Summer semester

Bachelor

Applying qualitative methods: Designing a qualitative research project | 5 ECTS | Seminar

  • Modul Number: 85777
  • Examination Number: 57771
  • Study program: International Business Studies, Sozialökonomik, Wirtschaftsmathematik
  • Description: Much of what we know about human behaviour and social relations comes from qualitative research. Qualitative research, including interviews, participant observation and participatory methods, allows for in-depth understandings of how and why certain phenomena, events and processes occur and unfold. Why, for example, is right-wing extremism gaining traction across Europe? How does climate change affect rural life in Germany? Why do consumption patterns change in times of crisis? These are just a few of the many questions that qualitative research can help answer. This is a hands-on course on how to design and carry out a qualitative research project. The course will be based on seminars, discussions, fieldwork, group work and supervision. In the course, we will discuss a range of qualitative research methods, including participant observation, interviews, participatory methods, and visual methods. We will also reflect on research ethics and positionality. During the course, you will work in groups, designing and carrying out a small qualitative research project, based on your own interests.
  • Teaching and examination language: english
  • Lecturer: Dr. Anna Frohn Pedersen

International Business Relations | 5 ECTS | Seminar

  • Modul Number: 85731
  • Examination Number: 57311
  • Study program: International Business Studies, International Economic Studies, Sozialökonomik, Wirtschaftsmathematik, Kulturgeographie, Wirtschaftswissenschaften  
  • Description: This seminar will provide an introduction into International Business Relations, with a focus on the role of multinational companies and global supply chains. We will analyze the current geopolitical context, trade relationships and their environmental and human rights impacts and different forms of sustainability governance. In the first block of the seminar, we will study the public governance of global supply chains, with a focus on international norms and supply chain regulations such as human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) laws. In the second block on private governance, we will mainly analyze corporate commitments to uphold environmental and human rights standards, audits, the role of investors, corporate reporting and corporate sustainability management systems and practices. In the third block on multi-stakeholder governance, we will discuss the drafting, design and implementation of multi-stakeholder initiatives, such as certification standards (e.g., FSC, MSC, RSPO, RTRS), landscape approaches and collective grievance mechanisms. We will also shed light on community-led and consumer-led initiatives for responsible production and consumption.
  • Teaching and examination language: english

International Politics (only IBS/IES, WiWi) | 5 ECTS | Lecture

  • Modul Number: 87013
  • Examination Number: 23021 | 70131 | 57101 | 47601
  • Study program: International Business Studies, International Economic Studies, Sozialökonomik, Kulturgeographie, Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsinformatik, Wirtschaftsmathematik 
  • Description: This course provides students with important knowledge of our international system, encompassing international organizations, international rules and state and non-state actors. We will focus on two of the major challenges of our time, which are the need to govern our climate crisis more effectively and to protect human rights globally. Combatting climate change and protecting human rights are key concerns in international politics, as established by for example the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Paris Agreement and the international human rights system. Non-state actors such as companies and civil society organizations have increasingly become influential actors in international politics, both as rule-setters and rule-takers. In our course, we will critically reflect upon key concepts from the fields of international relations and global sustainability politics, focusing on the concepts of legitimacy, effectiveness and accountability. Thereafter, we will have one block focusing on global climate governance and energy transition, followed by one block on human rights, with a particular emphasis on business and human rights. While these topics are often discussed separately, we throughout the course identify links – be they synergies or conflicts – between them, reflecting on to what extent policy integration of climate and human rights governance is possible and desirable. This critical reflection on theories and creative solution of problems is the focus in the course’s exercise blocks, designed to engage students in application and discussion of concepts and current global sustainability topics.
  • Teaching and examination language: english
  • Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor del Carpio & Prof. Dr. Johan Lilliestam

Political ecology: die Rolle der deutschen Energiewende in Lateinamerika | 5 ECTS | Seminar

  • Modul Number: 85778
  • Examination Number: 57781
  • Study program: International Business Studies, Sozialökonomik, Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Wirtschaftsmathematik, Informatik
  • Description: Der globale Übergang zur Nachhaltigkeit, vorangetrieben durch das Pariser Abkommen, hat eine intensive internationale Debatte über die Notwendigkeit einer sozial-ökologischen Transformation hin zu einem grüneren und technologisch fortschrittlicheren Modell ausgelöst. In diesem Seminar werden wir die sozialen, politischen und ökologischen Dimensionen der international von Deutschland vorangetriebenen Energiewende untersuchen, mit besonderem Fokus auf Lateinamerika. Wir werden die Strategien und Instrumente der deutschen Außenenergiepolitik analysieren, ihre Ziele und Auswirkungen auf die lateinamerikanischen Länder bewerten sowie die Rolle der Region als Zentrum für die Produktion von grünem Wasserstoff und als Lieferant kritischer Rohstoffe für grüne Technologien beleuchten. Zudem werden wir die geopolitischen, sozialen und ökologischen Herausforderungen dieser Transformationsprozesse vertiefen, mit besonderem Augenmerk auf grünen Extraktivismus, regionale Ressourcenkonflikte und die Auswirkungen auf lokale Gemeinschaften und Ökosysteme. Abschließend werden wir über mögliche Alternativen für eine sozial-ökologisch gerechte Transformation nachdenken.
  • Teaching and examination language: german
  • Lecturer: Dr. Jaime León González

Master

Internationale Entwicklungen im 21. Jahrhundert: Wo steht Lateinamerika in der Weltpolitik? | Desarrollos internacionales en el siglo XXI: ¿Dónde se encuentra América Latina en la política mundial? | 5 ECTS | Online Course

