Berlins kriminalitätsbelastete Orte - Detailseite

The study project intends to explore the growing of criminal practices, crime control measures and imaginaries of (il)legality as both responses to and producers of the politics of threat and uncertainty that are currently expanding across Europe/Germany. It aims to analytically understand and critically reflect the motivations behind, the challenges and implications of criminalisation for the variety of actors and practices that (re-)shape the entangled landscapes of criminalisation around drug trade and consumption, racial profiling, community policing, racism and the discriminatory practices. As spatial frame and field of investigation, we choose Berlin and particularly the Berlin’s so-called places with high criminality rates (in German: Kriminalitätsbelastete Orte / KbOs). Of interest is the field research not only from an economic geography perspective. But the topic is also worth studying from a social (urban) geography perspective as Berlin’s KbOs are places where people and migrants from different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds with various purposes come together, meet and interact.

The course takes place on the following dates:

Session 1: 17 April, 4.30-6.00pm (Wednesday)

Session 2+3+4: 03 May, 9.00am-5.00pm (Friday) + 04 May, 9.00am-5.00pm (Saturday)+ 05 May, 12.00pm-5.00pm (Sunday / Excursion)

Session 5: 08 June, 9.00am-5.00pm (Saturday)

Session 6: 06 July, 9.00am-5.00pm (Saturday)

Session 7: 15 July, 4.30-6.00pm (Monday)

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

Knowledge

*Understand, describe and identify core theories and issues of the study project's topic

*Have an overview of different place-specific infrastructures and people/actors interacting with and being present in the different KbOs

Academic/Transferable Skills

*Develop, understand and critical reflect research projects

*Communicate and discuss key concepts of the course’s topic, research designs and results

*Working in international and interdisciplinary teams

Competencies

*Read the most recent theoretical and empirical research in the course’s topic

*Apply relevant theories and concepts in independent work to understand and analyze current trends and issues in Berlin’s cityscape

*Using ethno-geographic research methods as an entry point for research and studying topics and problems relevant to societies and communities

Master students of all subjects with a strong interest in migration, criminality, urban studies etc. are welcome to join. The course is designed for all postgraduate students to participate if their home university agrees. Regular degree-seeking students can select the course within the elective part of their study program (überfachlicher Wahlpflichtbereich / üWP).

The students will receive literature and other materials to understand and discuss trends, dynamics and connections of the course's topic. Based on literature and field excursions, students will develop their own research projects within the study project’s frame. Students are welcome to bring in their own subject backgrounds, knowledge and experiences and actively shape the course and its contents. Empirical research skills are an asset but not a requirement.