VKey themes for the holistic assessment and sustainable governance and management of marine and coastal social-ecological systems in tropical regions will be introduced. With its inter- and transdisciplinary approach to the study of tropical coastal and marine systems, the Centre for Marine Tropical Research (ZMT) plays a leading role in linking and integrating social and natural science research approaches to as to generate actionable knowledge to support sustainable human-nature relations in coastal and marine regions of the tropical world. ZMT operates within the German marine research environment, in coastal science cooperation between Germany and partner countries in the tropics, and in international and intergovernmental global research and governance institutions.
Lernziele/Kompetenzen: 1) Understand and explain key concepts in ocean and coastal sustainability research. 2) Identify and critically assess key approaches/methods in inter- and transdisciplinary coastal and marine sustainability research at the ZMT 3) Suggest future pathways.

Studien- und Prüfungsleistungen,Prüfungsformen: During the 4-day Block Seminar I/we (there are other contributors) grade: 1) Individual participation; 2) a 10 min presentation of a short individual research/reading; 3) Group work

Veranstaltungsinhalte:
The lectures provide an introduction to the R programming language. The focus is on data processing and visualization with the following content:

1. Understand R language and navigate the RStudio software
2. R basics: manipulate different data structures: vectors, matrices, dataframes, lists; install code packages and use functions; manage the working directory and its environment
3. Data management: read in, edit, filter, merge and analyse data sets
4. Data visualization with most common graphs (scatterplot, boxplot, bar graph, time series plot); customize graph text and aesthetics.
5. Basic analyses: regression and ordination methods
6. Introduction to packages: ggplot, vegan, rioja.

All content is accompanied by practical exercises (during the course and as homework).

Lernziele/Kompetenzen:
The lectures aim is to teach students basic concepts, skills, and tools for working with the R software so that they can develop a basic understanding for working with R and basic analyses for upcoming student tasks. The lectures are designed for those interested in working with scientific data in R

In order to act socially sustainably in organisations, people are obliged to be dealing with a growingly complex role set in competent ways. Key competences such as social, methodical, and process-related skills play a vital role in coping with the complexity in the wake of the acceleration, globalisation, and digital transformation of work life. In this training seminar, we will explore topics of the participant’s interests in 7 workshops of 3 full hours: Scientific approaches and methods on chosen topics are explored, allowing for personal reflection as well as practice transfer. Participants are invited to explore chosen subject matters interactively with theory, in exchange of thoughts, by exercises, and in light of entering work life in their near future. Participants are challenged to read into their topic, transfer scientific key aspects into an interactive workshop setting, and to perform as a team. Requirements for 3 CP/ECTS encompass the development and conduct of an interactive workshop incl. photo documentary in a team. For support, students will receive methodological training, counsel, and feedback.

Framework: Social sustainability is one of three global goals noted in the Rio Convention 1992 by the UN World Commission of Environment and Development. While economic sustainability is a booster of change in modern organisations, ecological sustainability remains an acknowledged task (political pressure), while social sustainability is often neglected. Therefore, it is interesting to understand how organisational structures, groups, and the individual’s processing and coping are interlinked. This General Studies series, based on sociological and psychological knowledge, is focussing on theories and praxis concepts that allow participants to gather an understanding on how organisations and their role actors can shape a workplace “socially sustainably”. All parts of the training seminar series can be studied separately, or as a row.

This seminar uses English as a lingua franca. Coping with the effects of this setting should be part of the reflection within the course. Students are encouraged to express themselves. Participants in the training seminar should be open to participate constructively and reliably in interaction and reflection.

Open for 1st semester students and above, recommended for Bachelor students before their internship and thesis, as well as for Master students. Open to Erasmus students and to students of other faculties. Please note: this course is limited to 20 participants – apply (and withdraw) reliably, please!

2 SWS: Fortnightly, starting in the 2nd week of the term, Tuesdays 4 –7.30 pm; 3,5 hours (s.t.!). Please only register reliably via Stud.IP for participation; all materials there.

