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Winter Semester 2023/24

• Seminar Rule of Law in the European Multi-level System, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lorenz
• Seminar The European Union in Practice, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lorenz
• Seminar (Trans)national Perspectives on European Populisms, Lecturer: Charlotte Meier
• Lecture Transnationalization and European Integration, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Seminar Introduction into Peace and Conflict Studies, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Lecture Identity Politics – Recognition Politics or Distributive Justice, Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates, PhD
• Seminar New Nationalisms, Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates, PhD
• Lecture Civic Education and Democracy, Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Schuster
• Seminar Transfer in Cultural and Political Education, Lecturer: Dr. Luise Fischer
• Seminar Citizenship and democratic innovations in Europe, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Pawel Karolewski
• Seminar Identity Politics, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Pawel Karolewski
• Seminar Teaching Europe, Lecturer: Dr. Stephan Weser
• Brussels Excursion, Lecturer: Dr. Stephan Weser
• Lecture Basis and Society in Germany and Europe, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
• Seminar Religion, Racism, Sexism – Is religion capable of plurality, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
• Seminar Religion and Radicalization Seminar, Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
• Lecture An Introduction to European Studies: Knowledge Production about Europe as a Global Actor and its Methodological Challenges, Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung, Stephan Kaschner

Summer Semester 2023

• Lecture Is there a European society emerging?; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld
• Seminar The emergence of a European society: The research practice; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld
• Seminar Beyond the collapse: “1989” and the transformation of East-South connections; Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung
• Lecture Religion and politics in European societies; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
• Seminar Global history of international development: Ideas, actors and international organizations in the 20th century; Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung
• Seminar Space, Economy, Society II – Spatial Justice and Europe in Leipzig; Lecturer: Dr. Thilo Lang / Dr. Tim Leibert (IfL)
• Seminar The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in a historical context: agriculture, food, markets, actors; Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller
• Seminar Youth, Democracy and Europe; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lorenz
• Seminar Citizenship in the European Periphery; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Rebecca Pates PhD
• Seminar Beyond Citizenship; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Rebecca Pates PhD
• Lecture Introduction to International Relations; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Seminar Introduction into Peace and Conflict Studies; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Lecture Civic Education; Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Schuster
• Tutorial Civic Education; Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Schuster
• Seminar Elites in Europe – Europe of the Elites; Lecturer: Dr. Lars Vogel
• Seminar Antisemitism as a driving factor of right-wing extremism; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel

Winter Semester 2022/2023

• Seminar Citizenship in Europe; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski
• Seminar Identity Politics; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski
• Seminar (incl. excursion to Brussels) Teaching Europe; Lecturer: Dr. Stephan Weser
• Seminar Approaches to the History of Europeanization; Lecturer: Stephan Kaschner
• Lecture Space, Economy, Society I; Lecturer: Dr. Thilo Lang (Leibniz Institute for Regional Geography)
• Seminar European Orders of Peace and Security (1815-2022); Lecturers: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller, Rebecca Grossi (GESI)
• Seminar Politics in Europe in Practice (with digital Brussels excursion); Lecturer: Nora Mandru
• Seminar Law and the Rule of Law in the European Multi-level System; Lecturer: Dr. Lisa Anders
• Lecture De-/constructing Europe: Multiple Perspectives on Europeanization, Lecturer: Eric Losang/ Dr. Phillip Meyer
• Research Seminar Intercultural Transfer as an Innovative Approach to the Study of Global and Transregional Entanglements; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell (GESI)/ Dr. Ninja Steinbach-Hüther (IfL)
• Lecture Introduction to Research on Religion; Lecturers: Prof. Dr. Christoph Kleine, Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel, Jun.-Prof. Dr. Sebastian Schüler (Faculty of Theology)
• Lecture: Basis and Society in Germany and Europe; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel (Faculty of Theology)
• Seminar: Religion as a political dispute? Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel (Faculty of Theology)
• Lecture Civic Education and Democracy; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck
• Seminar Digitalization in education policy and civic education; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck / Dr. Johannes Schuster
• Seminar Civic Education and Inclusion; Lecturer: Dr. Johannes Schuster
• Lecture Transnationalization and European Integration; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Seminar War and Peace in Schools; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
• Seminar New Nationalisms; Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates, PhD
• Lecture Who are the people? Functions of Nationalism; Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates, PhD
• Lecture Social Institutions and Social Change; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld
• Seminar Societal Institutions and Social Change; Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld
• Seminar Participation and Euroscepticism in European elections; Lecturer: Dr. Hendrik Träger
• Seminar Social movements in Europe and sustainability; Lecturer: Dr. Ronald Gebauer

Summer Semester 2022

Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium (English)

Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung, with the participation of researchers from the Center.

The research colloquium is offered as part of the Graduate School Global and Area Studies and is also open to researchers and doctoral students who are not part of this graduate class, as well as M.A. students from various disciplines who are pursuing doctoral studies on the EU. In the colloquium, final theses of advanced M.A. students as well as doctoral projects in the field of European integration are specifically supervised. There is the opportunity to present and discuss one’s own projects, individual chapters, theoretical or methodological approaches. The researchers involved in the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence take turns in organizing the sessions and also present their own research process and results.

MA Seminar Dialogue Formats and Citizen Participation in the EU Multilevel System

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lorenz

In the EU and the EU member states, dialogue formats with non-elected actors (scientists, stakeholders) as well as citizen consultations are gaining increasing importance in decision-making and administrative processes. The instrument of the European Citizens’ Initiative and Citizens’ Councils are also relatively new participation formats. In the seminar we systematize which formats exist, how they work and to what extent they change the legitimacy of politics. In doing so, we consider various aspects relevant to legitimacy, including responsiveness, social representation, resource (in)equality, instrumentalizability, transparency. For this we use primary documents and evaluate secondary literature. In a practical part, based on the research, we independently try out a discussion format on EU-related topics and analyze how well it is implemented.

