T-IES Winter School 2025

Instructors: Jan Battke, Dr. Germana Favognanor-Bihr, Lucas Ogden
Language of instruction: English
Contact hours: 48 (plus field trip and exam)

Course Description

The past years have seen the EU facing a lot of criticism from various sides and a plethora of challenges threaten the community - internally and externally - and what held its societies together for a long time. In this program, students examine the fundamental notions at the heart of what Europe stands for: religious freedom, humanism, and civic virtue. Furthermore, courses cover the current challenges Europe and the EU face today: the rise of nationalism; political fragmentation and radicalization; migration, religion and questions of identity and war.

Syllabi (more information will follow)

The EU in Constant Crisis? A Story of Identities and Rights 

Human Rights and Migration in Europe Today 

Religion and the Challenge of European Identity 

Instructors: Dr. Oleg Morozov, Lana Balorda, Ana Clara Alves
Language of instruction: English
Contact hours: 48 (plus field trips and exam)

Course description

This program delves into the political processes entailed in remembering and forgetting, introduces students to the commemorative landscape of the EU and explores possible solutions to the challenges facing European collective memory or what could be called Europe's culture of remembrance. Sessions will deal with what makes us remember some things while other facets of our lives and historical events are supressed or hard to recollect. How does what we remember (and what we - choose to - forget) structure the reality that we live in - symbolically, physically, and politically? How is the past used (or abused) to serve the present needs of individuals and collectives in Europe today, where different concepts of identity oftentimes clash with the reality of cosmopolitan communities that are both ethnically and culturally diverse.

Syllabi (more information will follow)

Culture of Remembrance in the EU: Representing the Traumatic Past 

Europe as a Memoryland: Selective memory and place-making practices 

Lost in Translation: Immigration, identity crises and the creation of cross-cultural communities in Tübingen 

Instructors: tba
Language of instruction: German
Contact hours: 18

Course description

The Winter School includes German language courses on the proficiency levels A1-A2. Participation in the German language course is compulsory. The level of the language courses will depend on students' needs. Through an intercultural and communicative approach students will be actively involved in class to encourage language learning. The focus will be on speaking and listening to improve students' language competence in everyday situations.

Students with a level higher than A2 are also welcome to apply. Please contact the T-IES team after your application to discuss possible participation in the German course or alternatives.

Syllabi

tba

Self-assessment

Within the application form you will be asked to evaluate your German language proficiency according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The European framework of reference distinguishes between six different reference levels of knowledge from the elementary use of language (A1) to the autonomous language ability (C2). On all reference levels “can-do” descriptors indicate what a learner is supposed to be able to do in reading, listening, speaking and writing at each level. For further details on the six levels see the following document: CEFR.

Instructors: tba
Language of instruction: English
Contact hours: 8

Course Description

In the intercultural workshop at the beginning of the program, students have the opportunity to get to know each other and exchange their intercultural experiences as well as expectations. The workshop offers an introduction to intercultural communication and the opportunity to reflect on the stay abroad.

Syllabus

tba