is reacting to and trying to avoid the errors of the first half.

Historiography has just started to historicize the last century as a whole. Hence, we will also deal with competing interpretations which try to integrate the first half of the century into a comprehensive view of the entire epoch.

Course Overview

(Draft agenda - subject to change!)

1. – 9.10. – Introduction 

2. – 16.10. – Europe at the Turn of the Century 

3. – 23.10. – World War I 

4. – 30.10. – Revolutions 

5. – 6.11. – Poisoned Peace 

6. – 13.11. – Democracy/Liberalism

7. – 20.11. – Fascism 

8. – 27.11. – Communism 

9. – 4.12. – Capitalism 

10. – 11.12. – Depression 

11. – 18.12. – Rise of National Socialism 

12. – 8.1. – Hitler as an International Challenge 

13. – 15.1. – Towards World War II 

14. – 22.1. – Total War, Total Destruction and Total Reconstruction 

15. – 29.1. – Exams

Start: 11.10.2017
Wednesdays, 8:00-9:30h
Room:  103 S81
Lecturer:  Dr. Heike Berner, Judith Berns
 

In situations when different cultures come together can be both, highly beneficial and challenging. In this case we are talking about academic situations, which hold a specific pressure: Study programs come along with a given expectation to deliver performances regardless of intercultural issues existing in a classroom.

This course offers strategies on how to deal with intercultural challenges that may arise when studying abroad. As academic systems can be quite diverse, this course is designed to gain a better understanding of the German system. Students acquire a range of competences that can be helpful in classroom situations.

The seminar was especially designed for CGSP-students, drawing from past experiences and feedback from CGSP-teachers, as well as students of the program. This course will give you the "tools" to create your stay and your academic achievement in particular successful.

Topics that will be covered include:

- Cultural differences affecting a students´ daily life on campus/ in the classroom

- Different forms of delivering performances in a German classroom (essays, presentations, papers...)

- Cultural differences in relationsships: teacher-student, student-student

- input and suggestions from participants of the courses will be included as well

Start: 10.10.2016
Tuesdays, 10:00 - 11:30
Room:  100 Hörsaal XII (100/U1/HS XII)
Lecturer:  Prof. Dr. Thomas Kohnen Thomas.Kohnen(at)uni-koeln.de
 

Set against the background of a short outline of the major periods in the history of the English language, this lecture will present a more detailed description of the Anglo-Saxon period. Old English or Anglo Saxon covers the time between ca. 450 and ca. 1150. Seen from today, Old English strikes us as both exotic and familiar. On the one hand, it shows us English as it was spoken before the influence of French set in, with a fully-fledged morphology, different spelling conventions and different word order patterns. On the other hand, a large part of the basic core of today’s vocabulary stems from Old English. And, last but not least, many German learners find Old English fairly easy because of its closeness to German. The lecture will cover important aspects of Anglo-Saxon language and literature as well as topics involving Anglo-Saxon society and culture.

Start: 12.10.2017
Thursdays, 16:00-17:30h
Room:  100 Hörsaal VIII
Lecturer:  Prof. Dr. Karl Schneider (and others)
 

This lecture presents innovative teaching methods in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines as they are used in the different countries of the participating experts. International experts from various countries (Canada, Germany, Greece, India, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK, USA) will present their teaching and outreach apraoches.

The lecture particularly targets students interested in

- methods of inquiry-based learning in the STEM disciplines,

- communicating science to and fostering participation by a broader audience (outreach / citizen science),

- exploring opportunities of bilingual teaching approaches,

- developing internationalization in teacher education program and international cooperation.

The lectures provide examples of integrating science and educational research. Using examples from current NASA earth observing systems and other international space missions, the mutual benefit of integrating internationally recognized research projects with broad public participation is discussed, participation approaches are shown and the motivational aspects for STEM disciplines are addressed. In an increasingly complex world it is more important than ever to base decisions on evidence and to strengthen the trust in science by understanding the scientific methods. Thus, understanding how science works and fostering participating in the science process is a firm basis to communicate science and scientific discovery. A well suited program in this context is the NASA’s Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program.

The goal of the course is

a) to provide students in teacher education programs with an overview of international activities and teaching approaches in the context of environmental and science education using GLOBE as a role model,

b) to provide competence in science outreach and communication to students in science programs (e.g. B. Sc.),

c) to establish an international network of students and scientists interested in fostering STEM education and

d) to establish a collaboration and exchange network of the University of Cologne and Universities (e.g MRU / Calgary, SUNY, Fredonia/NY, Univ. Athens/ Greece) and research institutions (e.g. NASA/JPL, NCAR) abroad.

Start: 19.10.2016
Thursdays, 12:00 - 14:30
Room:  105 Hörsaal C
Lecturer:  Prof. Dr. Beate Neumeier
 

This team-taught lecture course provides a survey of selected approaches to Shakespeare ranging from linguistics to gender studies, postcolonial studies, media studies, performance studies, and didactics. The wide scope of approaches underscores the centrality of Shakespeare within English Studies, as well as the necessity to engage in a productive dialogue between different perspectives on Shakespeare's works. Lecturers include Heinz Antor, Uwe Baumann , Hanjo Berressem, Andrea Gutenberg, Konstanze Kutzbach, Thomas Kohnen, Beate Neumeier, and Sarah Youssef.

