Gutenberg International School (GIS) – Courses for Exchange Students

Information on the Winter Semester 2023/24 (27 September 2023)

Dear exchange student, the general course catalogue catalog for the winter semester 2023/24 has now been released. Thus, we have been able to link the courses in the preliminary list of courses in languages other than German with the course catalogue. This means you may be able to find more information on the courses there, if provided. You can find the downloadable version of the list here and in the download section of this page. We will update the list regularly until the start of lectures.

As an information for you: If there is a red dot in front of the title of the course in the course catalogue, it means that this course will be offered online. Yet, please also carefully read the course description, if offered, for more detailed information. As a recommendation: If you are interested in a course from our Germersheim campus and it is offered online, it is usually no problem to attend it. Just contact the colleagues in the International Office Germersheim: intger@uni-mainz.de

The course program of the Gutenberg International School (GIS) has now also been published. Missing information will be added once it is available. A few courses may also be added later this summer. Important: The registration for these courses CANNOT be made via the GIS (Services) but only via the subjects that offer the individual courses (Exception: the "Conversation Classes German"!!!). Please see the individual course descriptions for more information.

We are very much looking forward to welcoming you in Mainz next semester!

Info: For an overview of GIS special courses & courses offered in foreign languages in earlier semesters, please look at our archive.

GIS Special Courses in English for Exchange Students - Winter Semester 2023/24 - History & Culture

Course description

Participants
- All incoming students from all academic fields are welcome
- History students from abroad are also invited to join the team
- No specific requirements, just interest in the overall topic and historical work
- Ability to read scientific texts in English

Engagement
- Regular attendance
- Preparation reading and active participation in seminar discussions
- Two homeworks in writing (upload in Moodle prior to the session)
- One classroom presentation to kick-off seminar discussion

This is a special course bringing together students who do not study history to get to know Germany better from a historical perspective. It is not a lecture. In fact, good discussions and results will largely depend on active participation and sharing of different views.
Preparing the sessions properly and getting a good grasp of the reading materials will be key.

Content
During the first half of the 20th century Germany went through various political disruptions and transitions: The powerful Empire in the center of Europe saw an abrupt end with the defeat in First World War. The democratic system of the Weimar Republic fell prey to political unrest and economic chaos which paved the way for the totalitarian Nazi State in 1933. Twelve years later, the future of a German state was totally depended on the decisions of the allied powers. The hybris of nationalism, the devastation by war as well as the fragility of economic welfare as well as democratic system have a lasting mark on the collective memory of the German people.
The seminar is open to incoming students from all academic disciplines and levels. Together we will look at major phases of German history in the period of 1900 to 1950: Why did the German Empire fail to establish a stable position among the nations in Europe? What were the reasons for the collapse of the Weimar Republic? How did the Nazis establish their regime of terror? What were the main reasons for Germany to split into two antagonistic states?
In addition to major political developments, we will also look at underlying social and cultural changes and how the lives of German people changed during this period.

The course is based on selected sections of the following books:
- Mary Fulbrook, A History of Germany 1918–2014: The Divided Nation, Fifth Edition. Chichester 2021.
- Helmut Walser Smith (ed.): Oxford Handbook of Modern German History, Oxford et al. 2011.
- Helmut Walser Smith: Germany. A Nation in its Time. Before, during, and after Nationalism, 1500-2000, New York 2020.

It is planned to have one excursion: Heidelberg (visit of the Friederich-Ebert-Gedenkstätte)

Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Philosphicum, room P13

Credits: 2 or 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by History: Please send an email to mrissman@uni-mainz.de with your name, Matrikelnummer (student ID) and the name of your home university.

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Participants
- All incoming students from all academic fields are welcome
- History students from abroad are also invited to join the team
- No specific requirements, just interest in the overall topic and historical work
- Ability to read scientific texts in English

Engagement
- Regular attendance
- Preparation reading and active participation in seminar discussions
- Two homeworks in writing (upload in Moodle prior to the session)
- One classroom presentation to kick-off seminar discussion

This is a special course bringing together students who do not study history to get to know Germany better from a historical perspective. It is not a lecture. In fact, good discussions and results will largely depend on active participation and sharing of different views.
Preparing the sessions properly and getting a good grasp of the reading materials will be key.

Content
As a result of the Second World War Germany was cut into two states that belonged to two hostile blocs. The Cold War brought about a divided nation with very different political systems, economic structures, and social experiences. While it appeared more and more unlikely for the two German states to reunite at some point this prospect was never given up. It was to the big surprise of most people, however, when reunification barged its way against all odds. In the wake of the legal unification the process of uniting mentally and emotionally is still ongoing.
The seminar is open to incoming students from all academic disciplines and levels. Together we will look at major phases of German history in the period of 1950 to 2000: How was Germany torn apart during the Cold War? How did the two Germanys live side by side and developed a more pragmatic cohabitation till the mid-1980s? What the reasons for the socialist countries to shed their communist rule? What were the steps to implement the unification? And finally, how is Germany transforming within a uniting Europe?
In addition to major political developments, we will also look at underlying social and cultural changes and how the lives of German people changed during this period.

The course is based on selected sections of the following books:
- Mary Fulbrook, A History of Germany 1918–2014: The Divided Nation, Fifth Edition. Chichester 2021.
- Peter C. Caldwell/Karrin Hanshew, Germany Since 1945. Politics, Culture, and society: London et alt. 2018
- Helmut Walser Smith (ed.): Oxford Handbook of Modern German History, Oxford et al. 2011.

It is planned to have one excursion: for example: Bonn (Haus der Geschichte)

Time: Wednesdays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät (NatFak), room N25 (00-421)

Credits: 2 or 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by History: Please send an email to mrissman@uni-mainz.de with your name, Matrikelnummer (student ID) and the name of your home university.

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

not yet available

 

Time: Mondays, 12:15 - 13:45 (course) & Fridays, 12:15 - 13:45 (tutorial)
Location: online

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Pre-History: Send an e-mail to J. Reiss-Gupte, M.A.:  jreissma@uni-mainz.de - providing the following information:  your first and your last name and your JGU-Matrikelnummer (if you already have one), your field of study/subject, semester, and your home university’s name.

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Culture Studies I focuses on American history from early settlement to the 20th century while Culture Studies II puts a stronger focus on current topis in American culture. Both courses are offered in several parallel courses. For more information including times and locations please see course catalogue below.

Credits: 4 ECTS for each course

How to register

Course offered by American Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Culture Studies I:  Course catalogue

Link: Culture Studies II: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Culture Studies I & III English Literature & Culture offer an introductory insight into British history and culture. Both courses are offered in several parallel courses. For more information including times and locations please see course catalogue below.