MA Seminar Europeanization in East Central Europe (Excursion to Budapest)

Lecturer: Dorottya Víg

The seminar introduces the concept of Europeanization with a focus on the Europeanization policies of the European Union. Furthermore, the seminar focuses on the different forms, principles, goals as well as results of macro-regional strategies (e.g.: Strategy for the Danube Region and Visegrád Group). Subsequently, during the preparation for the Budapest excursion, the focus will be on the institutions and structures of the Hungarian political system as well as the Hungarian political parties. During the Budapest excursion (expected in week 19, 9-13 May 2022), there will be lectures and background discussions with representatives from politics, civil society, and the media, as well as joint sessions with students from a partner seminar at Andrássy University Budapest. Block part as excursion to Budapest from 9.5.-13.5.2022.

MA Seminar Topography of Eurocentrism

Lecturer: Dr. Lars Vogel

Euroscepticism describes the withdrawal or refusal of popular support for the European integration process, the European Union, its institutions and actors. In addition to conceptual questions, its regional distribution in the member states is of particular interest, especially the question whether Euroscepticism is a phenomenon that occurs mainly in rural, peripheral or even disconnected regions. The seminar approaches this question on the basis of theoretical considerations and empirical analyses. After an overview of the state of research, we will collect indicators and data together in order to be able to describe regions in Europe with regard to their political, social and spatial characteristics. On this basis, we will examine the question of the relationship between regional structures and Eurosceptic attitudes. Participation in the seminar requires basic knowledge of empirical social research and quantitative data analysis methods.

MA Seminar Nationalism in Europe

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski

The aim of the seminar is to discuss different approaches to nationalism with regard to Europe. It focuses on newer approaches to nationalism, while also examining classical approaches to nationalism studies. In a first step, different interpretations of nationalism, such as liberal nationalism or banal nationalism, will be taken up and applied to current cases in Europe. Furthermore, questions of nationalist-induced “madness” will be discussed, as Liah Greenfeld formulates it in her research. The seminar will then turn to the contexts of nationalism, especially the nexus between nationalism, migration, and ethnicity in Europe. Finally, the seminar will address the question of rationality of nationalism.

Lecture Religion and Politics in European Societies

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel

If one occasionally speaks of a public increase in the importance of religion, then this is based primarily on political implications. Especially the relationship to members of other religions fuels social disputes, as a more visible anti-Semitism, a discussion of the importance of religious membership for the success of right-wing populism or debates about religious pluralization show. This interlocking of religion and politics is not a new phenomenon, if one looks, for example, at conceptions of civil religion or political religions alone. The lecture introduces central approaches to the relationship between politics and religion in Germany and Europe, deals with central concepts and dedicates itself to current developments in this relationship.

Seminar Ecclesiasticism, Religiosity, Non-Denominationalism – Manifestations and Developments of Religiousness in Germany and Europe

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel

Religion in Germany, as in other European countries, is in a process of transformation. While church services are attended less frequently and the number of members of Christian churches is steadily decreasing, a far-reaching religious pluralization is taking hold. The question arises whether these processes lead to a secular, even atheistic society, or whether spirituality becomes a substitute for Christian faith. In the seminar, various aspects of religious and ecclesiastical development will be examined more closely. This includes a look at church members, social forms of faith, non-denominational people, convinced atheists and their associations as well as further developments in European comparison.

Tutorial Civic Education

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck, Johannes Schuster

The tutorial “Civic Education” follows on from the lecture in the basic module and goes into greater depth on the topics covered in the lecture. Contents are therefore concepts of civic education, politics, socialization, education and learning. In addition, the tutorial will serve as an introduction to social network analysis (SNA). The first part of the tutorial therefore includes an in-depth introduction and discussion of theories relevant to socialization, education, learning and civic education. The second part of the tutorial will introduce SNA as a method for studying social networks in education. In addition to basics of the method, the importance of social relations and structures for civic education will be discussed. Students will be asked to actively participate and express themselves in digital communication platforms, among other things to enable feedback on the tutorial and the individual learning process and to orient the tutorial towards the students.

Lecture Civic Education (for student teachers)

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck

The lecture “Civic Education” deals with basic questions of civic education and combines perspectives of political science, education and educational science. The concepts of civic education, politics, socialization, education and learning are addressed and reflected upon in a European comparison. The first part of the lecture includes an in-depth introduction and discussion of theories relevant to socialization, education, learning and civic education. The dilemmas resulting from these concepts will be critically discussed. The second part of the lecture is devoted to a critical discussion of the introduced concepts against the background of current developments. Topics such as social inequality in the educational system, the importance of non-formal and informal learning, “new actors” in the field of socialization, education, learning and civic education as well as gender and diversity will be addressed. The lecture benefits from external guests from science and practice as well as the use of digital methods. Guest lectures by internationally renowned scholars from London, Oxford, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv, among others, have already been confirmed. Students are asked to actively participate and express themselves in digital communication platforms, among other things to enable anonymous feedback as well as an interim evaluation of the lecture and the individual learning process.

Seminar Citizenship in the European Periphery 

Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates, PhD 

The concept of periphery may be used in a double meaning to analyse citizenship in Eastern-Central Europe. On the one hand, peripheral concepts of citizenship are those that deviate from the post-national concept dominating in the regional and social centres of EU integration. There is, for instance, an upsurge of terms like “European”, “Christian civilisation”, “Occidental culture” which are often regarded as empty signifiers coterminous with a „European” identity. The terms claim an “European citizenship” in a nationalistic manner that challenges the post-national citizenship. On the other hand, periphery allows to focus on regional entities that are decoupled from developments in national or transnational centres either by a lack of accessibility, weak infrastructure and economy, discrimination, or exclusion from political decision making processes. The special issue investigates, if the status of regional periphery is linked to peripheral concepts of EU-citizenship in Eastern-Central Europe. (Self-)Definitions of peripheries and centres are not considered as objective entities but as the outcome of collective bargaining processes settled in public discourses. In this seminar, we shall analyse interviews conducted in the context of the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence Die Europäische Union und ihre ländliche Peripherie in Ostmitteleuropa Wahrnehmungen, Praktiken und Potenziale von EU-Bürgerschaft, mit besonderem Fokus auf jungen Menschen (EU-PECE).

