FUBiS - Freie Universität Berlin International Summer and Winter University

Course Description

The course will introduce the basics of the European Union and describe and explain the processes of widening and deepening of this unique political entity. This will cover an overview of European Union history, its evolution in economic and political terms as well as of its institutional structure up to today.
Internal politics and policies, for example the decision-making process, the balance of power, questions about identity and democracy in this new system of governance will be discussed. We study the causes and effects of the war in Europe, its geopolitical dimension and how it affects policies and relations with neighbors and other parts of the world. Particularly important aspects include the discussion on relations with the UK after Brexit, the future of transatlantic relations and how the EU is dealing with China’s and Russia’s alternative models of governance. We will discuss migration as well as the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. If students express specific interests in other topics or case studies sessions can be adjusted.
The morning sessions consist of lectures, literature-based discussions and oral presentations from working groups. After lunch the course will visit various institutions in Germany`s political center. Students will have the chance to discuss the topics from the morning sessions with international experts from political institutions, embassies and think tanks.

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Course Description

This course explores theoretical and historical perspectives on the intersection of law, society and politics, and aims to foster discussion of contemporary issues among students from different cultures and disciplines. Alongside an introduction to comparative law and legal culture, we read some classical social theorists (Durkheim, Weber and Marx), look at a more contemporary perspective (Bourdieu), and consider their relevance to contemporary debates about morality, (dis)obedience, conflict, and property. The course invites students to apply these analytical lenses to their own legal and political systems and share their insights in class discussion.

We will use these foundations to investigate the role and operation of law in totalitarian settings such as Nazi and Communist Germany, as well as across contemporary political regimes and societies. Excursions around Berlin will help students gain insight into ordinary citizens’ lived experience of the law during times of political turmoil and how state institutions have wrestled with the legacy of these eras.

Throughout the course students will be asked to consider: 1) how law plays multiple and complex roles in society and politics; 2) the functions of state and non-state legal institutions and actors; and 3) how an individual’s position in society affects his or her experiences, values, and choices. Students not only gain substantive expertise in various socio- and politico-legal fields, but also develop communicative competence through participatory exercises, and intercultural competence through discussion with other students.

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Course Description

The ‘Thousand Year Reich’ promised by Hitler when he became Chancellor of Germany on January 30, 1933, lasted but 12 years. During this time, Hitler and his Nazi Party came to dominate the nation and the continent. His regime terrorized vast numbers of Germans and Europeans, launched a devastating war, controlled and laid waste to much of Europe. It also orchestrated the murder of more than five million Jews. Despite the repression, terror and vast destruction, Hitler and the Nazi Party gained and retained the active support and involvement of most Germans. How was this possible? How was the domination sustained? What roles did seduction and terror, consent and coercion, play?

This class addresses these questions and focuses on Hitler’s Germany, its origins, its structure, and the aftermath of its 12 years of rule. We begin with the 19^th century background. Central to this session are the broad political currents, the special interest groups that gained support and influence, the agitators and petty demagogues who fueled dissatisfaction and who spread it widely. We will also examine the popular literature that Hitler and many of his supporters read and absorbed.

Crucial to understanding the lure of Hitler and the Nazi Party is Germany’s experience in the Great War, 1914-1918, a conflict that decimated a generation and destroyed Europe as it was known. In its wake it left a shattered, humiliated, and deeply torn Germany. In this climate of uncertainty and despair, Hitler and the Nazi Party grew from a small group on the fringe of radical politics in Munich into a national force. This development is of central importance to this session. Those traits of Hitler crucial to his success, particularly his charisma, will be defined and analyzed within the broader context of the political and cultural life of the Weimar Republic.