Credits: 4 ECTS for each course

How to register

Course offered by English Literature & Culture: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Culture Studies I:  Course catalogue

Link: Culture Studies III (Wales): Course catalogue

 

Course description

Students acquire knowledge of:

• the basic models and concepts of lyric, dramatic and narrative theory, as well as the structural and communicative specifics of narrative, dramatic and lyrical text types and their significance for text analysis and interpretation, text analysis and interpretation (e.g. narrative situation, perspective, focalization, characterization, metrics, prosody, etc.),

• central literary theories and methods across genres and their significance for textual analysis and interpretation (e.g., structuralism, post-structuralism; reception aesthetics; Cultural Criticism; Gender Studies; Postcolonial Literary Theory, etc.).

• the most important epochs of American literary history (early modernism; classicism; romanticism; realism/naturalism; modernism; post-modernism, etc.), taking into account the respective formative literary formal language and rhetorical stylistic devices (conceit, symbol, metaphor, metonymy, etc.) and their relevance for different literary genres and epochs

 

Time: Tuesdays, 08:15 - 09:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P1

Credits: 2 ECTS

Kursanmeldung

Course offered by American Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

n/a

Time: Tuesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P205

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by American Studiese: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Soup and community kitchens are a response to hunger. As a response to food insecurity and scarcity, public or private benefactors step in and provide meals. Or so the story goes. In this course, we will take a critical look at the history and ethnography of soup kitchens. We will ask questions like: What does it mean to provide “relief,” “charity,” or “welfare” in different places, milieus, and times? What type of provisions are furnished for the hungry and what role do changing medical and nutritional standards play in this regard? Who are the sponsors and patrons of soup kitchens? Is feeding people  a (religious or political) duty, a benevolent act, or maybe an economic opportunity? What ideals, methods, bureaucracies, or technologies determine who receives food aid and how it is distributed? What are the circumstances that make people require food aid and how do people navigate systems of relief? We will reflect on soup kitchens as sites of charity, care, and solidarity; of medical and technical innovation; of military organization and efficiency; of inspiring social justice or cementing hierarchies and economic divisions. We will approach the topic by analyzing historical sources and ethnographic material. Readings from historical and ethnographic literature will provide context and demonstrate some exemplary academic approaches to the topic.

Time: Mondays, 14:15 - 15:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P208

Credits: 6 or 8 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by American Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

This course aims at introducing students to the current (state-of-the-art) research concerning issues related to non-dominant, less-widely spoken, often marginalized and endangered linguistic communities in different parts of the world. A special focus, though, in the course is paid to regional and minority/heritage language (RMHL) issues in Europe. In the course, students are introduced to different theoretical approaches and research directions concerning minority and heritage languages. In addition, students explore historical, sociopolitical and economic implications for language policies and practices concerning RMHL, and critically discuss the role and symbolic values attached to these languages in different speech communities. The topics of the course include (but are not limited to) language ideologies/attitudes toward minorities, minority language policy and planning, language loss, death and endangerment, language revitalization and reclamation, language shift and maintenance, family language planning, linguistic human rights, among others.

Time: Wednesdays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: Georg-Forster-Gebäude (GFG), room
01-521 (PC-Pool)

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Linguistics: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Each disciplinary history of folklore—as practiced in different national cultures—is the product of specific societal, regional, and even institutional contexts. Nonetheless, there are national, international, and transnational moments and turns that can write the “global” and “transnational” histories of our discipline. This course is based on the assumption that differences in the disciplinary histories of folklore studies are what divide us. However, these accounts also unite us as folklorists working in the transnational realm. Taking diverse accounts of disciplinary histories on both sides of the Atlantic, this course will critically situate different historical moments and attempt to map out transnational scholarly exchanges, which can be unpacked through numerous case studies. Working and thinking together with interested students, we will explore the interwoven history of travelling ideas and scholars that will reveal the neglected, interesting, and invisible trajectories of folklore studies.

Time: Thursdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P102

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Cultural Anthropology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

As contemporary art practice shifts from experimental transgression to the urge to provide a "safe space for everyone", today's artists are confronted with the following issues. How to still touch the audience without potential re-traumatization? How to tell the stories that move the spectator without harm? The subject of a “safe creative process” is certainly one of the most pressing challenges facing our industry.

The creative process demands artistic vision. Vision requires courage. The proximity of courage and power is dangerous.

It has been more than 50 years since the premiere of Last Tango in Paris, currently the most widely discussed example of abuse of power in film history. How can we understand the power dynamics in the creative process? How can we reduce the potential for manipulation and abuse on film sets? What is the greatest challenge in implementing a culture of consent in the theatre? What is required of an intimacy coordinator, an intimacy director, and a consent coach? How do these professions differ?

Content Warning:
The seminar will include language related to s*xual abuse, harassment, and traumatic experiences, as well as body movement exercises – working in pairs requires consensual touching.

Kasia Szustow is a certified intimacy coordinator (affiliation: Netflix, Sefe Sets), member of the European Intimacy Practitioners' Guild, crisis coach and facilitator of safe creative processes. Co-author of the "Polish Guidelines for Intimate Scenes" developed by a coalition of 11 film organisations. Graduate of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw and the Warsaw School of Economics.

As an intimacy coordinator she worked on 10 film productions just to mention: "Perfect Addition" (dir. Castille Landon, stars: Ross Butler, Kiana Madeira, Matthew Noszka, Constantin Film, premiere: 2023), "Elephant" (dir. Kamil Krawczycki, 2022, best micro-budget film, Gdynia, winner of Chicago LGBTQIA Film Festival), "Filip" (dir. Michal Kwiecinski, 2022, Silver Lions, Gdynia Festival), "Rojst'97" (dir. Jan Holoubek, Netflix). She finished shooting three productions for: disney+ and Gaumont Gmbh (“German House” mini-series), Constantin Film “In The Lost Lands” (stars: Milla Jovovich, Dave Bautista), Netflix (“Freestyle” dir. Maciej Bochniak). Kasia just wrapped polish “Lubie wracac” dir. By Malgorzata Szumowska & Michal Englert, stars: Joana Kulig), she is currently working on a Swiss series for SRF&Netflix (TBA).

As a Consent Coach she provides individual support systems for challenging creative projects, and as a Crisis Coach she helps cultural organisations to implement an efficient and non-violent organisational culture.

Szustow has worked for Schauspielhaus Zürich on two productions as an Intimacy Coach for "Kurze Interviews mit fiesen Männern – 22 Arten der Einsamkeit" based on David F. Wallace, directed by Yana Ross (2021), and as Consent Coach for the production "Wilhelm Tell" by Switzerland's most important director Milo Rau (2022).

Read more: www.intimacycoordination.eu

Time: see course catalogue (Block seminar)
Location: to be announced

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Cultural Anthropology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

In this course, we will delve into the sub-discipline of cultural geography. With its specific interest in the relations between humans and places, mobilities, technologies and the environment it addresses some major issues of our contemporary world. Our major focus will be on paradigmatic turns and key ideas since the emergence of new cultural geography to develop a thorough understanding of the theoretical repertoire of cultural geographic scholarship today. Moreover, in interactive sessions we will relate these core concepts to empirical examples as an ideal preparation for the research seminar in the 2nd semester as well as your dissertation research.

