Courses and Academics
Political Science and International Studies
Modern Political Theory – The Global Philosophers (3 units)
This course looks at the development of Political Thought in the Western World from Plato to the 20th Century with a particular focus on the expansion of thought from the polis to the international system. The course will be taught using primary materials in anthology form as well as articles and reviews of the work of modern theorists. Theorists covered will include Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, Augustine, Machiavelli, J.S. Mill, Locke, Rousseau, Smith, Hegel, Marx, Ayn Rand, and John Rawls.
Theories of Political Economy (3 units)
From Adam Smith to Milton Friedman the discipline of economics has always been a contested concept. This course examines the theoretical development of Political Economy and pays special attention to the work of Austrian and Central European Political Economists in the development of modern economics.
Global Governance (3 units)
Mechanisms of governance at the international level are increasingly important in an age of global warming, global economic connections, and terrorism. This course critically examines both the institutions and the theories behind global governance and addresses both their strengths and weaknesses going forward on a variety of transnational issues.
Europe as Cultural Space (4 units)
Europe has a multi-dimensional concept, which is not at all identical with the concept of the European Union. It is the aim of the course to reconstruct the cultural dimension of Europe and to determine its relation with the political and economic integration of the EU. It is still an arguable point where the cultural space of Europe ends, and if the so defined area is identical with the European Union. Are there any collective cultural traditions on the Continent, how far are they reaching, what are their specifics, and what is their role in the process of the European integration?
The following concepts of the cultural identity of the Europe of the future will be discussed:
- the concept of integration: does not ask questions about culture
- the traditional concept: attributes the leading role to Classical Philosophy, Roman law, Christianization, Renaissance and Enlightenment
- the multi-cultural concept: describes Europe as a melting pot on its way to a multi-cultural society
- the defensive concept of a defensive community against the hegemony of American cultural industry
International Business
International Marketing (3 units)
This Course will expose the student to issues involved in international marketing and offer insight into various methods of entering new markets and expanding existing ones, trying to combine theoretical aspects with a range of practical examples.
The goal, more broadly, is to familiarize the student with a wide array of issues surrounding international marketing and market entry including: (1) the importance of understanding economic, political, and cultural differences; and (2) an introduction to the growing framework of international, norms, laws, and practices that impact marketing and the decision to expand internationally. Various types of market entry (such as franchising, joint ventures) as well as a broad spectrum of aspects relating to mergers and acquisitions – both domestic and international – will also be described in detail.
International Economics (3 units)
This course examines the development of an integrated global economy in terms of trade, production, and monetary relations. Of specific importance will be the question of a united Europe and increasing importance of the Euro as international reserve currency.
International Management (3 units)
This course serves as an introduction to international management. The basic content of the course includes an overview of the means of international management with an emphasis on the implications of cross-country differences on the conduct of business and the major theories explaining international business transactions and the institutions influencing these activities. The course should provides an understanding of different challenges businesses face when they operate in an international environment and helps students to examine the various cultural, political and legal issues that impact international business activity. In this respect, we will address international institutions and practices that impact international business and the interaction of business and government as they relate to international commerce. In sum, the combination of lectures and practical case insights as well as students exercise and class projects should foster the development of insights into the management implications of international business strategy and operations.
Cultural History and Literature
Long Road to Auschwitz: A Cultural History of Central Europe (3 or 4 units)
This course examines Anti-Semitism in Central Europe from the Medieval pogroms to the Holocaust. Anti-Semitism has an long tradition in Europe and it appears that Auschwitz and the “final solution” was the consequence of a series of unique historical and cultural developments. In fact the list of prominent figures in politics, art, philosophy and science who had Anti-Semitic ideas is endless. But to really understand the Holocaust one must study the development of Anti-Semitism from the Christian medieval tradition, to the bourgeois revolution, to the race-theories of National-Socialism.
This course also surveys the varying arguments long used by Anti-Semites – from simplistic stereotypes to “philosophical” or “scientific” theories. A special part is dedicated to the role of the “Jew” in European Art.
Fin-de-Siecle Vienna (3 or 4 units)
Austrian Poetry (2 units)
An examination of Austrian Poetry in translation with particular attention paid to Viennese poetry during the fin-de-siecle period of the 19th and 20th centuries.
