Course Catalog

Study Program WiSe 2021/2022

Kulturwissenschaft, B.A.

Modul 1 - Ethnologie

12 Credit Points (2 Semester)
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-50-M1-S1Seminar 1 zu "Einführung in die Ethnologie" (in English)
Seminar to "Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology"

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 12:00 - 14:00 SFG 2030 (2 Teaching hours per week)
Prof. Dr. Andrea Mühlebach
09-50-M1-S2 / HybridSeminar 2 to Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology (in English)
Seminar to "Introduction to Social and Cultural Anthropology"

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:00 - 18:00 GW1 B2070 (2 Teaching hours per week)

Additional dates:
Sat. 22.01.22 09:00 - 17:00 MZH 1460
Prof. Dr. Götz Bachmann

Modul 2b - Kultur und Medien

9 Credit Points
Das Modul 2 ist ab dem Wintersemester 2021/22 Wahlpflichtmodul:
Studierende der Kulturwissenschaft können ab dem Wintersemester 2021/22 wählen, ob Sie das Modul M2a (Einführung KMW) oder das Modul M2b (Kultur und Medien) belegen.
Diese Wahlmöglichkeit entfällt für Studierende der Fächerkombination Kulturwissenschaft und Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft. Diese Studierenden, die den BA Kulturwissenschaft als Profil- oder Komplementärfach gewählt haben und im Komplementär- oder Profilfach den Bachelorstudiengang „Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft: Medienanalyse und Medienpraxis“, absolvieren das Modul 2b (Kultur und Medien).

Modul M2a zielt auf eine grundlegende Orientierung über den Bereich der Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft. Das Modul besteht aus einer Vorlesung mit tutoriell betreuten Übungen, in denen vertiefende Lektüre und Diskussion ausgewählter Texte stattfindet. Es wird eine Modulprüfung in Form einer Abschlussklausur absolviert.
In Modul M2b erschließen Studierende sich Medien aus kulturwissenschaftlichen Perspektiven und Kultur aus medientheoretischen Blickwinkeln.
Studierende wählen in diesem Modul ein 4-SWS- oder zwei 2-SWS-Seminare aus dem Pool der angebotenen Seminare. Bei zwei 2-SWS Seminaren wird die Modulprüfung in einem der beiden Seminare erbracht.
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-50-M2b-1a / HybridExplore your Phone! (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 14:00 - 16:00 IW3 0330 (2 Teaching hours per week)

What if we would explore the many histories of our smartphones by going backwards in time? In this course we look at some of the key events, actors, machines, discourses as well as social and economic forces that have shaped the computational underpinnings of digital media. We will do so by zooming backwards in time: We start with present digital media that have taken the form of apps and smartphones, and work ourselves backwards from there. In each period of time, we will not only look at the form that digital media or their precursors took, but we will also explore past visions of futures that came along with them, and speculate what other forms of digital media would have been possible. This will lead you into developing your own case studies. In these case studies you will analyze historical material to answer a question that is relevant for todayʹs digital media.

This seminar has to be taken together with VAK 09-50-M2b-1b (Podcasts) - with both seminars you can complete the module with 4 SWS.

Dieses Seminar muss mit der VAK 09-50-M2b-1b zusammen studiert werden! Erst dann ergibt sich ein volles Modul mit 4 SWS

Prof. Dr. Götz Bachmann
09-50-M2b-1b / HybridPodcasts (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:00 - 18:00 GW2 B1216 (2 Teaching hours per week)

Dieses Seminar muss mit der VAK 09-50-M2b-1a zusammen studiert werden! Erst dann ergibt sich ein volles Modul mit 4 SWS.

In diesem ergänzenden Seminar zu Explore your phone! behandeln wir die Ursprünge des Podcasts, der Geschichte des Radios, aber auch die praktische Gestaltung eines Podcasts.

Dr. Javier Gago Holzscheiter, Ph.D.

Modul 4 - Teilgebiete/Aktuelle Felder

9 Credit Points Profilfach & Komplementärfach
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-50-M4-1 / HybridEnvironmental Justice (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:00 - 18:00 SFG 2030 (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course introduces students to a political anthropology of environmental justice. It explores ethnographically how movements such as indigenous land defenders or Black Lives Matter challenge mainstream environmental movements. How are environmental harms unequally distributed and experienced, and how are these harms tied to questions of colonialism, empire, and racism? How are these challenges posed and by whom, and how do struggles over questions of environmental justice unfold on the ground? These questions reveal that “the environment” is always already entangled with culture, society, history, and power. As we engage with academic, policy, and activist writing as well as film, podcasts, and live conversations with authors and activists, we will divide our class conversation into three sections.