Assignments:  Preparatory readings, active participation in discussions and exercises
Preparation, introduction of a selected publication (approx. 10mins.) & moderation of its discussion (approx. 20mins.) (the selected text needs to be presented to me briefly after class at least one week before the session)

Examination: Submission of an essay (3000 words) on a topic of your choice – further
information will be provided in class. (You are invited to send me an abstract and proposed outline of your essay to receive  feedback on your idea.)

Time: Thursdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude (NatFak), room 04-223

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Geography: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

During this seminar, we will look at the study of popular music(s) from an anthropological lens. Throughout the semester we will discuss what anthropology of music is how we can make sense of social and cultural issues through musical expressions and how these musical expressions may challenge our everyday understandings of identity(s), power structures and social belonging. Our foundational understanding of anthropology of music will later be applied to various ethnographies in the seminar.

Prior to the seminar; please start thinking about what musics you listen and why (example: why is that kind of expression important to you (or not!). Please get yourself familiar with theories such as intersectional theory, if you already are not familiar with.

Time: Thursdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Forum Universitatis 6, room 00-691 (Kleiner Übungsraum)

Credits: 4 or 7 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Anthropology and African Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Dance is an integral part of the African experience. It is very much connected to the music, and by extension the language of the people. Owing to the vast number of African ethnicities and languages, African dances are equally different and innumerable. However, unlike dance in other parts of the world, African dance is closely tied to the everyday lives of the people. It is a means for communicating emotion, sentiment, and beliefs through movement (Green, 1996). Dance is used to narrate historical occurrences, mark festive occasions, celebrate rites of passage, and perform religious ceremonies among others. Through specific movements stories are told. For example, the Ewe ethnic group from Ghana mimic the movement of the bird’s wings in a dance that tells the story of how their migration from Benin to Ghana was guided by a bird (Opoku, 1969).
Transcultural interaction shapes changes in languages and music, and this true for popular dance as well. In recent times, contemporary African dance while still closely connected to music, is taking up a transnational shape. This has resulted in what is popularly called Afrodance (or Afrobeats dance). Afrodance takes the shape of a pan-African dance form in which movements are drawn from across Africa. These movements emerge, much like African dance before, in close connection with certain songs or occurrences. However, they are amalgamated into a dance form that is making global waves. Closely linked to Afrobeats music, Afrodance is present in music videos and is the subject of memetic content creation of digital platforms. Its popularity has led to the rise in online dance classes across the world, with some currently translating into physical dance studios. It has also led to the emergence of Ghana and Nigeria as centres of popular culture where people visit to learn and improve their dance skills.
In this seminar, we will discuss dance as an African cultural practice to understand its significance in African societies. We will also examine the emergence of contemporary dance from Africa, Afrodance, and the cultures that are developing around it.

Recommended literature
Neveu Kringelbach, H., & Plancke, C. (2019). Introduction: dance in Africa and beyond: creativity and identity in a globalized world. Critical African Studies, 11(1), 1-9.
Mauss, M. (1973). Techniques of the Body. Economy and society, 2(1), 70-88.
Bloch, M. (1974). Symbols, Song, Dance and Features of Articulation Is religion an extreme form of traditional authority?. European Journal of Sociology/Archives Européennes de Sociologie, 15(1), 54-81.
Welsh-Asante, K. (Ed.). (1996). African dance: An artistic, historical, and philosophical inquiry. Africa World Press.

Time: Tuesdays, 14:15 - 15:45
Location: Forum Universitatis 7, room HS14

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Anthropology and African Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Archaeological research primarily concerns deciphering the behaviors and activities of past societies based on static archaeological record. This is particularly challenging in Prehistoric Archaeology, due to the scarcity of evidence and the lack of direct analogies to the lifestyle and material culture of that time period. In addition to ethnographic studies, experimental archaeology plays a crucial role in understanding the material culture of the past.

Experimental archaeology involves the use of experimental studies to test ideas about patterns that are observed in archaeological data. Through experiments focused on the production and utilization of objects, we gain insight into the behaviors that created archaeological objects. Additionally, experimental archaeology allows us to reconstruct the processes that can affect archaeological objects and assemblages.

This course will explore theoretical and methodological foundations of experimental archaeology and provide in-depth analysis of several case studies involving the production and use of technologies from the past - stone, bone, pottery, and metal.

Course topics:
theoretical background of experimental archaeology and its significance in scientific research
different experimental approaches including experiential studies and well-designed experiments
methodological developments within the field of experimental archaeology
application of data and results obtained from experimental archaeology to the archaeological record, incorporating archaeological case studies and data modeling

Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Schönborner Hof (city center), room 01-115

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Archeology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Who is Jesus Christ for us today? Often we are told of Christology formulated only in the Euro-American theological traditions. Who do the others say Jesus Christ is? A number of Christological sketches from other continents will give us a good introduction to intercultural theology. Here you can encounter contextual theologies often compounded with the following words - Liberation, Black, Mestizo, Minjung, Inculturation, Dialogue, Post-colonial and so on. We will examine together the theological biographies and the Christological positions of contextual theologians from Latin America, Africa, Asia and ethnic minorities in the USA.

Time: Tuesdays, 08:30 - 09:45
Location: Gebäude am Taubertsberg (close to Hauptbahnhof West), room T5 (Seminarraum 00 – 301)

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Protestant Theology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

GIS Special Courses in English for Exchange Students - Winter Semester 2023/24 - Social Sciences & Society

Course description

This course invites exchange students and regular JGU students to actively participate in an intercultural dialogue.

Participants attend an intense training in intercultural communication where they reflect their cultural backgrounds and learn how it shapes their perceptions in international contexts. At the end, participants have not only learned to engage professionally and confidently in intercultural communication but also expanded their international network.

Please note: The course will be held on two or three Saturdays during the winter semester. The exact dates have not yet been set.

Time: Saturday, 18.11.2023: 10:15 - 15:45 & Saturday, 25.11.2023: 10:15 - 15:45
Location: Georg-Forster-Gebäude (GFG), room 01-611

Credits: 2 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (we need your student ID/Matrikelnummer therefore).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Students of the social sciences from all over the world taking part in this seminar (5 ECTS) will get the opportunity to view Germany from various perspectives within the social sciences. The seminar will provide insights into a wide range of topics related to German society, politics, media and culture.

The lecturer, who is social scientist himself, will teach and discuss different perspectives on the multiple course topics. Within the seminar‘s interdisciplinary approach students are encouraged to contribute by actively sharing their views on the topics at hand as the seminar’s concept is a highly interactive one. The seminar is enriched by excursions to governmental and non-governmental organizations.

To successfully take part in the seminar students will have to fulfill the following requirements:

Oral presentation + written exam + "active participation"

In the seminar, the students obtain 5 ECTS credits for participation, written exam, oral presentation, and homework assignment.

