Program Overview

University Programs

The following university programs are offered at Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin:

Global Social Movements in and beyond Berlin

This course explores the dynamic landscape of global social movements, taking Berlin as a focal point and lens to analyze broader international trends. Students will engage with theories and case studies that illustrate how social movements emerge, evolve, and impact societies, especially in contexts marked by globalization, migration, and socio-political change. Berlin's rich history as a hub for activism provides an ideal backdrop for examining the intersections of local and transnational movements.

• Course details:
  • Lecturer: Alexandre Nogueira Martins
  • Language requirements: English B2
  • Place: Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin, Room t.b.a.
  • Time: t.b.a.
• Course description: The course will explore the complex historical and contemporary dynamics of social movements in and beyond Germany, providing a comprehensive understanding of multiple social movements shaping our contemporary world. Each class will connect a theoretical discussion on collective action with a case of a specific social movement, especially with cases from Berlin history with global entangled connections.

Surveillance in History and Contemporary Culture

This course examines the societal impact of surveillance by exploring the complex interplay between technologies, societies, and the arts, while also reflecting on surveillance within totalitarian contextsparticularly through a comparison of observation techniques in the GDR and contemporary methods.

• Course details:
  • Lecturer: Dr. Betiel Wasihun
  • Language requirements: English B2
  • Place: Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin, Room t.b.a.
  • Time: t.b.a.
• Course description: Students will critically engage with representations of surveillance in literature, film, and popular culture, addressing key themes such as visibility, identity, privacy, and control. The course introduces the interdisciplinary field of surveillance studies and presents current research in four main areas: the relationship between surveillance, power, and social control; histories of surveillance, with a focus on the GDR and the Stasi; the concept and evolution of privacy; and the role of surveillance in the arts and popular culture.

Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Crisis Discourses and Future Imaginaries

This course draws from distinct approaches and traditions of thought to examine the theoretical foundations of what constitutes a crisis and how societies imagine, narrate, and address them.

• Course details:
  • Lecturer: Mariana Motta Vivian
  • Language requirements: English B2
  • Place: Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin, Room t.b.a.
  • Time: t.b.a.
• Course description: By taking a multidimensional outlook towards contemporary empirical cases, the course reflects on how the crisis framework influences imaginaries of potential futures. Participants will be encouraged to operationalize and critically examine the concept of crisis, both within and beyond academic contexts, with special attention to the empirical and intellectual implications of its employment as a narrative device.

Democratic Resilience and Human Rights Law in Times of Global Crises

This course deals with the institutional and societal resilience against democratic backsliding and the apparent decline of international human rights law worldwide.

• Course details:
  • Lecturer: Dr. Anja Mihr
  • Language requirements: English B2
  • Place: Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin, Room t.b.a.
  • Time: t.b.a.
• Course description: The course looks at why and how some political institutions, (international) regimes, and societies are more resilient against democratic decline and others are not, focusing on examples from within Europe and beyond.

The Resistable Rise of the Right

This course focuses on how the political, cultural, and economic transformations in Europe since 1989 contributed to the rise of far-right parties.

• Course details:
  • Lecturer: Dr. Dorian Alt
  • Language requirements: English B2
  • Place: Humboldt-Universit酹 zu Berlin, Room t.b.a.
  • Time: t.b.a.
• Course description: Using Poland and (Eastern) Germany as examples, the course focuses on three main developments: the rise of neoliberalism, accelerated cultural change, and the political transformations after the collapse of socialism in 1989. Students will study cutting-edge research investigating these trends and learn to find their reflections in Berlin's uniquely situated cultural landscape, through excursions and the analysis of contemporary film, theatre, and novels.