Society, Economy, and Politics

In this cluster, students can deepen their knowledge on the processes of globalisation and European integration that transform the society and economy in Germany and other parts of Europe, affecting the systems of politics and law. Students can choose from a wide range of modules in the social sciences, i.e. from sociology, political science, economics, business & management, and law. Most of the lectures provide profound background knowledge in an international setting or a comparative perspective. In many of the seminars the focus is set on topical issues such as climate change, financial crises, migration and demographic change, transnational regimes of trade and production, and conflicts related to nationalism and terrorism. Some of the courses specialise on the social, economic and political situation in Germany.

Languages, Cultures, and Education

In this cluster, students can explore Europe/parts of Europe as multilingual and culturally diverse regions both in present and in historical settings. They can explore the histories of language and cultures in different European countries, while, at the same time, reflecting on the transnational dimension of linguistic and cultural developments, also taking the global entanglements of Europe (both today and in the past) into account. Moreover, students will have the chance to reflect on the role of (primary, secondary, tertiary) education in these highly diverse contexts, e.g. by developing a comparative perspective including their own country of residence. Course topics include (but are not limited to) phenomena of multilingualism in European contexts, the history and reverberations of European colonialism, Europe and/in processes of globalisation (e.g. in popular culture), migration and forms of cultural mobilities to, from, and within Europe.