Time: Tuesdays, 16:15 - 17:45 (starting December 5th)
Location: Georg-Forster Gebäude (GFG), room 01-521 (PC Pool)

Credits: 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (we need your student ID/Matrikelnummer therefore).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

This course is aimed at students who wish to pursue an international career. It offers practical insights into various international professional fields and provides students with professional support, networking opportunities and personalised mentorship to enhance their career planning in an international work environment.
Key components of the course:
a) Profile Building: At the beginning and end of the course, students will have dedicated sessions to define and refine their career goals. These sessions will enable students to reflect on their aspirations, identify their strengths, and further develop their professional profile throughout the semester. By actively engaging in profile building, students can make the most of the practice lectures and mentoring opportunities.
b) Practice Talks: The course features social scientists working in international professions who will share their career paths and provide valuable tips. These guest speakers will present various career opportunities in international organizations, foundations, companies, and development cooperation. By attending these practice talks, students will not only gain knowledge and insights but also have the chance to start building an extensive international professional network.
c) Mini-Mentoring: Each participant will have the opportunity to establish a strategically valuable connection with a mentor working in their preferred international professional field. The mentorship includes at least one meeting where students can seek individualized advice and guidance from their mentor. The mentorship agreement serves as evidence of the mentoring relationship and ensures a structured and fruitful experience for all participants.

Time: Wednesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Georg-Forster Gebäude (GFG), room 02-611

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (we need your student ID/Matrikelnummer therefore).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Israel is a multicultural society diverse through ethnicity, migration, religion, politics, economics, gender, geography, and more. These characteristics are issues for inequality and enmity as well as celebration and cultural enrichment. In this course, we will explore Israeli society, the fundamental issues, the current events, and the historical roots, of a young and vibrant society shaping its present and debating its future. In this journey, we will utilize the mediated sphere (e.g., mainstream, minority, foreign/international, and social networks) reflecting the societal role of media in Israel. While the course reading will include theoretical and empirical scientific literature, the consumption of news, movies, television series, social media influencers, etc. operated/produced by Israelis or discussing Israelis (including German and international sources) is highly encouraged during the semester.

Time: Wednesdays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: ReWi (Haus Recht und Wirtschaft)
, room RW4

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (we need your student ID/Matrikelnummer therefore).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

The seminar will be held by Dr. Olesia Zvezdova and aims at giving an overview of the various psychological aspects of political relations, political leadership, conflict and cooperation, psychological influence implementation and methods of countering it.

For this, participants will have a closer look at and discuss the following topics:
- Politics and mental health issues
- Psychology of leadership
- Psychological aspects of crisis decision-making, especially in international relations
- Psychological warfare
- Psychological influence and propaganda
- Psychological safety in Europe
- Consequences of psychological influence

Time: Mondays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location:
Georg-Forster Gebäude (GFG), room 02-701

Credits: 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (we need your student ID/Matrikelnummer therefore).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

This course is designed to introduce the basic theories and concepts of international relations, and to familiarize the students with the way these are applied in the political science context to understanding of contemporary international issues. The course is organized in two parts, the first part concentrates on the main theories of international relations. The second part of the course will focus on case studies, application of the theoretical knowledge on current issues.

Please note: This is not a class in which to learn English; it is a class to learn about International Relations theories and their application. The course is held exclusively in English and directed primarily at native speakers, exchange students and students with a high level of proficiency in English. There will not be any regular translations into German and all course work must be completed in English. The only exception to this rule is the term paper, which you can do in either German or English.

Time: Wednesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Georg-Forster Gebäude (GFG), room 02-607

Credits: 3 or 5 or 9 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Political Science: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Every year since 2002, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has published its list of the ten technologies it predicts will have the greatest innovative impact long-term. For 2023, these are: CRISPR for high cholesterol, AI that makes images, A chip design that changes everything, Mass-market military drones, Abortion pills via telemedicine, Organs on demand, The inevitable EV, James Webb Space Telescope, Ancient DNA analysis, Battery recycling. Such lists are created annually; some technologies prove to be just bubbles, others exceed all expectations eliciting challenging societal debates such as the current ones about energy transition technologies, e-mobility or Industry 4.0. However, one issue is beyond all question: Technology changes society, and, vice versa, societal institutions and organisations shape and influence technologies as „social projects“ by fostering, funding, enabling, producing, limiting and preventing them.
Connecting technologies to application, utilisation, deployment and exploitation contexts, i.e. what we call innovation, provides additional social dynamics. Besides technological innovation targeting new commercial products and processes, social innovation applying new organisational structures gains in increasing importance. Often, technological innovation and social innovation meet such as with digitalising public sector services. New technologies and innovations are „radical game-changers“: they have the potential of changing the world we live in quickly and drastically. However, as future objects they are neither predictable nor accessible; with these characteristics they challenge the institutions concerned with societal planning, policymaking and coordination.
This lecture introduces to Sociology of Technology and Innovation – the field, which analyses social phenomena around the production, the structures and the consequences of technologies and innovation. The lecture will provide a brief history of both, Sociology of Technology and Sociology of Innovation. Then, major concepts in both areas will be discussed. For technology, issues will be addressed such as: technology as actor, socio-technical systems, technology and social structure, technology assessment, emerging technologies, techno-futures, technology and foresight, technology and ethics, technology and gender etc. For innovation, introductions will be provided to concepts such as innovation models, innovation systems, technological innovation, social innovation, open innovation, innovation networks, responsible research and innovation, Nexus innovation etc. The lecture will suggest a joint approach to an integrated Sociology of Technology and Innovation using some illustrative examples from recent developments in Artificial Intelligence to demonstrate why this is a useful perspective for understanding the complex social dynamics in technology and innovation.
Finally, the lecture will address governance issues around technology and innovation and connect their sociological analysis to complexity-adapted methodologies in the social sciences.Learning outcomes: 
This course comprises basic texts and programmatic contributions of central scholars in Sociology of Technology and Innovation. It provides an overview of the field and a first introduction to its concepts, debates and state of the art.Course Requirements and assignments: 
For this lecture, no pre-class preparation or class presentation is required. Students will receive an agenda with literature references in the first session of the course, and can obtain a slide deck of the lecture after each session.Assignment: Exam  
The only assignment of this lecture is a written exam as post-class work (Klausur).

Time: Thursdays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: NatMed
, room HS 18

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Sociology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Research in economics, sociology and psychology has shown that perceptions of appearance and physical attractiveness are linked to preferential treatment toward attractive people, and that these advantages can accumulate over the life course into significant inequalities across a variety of domains.

Taking an interdisciplinary perspective, the seminar offers students an introduction on how perceptions and consequences of physical appearance shape socioeconomic inequalities (e.g. labor market outcomes). The seminar also provides students with an overview of how to measure and empirically study perceptions of physical attractiveness and their consequences in different situations (i.e. strategic interactions, such as trust) and domains of social life (i.e. dating, hiring).