  • Modul Number: 87005 | 52461 Latin America in the era of globalization (Prüf.-Nr: 24611) | 37530 Transregionale Themen und Methoden I (Prüf.-Nr: 81011) | 37535 Transregionale Themen und Methoden II (Prüf.-Nr: 81211)| 34760 América Latina: Política y sociedad (Prüf.-Nr: 47601) | 38101 Regional Module I (Prüf.-Nr: 75301) | 38121 Regional Module II (Prüf.-Nr: 75351)
  • Examination Number: 70055
  • Description: Die zunehmende globale Verflechtung von Wirtschaft, Politik und Gesellschaft prägt die heutige Zeit und stellt die Weltpolitik vor vielschichtige Herausforderungen. Der Kurs befasst sich mit den zentralen internationalen Entwicklungen im 21. Jahrhundert und arbeitet für jedes Phänomen (wie z.B. Migrationsbewegungen, strukturelle Ungleichheit, nachhaltige und menschliche Entwicklung, digitale Transformation, organisierte Kriminalität, (Des-)Integrationsbewegungen wie Brexit) die Rolle und Interessen Lateinamerikas heraus. Dabei werden zu Beginn jeden Kapitels theoretische Überlegungen, mögliche Messinstrumente sowie aktuelle Daten zu deren fundierten Analyse vermittelt und daraufhin an länder- und regionenspezifischen Fallbeispielen angewandt. Der Kurs ist eine bilinguale Online-Vorlesung, dessen Inhalt durch den Einsatz unterschiedlicher Medien in beiden Sprachen, Deutsch und Spanisch, verfügbar ist. Der Kurs ist von Studierenden mit sehr guten Kenntnissen in einer der beiden Sprachen (und keinen/wenigen bis hin zu sehr guten Kenntnissen der jeweils anderen Sprache) studierbar. Gleichzeitig ermöglicht der bilinguale Aufbau eine spielerische Sprachvermittlung der jeweils anderen Sprachen. An relevanten Inhalten lassen sich die Sprachkompetenzen so nachhaltig verbessern und vertiefen.
  • El creciente entrelazamiento global de la economía, la política y la sociedad caracteriza la época actual y plantea a la política mundial desafíos complejos y multidimensionales. El curso aborda los principales desarrollos internacionales del siglo XXI y analiza, para cada fenómeno (como los movimientos migratorios, la desigualdad estructural, el desarrollo sostenible y humano, la transformación digital, la delincuencia organizada o los movimientos de (des)integración como el Brexit), el papel y los intereses de América Latina. Al inicio de cada capítulo se presentan consideraciones teóricas, posibles instrumentos de medición y datos actuales que permiten un análisis fundamentado, los cuales posteriormente se aplican a estudios de caso específicos por país y región. Se trata de un curso bilingüe en formato en línea, cuyo contenido está disponible en ambos idiomas, alemán y español, mediante el uso de diversos medios didácticos. El curso puede ser cursado por estudiantes con muy buen dominio de uno de los dos idiomas (y conocimientos nulos, limitados o avanzados del otro). Al mismo tiempo, la estructura bilingüe facilita el aprendizaje lúdico del segundo idioma, permitiendo mejorar y profundizar de manera sostenible las competencias lingüísticas a través de contenidos relevantes.
  • Teaching and examination language: german and spanish
  • Lecturer: Dr. Jaime León González

Sustainability challenges in the agricultural sector in the Global South | 5 ECTS | Seminar

  • Modul Number: 57476
  • Examination Number: 74761
  • Study program: International Business Studies, Sozialökonomik, Development Economics and International Studies, Wirtschaftsmathematik
  • Description: The agricultural sector has historically been of great importance for the geographical, social, political, and economic configuration of the countries of the Global South. This sector accounts for a considerable part of GDP, generates jobs, and is important for exports and food security. Increasingly, many areas of these countries’ territories have been converted to meet the growing demand for agricultural products, such as soy, cattle and palm oil in the world market. This trend is linked to the concentration of the land and the production networks in the hands of large landowners and multinational companies, the displacement of traditional populations, deforestation, the degradation of natural resources, the pollution of soil and water and the loss of biodiversity, among other effects. As various estimates predict that in 2050 the world will reach the mark of 9 billion inhabitants, with much of the growth occurring in developing countries, a further increase in production will be required in order to meet the nutritional needs of the world population. As such, reconciling agricultural production with environmental preservation and socio-economic development is one of the central challenges of the 21st century. This course seeks to present and discuss the structural tensions between agricultural production and the environment and the search for “sustainable development” in rural areas from the Global South, with a particular focus on Latin America and Africa, broadening the students’ understanding of the relationship between agriculture, sustainability, and rural development. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand the dynamics of the agricultural sector in the Global South, the changes taking place in rural areas, and their implications for sustainability. Moreover, the students will have the opportunity to analyze and discuss strategies.
  • Teaching and examination language: english
  • Lecturer: Júlia de Sousa e Berruezo, M.A.

Power, order and institutions in world politics | 5 ECTS | Seminar

  • Modul Number: 52700
  • Examination Number: 27001
  • Study program: International Business Studies, Wirtschaftsmathematik
  • Description: The seminar will cover the following main topics. (I) International system, international organizations (e.g., UN), cooperation and global governance: theoretical perspectives and historical evolution. (II) The contested notions of power, order and institutions: theoretical perspectives and empirical examples, bridging the gap between academia and the practice of international affairs. (III) The changing nature of international power and its distribution: rising powers, transnational corporations, state and non-state actors. (IV) Topical and new issues in international organization/global governance: peace and security, economic and social development, geopolitics, human rights, the environment.
  • Teaching and examination language: english
  • Lecturer: Prof. Dr. Almut Schilling-Vacaflor del Carpio