Seminar European Integration and Societal Change

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld

The development of a European society represents an important macrosociological research area. The aim of this seminar is to provide the participants with theoretical and empirical basics on the topic and, in particular, to present different dimensions of social formation in the European Union. The exam will be held in German or English (students are free to choose). I very much welcome international students to participate in the seminar.

Colloquium Current Issues of Social Change

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld

The colloquium has three goals: First, students are supported in finding the topic of their final thesis before registering for the BA or MA final examination. They write an exposé under guidance, which they present in one of the sessions. This exposé is then used to find a supervisor, who does not have to be me. Second, students who are already enrolled present the interim status of their thesis. The students of both groups will be advised by me and the other participants. Third Further, currently ongoing research by members of the institute and by guests will be presented in the fields of European studies, inequality, labor market and education research, among others. The event is open to all students, doctoral candidates and research assistants – even if they are not interested in giving a presentation of their own.

Is there a European society emerging?

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld

Is there a European people emerging? In this module we aim to investigate the political and economic European integration as a process of rising transnational social integration between the citizens from European Union member states. In the lecture, I will outline the major fields, theories, methods, and empirical evidence concerning European social integration from a macrosociological perspective. Besides others, transnational identity, solidarity, mobility, and social inequality are highlighted features. The exam will be held in German or English (students are free to choose).

Seminar The emergence of a European social formation: Research Practice

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld

The seminar directly follows the topics of the lecture. On the basis of the topics discussed there, participants will conduct their own empirical research on European social integration, either individually or in groups. Under my guidance and intensive supervision, you will develop a research question and theoretically derived hypotheses. You will test these using provided data from the Eurobarometer, the most important survey on attitudes of citizens of all EU countries. Participation in the seminar requires knowledge of quantitative empirical social research methods and statistics. The seminar will be conducted in German.

Seminar Global East / Global South

Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung

Processes of globalization seemed to feature a North-South Geography. Yet, during the last decades flourishing research has profoundly enriched our understanding of 20th century globalization processes. Research on the global Cold War, and more specifically on connections and encounters between the post-colonial and the socialist worlds has revealed a much more dynamic and complex set of relations and a diversity of globalization projects in competition. How these translate into the 21st century is a topical, yet still poorly understood, question. As a result, both Eastern Europe and the Global South have been repositioned in narratives of the history globalization. While they seem to share a sense of peripherality, experiences of empire and decolonization, challenges to and alliances with Western globalization projects their relations to each other have been far from equal, harmonious and unambiguous. Yet, the history of these relations beyond the Cold War framework and into an ever more complicated 21st century helps, firstly, to revisit assumptions about what “globalization” is and entails and where its centres and peripheries lie; and, secondly, to more fully grasp the history of the respective world regions, often perceived as marginal in global history. The seminar starts with the collapse of empires both in Eastern Europe and the Global South, asin these moments societies in those parts of the world were profoundly challenged (and saw new opportunities) to reposition themselves in the global condition. From there, the seminar traces connections which were forged by actors from Africa, Asia or Latin America with their counterparts in Eastern European during the 20th century to mobilize resources and allies for their respective globalization projects. This will lead us into questions of economic, military, educational, developmental, and cultural cooperation – and the manifold tensions, e.g. with regard to questions of race, rights, and (de)colonization. Students will work in research teams studying cross-cutting dimensions, among them: actors and their mobilities; portals of globalization; travelling concepts; legacies. The result of the group work will be presented and discussed in class (poster presentation) and provide the basis for the essay.

Seminar Borders

Lecturer: Isabell Hilpert

A constructivist understanding of (state) borders dominates current scholarly considerations. Borders do not exist a priori, but are the product of political and/or social processes. However, their constructive character does not mean that borders are arbitrarily set, easily modified or even obsolete. In the seminar, we address the (ascribed) significance of borders for the modern nation-state and for the formation of society. We will deal with the political and social production of borders, different border codes and border regimes. We will also look at the border regime of the European Union and ask how it differs from the border regime of the nation state.

Seminar Citizenship

Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller

We are currently witnessing how dual citizenship for ethnic co-nationals is becoming a means of re-establishing spheres of influence in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Taking this as a starting point, this seminar will analyze two basic legal and political elements of modern statehood, the institutions of citizenship and nationality. While the former defines the legal affiliation of citizens to a particular state, the latter describes the rights and duties of citizens. In a Europe-wide comparative approach, the change of statehood from the territorializing administrative state to the constitutional state to the welfare state and its state-socialist system alternative is first discussed. In a part of the seminar focusing on Eastern Europe, two post-imperial contexts – after the First World War and after 1990 – will be examined and the following questions asked: How is citizenship regulated, how is citizenship shaped, especially for ethnic minorities, how are the relations of co-nationals in neighboring states to the “mother country”. For the period after 1990, the naturalization practice of the Baltic states, the Hungarian status law, and the Russian policy of granting passports in Transnistria and the Donbass will be discussed in particular.

Winter Semester 2021/2022

Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium (English)
Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung, with the participation of researchers from the Center.
The Research Colloquium is offered every semester as part of the Graduate School Global and Area Studies and is also open to researchers and doctoral students who are not part of this graduate class, as well as interested M.A. students from various disciplines. In the colloquium, final theses of advanced M.A. students as well as doctoral projects in the field of European integration are specifically supervised. There is the opportunity to present and discuss one’s own projects, individual chapters, theoretical or methodological approaches. Researchers involved in the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence are invited to present their own research process and results.

Lecture Transnationalization and European Integration
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
The BA lecture deals with the basic theories and actors of international relations and discusses central challenges for transnational politics using the example of the EU. The genesis and institutional structure of the EU are also discussed in detail, with a focus on processes of integration and Europeanization as well as disintegration. Furthermore, political conflicts are dealt with, which ignite both within and in the social context of these organizations and institutions on questions of effectiveness and legitimacy of supranational politics. For the seminars, students can choose one focus each, in which transnational policy processes are discussed using concrete examples and policy fields: On the one hand, different dynamics of regional integration in comparison to the EU and, on the other hand, the phenomenon of populism from a transnational perspective within the EU.