Start: 10.10.2017
Tuesdays, 14:00 - 15:30
Room: Hörsaal XII, building 100
Lecturer:  Sarah-Lena Böning
 

 The course Comparison of Health Care Systems aims at a theory and typology driven comparison of health care systems, in order to get to know the range of possible health policies. Different health policies are evaluate and best practices identified, discussing policy shifts and the role of policy diffusion. The course follows an interdisciplinary approach and includes different perspectives.

Students are familiar with the normative and methodological principles relevant for the conceptual organisation of health care systems and compare different international systems concerning their organisational and operational patterns. They analyse interdependencies and functional operations in health care systems and evaluate their effectiveness, efficiency and transparency. They also draw conclusions resulting from the international comparison of health care systems and apply them to concrete topics. Students identify policy learning and policy diffusion in this field. Special attention is draws to the role of the EU and international organizations.

Start: 09.10.2016
Mondays, 14:00-15:30
Room: 216 S131
Lecturer:  Dr. Stefan Neubert
 

The seminar will offer an introduction to internationally influential debates in education in the wake of John Dewey (1859-1952).

Start: 09.10.2017
Mondays, 16:00-17:30h
Room:  106 S24
Lecturer: Dr. Julia Hoydis

The beginnings of English prose fiction in the 17th century and the subsequent “rise” of the novel in the 18th century are inseparably tied to the expansion of the British Empire and the slave trade. The growing fascination with enterprises and adventures taking place far away from the British Isles and the contact with other peoples, cultures, and ethnicities shape many texts of the period. In this class we will discuss four novels, Aphra Behn’s Oroonoko (1688), Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe (1719), Jonathan Swift’s brilliant satire Gulliver’s Travels (1726) and Olaudah Equiano’s The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African (1789), as well as theoretical texts on the nexus of race and imperialism. We will look at the ways the fictions negotiate fantasies and fears, conceptions of identity and otherness, and the intersections of science, capitalism and slavery. Students are asked to acquire copies of the novels. All other materials will be made available in ILIAS.

Start: 11.10.2017
Wednesdays, 10:00-11:30h
Room:  106 S25
Lecturer:  Melanie Anna Brück
 

Languages do not exist in isolation as their speakers are in contact with speakers of other languages. This is especially true in today’s globalised world. Such contact can differ greatly in intensity and it can result in a number of linguistic outcomes. This class aims to discuss some of the mechanisms at work in language contact situations and the effects language contact has on linguistic structure. Following a guided introduction to the field students will be asked to create a portfolio on a specific case of language contact.

Attendance in the first session is mandatory as we will discuss recommended readings and assign specific tasks.

Start: 09.10.2016
Mondays, 10:00-11:30
Room: 211 H112 
Lecturer:  Dr. Elizabeth Gilbert
 

Registration for this course via cgsp(at)verw.uni-koeln.de only, not via KLIPS!

What is literature, what do I need to know to be able to fully appreciate a piece of fiction, a poem or a play as a literary scholar? What do we mean when we speak about culture or specific cultures? What are the tools and techniques, the aims and approaches in literary and cultural studies? What movements and names need I know for future analyses? These are some of the topics dealt with in this course, which opens small doors to a variety of aspects of the field..

Start: 09.10.2017
Mondays, 14:00 - 15:30
Room:  100 Hörsaal V
Lecturer:  Prof. Dr. Daniel Bunčić, Slavic Department dbuncic(at)uni-koeln.de
 

The CCLS Lecture Series offers a forum to linguists from many different areas to present findings from current research. In this way, students will have access to up-to-date work done locally at the University of Cologne, as well as to work done internationally. Topics will cover a variety of languages, methodological approaches, and theoretical perspectives (see course list for detailed information). Individual class sessions will be divided up in a lecture part and a question and answer session. Open to all interested.

Start: 10.10.2017
Mondays, 12:00 - 13:30
Room:  210 S 2.B.11
Lecturer:  Dennis Abel
 

Course summary

This course aims to provide students with an introduction on public policy analysis on the basis of energy, climate and environmental policy. In the first part of the course, we will discuss general approaches and concepts of public policy analysis. The students will investigate the single components of policies and the major steps in the policy cycle. In addition, different theoretical approaches for the explanation of policy change will be elaborated. Finally, we will debate forms of governance and the concept of policy convergence. In the second part of the course, we will apply these approaches on the analysis of energy, climate and environmental policy. The protection of the population against environmental hazards and the mitigation of climate change have emerged as a core task of government policy. We will investigate the decision-making process in crucial environmental subfields such as climate change mitigation, adaptation and renewable energy policy. The participants will prepare and present case studies on selected policy-making processes within these subfields. The course will be based on discussion sessions, small in-class group projects, short presentations by the students and peer review of research designs. We will hold two “workshops” to craft, discuss and review the research designs for the term paper.

Course requirements and examination

All participants are expected to:  attend the seminar on a regular basis  self-study the obligatory readings according to schedule  actively contribute to class discussions  give a 10 to 15 minutes presentation in the seminar The examination consists of two parts: 1. A short presentation (10-15 minutes) followed by a discussion session. The presentation will be graded as either “pass” or “fail”. 2. A written term paper. Depending on the “Prüfungsordnung”, participants are expected to write 3500 words (6 ECTS). The written examination accounts for 100% of the final grade. Participants must “pass” the presentation as well as the term paper in order to successfully finish the course. The term paper has to be handed in as electronic version via email to abel@wiso.uni-koeln.de. The print version should be handed in personally at the administration office of the Cologne Center for Comparative Politics (IBW Gebäude, Herbert-Lewin-Str. 2, 1st floor, Room 1.09). 