The aim of the seminar is to provide students with a theoretical and methodological toolkit to critically examine existing social science research on this often-neglected dimension of inequality and social stratification and design their own empirical test on a research question pertaining to the causes or consequences of socially perceived physical attractiveness.

Recommended literature

Ashley Mears. 2011. Pricing Beauty: The Making of a Fashion Model. Berkeley: University of California Press.

McClintock, E. A. (2014). Beauty and status: The illusion of exchange in partner selection?. American sociological review, 79(4), 575-604.

Eberl, A., Kühn, J., & Wolbring, T. (2022). Using deepfakes for experiments in the social sciences-A pilot study. Frontiers in Sociology, 7.

Monk, E.P., Esposito, M. H. and Lee, H. 2021. “Beholding Inequality: Race, Gender, and Returns to Physical Attractiveness in the United States.” American Journal of Sociology, 127(1): 194–241.

Wolbring, T., & Riordan, P. (2016). How beauty works. Theoretical mechanisms and two empirical applications on students' evaluation of teaching. Social science research, 57, 253-272.

Time: Thursdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Georg-Forster-Gebäude (GFG), room 02-731

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Sociology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

Course description

Social Simulation is a type of modelling for social scientists and computer scientists which has been gaining interest as a result of extremely affordable computing power and a rising interest in complex systems methods and approaches to understanding the world. Many approaches to simulation are now accessible to social scientists with some programming skills who seek to develop a deeper understanding of social and economic issues and problems, centering on “complexity” ideas: evolution, adaptation, nonlinear behavior, emergence and self-organization. These approaches have become essential tools for social scientists in a wide range of fields, sociology, economics, cognitive psychology, organizational theory, political science and geography, and are now also part of the toolbox for computer scientists interested in distributed artificial intelligence and multi-agent technologies. Of primary concern are multi-level simulation models that allow simultaneous consideration of multiple levels of systems and processes of interest (social, economic, environmental), and have users alternate between views on macro and micro behaviors, and possibly levels in between. The most common approach to multi-level simulation, agent-based modelling, allows for hetero­geneity in simulated behaviors of the “agents” on the lower levels (representing, for instance, individuals, groups, organizations or networks). This provides to scientists the opportunity for (much) higher degrees of detail when observing “in silico” complex evolutionary phenomena, as opposed to some very abstract mathematical models.

This seminar offers an introduction to common approaches in Social Simulation. It opens up questions with regard to opportunities and limitations that characterize the state-of-the-art for each simulation method (on its own, but without disregarding the projects that seek to develop “hybrid” modelling techniques across strands of simulation research, building first and foremost on agent-based approaches). It will also assist in developing appreciation for the common elements of Social Simulation workflows, for instance: the theoretical discussion of a model’s conceptual framework, the data-to-model links, and communication of results of simulation research.

Time: Wednesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Georg-Forster-Gebäude (GFG), room 02-731

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Sociology: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

n/a

Time: Wednesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P6

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by American Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

This *** English-language *** lecture, which focuses on aspects of both (selected) international book markets (i.e. ones outside Germany) in the plural and the one, international book market in the singular, asks centrally for explanations of obvious differences and analyses developments and endeavours that constitute the one international book market alongside the national ones.

I will start illustrating the differences between national book markets by means of not least figures. In the search for the reasons for the differences, I will, among other things, illuminate the concept of national book cultures, including the respective book policies that are naturally connected with them.

As far as the connections and convergences of these national book markets in the direction of an international book market are concerned, I will cover economic and cultural globalisation, global trends (not least in connection with digitisation), licensing relationships and international publishing conglomerates and strategies, but also, for example, the packaging for international markets and international co-productions.

In the course of the semester, I will present a few selected book markets in more detail and in a vivid national context, or have guests present them, respectively, and then also look at other specific agents of internationalisation, e.g. the international book fairs and associations as well as supranational policy approaches. Finally, I will discuss counter-movements to mainstream internationalization (in publishing), such as those discussed in the discourses on small nation publishing and diversity, which are not least brought to the fore by activists.

A list of references will be made accessible to participants at the beginning of the semester.

Time: Wednesdays, 14:15 - 15:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P11

Credits: 2 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Book Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

“Only anthropophagy unites us,” famously wrote Oswald de Andrade in his Anthropophagous Manifesto in 1928. Up until then, anthropophagy (or cannibalism) was seen by the White invaders as a barbarous reaction by the Indigenous peoples they feared. Transformed into a metaphor for the assimilation of external influences for the production of a new, unique local culture, Anthropophagy became a more digestible concept – one that could even “unite” all sorts of Brazilian social strata. The cultural cannibalism defended by Oswald and others in the “Revista de Antropofagia” represented not only a modus operandi of the Brazilian avant-garde of the 1920s, but was culturally re-interpreted various times since then. This concept was particularly fruitful for the Tropicália moment in the 1960s and 1970s – in the fields of visual arts, literature, music, and cinema. In the 21st century, artists and thinkers from varied indigenous populations have helped us to look more critically at this almost harmless deviation from the original anthropophagic attitude. In this seminar, we will watch and analyze films related to, influenced by, or critical of the concept of Anthropophagy in search of different Brazilian film (hi)stories.

Time: Mondays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: Medienhaus
, room 00-113 (Seminarraum 1)

Credits: 4 or 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Film Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

In this Blockseminar, we will study the history of Turkish German film cultures from West Germany’s recruitment of labor migrants from Turkey up through the present, with a focus on the relocation of Turkish German cinema across media formats and transnational spaces. Moving chronologically, we will begin by analyzing historical infrastructures of Turkish film and video established by migrants in West Germany alongside early portrayals of migration to Germany in Turkish cinema. Focal points of our seminar will include the shifting portrayals of migrants by German and Turkish filmmakers in West Germany, the discursive emergence of “Turkish German cinema” around the late ‘90s and the turn of the 21st century, and contemporary films and multimedia artworks that explore present-day topics surrounding archives of migration, right-wing violence, and postmigrant societies. Special attention will be given to representational strategies around issues of gender, sexuality, class, race, ethnic minorities, and religious difference. Readings will be drawn from various fields in addition to film studies, including anthropology and migration studies as well as Turkish German literature and theater.

Time: see course catalogue (Block seminar)
Location: Medienhaus
, room 00-113 (Seminarraum 1)

Credits: 4 or 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Film Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

The aim of this advanced seminar is to critically engage and reflect on current concepts and theories of globalisation and development. Students learn to differentiate and contextualise the role of different actors and perspectives (e.g., national policies, supranational institutions, non-governmental activists, civil society, etc.) on global phenomena. Students also learn how to transfer theoretical and epistemological ideas to “real world” issues by discussing current utopias and dystopias that are at stake. Informed by conceptual key readings students will approach and discuss different ideas (e.g., of climate justice, geo-engineering, the sustainability paradigm, postcolonial studies, etc.) in role games, round table discussions etc. to develop a critical understanding for a multi-scalar and multi-perspective argumentation for current global topics and crises. Participants learn to visually illustrate complex topics and to present them in a poster. Acquired skills must be demonstrated in an oral examination at the end of the term.

