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Semester Classes

Regular Semester Classes
The International Undergraduate Study Program (IUSP) takes courses from the university's regular course catalogue. Usually, classes take place two hours per week.
Important: Each class, whether held in English or German, is being supported by tutorials (obligatory!) in English with four hours per week, especially for IUSP students. In the tutorials, students are working up the contents of the lecture, not only of the first eight weeks the IUSP participants are staying, but also the contents of the second half of the German semester. In addition, the tutors work more deeply on the topic with the students and deepen their knowledge.
The IUSP students give presentations and write essays on the topics according to the respective class and tutorial. Generally, marks are given for oral work (presentations, performance in class etc.) and written work (reports, bibliographies, homework, essays etc.).
Class Choice: We are adding classes as they come in from the professors, and will start publishing classes from December on for the Spring semester, and from July on for the Fall semester.* As soon as the list will be complete, we will notify all students, and ask for their class choice in an email. We will ask for their final decision after their arrival in Marburg. Only students with the language level B1.1 and above can enroll for classes held in German.
Note on Class Attendance
Please bear in mind that attendance is required in order to receive credit for IUSP classes. Failure to attend classes or tutorials can result in grade cuts and/or a grade not being issued to you if you do not attend classes and tutorials regularly. Absence of 15% of the class/tutorial time or more will result in failing the class. IUSP students do not have the option of simply sitting for the exam at the end of the semester without having attended classes. Health issues and other serious reasons for missing lectures are, of course, another matter. Please keep your teacher and/or the IUSP staff informed if you are unable to attend lectures.
*Please note:
Generally speaking, class descriptions are posted online later than what many colleges and universities outside of Germany are accustomed to. The reason for this lies in the differing academic calendars. The classes for the spring semester in Marburg are published in January; classes for the fall semester in Marburg are published in July. We recommend looking at classes from the previous academic year to get a feel for what classes will be offered in the corresponding semester of the current academic year. In most subject areas, similar courses are offered on a rotating basis one time each academic year. We do not offer the same classes every year/semester. Introductory-level courses, however, are generally repeated. Browsing through past catalogues can be helpful in giving you an idea of what courses may be offered and what courses may be counted towards your degree.
The descriptions in the class list are taken from our university course catalogue.
Class List Fall 2025
Subject Area: American Studies
Prof. Dr. Carmen Birkle: Introduction to the Study of Anglophone Literatures and Cultures (Survey of English Literature) (held in English)
Lecture, online, asynchronous
Content: This lecture class, accompanied by student tutorials (that will meet in person in the classroom if not otherwise indicated), will introduce students to concepts, methods, and theories relevant in American, Canadian, and British literary and cultural studies. The class will offer you the tools which you will need and can recur to throughout your studies in all your study programs. Key concerns will be questions of genre, literary epochs, reading methodologies, and the practical analysis of texts chosen for this class. Students will become aware of how norms and perspectives shape our understanding of cultural products and how interculturality and (inter)cultural competence have become key factors in a constantly changing world. The course will also serve as an introduction to the study programs (BA ABC, LA), to the organization of students’ learning environment, the understanding of good academic practice (e.g., how to avoid plagiarism and how to use the MLA guidelines for the preparation of research papers), and to the use of social media as omnipresent teaching and learning tools. The class will make use of the e-learning platform ILIAS and its chatroom for open discussions. All students are expected to use the services provided and the tutorials offered.
Literature:
Meyer, Michael. English and American Literatures. 4th ed. Tübingen: Francke, 2011.
Kate Chopin, The Awakening: An Authoritative Text, Biographical and Historical Contexts, Criticism. Norton Critical Editions. 1899. New York: Norton, 2017. (or any other Norton edition).