The class begins with our discussion of the plantationoscene – a concept that raises provocative questions about capitalism’s nature, its relation to slavery, and their long durée effects. We then move into a series of conversations on slow and fast violence, resistance, endurance, and direct action. The readings are also all designed for us to think through what “justice” means in environmental movements more generally, for whom, and in what ways.

In addition, I also highly recommend participation in “The Seas are Rising and So are We,” a public lecture series taking place during the Winter Semester 2021/2022 immediately after our class (18:00-20:00), featuring a number of international speakers. I have arranged our class topics in ways that often overlap with “The Seas are Rising.” It would be great if as many of you as possible could join in!

Prof. Dr. Andrea Mühlebach
09-50-M4-2 / HybridMaking Sense! Entering the Field of Sensory Studies in the Humanities (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 16:00 - 20:00 SFG 1030 (4 Teaching hours per week)

An Introduction to the Anthropology of the Senses (online), with practical elements (offline).
In cooperation with University of Eastfinland (UEF), also open for YUFE-students

Important notice: This is an English speaking course, which is offered in cooperation with students and teachers from the University of Eastfinland.
If you want to participate as a regular KUWI-student you have to choose both seminars as obligatory combination for module 4 ⇐ 4 hours weekly = 2 courses= finally 9 CP).
70% of the course will be held synchrone via ZOOM (incl. Resources on StudIP); 30% will be done outdoor in small teams!


In this introductary course we will explore the Anthropology of the Senses, and which analytical approaches have become prominent in this interdisciplinary field. For example, childhood memories of sounds and smells are quite various, but imagine how easily you might remember a certain experience while smelling something. And what you recognize as a beautiful sound, might completely vary in other societies. It is our socialisation to rate smells or sounds, to say this smells ugly or not, this sound is nerve-shattering or not. What could be reasons for those differences? And by which rules or motives are these sensory meaning systems of our culture-s organized?
It has become central in the field of sensory studies to use our human body with all the different sensory potentials. How does it work to focus on only one sense? What happens if you follow the daily sounds and try to document them? Or if you try to catch the smells in your kitchen? How do you look at certain locations in your neighbourhood after contemplating on them just by gazing?
Therefore we will split in smaller groups after some sessions in plenary. You can choose between A. the smell trek, B. the sound trek or C. the visual trek.
During these „treks“ you are instructed to work practically by conducting sensory walks outdoor, immersing into images, sounds and smells of your local environments (including COVID19-circumstances). How can we document and represent the sound- and smellscapes we have discovered? And how do we share this sensory experience with others in our teams?
After the explorations in smaller groups we will meet again in plenary on ZOOM to exchange and discuss our findings with all participants. Additionally we will get in touch with further academic debates in sensory studies, e.g. how scholars theorize about biographic memory & the senses; or about the concept of „sensory commons“.
At the end of the seminar, you will work on your ideas which have been developed throughout the practical and the theoretical units of the course ⇐“Prüfungsleistung“). E.g. you may edit a sound- or smell-diary, you may create a photo story of your neighbourhood, a podcast, or a multimodal collage – we are looking forward to your creativity how to document and represent the volatile world of the senses.

Requirements for regular KUWI students (BA M4)
Active Participation (6 CP)
3 CP: Seminar 1 (Dr. C. Weißköppel): Introduction to sensory studies incl. smellscapes
+
3 CP: Seminar 2 (Dr. J. G. Holzscheiter): Introduction to sound studies incl. soundscapes
+
3 CP: Graded work ⇐Prüfungsleistung):
Your individual or teamwork on one of our treks (options A. smell, or B. sound, or C. visual) includes a written paper (5 pages) commenting on your project,
Total 9 CP.

Recommended books:
Drobnick, J. (Hg. 2006): The Smell Culture Reader. Oxford und New York: Berg, S. 107-117.
Elliott, Denielle/ Culhane, Dara (Hg. 2017): A Different Kind of Ethnography. Imaginative Practices and Creative Methodologies. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
Pink, Sarah (2009): Doing Sensory Ethnography. Los Angeles: Sage.
Sterne, Jonathan (ed. 2012): The Sound Studies Reader. London: Routledge.

…. The full biliography will be offered at the beginning of the course.