 

Time: Wednesdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude (NatFak), room N239

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Geography: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

The advanced seminar introduces students to the field of media geography with a specific emphasis on the interrelations between media, space, and place. The seminar aims for students to acquire relevant theoretical fundamentals of media geography and enables them to deal critically with a globalised and media-charged world. This seminar consists of two parts: In the first part of the seminar, a focus is set on theoretical fundamentals of media geography. The participants deal with established specialist articles on various media geography-related topics. Based on key readings students will generate a sound knowledge of media-geographical thought. The students learn to engage with theoretical approaches and concepts, to reflect on them critically and develop clear discussion arguments. Therefore, theoretical concepts are connected to concrete media examples. This seminar provides students with an understanding of why media-geographic theories are relevant for understanding everyday phenomena. This aspect will be deepened in the second part of the seminar. It focuses on questions of how specific media (e.g., comic books, street art, film, music and sound, digital platforms, etc.) can be explored from a media geography perspective, and how they can be conceptually and methodologically integrated into research processes. For an applied perspective on the topics discussed in the seminar, students compile a multimedia portfolio (e.g., storytelling, blog, story map, podcast) at the end of the module, in which they critically engage with a current media geography issue. In this project, theoretical frameworks, media examples and a particular research question are combined.

 

Time: Fridays, 12:15 - 13:45 & Wednesdays, 14:15 - 15:45
Location: Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude (NatFak), room 04-223

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Geography: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Sustainable Utopias // Utopian Sustainabilities
We will focus on spectacular projects that mirror sustainable utopias//utopian sustainabilities, reaching from early ideas such as Arcadia (Greek mythology) or Biosphere 2 (Arizona), to most recent visions like Neom/ The Line (Saudi Arabia). We will look at their references, initial ideas and inspirations, the master planning and the de facto realisation (or their achieved stages) in the according historical embeddedness and in their media or cinematic representation (e.g. Elysium, Wakanda Forever, Shangri-La).
Each participant will choose and present one utopian project (imagined, staged in form of sci-fi productions, digitally mediatised, in process of planning, realised etc.).

Against the background of key readings about the different translations of utopia (in literature and media) as well as sustainability (from philosophical to political and ecological definitions) we will critically engage in debating the heterotopian potential and representation of these projects.The aim is to analyse theoretical flaws, empirical limitations or auspicious anticipations of possible futures to come.

A specific focus will be on power-structures between the involved parties and actors of these imagined, planned, and (partly) realized utopias, e.g. the dual use of technological knowledge production for military and scientific use; the demonstration of power and capital; the question of humanity; the ambigious roles of socialism vs.capitalism as framing ideologies, etc.

Time: Mondays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: Naturwissenschaftliches Institutsgebäude (NatFak), room N239

Credits: 5 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Geography: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

In this course (3 ECTS), exchange students learn the ABC for successful social science studies at the Johannes Gutenberg University. Participants will be able to meet the formal requirements of academic work in terms of literature research, oral presentations and term papers. The course offers you a flying start and equips you for a successful semester abroad at JGU.

Course Work:

To successfully take part in the tutorial students will have to fulfill the following requirements:

Short oral presentation + term paper + class participation

In the tutorial, the students obtain 3 ECTS credits for participation, written term paper, short oral presentation, and homework assignment.

Time: Mondays, 12:15 - 13:45
Location: Georg-Forster-Gebäude (GFG), room 02-701

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by Faculty 02: Please add the course to the course registration formular for exchange students and contact your "coordinator" for admission. Your coordinator can register you in Jogustine, or you or the coordinator contact sowiso@uni-mainz.de for registration (your student ID/Matrikelnummer is needed for this).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

VOICES FOR CLIMATE ist die Vorlesungsreihe über die Klimakrise an der JGU Mainz. Spannend und interdisziplinär betrachten wir die Klimakrise aus verschiedensten Perspektiven, von den Naturwissenschaften, über die Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften bis zu Musik, Theologie und vielen mehr. Das Besondere dabei? Wir schauen nicht nur auf den Status Quo, sondern wir setzen uns auch mit dem jetzt notwendigen Handeln auseinander.

Dabei helfen uns Wissenschaftler:innen unterschiedlichster Fachgebiete, die jeweils eine Sitzung zu einem selbst gewählten Schwerpunkt im Themenfeld Klimakrise, Klimagerechtigkeit und Nachhaltigkeit gestalten. Jeden Vorlesungsabend starten wir außerdem mit einem künstlerischen Input. Dieses Mal werden wir an Orte reisen, wo Klimagerechtigkeit und Nachhaltigkeit trotz fehlender nachhaltiger Strukturen bereits gelebt werden.

Die einzelnen Vorlesungen der Reihe sind in ein inhaltliches Gesamtkonzept eingebettet und trotzdem einzeln und asynchron besuchbar. Live dabei sein, ob im Hörsaal oder im Livestream lohnt sich aber. Denn egal ob während der interaktiv gestalteten Inputs oder während der Diskussions- und Fragerunde mit den Referierenden – VOICES FOR CLIMATE bietet viele Möglichkeiten, um aktiv am Erlebnis teilzuhaben.

Referent:innen:

  • - Prof. Dr. Alexandra Busch (Generaldirektorin LEIZA und Professorin für Archäologie, JGU)
  • - Dr. Martin Dennebaum (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter der Universitätsmedizin für Tropen- und Reisemedizin, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Dorothea Erbele-Küster (Professorin für evangelische Theologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Roland Imhoff (Professor für Sozialpsychologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Stefan Kramer (Geschäftsführer des Instituts für Informaik und Professor für Informaik, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Angela Kölling (Professorin für anglophone Literaturen und Kulturen, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Valerie Krupp (Direktorin der Musikhochschule Mainz und Professorin für
  • Musikpädagogik)
  • - Luisa Neubauer (Klimaschutz-Aktivistin und Publizistin)
  • - Dr. Sandra Petermann (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin für Wirtschaftsgeographie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber (Gründer und ehemaliger Leiter des Potsdamer Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Professor für Klimafolgenforschung)
  • - Prof. Dr. Jörg Scheinfeld (Professor für Strafrecht, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Carsten Streb (Professor für anorganische Chemie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Eckhard Thines (Dekan des FB10 und Professor für Biotechnologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Constanin Wagner (Professor für Erziehungswissenschaften, JGU)

Time: Mondays, 18:15 - 19:45
Location: ReWi (Haus Recht und Wirtschaft), room RW4 (and hybrid)

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

to be announced

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

We are a group of students from the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) and organize our own conference from students for students. Because we study a variety of subjects (humanities, social sciences and natural sciences) we try to provide a conference with an interdisciplinary claim. If you want to join our organization team, feel free to contact us.