Seminar The European Peace Order
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
The seminar is primarily aimed at advanced student teachers and is based on the curricula for Gymnasium and Oberschule. In 2012, the European Union received the Nobel Peace Prize – it certainly deserves it, but does the EU as a single institution still live up to the expectation of peace and prosperity on the European continent? What are the current problems and challenges? The seminar will focus on the discussion of the European peace order, which was established after the end of World War II and further differentiated with the fall of the Berlin Wall. In the seminar, the decisive factors for this order will be discussed and conceptual foundations for a better understanding of it will be laid, such as the Democratic Peace Theorem, or different forms of collective and cooperative security organizations. At the same time, current destabilization tendencies will be addressed, as well as challenges for a peaceful order, such as how to deal with Russia. The seminar will be very practical and application-oriented and will also include practical exercises in schools, if possible. A number of literature will also be in English.

Seminar The EU in Civic Education 
Lecturer: N.N.
The seminar, which is offered for specific types of schools (Gymnasium, Oberschule), deals with the examination of EU topics in the classroom.

Seminar (Trans)national Perspectives on European Populisms (English)
Lecturer: Charlotte Meier
Populist parties, movements and actors are gaining popularity and power, in Europe and worldwide. Current research on European populism often takes place on the national level, with a focus on right-wing movements, but taking a look across borders is worthwhile. Europe, and especially the EU as a sphere of transnational cooperation, offer a unique potential for transnational populisms. While there is no one clear definition of populism, the central dichotomy of “people” and “elite” is a unifying element in current populism research. This BA seminar will explore what these terms mean in different European contexts and examine their transnational potential.

Central questions covered in this seminar will be: How is populism defined and what forms of populism are there? What does the populist landscape in Europe look like? Do transnational populisms already exist in Europe? What potential is there for transnational European populisms?

To begin, we will discuss the main populism definitions and concepts found in current literature. After laying the theoretical foundation, we will analyze the populisms of a selection of European countries on a national level. Building on these case studies, we will discuss which elements of these European populisms could be viable on a transnational level. Finally, we will use this knowledge to explore several transnational European movements and actors and examine their populist potential.

Seminar New nationalism (Englisch)
Lecturer: Prof. Rebecca Pates PhD
Nations as imagined communities and nationalisms are forever changing, fulfilling a range of stable purposes through well-known narrative tropes and yet adapting to political and social changes by providing new purposes, new enemies, new constitutive outsiders. And thus, nationalisms fulfil new functions and attract new social groups. In this BA seminar, we shall read up on the literature as well as look at some specific cases, including German, Scottish and EU nationalisms.

Seminar Citizenship in Europe (Englisch)
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski
The MA course takes a closer look at the recent advancements in the citizenship research and applies it to Europe. Firstly, the course will focus on contending notions of what constitutes citizenship and what normative standards citizens should fulfil, thus highlighting the conceptual diversity of citizenship. Against this backdrop, the course will explore a number of issues prevalent the citizenship research including citizenship and cultural identity, citizen- ship in the context of secession and citizenship and language rights. Secondly, the participants will discuss current discourses of citizenship in Europe such as Euro- pean citizenship, transnational citizenship, post-citizenship or cloud citizenship. Against this background, the course will deal with controversies in the EU citizenship research including civic responsibility and citizenship identity.

Seminar European Integration: polity, politics and policies (English)
Lecturer: Dr. Maciej Wilga
The course is designed for students of political science with a special interest in the European Union. As an advanced course, it is meant for master level students wishing to widen their understanding about the EU as a polity, about EU’s policies and its politics. The first part of the course (EU polities) will focus on selected forms of EU conceptualisations, such as ‘con- vs. federal’, ’consociational’, ‘cosmopolitan’, or ‘neo-medieval empire’. The second part (EU policies) will turn its focus onto a number of policy fields, among others the single market, EU economy and the Euro, or foreign policy and diplomacy. In the third part of the course (EU politics), we are going to examine some examples of EU internal and external politics, as for instance the politics of Treaty reform, the role of supranational actors in the IGCs or the EU politics in its neighbourhood. The main objective of the course is to use these three perspectives in order to shed some broader light on the EU polity structures, on policy fields and its political dimensions.

European integration in practice (incl. digital field trip to Brussels)
Lecturer: Nora Mandru
The core of the seminar is the digital Brussels excursion: web events with representatives of various EU institutions, other EU institutions and actors in Brussels provide in-depth insights into EU decision-making processes and offer opportunities for questions and discussions. Three seminar sessions are held prior to the course, which, depending on the students’ prior knowledge, introduce or deepen their understanding of the institutional system and decision-making processes in the EU as well as address current debates in European studies. In addition, Michael Kaczmarek, political advisor in the European Parliament, offers insights from practical experience in Brussels politics in three sessions. In a concluding session, central findings will be reflected upon and taken stock of.

Seminar Politics and Law in the European Multilevel System
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Astrid Lorenz
The seminar imparts knowledge about the relationship between politics and law or legal policy and jurisdiction in Europe. The multi-level constellation of supranational, international and national law promotes ambiguities and conflicts over competences and the application of law, while at the same time creating a special need for standardized rules. The relevance of this problem can be observed in the unresolved difficulties in defining and guaranteeing the rule of law in the EU and its member states (especially Poland and Hungary). Since law does not simply exist, but is made, interpreted, applied or disregarded by concrete actors, we address, among others, the following questions: which actors, besides elected politicians and judges, are involved in the processes of law formulation and enforcement at different levels, e.g. as plaintiffs, experts or stakeholders? What are their preferences and resources, and how do their interactions proceed? (How) Have conflicts been or could be resolved?
We also invite guests to discuss these topics. In January, we will conduct the seminar together with Prof. Dr. Ellen Bos from Andrássy University Budapest as well as with Dr. Claudia Matthes and students from Humboldt University Berlin.

