Registration does not begin until 02.10.2026 at 08:00. It ends on 12.10.2026 at 23:59.

This introduction to area studies is designed to provide students with an understanding of key terminology and readings in the field of area studies. Course participants will become familiar with and learn to analyze and apply approaches to / models for interpreting culture. Practical applications and goals for the classroom will also be discussed.

This semester, we will focus on Chinonye Chukwu's Till (2022). The film is centered around Emmett Till's mother, Mamie Till-Bradley. Instead of concentrating on the violence of the brutal lynching of the 14-year-old boy from Chicago, the film evokes Mamie Till's struggle for justice as well as cultural memory and trauma. The Till murder galvanized the Civil Rights movement. This film will be used to bring all the course topics together: identity, history, memory, culture, resilience, and representation. It is required material. If you do not feel up to the challenge, read this article first "‘Emmett Till Is Anne Frank To Black America’" https://www.forbes.com/sites/briannegarrett/2020/08/26/emmett-till-is-anne-frank-to-black-america-emmett-till-murder-65th-anniversary/. If you still have concerns, take two other courses in the module.

Students will widen their cultural literacy and refine their critical reading skills of a wide variety of area studies texts, including documentaries. Moreover, this seminar should help students to better understand themselves and modern life.

Further information on teaching evaluation: https://www.leuphana.de/en/teaching/quality-management/evaluation/course-evaluation.html