Tennessee Williams, A Streetcar Named Desire (1947) (any edition)
Some additional short reading material (e.g., poems and short stories) will be available on ILIAS by the beginning of the semester.Prof. Dr. Carmen Birkle: Introduction to North American Studies (held in English)
Lecture, online, asynchronous
Content: This lecture class will serve as a survey of the discipline of North American Studies as well as the literature and culture of the United States and, to some extent, of Canada and the English-speaking Caribbean. We will look at what North American Studies actually is and does and will exemplify our more theoretical insights with phenomena taken from literature and culture. American Studies by definition is interdisciplinary so that our examples will be taken from literature, history, film and TV, music and art and will show how their interaction and multiple perspectives help us to understand what we talk about when we talk about North America. Literary and cultural theory and practical analysis will be integrated. Our objects of analysis will range from Christopher Columbus’s early letters to Europe all the way up to twenty-first-century presidential elections and inaugural speeches and representations of current protest movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo. Significant historical moments such as the foundation of the United States, slavery and the Civil War, Native Americans and the Westward Movement including immigration and imperialism, the Harlem Renaissance and the Great Depression, the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights Movements, 9/11, Artificial Intelligence, and the current Corona crisis will be intertwined with literary texts, popular examples, and concepts and theories such as emancipation, gender, class, and ethnicity. Our socio-historical categories will be (im)migration, emancipation, and globalization.
Literature:
Stephen Crane, “The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky” (1898)
Sui Sin Far, “Mrs. Spring Fragrance” (1910)
Washington Irving, “Rip Van Winkle” (1819)
Charlotte Perkins Gilman, “The Yellow Wallpaper” (1892)
Pauline Hopkins, “Talma Gordon” (1900)
Zitkala-Ša, “The Soft-Hearted Sioux” (1901)
Alice Walker, “Nineteen Fifty-Five” (1981)
Annie Proulx, “What Kind of Furniture Would Jesus Pick?” (2003)
Joyce Carol Oates, “The Mutants” (2004)
Isaac Asimov, “Satisfaction Guaranteed” (1951)Prof. Dr. Carmen Birkle: “Make America Great Again”? Or Just Authoritarian? (held in English)
Seminar, Tuesday 2-4 pm
Prof. Dr. Carmen Birkle: The African Presence in North America (held in English)
Seminar, Tuesday 4-6 pm
Marie Zarda: “A Man Chooses, a Slave Obeys”: Choice, Agency, and Free Will in North American Video Games (held in English)
Seminar, Thursday 2-4 pm
Subject Area: Business Administration and Economics
Prof. Dr. Bernhard Nietert: Entscheidung, Finanzierung und Investition (held in German)
Lecture, Monday 4-6 pm
Content: Link to Course Homepage
Dr. Sven Fischer: Introduction to the Economies of the Middle East (held in English)
Seminar
Content: This course is intended as an introduction to basic economic systems and concepts followed by a comprehensive overview of the economies of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The goal is to provide students with a solid basis and understanding of the economies of the region and equip them to analyze these in an objective and critical manner.
This course aims to:
Introduce the basic economic concepts and systems that are found in the region.
Provide an in-depth analysis of representative economies of the region.
Encourage critical thinking and objective analysis for “MENA Economics”-related topics to expand horizons and
encourage/motivate topics for further research.
Learning objective:
The course is designed to equip students with the necessary tools that would allow them to think and analyze the economies and economic problems witnessed in the MENA region in a systematic theory based approach.