Seminar European Democracy Promotion (Englisch)
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
The European Neighborhood in the East is still an area of high political fragility – characterized by frozen secession conflicts, autocratic systems, democratic backsliding and state capture. Obviously, the end of the Cold War has not resulted in stable democracies there. Thus, promotion democracy is a cornerstone of many European organizations, such as the European Union or the Council of Europe. This MA seminar tackles the issue of democracy promotion both from a conceptual as well as empirical ankle. It intends to not only transfer substantial knowledge on the theoretical underpinnings of democracy and democracy promotion and the region of Eastern Europe, but also to teach skills for policy analysis and policy making. In the first block we will explore the concept of democracy and democracy promotion including inherent dilemmas and discuss the question of effectiveness and legitimacy. The second block will look at different instruments of democracy promotion and compare the European Union with other European organizations, notably the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. In the third block we will apply this knowledge to different countries in the Eastern Neighborhood, especially some difficult cases such Kosovo and Ukraine. Based on one prominent actual case (e.g. Belarus) we will conclude the seminar with a short simulation on the question, if and with what kind of instruments the EU can and should intervene for fostering democracy.

Seminar EU as a hegemonic power (English)
Lecturer: Dr. Maciej Wilga
The MA course is designed for students of political science with a special interest in the European Union. It is an advanced course meant for master level students who wish to widen their undestanding about the EU’s internal and external hegemonic powers. We are going to examine a number of elements and issues relevant to the EU as a hegemonic actor. In the first part of the course, the focus will be placed on different concepts such as EU presence, EU actorness, EU as a normative or civil power. The second part will turn more onto a number of policy areas where the Union is active, such as economic, trade or development policies. In the third part of the course, we will take a closer look on the EU performances as a hegemonic actor, i.e. among others on the ‘Nordic dimension’, on its ‘near abroad’ in the East (ENP) and in the south (UfM) or on selected EU’s ‘further abroad’ areas. The guiding question throughout the seminar will be whether or not and if, to what extent, the EU can be conceived of and considered a hegemonic power in and beyond Europe.

Conceptions of Europe: Utopias, Orders, Institutions
Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller
Thinking about Europe has a long tradition and is at the same time of current urgency. For some time now, the public perception of the European Union seems to be one with Europe, and debates about Europe are largely fueled by crises in the EU. This seminar takes up current challenges of the EU, especially from East-Central Europe, but it looks at the underlying conflicts in longer historical perspectives. Thus, political conceptions of order on the continent are examined from the beginning of the 19th century to the period between the world wars and during the anti-fascist resistance. The institutional structure of the EC/EU is traced selectively, and the ambivalence of some master narratives is critically examined, especially with regard to its democratic structure and its norm-guided action. Finally, the EU’s eastward enlargement is analyzed, with its consummation, together with perceptions of Europe during the Cold War in the “Eastern Bloc,” offering some explanations for illiberal and populist challenges.

Empirical Data Analysis: Political Culture in Europe and Euroscepticism
Lecturer: Dr. Lars Vogel
In this MA seminar we want to investigate attitudes towards democracy in Europe and the European integration process independently. It introduces common uni- and bivariate data analysis methods of empirical social research. On the basis of real data sets, such as the European Social Survey, techniques of data management with SPSS, logics of context testing and the conditions of application, creation and interpretation of correlation measures for different scale levels will be taught. The focus is on the application of the methods learned to the analysis of the extent and causes of Eurosceptic attitudes. Basic knowledge of empirical social research methods is helpful but not a prerequisite.

Lecture Religion and Society in Europe
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
The course consists of instructional videos and joint practice sessions. The practice sessions will preferably take place in presence or hybrid, depending on the framework conditions also digitally if necessary.

Seminar The Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union in Historical Context: Agriculture, Food, Markets and Actors
Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller
With the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Union has created a field whose goals as well as intended and unintended results are evaluated very differently: as a driver of Europeanization and European communitarization before and after 1989; as a cause of an agriculture solely relying on efficiency increase with accompanying concentration tendencies of cultivated areas as well as devastating effects on soils, flora and fauna; as a cause and means of agricultural protectionism at the expense of the “global south”. In this MA seminar, the CAP will be analyzed in its historical context, i.e. ideas and practices of food security and their implementation in agricultural and trade policies since the mid-19th century will first be looked at. Likewise, the CAP is considered as a central policy field within the EU and contrasted with state socialist agricultural policies. Finally, the economic, social and political development of rural areas in East-Central and Southeast Europe after de-collectivization and privatization as well as in the course of and as a result of the EU’s eastern enlargement will be addressed.

Seminar The rural world and international development (English)
Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller
Food and nutrition constitute one of the core issues in human history, accordingly, agriculture remained until today a basic economic sector with multiple political and social dimensions. Food security provided for a key motif of political economies both in terms of power over the rural hinterlands and in terms of economic and commercial policies. The seminar explores “agricultural revolutions” and the ideology of free trade as early drivers of globalization, as well as seemingly opposite policies of economic autarchy and protectionism. Political (world wars) and economic crises (1880s, 1930s, post 1970s) will be analysed as opportunities for potentially rethinking and redirecting policies for the rural world. International development as a policy emerged after World War II at the intersection of declining European imperial powers, emerging US superpower in competition with the Soviet Union, and post-colonial countries in the Global South gaining agency. From the beginning, food security and the rural world took centre stage in development policies, and the seminar will analyse aims and results, agents and repertoires, continuities and breaks in the field. A special focus will be directed on the global commercial effects of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Civic Education and Inclusion
Lecturer: Johannes Schuster
The subject of this BA seminar is the implementation of inclusion in the German education system and the role of state and non-state actors (NGOs, international organizations) in its implementation. Current political developments and empirical examples will be linked to central theories of school development and educational policy and put into context with concepts of civic education. Based on the foundations of disability studies and international conventions (e.g. UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Salamanca Statement), political efforts to implement an inclusive school system will be examined from an international comparative and European perspective and the approaches of German education policy will be placed within this framework. In assessing the role of different actors such as NGOs, international organizations (e.g. EU and UN) or foundations, the question is addressed, which role political education and democracy education play in the implementation of inclusive school structures: How can barriers be removed? How can those affected be empowered? How and at what point can knowledge about inclusion be imparted?