Time: please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking
Location: please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking

Credits: possible, please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking (schmicki@uni-mainz.de)

How to register

Please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking (schmicki@uni-mainz.de)

Link: Website

 

GIS Special Courses in German for Exchange Students - Winter Semester 2023/24 - Learning German

Course description

The ISSK offers German courses on the level A1-C2 along with the studies for students in the following study programs:

  • ERASMUS
  • International exchange programs (international partnership programs)
  • English study programs
  • Study programs with exemption from the DSH and German language requirements
  • Other international students in B.A. and M.A. degree programs
Courses on level A1-B2

The ISSK German courses that can be taken parallel to the various courses of studies are addressed to students who are already enrolled in a study program at Mainz University (JGU).

Classes at levels A1, A2, B1, B2.1, B2.2 meet twice a week for a total of 4 or 6 academic units per week and run throughout the semester teaching period.
For every course which you have successfully completed you can obtain 4 or 6 ECTS credit points.

Prerequisites for a graded course certificate and 6 ECTS credit points are the following:

  • regular attendance
  • active participation
  • preparation of homework tasks
  • plus some additional shorter tests and a successful final exam.

Times & locations: here (once available)

Credits: 4 or 6 ECTS (see individual course - ECTS are not based on examination type!)

How to register

Please find information on registration here: https://issk-en.uni-mainz.de/registration-for-the-german-courses/

Link: ISSK

 

Courses on level C1-C2

SB1: German C1 courses accompanying the studies (SB = “studienbegleitend”)

Prerequisite for admission: good knowledge of German at an advanced level (i.e. with completed B2.2 level)
Target groups:

  • Students who have passed the DSH exam with the result DSH-2 and achieved between 60 and 67% in one or more sections
  • Test-DaF graduates with the result 4xTDN4, 3xTDN4 and 1xTDN5, respectively
  • ERASMUS students or ‘program students’ (= participants of study courses with mandatory language requirements) who have reached C1 level in the placement test or in a previous course

Course offerings include independent modules of 2-4 semester hours (SWS) each that have to be taken successively.

 

SB2: German C2 courses accompanying the studies

Prerequisite for admission: very good knowledge of German (i.e. a high or completed C1 level)
Target groups:

  • Students with a DSH score of 75% or TestDaf with score TDN 4455
  • ERASMUS students or program students who have reached a high C1 level or a C2 level in the placement test or in a previous course

The focus of these courses (with 2-4 semester hours per week) is academic German or German for Specific Purposes.

Times & locations: here (once available)

Credits: 2-6 ECTS (see individual course - ECTS are not based on examination type!)

How to register

Please find information on registration here: https://issk-en.uni-mainz.de/registration-for-the-german-courses/

Link: ISSK

 

General information

Der Kurs richtet sich an ausländische Studierende auf Masterniveau, Promovierende, Postdocs, Gastwissenschaftler*innen und Mitarbeiter*innen der JGU mit einem abgeschlossenen B1-Niveau.
Da das Ziel des Kurses eine erste gezielte sprachliche Vorbereitung auf den Berufseinstieg für Akademiker in Deutschland ist, ist der Kurs für Teilnehmende vorgesehen, die nach dem Studium oder der Promotion einen berufsbezogenen Aufenthalt in Deutschland planen.

Inhaltlich liegt der Fokus deshalb auf Themen wie Studium/Promotion in Deutschland, Arbeitswelt, Bewerbungstraining, Interkulturelle Kommunikation im Studium und Beruf.
Im Bereich der Grammatik werden die wichtigsten Inhalte der Basisgrammatik A1-B1 wiederholt und gefestigt sowie neue grammatische Phänomene der B2.1 Stufe eingeführt.

Times & locations: here (once available)

Credits: 6 ECTS

How to register

Please find information on registration here: https://issk-en.uni-mainz.de/registration-for-the-german-courses/

Link: ISSK

 

Course description

The German Conversation Course is intended for exchange students of all subjects with at least completed A2 level who wish to improve their oral expression skills in German and are willing to participate orally in class on a regular basis. Otherwise, students cannot benefit from this course.

The emphasis is on free speaking, which is practiced on the basis of current topics and topics related to Germany.

Important: course registration is only possible via email to gis@international.uni-mainz.de and NOT via the form "Course Registration for Exchange Students". Please send an e-mail during the registration period with your certified German level (if available) and the following information: Last name, first name, country of origin, home university, subject, German level, matriculation number (if already available), e-mail address. Please also state if you have already taken part in a conversation course at JGU. For course A2/B1, please also indicate whether you prefer course A or course B or whether both courses would be an option (of course, you can only attend one course).

Registrations will be accepted during the registration period from 16.10.2023 until (including) 22.10.2023 (earlier registrations will be ignored). If there are more registrations than places, a waiting list will be introduced and informed accordingly. Students who wish to participate in the conversation course for the first time will be prioritized. Students who have already taken a conversation course at JGU can only attend if there is capacity left. On 23.10.2023 you will be informed whether you are in the course or on the waiting list. Please mind that if you are taking the conversation course B2/C1 offered by ISSK (! they have their own registration period !) you will not be able to take this course.

To participate in the A2/B1 course you must have completed at least level A2, to participate in the B2/C1 course you must have completed at least level B2. If your language skills are not at least A2, unfortunately you will not be able to participate in the conversation course because you do not have the appropriate qualifications.

In the first course session, the course instructors will check again whether your language skills match the corresponding course. If this is not the case, you could be placed in the other course. If during the check it is noticed that the speaking abilities are lower than A2, you will not be able to participate in the course, unfortunately.

Please note that the courses will likely not start until the 2nd week of lectures.

Completed A2 or B1 Level - Course A

Time: to be announced
Location: to be announced

Credits: 1-4 ECTS

 

Completed A2 or B1 Level - Course B

Time: to be announced
Location: to be announced

Credits: 1-4 ECTS

 

Completed B2 or C1 Level

Time: to be announced
Location: to be announced

Credits: 1-4 ECTS

 

How to register

Course offered by GIS in cooperation with German Studies: see course description

Link: A2/B1 - Course A, A2/B1 - Course B & Course B2/C1

 

Course description

In dieser Übung werden zentrale Bereiche der Grammatik des Deutschen behandelt wie etwa Wortart-, Satzgliedbestimmung und Satzstruktur. Ziel ist die Vermittlung eines fundierten grammatischen Basiswissens, das sowohl für ein Linguistikstudium als auch für den Deutschunterricht an Schulen eine wesentliche Voraussetzung ist.

!!!Please be aware: These courses do not serve the aim of language acquisition and are no courses in which you practice German grammar, as they are linguistic courses intended for a German native speaker audience!!!

Recommended literature

Gallmann, Peter et al. 2017. Schülerduden. Grammatik. 8. Auflage. Mannheim: Dudenverlag.
Pittner, Karin und Judith Bermann. 2021. Deutsche Syntax. Ein Arbeitsbuch. 7. Auflage. Tübingen: Narr.