After attending the course, participants should be able to make educated comments on ongoing economic discussions in the region.Prof. Dr. Torsten Wulf: Strategic Problemsolving and Communication (held in English)
Lecture, Thursday 8-10 am
Content: Link to Course Homepage
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Schulte: Introduction to Institutional Economics (held in English)
Seminar, online, asynchronous, tutorial in-person
Content: Link to Course Homepage
Subject Area: German Studies
Prof. Dr. Doren Wohlleben: Gabriele Tergit und der Literaturbetrieb der Moderne (held in German)
Seminar (Master level), Wednesday 10 am-12 pm
Prof. Dr. Volker Mergenthaler: Weinstuben, Märkte, Blumenmädchen, Autoren und ihre Erzählungen: E.T.A. Hoffmann in Berlin
Seminar, Thursday 8-10 am
Prof. Dr. Fabian Wolbring: Neuere deutsche Literatur: Einführung II (held in German)
Seminar, Thursday 12-2 pm
Prof. Dr. Fabian Wolbring: Einführung in die Sprachbewusste Gedichtanalyse (held in German)
Wednesday 10 am-12 pm
Prof. Dr. Fabian Wolbring: MRK-Forum (held in German)
Seminar, Wednesday 6-8 pm
Subject Area: History
Prof. Dr. Eckart Conze: Friedenssuche und Kriegsgewalt. Deutschland in der internationalen Ordnung (17.-21. Jahrhundert) (held in German)
Lecture, Friday 10 am-12 pm
Content: Der russische Angriff auf die Ukraine hat auch in Deutschland ein neues Nachdenken ausgelöst über die Dynamiken von Frieden und Krieg in der deutschen, europäischen und internationalen Geschichte. Die Vorlesung knüpft daran an und behandelt Grundlinien deutscher, europäischer und internationaler Geschichte seit dem 17. Jahrhundert unter der Fragestellung nach den Zusammenhängen von Kriegsgewalt und Friedenssuche. Wie begannen Kriege und wie endeten sie? Wie wirkte die Erfahrung des Krieges ein auf die - immer wieder neue - Suche nach Frieden? Auf welchen Grundlagen ruhte die internationale Ordnung seit der Frühen Neuzeit? Und wo war der Ort Deutschlands und der Deutschen in diesen Entwicklungen zwischen Friedenssuche und Kriegsgewalt?
Einführende Literatur:
Stella Ghervas: Conquering Peace. From the Enlightenment to the European Union, Cambridge, Mass., 2021; Ludwig Dehio: Gleichgewicht oder Hegemonie. Betrachtungen über ein Grundproblem der neueren Staatengeschichte, Krefeld 1948; Brendan Simms: Kampf um Vorherrschaft. Eine deutsche Geschichte Europas. 1453 bis heute, München 2014.Prof. Dr. Benedikt Stuchtey: London: The Imperial Metropolis (1780-1920) (held in English)
Seminar, Tuesday 10 am-12 pm
Content: Die "first city of the British Empire" wird im langen Zeitraum zwischen 1780 und 1920 in ihrer Bedeutung als Metropole des britischen Empire beleuchtet. Im Mittelpunkt stehen urbane Erinnerungsorte, die die Großstadt in direkter und indirekter Verbindung mit dem Weltreich verknüpfen bzw. in denen die Kolonien und der britische Imperialismus sich abbilden. So untersucht das Hauptseminar das britische Empire "at home" und greift prinzipielle Forschungsfragen und Aspekte der Imperialismusgeschichte auf. In englischer Sprache ist es außerdem für internationale Studierende geöffnet, denen ein begleitendes Tutorium angeboten wird. Geplant ist eine drei- bis viertägige, mit universitären Finanzmitteln unterstützte Exkursion nach London; entsprechend wird das Seminar teilweise in den Räumen des Deutschen Historischen Instituts am Bloomsbury Square stattfinden.
English language course with excursion to London.
Literature: Felix Driver und David Gilbert (Hg.), Imperial Cities. Landscape, display and identity, Manchester 1999; Jonathan Schneer, London 1900. The Imperial Metropolis, New Haven 1999; Catherine Hall und Sonya O. Rose (Hg.), At Home with the Empire. Metropolitan Culture and the Imperial World, Cambridge 2006.
Dr. Marie Huber: From Organic to Fossil Energy: Industrialisation, Globalisation and Planetary Boundaries in the 20th Century (held in English)
Seminar, Thursday 2-4 pm, online
Subject Area: Informatics & Mathematics
classes from the department of Informatics & Mathematics upon request
classes (held in English) are only suitable for advanced students of Informatics & Mathematics.