Tuesdays, 14:00-15:30
Room: S37 (Student Service Centre. building 102)  
Lecturer: Benjamin Haas
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Development policies traditionally aim to improve the lives of people in so called “developing countries”. However, due to the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world is currently renegotiating the concept of development. This seminar gives an overview about the policy field from a European perspective, including its history, theories, actors, instruments and current (critical) debates. It also includes a one-day study excursion to Bonn (the former capital of West-Germany), where students have the opportunity to discuss the topics of the seminar with different political actors and practitioners, for instance, from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Students learn to apply different theoretical approaches regarding the concepts of development to current practical cases and get an introductory overview about European Development Policies. No previous knowledge about the topic is required.

Mondays, 12:00-13:30
Room: S233 (COPT, building 315)
Lecturer: Dr. Pamela Kilian
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

The seminar addresses the European Commission's development strategy "Europe 2020", and discusses impacts on the economic development of EU-member states. In the first course units, the development priorites in the areas of Employment, Research and development (R&D), Climate change and energy, Education, Poverty and social exclusion are examined with a critical review of related key performance indicators. In the second part the course members compile case studies on EU-member states in order to compare or contrast different paths of economic development within the EU.

24.04.2017 Introduction to "Europe2020"

01.05.2017 National Holiday

08.05.2017 Employment

15.05.2017 Research and development (R&D)

22.05.2017 Climate change and energy

29.05.2017 Education and Innovation

05.06.2017 Poverty and social exclusion

12.06.2017 Case Studies

19.06.2017 Case Studies

26.06.2017 Case Studies

03.07.2017 Case Studies

10.07.2017 Case Studies

17.07.2017 Wrap-up session

24.07.2017 Test

Every other Monday, 08:00-11:30
Room: S37 (Studierenden Service Centre, building 102)
Lecturer: Tobias Flessenkemper
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Please note: This course will articulate in six double-sessions!!

It is compatible with course nr. 15304.3000 (Germany from Division to Unification (1945-1990)), with which it shares room and time alternately.

The process of integration among sovereign nation states embodied by the European Union (EU) is a unique attempt of organising the co-existence of peoples. The EU’s sui generis character – something between a federation of nation states, or “Staatenbund”, and a federal state, or “Bundesstaat” (which led the German Constitutional Court to invent the term “Staatenverbund”) – makes the EU an ideal test case for political scientists interested in international cooperation. 

Although the EU is used to sailing rough seas, recent years have seen a succession of apparently existential crises and frantic reforms. Most recently, the decision on the first-ever exit of a Member State may form a watershed moment for the Union as a whole. At the very least it implies that fast-paced institutional adaptation will continue.

The seminar aims to take a closer look at the structures underlying the EU. Based on a systematic appraisal of the Union’s institutional foundations, its strength and weaknesses will be the subject of debate and assessment. In particular, the seminar will include three sessions organised along the lines of a Tilbury debate. Students will controversially discuss a statement in two teams and try to defend a point of view that is not necessarily their own.

Tuesdays, 08:00-9:30
Room: IR VII  (Rechtshaus, building 202)
Lecturer: Nico Schmidt
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

This course provides with an introduction to German law and the German legal system as well as with an introduction to European law and the European legal system. The structure of the course lessons is interactive, active participation thus highly desired and expected. Therefore, every student will be given the opportunity to prepare a topic of his or her specific interest and present the results in front of the course (5 to 15 minutes). After the presentation the topic at hand will be discussed amongst the students. The lecturer will then give additional information on the topic and lead through the rest of the lesson. The students have to write a paper on their topic (3 to 5 pages). This paper shall be handed in one week after the oral presentation.

Every other Monday, 08:00-11:30 
Room: S37 (Student Service Centre, building 102) 
Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Müller
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Please note: This course will articulate in six double-sessions!!

It is compatible with course nr. 15304.0006 (Current challenges of EU foreign and security policy), with which it shares room and time alternately (see below room and time).

Germany’s history in the second half of the 20th century was overshadowed by the disastrous outcome of World War II, both in regard to domestic policies and international affairs. The atrocities committed by Nazi-Germany left a monstrous legacy for generations of Germans to deal with. The aftermath of the defeat of the German Army by a discordant alliance set the scene for the division of Europe and the rise of the Cold War. Germany’s own trajectory from division to unification, with a history split into a Western and an Eastern narrative (still today difficult to merge into a common perspective), is as peculiar as it is emblematic for the history of Europe in this epoch. 

This introductory course, taught in English, attempts to approach German history from the outside, by relying predominantly on international studies (in English). German students are welcome, if they are ready to take on an external point of view; international students are invited to bring in their own perspective on German history based on studies/monographs from their home countries.

Course Program (Overview)

Mon, 24 April – From unconditional surrender to double state-building

Mon, 15 May – Reconstructing, rearranging, realigning (The 1950s and 60s)

Mon, 29 May – Resilience and Rebellion: 1968 and its aftermath | 

                      “Ostpolitik” and the German Question

Mon, 12 June – Two German states, two German societies

Mon, 26 June – From the “Iron Eighties” to “Glasnost and Perestroika”

Mon, 10 July – Revolution and/or (Re-)Unification

Tuesdays, 12:00-13:30
Room:  S37 (Student Service Centre, building 102)
Lecturer: Dr. Lidia Mazzitelli
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

This course offers an introduction to the languages of Europe, both from a structural and a socio-cultural point of view. 