Contact: cweisskoeppel@uni-bremen.de, luc@uni-bremen.de

Website: UB blog on sensory studies… (forthcoming!)

PD Dr. Cordula Weißköppel
Dr. Javier Gago Holzscheiter, Ph.D. (Lecturer)

Modul 8/9 - Schwerpunkt

2 x 9 Credit Points (M 8 u. M 9 je 9 CP bei 4 SWS) für Profilfach & Komplementärfach

A) Ethnologie

Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-50-M89-A1Development of Exhibition Concepts on the Americas (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 14:00 - 16:00 Extern Übersee-Museum (2 Teaching hours per week)

The topics on which the Übersee-Museum will focus its exhibitions in the future are highly relevant both in the Americas and in Germany: biological and cultural diversity, sustainability in the use of resources, climate change, migration and identity as well as colonialism and its effects until today. Due to the connections between these topics they can be shown in their interconnectedness in the exhibitions. To present complex structures in a generally understandable way to a broad public is both an opportunity and a challenge. How are the above-mentioned topics and the transformation processes caused by them reflected in the material cultural heritage? How could they be visualized in an exhibition? Which messages can or should be transported?
The seminar is, therefore, dedicated to one of the most important tasks of the museum: the conception of exhibitions. Students will outline their own exhibition concept with a focus on one of the above mentioned topics for a certain region in the Americas. In doing so, they get an insight into the exhibition work of a museum, they learn the basic steps of the exhibition-related conceptual work and the essential characteristics of a cultural-historical exhibition. Through the necessary research, they also acquire knowledge about a particular region from the perspective of the chosen topic.
The homework can be written in German.
Regular participation is expected.
A max. of 15 students can participate.
The seminar will take place only at the Übersee-Museum Bremen and not online!

Type of examination:
3 CPS: Development of a concept (narrative, storyboard, emotions) presented in the seminar, topics outlined on 5-10 pages. Teamwork is welcomed.
6 CPS: Development of a written concept (seee above) based on the presentation written in German or English (BA: 12-15 pages, MA: 15-20 pages)

N. N.
09-50-M89-A2Intercultural Communication (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Wed. 14:00 - 18:00 SFG 2010 (4 Teaching hours per week)

Abstract:

The practical side of intercultural communication shows, that two different paradigms exist in this field. One is the economic perspective with it´s aim to train managers and other staff to facilitate international business or to improve the economic results of organisations through diversity management. The other perspective is much more heterogeneous. In a broad field ranging from associations, schools, the police, adult education, public bureaucracy to NGOs different stakeholders acquire intercultural competences. The differences between these perspectives lie in the diverse understanding of the notion “culture” and in varying methodological approaches. During the course we will also discuss theoretical basics of diversity-studies and intersectional perspectives.

In this seminar we investigate the question, how intercultural competence is understood and trained regarding these different perspectives. Which means or tools are helpful, how are competences defined and which is a good way to get hold of them? Beneath reading relevant literature we also try different practical exercises and invite experts. The starting point will be to look into the basic theoretical concepts. Exercises and trainings will provide an insight into the different fields of application. At the end of the course, participants will understand how intercultural competences are defined and in which way they are trained in different fields of practice.

Our course welcomes international students to join lively discussions about how to handle differences between people and which competences are needed for a future Europe. The course will be online using Zoom-Meetings, which facilitate easy access from abroad.

The required activities in this course are composed of frequent and active participation, presentation in the course and an essay at the end.
Please note that this course is obligatory to achieve the “Interkulturelle Zertifikat”. More details can be found on our website and will be provided in the first session.

Reading:

Eriksen, Thomas Hylland (2015). Rebuilding the ship at sea: super-diversity, person and conduct in eastern Olso. In: Global Networks 15,1; Global Networks Partnership and John Wiley and Sons Ltd;
p. 1-20.

Moosmüller, A. (2007). Interkulturelle Kommunikation. Konturen einer wissenschaftlichen Disziplin. Münster, New York, München, Berlin: Waxmann.

Nyiri, P. D., & Breidenbach, J. C. (2015). Intercultural Communication: An Anthropological Perspective. In J. D. Wright (Ed.), International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences (Second Edition) (pp. 357-361). Elsevier.