Seminar Approaches to the History of Europeanization (English)
Lecturer: Stephan Kaschner
European Studies scholars investigate Europeanisation processes. They are joined in this project by scholars in European Integration History, European History and EU Studies. Political scientists, sociologists, geographers, historians, jurists, economists and anthropologists have developed variable definitions of what Europeanisation is, what its driving actors and factors are and what consequences it has. Europeanisation has a history; it is a process which does not start and end with the emergence of the European Union. It is highly contingent as it is negotiated and disputed not only inside „Europe“ but also beyond its borders. Europe is „made“ by actors, institutions and policies as well as through cultural, economic and social interactions – and exclusions. European Studies is an interdisciplinary endeavor. With different concepts and methodologies scholars investigate various problems of Europeanisation, in different time spans, on different levels and in different arenas. Therefore, they produce different, sometimes even conflicting answers. To help navigate this complex field, the seminar introduces students to some of the most prominent concepts of Europeanisation. It offers an insight into the historical dimensions of the open-ended fabrication of „Europeanness“ and reflects on the positionality of „Europe“ in the world. This track is followed through various fields of investigation, e.g., political and social institutions, migration and border regimes, culture and memory, economy and technology, enlargement and development policy.

Depending on the development of the pandemic situation, the seminar will be offered as a hybrid seminar with small groups of students onsite.

Lecture Space, Economy, Society I (English)
Lecturer: Thilo Lang
The course aims at providing knowledge on the fundamental interrelations between territorial development, economic development and societal trends as well as critical theories and models to explain and analyse current spatial developments in Europe. As a cross-cutting perspective, within the course, these developments will be discussed under the lense of spatial justice. Using a comparative perspective highlighting differences across Europe, course participants will have a closer look on the most important processes of socio-spatial restructuring in the context of economic globalisation, demographic change and wider social trends. Migration, economic transformation, neoliberalisation of regional policy, societal differentiation etc. are processes which affect space in different ways and result in various forms of socio-spatial, political and economic polarisation at different spatial scales. In introducing and discussing these trends and concepts, course participants will be enabled to reflect on complex scientific approaches interrelated with regional development from a political economy perspective. The course will comprise guest lectures related to activities reflecting current forms of globalisation and Europeanisation in Leipzig. Course participants are expected to co-organise these inputs and to engage in group discussions based on the cross-cutting topics of the course.

Summer Semester 2021

Tutorial – Comparative Case Studies on Europeanization and Transformation in East-Central Europe

Lecturer: Hana Formánková, Mgr.
Dates: 14/04 (09.15 – 10.45), 21/04, 22/04; 20/05, 21/05; 09/06, 10/06; 07/07, 08/07 (09.15 – 10.45 and 11.15 – 12.45), 14/07 (09.15 – 10.45).

The course takes up research on Europeanization and shows its contribution to the understanding of the effects of EU policies on national political systems and role of actors and interactions in integration and Europeanization processes. It also provides empirical knowledge on the transformation of East Central European political systems and an understanding of the interaction between transformation and European integration. Guest lecturers from Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland will present research results on Europeanization as well as instruments of analysis in case studies. Specifically, they will examine, for example, the Europeanization of party systems, territoriality and regional politics, and minority politics.

Seminar – Nationalism in Europe

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski
Date: Wednesday 17.15 – 18.45 (online)

The seminar discusses various approaches to nationalism as a powerful ideology of modernity. Both classical and more recent theories of nationalism will be explored in this regard, in particular with regard to the variety of nationalism in Europe. The point of departure will be a number of central concepts of nationalism including liberal nationalism, banal nationalism and liquid nationalism. In addition, the nationalism-madness nexus (L. Greenfeld) will be explored. Against this backdrop, the seminar will problematize the conceptual and empirical linkages, for instance, between nationalism, migration and ethnicity. Finally, the question of rationality of nationalism will be discussed in greater detail, highlighting methodological issues surrounding nationalism studies.

Seminar – Identity Politics

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Ireneusz Pawel Karolewski
Date: Thursday 13.15 – 14.45 (online)

The seminar focuses on a plethora of approaches to identity formation and identity politics. Departing from different theories of identity in social sciences the seminar will discuss a number of issues prevalent in the research on political identity including collective action problems, interethnic cooperation, and the supranational identity formation. Next, these is-sues will be explored in the empirical context of current political developments in Europe and beyond. Against this backdrop, two key problématiques will be discussed in more depth: the role of violence in identity politics and legitimacy of identity politics.

Lecture – Civic Education

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck
Date: Friday 13.15 – 14.45 (online)

The lecture “Civic Education” deals with basic questions of civic education and links perspectives of political science, education and educational science. The concepts of civic education, politics, socialization, education and learning are addressed. The first part of the lecture includes an in-depth introduction and discussion of theories relevant to socialization, education, learning and civic education. Dilemmas arising from these concepts are critically discussed. The second part of the lecture is devoted to a critical discussion of the introduced concepts against the background of current developments. Topics such as social inequality in the educational system, the importance of non-formal and informal learning, “new actors” in the field of socialization, education, learning and civic education as well as gender and diversity will be addressed. The lecture benefits from external guests from science and practice as well as the use of digital methods. This year, guest lectures by internationally renowned scholars from London, Oxford, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv, among others, have already been confirmed. Students are asked to actively participate and express themselves in digital communication platforms, among other things to enable anonymous feedback as well as an interim evaluation of the lecture and the individual learning process.

Tuturial – Civic Education

Tutorial Civic Education
Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Nina Kolleck
Date: Friday 11.15 – 12.45 (online) or Friday 15.15 – 16.45 (online)

The tutorial “Civic Education” follows on from the lecture in the basic module and treats the topics dealt with in the tutroial in greater depth. Contents are therefore concepts of civic education, politics, socialization, education and learning. The first part of the tutorial includes an in-depth introduction and discussion of theories relevant to socialization, education, learning and civic education. Dilemmas arising from these concepts will be critically discussed. The second part of the tutorial is devoted to a critical discussion of the introduced concepts against the background of current developments. Topics such as social inequality in the educational system, the importance of informal learning, “new actors” in the field of socialization, education, learning and civic education as well as gender and diversity will be addressed. The tutorial benefits from external guests from academia and practice as well as the use of digital methods. This year, guest lectures by internationally renowned scholars from London, Oxford, Copenhagen and Tel Aviv, among others, have already been confirmed. Students are asked to actively participate and express themselves in digital communication platforms, among other things to enable anonymous feedback as well as an interim evaluation of the tutorial and the individual learning process.