The participants will learn how European languages function, how they are similar/different from each eatch and what makes them different from languages spoken in other parts of the world, how they interact with each other and what is their relevance to the European society and culture. 

The course is structured as follows: first, a general introduction to linguistics and to the fundamentals of linguistic comparison and classification will be provided. Then, chosen languages from the language families and groups present in the continent will be analysed more in details. In oder to make the students familiar with  Particular attention will be dedicated to minority languages, as well as to the "new languages" brough to Europe by migrants (as Turkish in Germany). 

Parallels with the native tongues of the participants in the course will be made, so to encourage active participation. 

Apart from the final exam, each student will be required to write an essay (5/6 pages) on a course-related topic that will be chosen in agreement with the lecturer.

Start: 24.04.2017
Mondays, 18:00 - 19:30
Room: S93 (Philosophikum, building 103)
Lecturers:  Univ.-Prof. Dr. Daniel Buncic, Jakob Egetenmeyer
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

The CCLS Lecture Series offers a forum to linguists from many different areas to present findings from current research. In this way, students will have access to up-to-date work done locally at the University of Cologne, as well as to work done internationally. Topics will cover a variety of languages, methodological approaches, and theoretical perspectives (see course list for detailed information). Individual class sessions will be divided up in a lecture part and a question and answer session. Open to all interested.

Mondays, 14:00 - 15:30
Room:  S56 (Philosophikum, building 103)
Lecturer: Dr. apl.Prof. Andrea Gutenberg
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

For the purposes of this seminar, migration literature will be defined as fiction about the experience of migration, not necessarily fiction written by migrant writers, even though both often coincide. This experience of displacement can have economic, political and religious reasons and varies not only across ages and nations but also from one generation to the next. Representations of migration in the five novels we are going to discuss cover the stories of four Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters, the failed American Dream of impoverished illegal Mexican immigrants to the United States, a problematic British-Pakistani girlhood friendship, the troubled trajectory of a Jamaican couple coming to Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948 and the fate of an early 19th-century Englishman who is transported to Australia as a convict. Depending on the age, gender and class of the character focused upon, subgenres of these migration novels range from Bildungsroman and coming of age novel to historical and sociopolitical novel. Texts you need to buy and read in advance: Amy Tan: The Joy Luck Club (1989); T.C. Boyle: The Tortilla Curtain (1995); Meera Syal: Anita and Me (1996); Andrea Levy: Small Island (2004); Kate Grenville: The Secret River (2005). Course evaluation will be based on participation in a group presentation in class and a term paper or an oral exam.

Schedule will follow
Room:  will follow
Lecturer/contributors: Dr. Philipp Immenkötter, Christoph Karl, Mareike Laub
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

• Financial reporting fundamentals
• Determining the cost of capital
• Option pricing

Registration via KLIPS 2.0 between March 27th – 29th 

Thursdays, 16:00 - 17:30
Room: 524 (WISO-Gebäude, building 101)
Lecturer/contributors: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Martina Fuchs, Tatiana López Ayala, Nicolas Reum, Evgenija Ivanona Rusina
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Registration via KLIPS 2.0 will be possible between 27-29 March.

18.10.2016 - 07.02.2017
Mondays, 12:00 - 13:30
Room:  S56 (Philosophikum, building 103)
Lecturer: Dr. Prof. Heinz Antor
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

In this seminar we will look at literary negotiations of intercultural encounters in (post)colonial contexts. This will include analyses of the way in which otherness is constructed, for example in descriptions of different races and ethnicities in situations of exploration, migration, diaspora, etc. We will begin with a critical reading of William Shakespeare’s 'The Merchant of Venice' (1596/7). This will be followed by analyses of the following anglophone novels from Britain, Canada and Australia: Andrea Levy, 'Small Island' (2004); Rudy Wiebe, 'A Discovery of Strangers' (1994); Guy Vanderhaeghe, 'The Last Crossing' (2002); Kim Scott, 'That Deadman Dance' (2010). Requirements: active participation, presentation in class, essay (schriftliche Hausarbeit).

Block course: 
21 April 2017 | 14:00-18:00 | S37 (Student Service Centre, bulding 102)
22 April 2017 | 09:00-15:00 | S82 (Philosophikum, building 103)
6 May 2017 | 09:00-15:00 | S82 (Philosophikum, building 103)
1 July 2017 | 09:00-15:00 | S82 (Philosophikum, building 103)

Lecturer: Dr. Heike Berner, Judith Berns
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

In situations when different cultures come together can be both, highly beneficial and challenging. In this case we are talking about academic situations, which hold a specific pressure: Study programs come along with a given expectation to deliver performances regardless of intercultural issue existing in a classroom.

This course offers strategies on how to deal with intercultural challenges that may arise when studying abroad. As academic systems can be quite diverse, this course is designed to gain a better understanding of the German system. Students acquire a range of competences that can be helpful in classroom situations. 

The seminar was especially designed for CGSP-students, drawing from past experiences and feedback from CGSP-teachers, as well as students of the program.