Dr. Frank Müller
Dr. Oliver Hinkelbein

B) Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft

Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-60-M8/9-HCommunicating the White Man's Burden (in English)
Subalternity and "Development" in a Global System

Seminar (Teaching)
ECTS: 3 – 6

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Thu. 10:00 - 12:00 SH D1020 (2 Teaching hours per week)

The course introduces key concepts and theoretical approaches exploring (Western/Northern) communication in and of race, colonial relations and development from late colonialism to today. On the basis of selected academic texts, the course provides an initial overview over the field and challenges and critically discusses the role of communication and discourse in global power rela-tions.
During the course, students are provided with a toolkit to critically assess communication concern-ing globalisation, development and race, and the way it is approached, employed or utilised
by media organisations, states, NGOs and transnational institutions. Students are also given the
opportunity to apply that toolkit in the form of an analytical framework for an (actual or hypothet-ical)
research project of their own choosing (within the topical horizon of the seminar).
The language of instruction, literature and course discussions is English. Active participation in
discussions and regular attendance in the seminar is expected from students enrolling in the course;
the reading of the compulsory literature before class is mandatory and necessary for productive
discussions.
Students are to develop a research problem and an essayistic or empirical approach to study that problem. The problem should be based on or at least connected with the course literature and discussions held during the seminar. For students to pass the course (3 ECTS), their individual approach should be presented in the form a 500 word abstract and a short presentation. Stu-dents taking the seminar as a specialisation course (6 ECTS) are to write an additional paper (es-say or research exposé, depending on their chosen approach) based on their abstract.

PDF: https://www.uni-bremen.de/fileadmin/user_upload/fachbereiche/fb9/zemki/docs/comments/Comments_WiSe21-22/M8_Gellrich.pdf

B. Sc Arne Gellrich, M.A.
09-60-M8/9-KConspiracy Theories and the Internet (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Tue. 16:00 - 18:00 GW2 B1405 NUR Mo. + Di. (2 Teaching hours per week)


Prof. Dr. Cornelius Puschmann
09-60-M8/9-RActors and Institutions in Internet Governance (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Additional dates:
Mon. 10.01.22 10:00 - 12:00 Online
Fri. 14.01.22 10:00 - 17:00 Online
Fri. 21.01.22 10:00 - 17:00 Online
Fri. 28.01.22 10:00 - 17:00 Online
Fri. 04.02.22 10:00 - 12:00 Online


Dennis Redeker

General Studies B.A.Kulturwissenschaft

Besonders geeignet für Studierende des B.A. Kulturwissenschaft

Frei wählbare GS-Veranstaltungen des FB 9 finden Sie unter diesem Link: https://www.uni-bremen.de/studium/starten-studieren/veranstaltungsverzeichnis?tx_hbulvp_pi1%5Bmodule%5D=dc3aa9f8b11514fe343b1001cee01ae0&tx_hbulvp_pi1%5Bsem%5D=35
Course numberTitle of eventLecturer
09-50-GS-1 / OnlineConflits and Struggles for Peace in the Age of Social Cohesion Crisis (in English)

Seminar (Teaching)

Dates:
weekly (starts in week: 1) Fri. 12:00 - 14:00 (2 Teaching hours per week)

This course aims to point out the authoritarian tendency of creating social conflicts and putting peace out of the scope of politics. Conflicts have become the rule of governance in the authoritarian phase of neoliberalism. And this tendency drags modern societies on the verge of a social cohesion crisis. The main purpose of this course is to investigate this inclination of the governments within the critical peace studies framework.
Our study of the social conflicts and peace will start with the examination of different approaches to this topic. Neuroscientific, anthropologic and philosophical theories on the nature of conflict and peace will be assessed. This investigation will provide us a solid foundation to be able to determine the historical conditions of conflict and peace in the era of crisis of social cohesion. In this regard, the essence of neoliberalism will be reviewed from the perspectives of both political economy and post-structuralist theories. After clarifying the conditions of the road to contemporary tyranny, the phenomena like social cohesion crisis, economization and elucidation of public sphere, and friend-enemy politics will be dealt with.
During the last years, we also witnessed some successful struggles against the authoritarian current. Black Lives Matter from the Global North and Peasants’ Strikes from India are significant examples that could bring different demands of the left with the needs of people who suffered under the neoliberal rules for a long time. These movements were also successful in presenting that the old “normal” was the problem and the solutions to our current crisis lie beyond the old bourgeois normativity. That is why they will be evaluated as democratic and peaceful sprouts of future society. A special attention will be given to Turkish case. The poisoning attitude of Turkish government against its women, LGBTQ and Kurdish citizens will be analyzed.

N. N.