References
Meyerhuber, Sylke. 2020. 'Active Listening' as a Key Competence in Intercultural Communication Education. An academic classroom example with conceptual and theoretical embedding. In: Journal of Linguistic and Intercultural Education JoLie 2019(2), pp. 91-114; open access ISSN: 2065-6599.
Meyerhuber, Sylke. 2020. Deconstructing impoliteness in professional discourse: The social psychology of workplace mobbing. A cross-disciplinary contribution with conclusions for the intercultural workplace. In Lodz Papers in Pragmatics, Special Issue on (in)tolerance and (in)civility in public discourse from interdisciplinary perspectives. 16/2, pp. 235-264. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/lpp-2020-0011 Download bei DeGruyter: https://www.degruyter.com/journal/key/LPP/16/2/html

Performance requirement for ECTS points
Preparation of an interactive workshop incl. photo-documentary, in small groups (3 CP).

This course provides a comprehensive exploration of game theory, an extremely useful and versatile toolbox for modeling decision-making in interactive situations. Throughout the semester, we will delve into two fundamental types of games: simultaneous move games and sequential move games. In the first part of the course, we will examine simultaneous move games, where players make decisions simultaneously, emphasizing concepts such as Nash equilibrium and strategic dominance. The second part will focus on sequential move games, introducing the complexities of decision-making in a dynamic environment, featuring topics like subgame perfect equilibrium and extensive form games. By the end of the course, students will not only have a deep understanding of the theoretical foundations of game theory but will also be equipped to apply these concepts to real-world scenarios, enhancing their analytical and strategic thinking skills.
Main Reference:
Osborne, M. J. (2004). An introduction to game theory. New York: Oxford University Press.

In a time when the world grapples with the climate crisis and overfishing, pollution, and rising temperatures threaten the world ocean and the human and non-human life that depends on it, Serpil Oppermann suggests to turn to “storied waterscapes” (2023), i.e. to forms of representation and cultural processes of meaning making around bodies of water, in order to better understand human relationships with the marine world and its destruction as well as to develop strategies for positive change. Heeding this call, this class examines mid-twentieth century American science and nature writing about coastal and sea ecologies by studying the work of trained biologist, American journalist, and pioneering environmentalist Rachel Carson (1907-1964). Focusing on a blend of literary and scientific writing in her classic sea trilogy in conversation with other cultural texts and historical developments at the time, students will explore not only the genre of nature and science writing but also issues of gender and health in the post-World War 2 era and the history of environmental protection, conservation, and the emergence of the environmental movement in 1960s America.
The class is open to B.A. E-SC students studying D2a, WD2b, and WD2c as well as international exchange students and students doing ‘Freiwillige Zusatzleistungen,’ general studies, or ‘Ersatzleistungen.’ B.A. E-SC students studying the D2-c module (Literature) may also be accommodated with their module requirements, capacity permitting. Prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory and admission is limited to a maximum of thirty-five students. Please check Stud.IP regularly for updates.
Requirements
• active participation in weekly in-person meetings,
• in-depth study of the primary and secondary material (including extensive weekly reading assignments) in preparation for each session,
• graded or ungraded assignment in accordance with the respective module requirements.

This class introduces students to the new field of blue cultural studies. As part of the blue humanities, blue cultural studies turn away from traditional area studies perspectives that pay attention to cultures primarily, if not exclusively, on dry land. Instead of studying the cultures of nation states (e.g., Britain) or continents (e.g., North America), blue cultural studies center bodies of water and wet land, such as oceans, marshes, and lakes. In this seminar, students will study founding texts, influential theories, and key concepts that have emerged in the twenty-first-century study of anglophone literatures and cultures. Exemplary analyses of cultural objects, such as film, literature, or art, will round of the course by not only addressing pressing issues but also practicing key skills of cultural analysis.
The class is open to B.A. E-SC students studying D2a, WD2b, and WD2c as well as international exchange students and students doing ‘Freiwillige Zusatzleistungen,’ general studies, or ‘Ersatzleistungen.’ B.A. E-SC students studying the D2-c module (Literature) may also be accommodated with their module requirements, capacity permitting. Prior enrolment via Stud.IP is mandatory and admission is limited to a maximum of thirty-five students. Please check Stud.IP regularly for updates.
Requirements
• active participation in weekly in-person meetings,
• in-depth study of the primary and secondary material (including extensive weekly reading assignments) in preparation for each session,
• graded or ungraded assignment in accordance with the respective module requirements.

https://www.uni-bremen.de/fb8/international/internationales-modul
3 CP/ECTS for this course,
+3 CP/ECTS extra for participation in BIP at USN (Paris, registration closed)