Start: 19.04.2017
Wednesdays, 16:00 bis 17:30 
Room:  H115 (IBW Gebäude, building 211)
Lecturer:  Prof. Dr. Kirk Junker
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Course description will follow

Registration must be made via cgsp(at)verw.uni-koeln.de

Thursdays, 16:00 - 17:30
Room: H122 (HF-Gebäude, building 216)
Lecturers:  Dr. Göran Nieragden
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

Einstein, Freud, Kandinsky, Wittgenstein – four innovators who changed for good our common notions of space, time, mind, art, and language. Between, roughly, 1910 and WW II, modern¬ism undertook to destabilize and revolutionize everything that smacked of 'the old', and undertook a trans-national movement to 'make it new'. Literature joined hands and produced a new aesthetics, a new self-confidence and a completely new tone. We will look at literary examples, both from Britain and the US. The reading is likely to prove demanding and, more often than not, disillusioning, but also rich, rewarding and relevant. It is not for nothing, after all, that we still claim to be living in post-modern times...

Tuesdays, 16:00 - 17:30
Room:  216 (HF-Gebäude, building 216)
Lecturer: Dr. apl.Prof. Stefan Neubert
Course information via KLIPS 2.0

For the purposes of this seminar, migration literature will be defined as fiction about the experience of migration, not necessarily fiction written by migrant writers, even though both often coincide. This experience of displacement can have economic, political and religious reasons and varies not only across ages and nations but also from one generation to the next. Representations of migration in the five novels we are going to discuss cover the stories of four Chinese mothers and their American-born daughters, the failed American Dream of impoverished illegal Mexican immigrants to the United States, a problematic British-Pakistani girlhood friendship, the troubled trajectory of a Jamaican couple coming to Britain on the Empire Windrush in 1948 and the fate of an early 19th-century Englishman who is transported to Australia as a convict. Depending on the age, gender and class of the character focused upon, subgenres of these migration novels range from Bildungsroman and coming of age novel to historical and sociopolitical novel. Texts you need to buy and read in advance: Amy Tan: The Joy Luck Club (1989); T.C. Boyle: The Tortilla Curtain (1995); Meera Syal: Anita and Me (1996); Andrea Levy: Small Island (2004); Kate Grenville: The Secret River (2005). Course evaluation will be based on participation in a group presentation in class and a term paper or an oral exam.

All core courses can also be chosen for the elective module.

For more information on the modules (basic and elective) see pages 7-9 of our brochure.

The institutions of the European Union

Lecturer: Dr. Tobias Kunstein, Institute of Political Science tobias.kunstein(at)uni-koeln.de

The process of integration among sovereign nation states embodied by the European Union (EU) is a unique attempt of organising the co-existence of peoples. The EU’s sui generis character – something between a federation of nation states, or “Staatenbund”, and a federal state, or “Bundesstaat” (which led the German Constitutional Court to invent the term “Staatenverbund”) – makes the EU an ideal test case for political scientists interested in international cooperation. 

Although the EU is used to sailing rough seas, recent years have seen a succession of apparently existential crises and frantic reforms. Most recently, the decision on the first-ever exit of a Member State may form a watershed moment for the Union as a whole. At the very least it implies that fast-paced institutional adaptation will continue.

The seminar aims to take a closer look at the structures underlying the EU. Based on a systematic appraisal of the Union’s institutional foundations, its strength and weaknesses will be the subject of debate and assessment. In particular, the seminar will include three sessions organised along the lines of a Tilbury debate. Students will controversially discuss a statement in two teams and try to defend a point of view that is not necessarily their own.

Introduction to German and European Law 

Lecturer: Dipl.-Jur. Nico S. Schmidt, M.A., Chair of Public Law, Public International Law and European Law – nicos.schmidt(at)uni-koeln.de

This course provides an introduction to German law and the German legal system as well as with an introduction to European law and the European legal system. The structure of the course lessons is interactive, active participation thus highly desired and expected. Therefore, every student will be given the opportunity to prepare a topic of his or her specific interest and present the results in front of the course (5 to 15 minutes). After the presentation the topic at hand will be discussed amongst the students. The lecturer will then give additional information on the topic and lead through the rest of the lesson. The students have to write a paper on their topic (3 to 5 pages). This paper shall be handed in one week after the oral presentation.

1) Course introduction (18th of October)

Part I: Introduction to German Law

2) Areas of Law, Sources of Law (25th of October)

– no lecture on the 1st of November –

3) Court system, sources of legal information, legal education and carreers (8th of November)

4) Constitutional Organs (15th of November)

5) Constitutional Organs (22nd of November)

6) Fundamental Rights (29th of November)

7) Fundamental Rights (6th of December)

8) Private Law (13th of December)

9) Criminal Law (20th of December)

– no lectures from 23rd of December until 6th of January –

Part II: Introduction to European Law

10) European Law/Law of the EU, History (10th of January)

11) Court system (17th of January)

12) European single market (24th of January)

13) Linguistic regime (31st of January)

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Schulz-Nieswandt

Inclusion as the radical alternative to the cultural reality of social exclusion of the homo patiens is an anthropological paradigm of philosophy of law. This leads to the idea of going beyond social structures of center and periphery in society.

> Inclusion as a model of thought is driven by the United Nations and also by the catalogue of basic social rights, involved in the treaties of the European Union and is connected with der European Social Policy. The analysis put the emphasis on the policy of social services of general interest in connection with the European Charta of fundamental (social) right.

We cannot understand inclusion as if we switch on and off the light. Beyond legal frameworks and economic incentives as important preconditions to generate social change by Pareto-optimal solutions in allocation, successful inclusion is a process of social change understood as cultural transformation. Inclusion as metamorphosis (Gestalt-switch) of the collective agreement about the question of a good life needs time but during this time-span, society has to organize social learning processes that transform the psychodynamics of individuals and the cultural grammar of exclusion.