On January 30, 1933, Hitler gained his long desired but elusive goal: he became chancellor of Germany, the leader of a coalition government. The political intrigues leading to his appointment will be discussed. Much attention will be paid in this session to how Hitler, his cabinet, and supporters were able to consolidate control over the state and society within a matter of months, how they were able to carry out what they termed “a national revolution.” This came at the cost of political liberties, through the growing use of terror, oppression, and intimidation. Yet, Hitler gained supporters as he seemingly offered economic stability and a new unity to the German people. How did the regime solidify its control over society and over political life? Was it seduction or terror, consent or coercion?

A key element of Hitler’s rule was the concentration camp system, what came to be a vast network of prisons, centers of ruthless exploitation, oppression, and death. How this developed from the hundreds of small concentration camps set up in Berlin and across Germany shortly after Hitler’s takeover of power in 1933 to the well-organized and highly centralized system by 1939 will be the focus of this session. During the war, the concentration camp system spread across Germany and occupied Europe and was central to the Nazi war effort.

Hitler’s ambitions, the conquest of ‘living space’ in Eastern Europe, the ruthless exploitation of these territories and the annihilation of the Jews, motivated his foreign ambitions and led directly to World War II, the most destructive conflict in human history. Along with these issues we will discuss in this session the measures taken against POWs, the handicapped, homosexuals, Sinti and Roma within Germany and in the occupied territories. The Holocaust, the all-out effort to murder the Jews of Europe, will be examined in depth.

In Germany and in occupied Europe opposition and resistance emerged and challenged Nazi rule. Opponents were motivated by a variety of factors, some personal, some political. These too will be discussed as well as the regime’s ruthless efforts to eradicate all opposition, all dissent, real or imagined.

Lastly, the class will examine the end of the war, the so-called ‘zero hour’, the destruction and collapse of Nazi Germany. Shortly thereafter, the reckoning with the Nazi past through investigations and criminal prosecutions and the widespread non-reckoning among the German public, began. Only since the late 1960s, however, has Germany looked openly and critically at its Nazi past. Only then came the establishment of a series of memorials and monuments, a number of which we will be visiting.

To augment the in-class sessions, we will be touring local museums, historical sites, and locations that reveal and characterize the operations of Nazi rule and how post-war Germany has dealt with that experience. These visits to sites in and near Berlin are a key element of the class and central to the experience of studying here. Please note that field trips are subject to change depending on the availability of appointments and speakers; also on field trip days, class hours may be adjusted.

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Course Description

Why do cities exist? Why do firms cluster? Why is economic activity not equally distributed across space? This course addresses the central questions of why cities emerge, what roles cities will continue to play in the economy, and what determines the rise and fall of cities.

Technically, the course provides an introduction to the field of urban economics. It focuses on stylized facts, basic microeconomic concepts, and empirical applications. Special attention is paid to social problems in cities, including housing, public transit, crime, and the role of local governments.

The course aims to make students familiar with economic tools and concepts useful for the analysis of urban issues. More generally, students learn to apply economic theory to real-world problems. A special focus will be placed on evidence and examples from Berlin.

With its long and vibrant history, Berlin provides an excellent environment to study and explore various features of the economics of cities. Field trips allow participants to learn more about the past and the future of cities, their functions, their internal spatial structure, and their dynamics.

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Course Description

Climate change, environmental pollution, waste of resources and the decline of biodiversity clearly show mankind that processes of change are necessary. On a policy level, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris climate agreement and the Green New Deal are setting the stage, at the corporate level, standards such as environmental social and governance (ESG) reporting, supply chain integrity and voluntary certification, and diversity are critical to long-term business success.

How are companies innovating towards more sustainability today? What are the criteria, the success factors and the strategic approaches to tackle consumer, policy, employee and societal demand for more sustainability?

This course will look at current sustainability frameworks, sustainable companies and sustainable innovation. The participants will get to know and to apply collaborative tools to be better prepared for a business environment. One focus will be on the development of a sustainable business model or project, based on which we will learn and try out modern methods such as the Sustainable Business Canvas, Design Thinking, Effectuation and the Blue Ocean Strategy.

Download Syllabus (printable PDF incl. day-to-day schedule)