Austauschstudierende: In dieser Veranstaltung können Sie zwischen 1 und 4 ECTS-Punkte erwerben. Genauere Informationen erhalten Sie in der ersten Sitzung.

 

Time: several courses available, please see course catalogue
Location: see individual course in the course catalogue

Credits: 1-4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by German Studies: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

Franz Kafkas Erzählung „Die Verwandlung“, die Geschichte von Gregor Samsa und seiner Verwandlung in ein "ungeheuere[s] Ungeziefer“, zählt zu den bekanntesten und beliebtesten Kafka-Texten. Die Erzählung eignet sich besonders gut dazu, einen Zugang zu Kafka zu finden und sich mit seinen spezifischen Erzählverfahren, seiner Bildlichkeit und den Schwierigkeiten, seine vieldeutigen Texte einer Interpretation zu unterziehen, vertraut zu machen.

Die Übung zielt vor allem auf ein gründliches sprachliches, inhaltliches und strukturelles Verständnis des Textes, das im Rahmen einer schrittweisen, gemeinsamen Lektüre im Unterricht gewonnen werden soll.

Bitte beschaffen Sie sich für den Unterricht unbedingt folgende Textausgabe, sie ist im Buchhandel erhältlich:
Franz Kafka: Die Verwandlung. Hg. v. Ralf Kellermann. Durchgesehene Ausgabe. Ditzingen: Reclam, 2021 (= Reclam XL, Text und Kontext; Band 16109). ISBN-13: 978-3-15-016109-8.

Es können in der Veranstaltung maximal 4 ECTS-Punkte (qualifizierter Schein) erworben werden. Prüfungsform: Mündliche Prüfung. Zur 'aktiven Teilnahme' gehört neben der Lektüre der Erzählung die Mitarbeit im Unterricht.

Wir beginnen mit der ersten Sitzung am Dienstag, dem 31. Oktober. 

Time: Tuesdays, 10:15 - 11:45
Location: Philosophicum, room P110

Credits: 4 ECTS

How to register

Course offered by German Studies: 

Die Anmeldung erfolgt ausschließlich via E-Mail von Freitag, 20. Oktober 2023, 8.00, bis Donnerstag, 26. Oktober, 18.00 (bitte halten Sie sich an diesen Zeitraum). Frau Wolf wird Sie am Freitag, dem 27. Oktober per E-Mail benachrichtigen.
E-Mail-Adresse: ywolf@uni-mainz.de

Die Teilnehmerzahl ist auf 15 beschränkt. Die Plätze werden nach der Reihenfolge der während des angegebenen Anmeldezeitraums eingehenden Anmelde-E-Mails vergeben.

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

to be announced

Time: Tuesdays, 16:15 - 17:45
Location: BKM, room 00-014 (SR1 - Seminarraum 1)

Credits: up to 6 ECTS (depending on type of examination)

How to register:

Course offered by Deutsch als Fremdsprache / Deutsch als Zweitsprache: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

to be announced

Time: Thursdays, 14:15 - 15:45
Location: Am Kisselberg, room 00-121 (K5)

Credits: up to 6 ECTS (depending on type of examination)

How to register:

Course offered by Deutsch als Fremdsprache / Deutsch als Zweitsprache: Please use the form "Anmeldung Lehrveranstaltungen für Austauschstudierende" (after immatriculation).

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

VOICES FOR CLIMATE ist die Vorlesungsreihe über die Klimakrise an der JGU Mainz. Spannend und interdisziplinär betrachten wir die Klimakrise aus verschiedensten Perspektiven, von den Naturwissenschaften, über die Geistes- und Sozialwissenschaften bis zu Musik, Theologie und vielen mehr. Das Besondere dabei? Wir schauen nicht nur auf den Status Quo, sondern wir setzen uns auch mit dem jetzt notwendigen Handeln auseinander.

Dabei helfen uns Wissenschaftler:innen unterschiedlichster Fachgebiete, die jeweils eine Sitzung zu einem selbst gewählten Schwerpunkt im Themenfeld Klimakrise, Klimagerechtigkeit und Nachhaltigkeit gestalten. Jeden Vorlesungsabend starten wir außerdem mit einem künstlerischen Input. Dieses Mal werden wir an Orte reisen, wo Klimagerechtigkeit und Nachhaltigkeit trotz fehlender nachhaltiger Strukturen bereits gelebt werden.

Die einzelnen Vorlesungen der Reihe sind in ein inhaltliches Gesamtkonzept eingebettet und trotzdem einzeln und asynchron besuchbar. Live dabei sein, ob im Hörsaal oder im Livestream lohnt sich aber. Denn egal ob während der interaktiv gestalteten Inputs oder während der Diskussions- und Fragerunde mit den Referierenden – VOICES FOR CLIMATE bietet viele Möglichkeiten, um aktiv am Erlebnis teilzuhaben.

Referent:innen:

  • - Prof. Dr. Alexandra Busch (Generaldirektorin LEIZA und Professorin für Archäologie, JGU)
  • - Dr. Martin Dennebaum (wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter der Universitätsmedizin für Tropen- und Reisemedizin, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Dorothea Erbele-Küster (Professorin für evangelische Theologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Roland Imhoff (Professor für Sozialpsychologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Stefan Kramer (Geschäftsführer des Instituts für Informaik und Professor für Informaik, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Angela Kölling (Professorin für anglophone Literaturen und Kulturen, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Valerie Krupp (Direktorin der Musikhochschule Mainz und Professorin für
  • Musikpädagogik)
  • - Luisa Neubauer (Klimaschutz-Aktivistin und Publizistin)
  • - Dr. Sandra Petermann (wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin für Wirtschaftsgeographie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber (Gründer und ehemaliger Leiter des Potsdamer Institut für Klimafolgenforschung, Professor für Klimafolgenforschung)
  • - Prof. Dr. Jörg Scheinfeld (Professor für Strafrecht, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Carsten Streb (Professor für anorganische Chemie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Eckhard Thines (Dekan des FB10 und Professor für Biotechnologie, JGU)
  • - Prof. Dr. Constanin Wagner (Professor für Erziehungswissenschaften, JGU)

Time: Mondays, 18:15 - 19:45
Location: ReWi (Haus Recht und Wirtschaft), room RW4 (and hybrid)

Credits: 3 ECTS

How to register

to be announced

Link: Course catalogue

 

Course description

We are a group of students from the Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) and organize our own conference from students for students. Because we study a variety of subjects (humanities, social sciences and natural sciences) we try to provide a conference with an interdisciplinary claim. If you want to join our organization team, feel free to contact us.

Time: please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking
Location: please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking

Credits: possible, please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking (schmicki@uni-mainz.de)

How to register

Please inquire with Dr. Daniel Schmicking (schmicki@uni-mainz.de)

Link: Website

For an overview of special courses for exchange-students in earlier semesters, please visit our archive.