> After a short overview about the theory the EU as multi-level-system and about the different dimensions and aspects of European Social Policy we want to read and discuss the central relevant legal article of the legal regime policy of the UN and of the EU and discuss as a re-construction a text of complex interpretation of the whole issue area.

Lecturer: Dr. Pamela Kilian

Economic development is, by nature, uneven. Regions are endowed with different sets of resources. Economic agents perform socio-economic actions and act in relationships at multiple scales which result in specific processes of development and socio-economic patterns. This course provides an introduction into methods and concepts of analysing economic development from a European perspective. The course starts by taking a global perspective, placing Europe within a world system of interdependently developing regions forming core-periphery structures. On these grounds, we zoom-in to the intra-continental level, looking into technological and organisational innovations, cases of structural change, industrialization and deindustrialization, economic rise and fall of regions, and the modes of governance in steering this development today.

Classes cover the following topics (in chronological order): Resources and development, Core-periphery patterns in the World System, Socio-economic structure of countries and regions, Technological change “made in Europe“, Dependancy theory in effect – Europe’s role in international patterns of development, Regional development and (mega-)urban economies, Modification of regional core-periphery patterns, Fordist and postfordist Europe, Case Studies: Germany (west) – Rhein-Ruhr Area, Case Studies: Germany (east) - Berlin, Case Study Global City London, Eurozone in crisis, How long will Europe matter? Impacts of economic globalization. Every student prepares a short paper (3-5 pages) on one of class topics and presents it briefly in class. Using literature from the reading list, students are encouraged to supplement the scientific publications with statistical data. A methodological introduction is part of the prep meeting on 17 Oct. 2016.

Dates, Topics, Readings (as end-notes, see reading list below)

17.10.2016          Prep meeting for participants of the Cologne Global Study Program

+++20.10.2016 FIELD TRIP to Frankfurt +++

24.10.2016          Introductory session: Resources and development (5)

31.10.2016          Core-periphery patterns in the World System (5)

07.11.2016          Socio-economic structure of countries and regions (5, 1, 3, 7)

14.11.2016          Technological change “made in Europe“ (5)

21.11.2016          Dependancy theory in effect – Europe’s role in international patterns

of development (5)

28.11.2016          Regional development and (mega-)urban economies (1, 5, 4, 6)

05.12.2016          Modification of regional core-periphery patterns (5, 4)

12.12.2016          Fordist and postfordist Europe (5, 3, 4)

19.12.2016          Case Studies: Germany (west) – Rhein-Ruhr Area (5, 6, 3)

09.01.2017          Case Studies: Germany (east) - Berlin (5, 6, 3)

16.01.2017          Case Study Global City London (5, 6, 3)

23.01.2017          Eurozone in crisis (7)

30.01.2017          How long will Europe matter? Impacts of economic globalization (5, 2, 6)

06.02.2017          Written test (fact-bound quiz)

Reading list

1.            Ballas, Dimitris; Dorling, Danny; Henning, Benjamin (2014): The social atlas of Europe. URL: http://lib.myilibrary.com/Open.aspx?id=620586 (accessible via university library net).

2.            Dawson, Mark; Enderlein, Henrik; Joerges, Christian (2016): Beyond the crisis: the governance of Europe's economic, political and legal transformation. http://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198752868.001.0001/acprof-9780198752868 (available online via the university library net)

3.            Gebhardt, Hans; Glaser, Rüdiger; Lentz, Sebastian (2013): Europa – eine Geographie. URL: http://link.springer.com/book/10.1007%2F978-3-8274-2720-5 (available online via the university library net)

4.            Grotz, R. (ed.) (2012): A Geography of Germany. Geographische Rundschau International Edition, Special Issue 08/2016 (will be provided as pdf).

5.            Knox, Paul L.; Marston, Sallie A. (2013): Human geography: places and regions in global context. Chapter 8. Geographies of Economic Development.

6.            Michael, Thomas (2014): Diercke International Atlas. Westermann, Braunschweig (available in the university library).

7.            Baldwin, Richard; Wyplosz, Charles (2015): The economics of European integration. Berkshire.

Please be prepared to search and study further readings as part of the course work.

 Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Müller

Even though the Anti-Hitler coalition, which successfully re-established peace after World War II, seemed to initiate a period of international cooperation, it quickly broke down and on the contrary paved the way to an epoch of bipolar tension and antagonism. From 1945 to 1989 the entire world was under siege by a conflict that was basically European. And it was Europe that suffered most directly its consequences: Forced into two antagonistic blocs, divided by the “Iron Curtain” – with Germany cut in two at the frontline – deadly armed and constantly on the edge of a Third World War. This seminar will deal with the origins, the development and the end of the Cold War, considering its ideological background, structural shape and political aftermath. But we will also shed light on political alternatives and look at attempts to overcome the geopolitical stalemate.

It is of course a global history, but we will deliberately deal with it from a European perspective.

Course Outline

1.            – 17.10.2016

Introduction

             Formalities, Overview,

             “Europe” – “Cold War”

             Historiography/A Cold War of Historians?