Lecture – Is there a European society emerging?

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Holger Lengfeld
Date: Monday 09.15 – 10.45 (online)

In this lecture, I aim at investigating European integration as a process of rising transnational social integration between the citizens from European Union member states. I will start with an outline of the major fields of Europe’s systemic integration regarding economics and (social) policy. The main part of the lecture is about different dimensions of integration of people in Europe: European identity and trust, solidarity, transnational mobility, European citizenship, and the emergence of a European public sphere. The lecture will be held in English.

Seminar – Rural Peripheries in Europe compared: global and historical perspectives

Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung
Date: Thursday 15.15 – 16.45 (online)

The ratio of citizens living in rural areas has massively declined from around 90% in the 19thcentury and turned them into “peripheries”, into spaces that were identified as challenges for the visions of mostly urban modernizers. These processes have affected different world regions in unequal ways. Europe and North America witness the highest rates of urbanization but with differentiated results: In Europe e.g. Belgium and the Netherlands are the “least rural” with less than 10%; Germany, the Czech Republic or Hungary show a medium rate of around 25%, and Poland, Ireland, Romania or Slovakia are with around 40% the “most rural” on the continent. The seminar will analyze how rural areas became identified as peripheries in the context of modernizing states, and how the emergence of a global economy in a world of empires since the mid 19thcentury have affected them. It will further investigate how rural communities have become objects of both national and international development schemes, how the countryside has been made legible and imagined in territorializing projects, and how these communities have responded, co-produced or resisted these projects, often in inter-national arenas and through transnational practices. It includes the socialist transformation of the countryside in the second half of the 20th century that has been one of the most ambitious and painful projects of dealing with rural peripheries. This historizing and comparative effort will help to get a better understanding of what and where rural peripheries are in Europe, and which role they play in current processes of European integration.

Seminar – Statehood in Transition. Structures and Crises (19th-21st Century)

Lecturer: PD Dr. Dietmar Müller
Date: Monday 09.15 – 10.45 (online)

In the current pandemic period, the liberal-democratic constitutional state, especially in its European manifestation of shared sovereignty, is in a performance crisis. In a performance comparison with the “rule-through” of technocratic autocracies, European statehood looks supposedly “old.” Against the background of these recent challenges, this seminar addresses European statehood in historical change from the 19th century to the present. As sources of the change of statehood, challenges and crises are analyzed that were judged by the elites to be unmanageable in conventional structures. Beginning with a review of the territorialization of the administrative state since the early modern period, the seminar will focus on the intertwined processes of state transformation: from the constitutional state and the liberal market state, the welfare state and the state-socialist system alternative to the current governance in the European Union. Different modes of legitimation of rule, belonging as well as the rights and duties of citizens will be discussed.

Lecture – Religion and Politics in Modern Societies

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
Date: Tuesday 09.15 – 10.45 (online)

Despite continuously decreasing membership numbers of the Christian churches, a public increase in the importance of religion is occasionally proclaimed. On closer inspection, this is based primarily on political implications. In particular, the relationship to members of other religions fuels social disputes, as evidenced by a more visible anti-Semitism, a discussion of the significance of religious membership for the successes of right-wing populism, or debates about religious pluralization. This interlocking of religion and politics is not a new phenomenon, if one looks, for example, at conceptions of civil religion or political religions alone. The lecture introduces central approaches to the relationship between politics and religion and then focuses on current developments in this relationship.

Seminar – Religious Pluralization and its Social Consequences

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Gert Pickel
Date: Wednesday 09.15 – 10.45 (online)

In addition to the ubiquitous secularization in Europe, processes of religious pluralization are currently shaping the religious landscape. Be it the increase in the number of Orthodox Christians, be it the now more than five percent of Muslims in Germany, the structure of religion has changed massively in recent decades. But that is not all. The structural changes have also led to attitudes toward religion becoming a public issue. Be it critical attitudes towards Muslims and Islam, a secular rejection of religion in general or possibly religiously motivated prejudices towards members of other religions, religious pluralization and the attitudes towards it have partly become a political issue. The seminar will address the foundations of religious pluralization, attitudes toward religious pluralization, and the development of prejudice with a religious connection.

Lecture – Introduction to International Relations

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
Date: Wednesday 15.15 – 16.45 (online)

The module introduces the content and genesis of the field of International Politics. Topics include the history and theories of international relations as a subfield of political science, international organizations and regimes, the genesis and transformation of the international system, and selected policies. The lecture “Introduction to International Relations” provides an overview, while the seminars deal with the material in greater depth and with examples. The tutorial serves to learn topic-specific social science working methods. In the first block of the lecture, the main focus is on familiarizing students with the development of the discipline of IB and the basic concepts as well as acquiring initial knowledge of methods. In the second block, students should understand why theoretical knowledge is central to understanding international politics and deal with the central grand theories in IB. By means of some central case studies, students will also learn to transfer abstract knowledge into applied knowledge. Likewise, they are to acquire basic knowledge in the theory of science. The third block focuses on different – more or less strongly – institutionalized forms of international cooperation and introduces the central policy fields.

Seminar – Introduction into Peace and Conflict Studies

Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Solveig Richter
Date: Thursday 11.15 – 12.45 (online)

In the first part of the course we will approach the topic of conflicts in international politics from a broader perspective by asking why conflicts emerge and what the social functions and dynamicsof conflicts are. We will also discuss different theories explaining the causes of conflicts in the international arena. Against this theoretical background we will in the second part study the empirical evolution of conflicts, the transformation of conflict types and the underlying dynamics, with a special focus on the role of violence. The third part of the course addresses the problem of conflict management. We will especially focus on different instruments of third-party intervention and finally pick up one crucial aspect in the transformation process from violence to peace: transitional justice. The overall aim of this course is to develop a first understanding of the causes and functions of conflicts in the in-ternational arena and to get an overview over this research field. Most of the theories and studies discussed are based in political science although we will also include psychological, sociological and economic perspectives.