Please contact the IUSP Academic Coordinator for more information.
Subject Area: Media Studies
Prof. Dr. Angela Krewani: Video: History and Theory (held in English)
Seminar, Monday 2-6 pm
Prof. Dr. Josh Carney: Censorship in media from Turkey (held in English)
Seminar, Tuesday 12-2 pm
Prof. Dr. Josh Carney: Production as criticism: the video essay on metamedia (held in English)
Recitation class, Thursday 12-2 pm
Nilgün Yelpaze: A Practical Guide to Contemporary Video Activism (held in English)
Seminar, Thursday 2-4 pm
Subject Area: Peace and Conflict Studies
Dr. Kerstin Zimmer: Rosania Simulation Game (held in English)
Blockseminar, Saturdays November 1 + 8 + 15, meetings before the seminars on Wednesdays at 4 pm
Content: In this seminar (Übung), participants take on the role of conflict actors in a fictitious conflict scenario in three different simulation games. The three simulation games are each based on the same initial conflict, but there are time and level jumps in the conflict between the dates, so that conflicts with different actors and at different conflict phases are simulated. First, it is an internal conflict (1st simulation game), which escalates into an international conflict (2nd simulation game) and finally, after a peace treaty has been concluded, it also has to be regulated at the regional level (3rd simulation game). The seminar consists of a general introduction, three preparation sessions and three days of simulation games as well as a debriefing.
The aim of the seminar is to examine different methods of conflict resolution through a practical approach. Participants have the opportunity to try out different approaches to conflict management, to experience the complexity of conflicts in practice and to strengthen soft skills such as relativizing one's own point of view and empathy.Dr. Kerstin Zimmer: How Fascism Works (held in English)
Seminar, Thursday 10 am-12 pm
Subject Area: Political Science
Victoria Palchikova: Introduction to the Political System of Germany (held in English)
Seminar, Thursday 4-6 pm
Subject Area: Religious Studies
Isabel Jakob: Von Tempeln, Texten und TikTok. Warum es spannend ist, Religion zu erforschen (held in German)
Seminar, Tuesday 10 am-12 pm
Subject Area: Sociology
Prof. Dr. Sven Opitz: Global Health Security (held in English)
Seminar, Monday 12-2 pm
Content: Quarantine, physical distancing, lockdown – with the COVID-19 pandemic, measures of health security have entered the everyday. From a sociological perspective, however, the link between health and security is far from self-evident, innocent or inevitable. Problematizing health in terms of security has itself particular effects: It feeds into biopolitical modes of governing concerned with existential threats to life. These modes of governing are not uniform. Over the last decades, the securitization of global health exhibits multiple twists and turns as it occurred in relation to a series of different crises such as SARS, H1N1 or the Ebola outbreak of 2014-2016. Against this background, the seminar elaborates conceptual tools for empirically investigating the securitization of global health, its procedures and its consequences. It focuses on surveillance programs, border technologies, humanitarian design, legal regulations, contingency plans, and forms of risk management inter alia. It will become clear that biological problems of infection are of utmost relevance for the sociological inquiry of relationalities. The anxiety about pathogenic agents goes hand in hand with a heightened concern for the material contacts that bind humans with microbes, animals and things. Accordingly, the seminar will investigate how the securitization of health tends towards the securitization of collective life.
Class Lists from Previous Semesters
German Conversation Classes
The main goal of our Conversation Classes is to improve students' ability to communicate and interact in German. The classes focus on teaching students conversational techniques and strategies, improving students’ listening abilities, and strengthening students’ grasp of German grammar and vocabulary. The conversation classes will have the same language levels as the intensive German language classes. Attendance is mandatory, absence of 15% of the class time or more will result in failing the class.