             Europe after the War (1945)

2.            – 24.10. 2016

Between the Powers: From Coalition to Confrontation (1943-1948)

             Tehran, Yalta, Potsdam - Dissent among Victors

             Containment and Competition: The Marshall Plan

             Dividing Germany and dividing Europe

3.            – 31.10. 2016

Building Blocs (1947-1955)

             Korea-War, German Rearmament

             NATO and Paris Treaties

             Warsaw Pact

4.            – 7.11. 2016

At the edge of WW III (1953-62)

             Rivalries: NATO vs. Warsaw Pact - Atomic Stalemate

             Hungary 1956

             Berlin and Cuba

5.            – 14.11. 2016

The West: From Consolidation to Turmoil (1950s and 1960s)

             Economic Recovery - “No Experiments!”

             Southern Dictatorships

             Social Change and Uproar

6.            – 21.11. 2016

The East: Behind the Iron Curtain (1950s and 1960s)

             A New Society

             From Khrushchev to Brezhnev

             Socialist Alternatives: Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania

7.            – 28.11. 2016

European Integration I (1950-1970)

             From Schuman-Plan to the Treaties of Rome

             First Enlargement

8.            – 5.12. 2016

Coexistence – peacefully? (1962-1979)

             From Khrushchev to Brezhnev – The Brezhnev Doctrine             Prague

             Geopolitics: Vietnam, China, South-America/Chile, Middle East, Africa

9.            – 12.12. 2016

Europe in the 1970s

             Economic regression

             Ostpolitik

             Fading Dictatorships: Spain, Portugal, Greece

10.          – 19.12. 2016

Global Arms Race (1979-85)

             Afghanistan War

             Reagan and Thatcher – The Reagan Doctrine

Christmas & New Year Break 23.12.2016 – 6.2.2017

11.          – 9.1.2017

Western Europe under Thatcher, Kohl and Mitterand (1980s)

             Post-Industrial Europe

             New Capitalism vs. New Political Movement

12.          – 16.1.2017

European Integration II (1970-1992)

             Eurosklerosis

             Single European Act

             Maastricht Treaty

13.          – 23.1. 2017

The Gorbachev Impact: The Dissolution of the East (1985-1992)

             Reagan, Gorbachev - and John Paul II.

             Solidarnosc – Glasnost – Perestroika

             Dissolution of the Soviet Bloc

             German (Re-)unification

14.          – 30.1. 2017

The End of History ?

15.          – 6.2. 2017

Final Exam

Recommended Literature

Best introduction to the Cold War:

Gaddis, John Lewis: The Cold War, Penguin, London 2005

Best overview about Post-War Europe

Buchanan, Tom: Europe’s Troubled Peace. 1945 to the Present, Wiley Blackwell, Chichester 2012²

Further Readings:

Gilbert, Mark: Cold War Europe. The Politics of a Contested Continent, Rowman&Littlefield, Lanham 2015

Gilbert, Mark: European Integration. A Concise History, Rowman&Littlefield,

Lanham 2012

Judt, Tony: Postwar. A History of Europe Since 1945, Penguin 2005

Larres, Klaus (ed.): A Companion To Europe Since 1945, Wiley Blackwell, Chichester 2014

Leffler, Melvyn P. & Westad, Odd Arne: The Cold War, Vol. I-III, Cambridge Univ. Press, Cambridge 2012

Mazower, Mark: Dark Continent. Europe’s Twentieth Century, Penguin, London 1999

Wegs, J. Robert & Ladrech, Robert: Europe Since 1945. A Concise History, Palgrave Macmillan, Hampshire 20065

Young, John W.: Cold War Europe 1945-1989. A Political History, Edward Arnold, New York 1991

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Daniel Buncic

Formerly, languages without tenses or without relative pronouns, languages in which the idea of ‘nobody came’ is expressed as ‘anybody did not come’, or languages which express ‘Bill is as tall as Phil’ as ‘Bill is tall and Phil is tall’ were considered ‘exotic’. Nowadays we know that it is the European languages that are peculiar in many ways. Consequently, we can now ask the question what is special about European languages in contrast to other languages of the world.

In this core course we will try to answer this question for all the levels of language: Apart from grammar (morphology and syntax) we will talk about sounds (phonetics and phonology), letters (graphematics), words (lexicology), politeness and address (pragmatics) as well as standard languages, dialects, slangs, and language policy (sociolinguistics). We will always compare typical characteristics of European languages with non-European languages and point out individual features of European languages that stick out from the European pattern. For languages spoken both in Europe and in other regions (e.g. English, French, Russian) we will examine differences between the European and the non-European varieties.

This course does not require linguistic skills. Linguistic concepts needed to understand the specificities of European languages will be explained while we go, using our target languages as examples, so that it will not get boring for those who already know the fundamentals of linguistics.

Prof. Dr. Buncic

The CCLS Lecture Series offers a forum to linguists from many different areas to present findings from current research. In this way, students will have access to up-to-date work done locally at the University of Cologne, as well as to work done internationally. Topics will cover a variety of languages, methodological approaches, and theoretical perspectives (see course list for detailed information). Individual class sessions will be divided up in a lecture part and a question and answer session. Open to all interested.

Prof. Dr. Ebner

In the seminar “Transitions from School to Work – A Life Course Perspective” we first discuss theoretical foundations of life course and social mobility research. In the next step, transitions and inequalities in education systems will be addressed. Such transitions from primary school to secondary schools or at a later point in life to the higher education system are highly dependent on family background characteristics. Educational certificates then determine labor market opportunities, such as unemployment risks and income. Other characteristics shaping employment careers are first, ascriptive individual characteristics like gender, age or migration background; second, market characteristics and third, institutional characteristics like employment protection legislation, the welfare state and industrial relations.