Seminar – Elites in Europe – Europe of Elites

Lecturer: Dr. Lars Vogel
Date: Tuesday 11.15 – 12.45 (online)

The aim of the seminar is to provide an elite-theoretical perspective on European society or its sub-societies and on European integration. In a first part we will acquire central questions and paradigms of elite research. In a second part we will look at who the national and supranational elites in Europe are and how they are recruited. What are the similarities and differences between nation-state elites? Is there a Europeanization of elites in the sense of the emergence of a structurally and normatively unified group, or do national experiences and attitudes dominate? Finally, in a third part, we ask what role elites play in the process of European integration. What are the attitudes of these central actors toward European integration and how do they relate to the attitudes of the population? Do elites drive integration or are they guided by public opinion? The seminar requires a willingness to read English-language texts. The seminar takes place partly as a joint seminar with Andrássy University Budapest.

Seminar – European Union – European Integration: Introduction

Lecturer: Dr. Maciej Wilga
Date: Introduction 16/04/2021 (15.15-16.45), afterwards on 30/04, 14/05, 28/05, 11/06, 25/06 and on 09/07 (15.15 – 18.45) (online)

This seminar is designed for undergraduate political science students interested in the European Union and the process of European unification. Each session provides an opportunity for an introductory discussion of the various elements and aspects of the European integration process. Basic concepts will be explained, the development of the Western and Pan-European integration process will be outlined, and the main institutions of the EU system and EU decision-making procedures will be presented. Afterwards, selected policy areas will be examined, different concepts and some scientific and theoretical approaches to the study of the EU will be presented, and the future of this process will be considered. The goal is to use these topics to provide knowledge about the European Union and an understanding of the ever-changing process of unification in Europe.

Seminar – Classical and Critical European Union Studies

Lecturer: Dr. Maciej Wilga
Date: Thursday 11.15 – 12.45 (online)

The course is designed for students of political science with a special interest in European integration and its theoretical and conceptual underpinnings. As advanced course meant for master level students, it is designed to widen students’ understanding of the European Union and the European integration process. We are going to examine a number of classical and critical approaches. In the first part of the course, the focus will be placed on classical and modern perspectives such as neo-/realisms, neo-/functionalisms, neo/federalisms, liberal intergovernmentalism or supranationalism. The second part will turn its focus onto emancipatory, critical and alternative takes in the field. Here, we are going to take a closer look on social constructivism, on the Marxist School, on the English, Frankfurt and Copenhagen Schools and, finally, on the feminist approach. The guiding questions will ask what the respective approaches teach us about the EU and in how far they inform the research in describing, explaining and interpreting the process of European integration.

Seminar – International Political Communication

Lecturer: Charlotte Meier, M.A.
Date: Thursday 13.15 – 14.45 (online)

Communication is constitutive of politics and in a globalized world politics and media have an international dimension. This seminar will identify and contextualize the main actors in international political communication. Such actors from politics, society and the media will be examined for their role in international communicative processes. In particular, the influence of new communication media will be addressed and their function in the “post-factual” age will be examined. Special focus is placed on the impact of communication on international relations, foreign policy, public opinion formation, war and conflict. To this end, basic communication studies theories such as news value theory, framing, and agenda setting are applied to the international political context. Strong reading and discussion skills as well as a very good command of English are prerequisites for participation in the seminar.

Seminar – Populism: Democratization, Transnational Justice, Right- and Left-Wing Populism in Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Latin America: Comparative and Transregional Approaches

Lecturer: PD Dr. Adamantios Skordos
Date: Thursday 13.15 – 14.45 (online)

The aim of the seminar is the study of democratic transitions in Southern Europe in the 1970s (Portugal, Spain, Greece), in Latin America during the 1980s (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) and in Eastern Europe after 1989 (Romania, Bulgaria, Poland) focusing especially on the topic of transitional justice. In particular, the seminar will address in a comparative perspective and through a transregional approach the factors causing the end of authoritarian rule and shaping the terms of democratic transition in the above cases by introducing key concepts related to transitional justice.

Seminar – Everything on the move – or is there even more to it? Social Movements in Europe and the Transformation of Sustainable Development

Lecturer: Dr. Ronald Gebauer
Date: Tuesday 09.15 – 10.45 (online)

Especially in the developed countries of the Northern Hemisphere, unsustainable lifestyles and consumption patterns continue to dominate, accompanied by enormous resource consumption. The increasingly obvious consequence is a global dynamic of economic, social and ecological crises. If no countermeasures are taken, a widespread fear is that a “point of no return” could be reached in the near future, e.g. with regard to climate change. In view of this impending fiasco, a countermovement is stirring, especially among the younger generations, which does not want to resign itself to such a fate. This will for change has recently been impressively demonstrated, for example, in the Europe-wide Fridays for Future protest waves. The event aims to approach these developments empirically with the help of movement research approaches. In addition, we will ask how relevant actors are engaged in sustainable development beyond various forms of protest.

Seminar – Antiziganism in Eastern Europe

Lecturer: Benjamin Horvath
Date: Tuesday 13.15 – 16.45 (online)

Antiziganism describes discrimination against Rom*nija or people who are titled as such. As a relatively young field of research, the area of research is not completely defined and therefore the term “antiziganism” is controversial. Therefore, in the first part of the seminar we will approach the research field theoretically. In the second part we will deal with concrete forms of discrimination in the countries of East-Central Europe. The choice of countries will be left to the participants.

Interdisciplinary Research Colloquium (English)

Lecturer: Dr. Steffi Marung, Prof. Dr. Matthias Middell, with participation of researchers of the Center
Date: Block seminar, t.b.a.

The research colloquium is offered every semester as part of the Graduate School Global and Area Studies and is also open to researchers and doctoral students who are not part of this graduate class, as well as interested M.A. students from various disciplines. In the colloquium, final theses of advanced M.A. students as well as doctoral projects in the field of European integration are specifically supervised. There is the opportunity to present and discuss one’s own projects, individual chapters, theoretical or methodological approaches. Researchers involved in the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence are invited to present their own research process and results.

Winter Semester 2020/21