German/Austrian Literature (3 units)
This course explores the important works of German and Austrian literature in translation. Of particular importance are the works by Austrian authors that have gained broader recognition – including recent German and Austrian Nobel Laureates.
Identity Formation in Central Europe (3 or 4 units)
This course examines the shaping of national identities in Central Europe during the 19th and early 20th century” by means of literature, theatre, music, and art. The course will focus on the lesser known identity constructions within Central Europe by examining German, Austrian, South Slavic (Slovenian), Jewish, and Balkan history, literature, music and other artistic forms.
Art History and Design
Art and Nations: The Rise of the National Idiom in Central European Music, Literature, and the Visual Arts.
The idea of the nation as the fundamental unit for human social life, privileged in the process of political decision-making belongs to the remains of the 19th century. The heritage of this idea which had an enormous impact on the European history of the 20th century is ambivalent: New collective identities were created, simultaneously with the destruction of the message of the revolution of 1848.
Art and art-forms have contributed to the process of the “Nationalisation of the Masses”. After the end of the Pan-European movement of (Neo-) Classicism a special “national idiom” in poetry, music, painting, sculpture, architecture and design dominated the central-European art-scenery. This “national idiom” is not only a chapter in art – history, but also one in the pre-history of World War I, Fascism and (National-) Communism.
Art History (3 or 4 units)
This course charts the development of artistic expression from the ancient to the modern using both lectures and excursions to the numerous art museums throughout Vienna.
Yearning for Beauty: Austrian Design from the Industrial Revolution to Fascism
The century between the “Biedermeier” (or: “Vormarz”, i.e. the years from the liberation-war against Napoleon to the failed revolution) and Fascism was a dynamic period in the history of Austrian design. In the “Biedermeier” period Austria was the winner of the legendary Pan-European “battle of styles”, during the period of the “Ringstrasse” (one of the greatest architectural projects of the 19th century) Austria cultivated a special form of historicism and in the legendary Fin de siecle period Vienna served as a kind of laboratory, where countless problems of international design were anticipated.
Aesthetical conflicts like the one between “ornament” and “function”, the relation between modern industrial techniques of production and the beautification of everyday life, and the relation between historicism and modernism were the object of an intensive debate. In this course we will try to reconstruct central points of the debate between “Jugendstil” (“art noveau”) and “Sachlichkeit” (“functionalism”) , which are still valid in the period of “Postmodernism”. A special part of our work will be dedicated to the influence of Scottish, British and German design on the “Wiener Werkstatte”, the creative group around the legendary architect and designer Joseph Hoffmann .
Miscellaneous Electives
Sociology of Music (2 units)
This course introduces students to the foundations of music theory and gives them a hands on perspective to the role and importance of music throughout human history. Excursions include the Vienna Opera, the Vienna Philharmonic, and various recital sessions throughout Vienna.
Early Christian Scriptures (3 units)
An examination of the both canonical and non-canonical scriptures in the early Christian Church. The heart of this course is a critical examination of important first and second century writings that were excluded from the canon of scripture that would later become the “New Testament.”
German Language
One course is required of all students.
Elementary German 1 a (4 units)
Elementary German 1b (4 units)
Intermediate German 1a (4 units)
Intermediate German 1b (4 units)
Advanced German (4 units)
other
Independent Studies (3 units)
Students may take up to one independent study if it is in the area of expertise of one of the regular Vienna Program faculty.
Internships (1-3 units)
A very limited number of internships are available with local international NGOs. Mostly these internships focus on work with the immigrant and refugee community in Austria from the Middle East and Africa. These must be arranged in advance of your arrival in Austria and require a significant time commitment – between one and two afternoons per week for the entire term.
Faculty
Kevin D. Archer, Ph.D.
Founder, Institute for Global Education
Lecturer, Korbel School of International Studies – University of Denver
Alfred Pfabigan, Ph.D.
University Professor, Institute for Philosophy, University of Vienna
Oliver Fabel, Ph.D.
University Professor and Chair of International Personnel Management, University of Vienna
Werner Michler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Institute for Germanistik, University of Vienna
Axel Beer, Ph.D
Associate Professor, English Business Communication, Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration
Christian Hopp, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, International Personnel Management, University of Vienna
Magda Pfabigan, Mag.
Art Noveau Specialist – Kimsky Auction House, Vienna