Prof. Dr. Kohnen

This lecture has two aims. First, it will give a short general outline of the major periods in the history of the English language, with their most important social, cultural and linguistic developments. Secondly, it will present a more detailed description of the Early Modern English period. This period covers the time from the incipient standardisation of written English (in the middle of the 15th century) to the beginnings of its codification (in the early 18th century). Seen from today, Early Modern English strikes us as a period of great creative freedom, which has produced long and rambling texts as well as the most spectacular works of English literature. The lecture will not only deal with developments in the fields of phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicography, but also focus on topics of historical text linguistics and historical pragmatics.

Prof. Dr. Fuchs

Course description

This course will place the European Union in the context of the contemporary global economy and consider its socio-economic development in the light of recent economic geography research on industrial clusters (or, industrial “ecosystems”) on the one hand, and “global production networks” on the other.

Contents

Innovative firms tend to be concentrated in specialized industrial clusters. The questions that will be asked during the course are: why is this the case; what kinds of environmental circumstances support innovation activity? This is the topic of a vast academic and policy literature; cities and regions want to understand it to create environments supportive of innovation to facilitate successful regional economic development in the long term; corporate decision-makers and entrepreneurs are interested in it because they want to choose fitting locations for their most dynamic activities. The course will take us through current thinking on the nature of the innovation process and its relation to cluster dynamics and sustainable regional development. This discussion is placed in the context of global economic dynamics, to understand Europe’s current competitive position. Empirical examples are presented from clusters in manufacturing, service, cultural industry, and clean technology clusters.

Learning outcomes

Participants will be able to deepen their understanding of the position of the range of European regions in the contemporary global economy, and the challenges that these regions are currently facing. They will be able to evaluate various types of spatial industrial clusters as operational environments of (innovative) firms and the role of clustering in the economic development of Europe’s cities and regions. These skills are important assets for operations in both private businesses and in regional development policy making.

Sarah-Lena Böning

The course Comparison of Health Care Systems aims at a theory and typology driven comparison of health care systems, in order to get to know the range of possible health policies. Different health policies are evaluate and best practices identified, discussing policy shifts and the role of policy diffusion. The course follows an interdisciplinary approach and includes different perspectives.

Students are familiar with the normative and methodological principles relevant for the conceptual organisation of health care systems and compare different international systems concerning their organisational and operational patterns. They analyse interdependencies and functional operations in health care systems and evaluate their effectiveness, efficiency and transparency. They also draw conclusions resulting from the international comparison of health care systems and apply them to concrete topics. Students identify policy learning and policy diffusion in this field. Special attention is draws to the role of the EU and international organizations.

Prof. Dr. Carol

Syllabus only available in German, course was taught in English though.

Welche ethnischen Unterschiede gibt es in Bildungsverläufen und welche gesellschaftlichen Konsequenzen entstehen durch Bildungsungleichheit? Wie lassen sich Bildungsunterschiede erklären? Im Rahmen des Seminars ‘Bildung und Migration’ gehen wir hierbei insbesondere auf Unterschiede in der Ressourcenausstattung und Unterschiede zwischen Herkunftsländern ein. Wir lesen aktuelle Studien darüber, inwiefern die schulischen Leistungen und die angestrebten schulischen Leistungen auseinanderklaffen und ob es hierbei Geschlechterunterschiede gibt. Dabei schauen wir uns genauer an, wie der Übergang zu weiterführenden Schulen gelingt und ob hierbei Diskriminierung entsteht. Wirkt sich die Entscheidungsfreiheit der Eltern für eine Schule positiv auf Bildungserfolg aus, oder fällt dies eher zum Nachteil von Kindern mit Migrationshintergrund aus? Was passiert, wenn viele Kinder mit Migrationshintergrund in Klassen und Schulen segregiert sind? Stellen konfessionelle Schulen, wie James Coleman schlussfolgerte, eine Alternative zu gemischten Schulen dar? Welche Konsequenzen hat segregiertes Lernen für interethnische Kontakte und Kooperation? Gleichzeitig können in Schulen, wo Schüler mit und ohne Migrationshintergrund zusammen lernen, interethnische Konflikte entstehen. In diesem Zusammenhang diskutieren wir Studien, die sich mit Bullying und Aggressionen auseinandersetzen. Die abschließenden Sitzungen bieten die Möglichkeit, Themen vorzuschlagen, sich mit methodischen Fragen auseinanderzusetzen und eigene Ideen zu entwickeln.

Prof. Dr. Junker

Course syllabus not available. 

Dr. Sattler

Stigmatization is all around us. Stigma exists towards people with different gender (i.e. sexism), race (i.e. racism), ethnicity (i.e. ethnocentrism), age (i.e. ageism), etc. Thus, stigma refers to a process in which specific marks or cues trigger cognitive (stereotypes), emotional (prejudice), or behavioral (discrimination) responses. These responses include convictions that certain people are dangerous; negative emotions such as fear, or segregating these people. Thus, stigma can represent a barrier to personal aspiration and life opportunities and interfere with the ability to seek housing, find jobs, get insurance, receive treatment, etc. It is thereby one mechanism of creating, maintaining, or increasing social inequality.

This seminar aims to increase our understanding towards the different facets of stigma such as approaches of how to measure, explain, and counteract stigma. Thereby, this seminar also intends to use this gathered knowledge in a practical and research-oriented way. Besides presentations, the seminar includes interactive elements such as discussions and group works.