Free and Open Online Courses
At Off University, the digital realm turns into a space where at-risk scholars, lecturers based at traditional universities, and course participants can exchange and produce critical knowledge freely, protected by a safe online infrastructure. Off University is dedicated to creating an educational space that overcomes traditional classroom hierarchies and enables participants and lecturers to learn together and from each other. This approach empowers participants to actively engage in learning, taking ownership of their educational journey and cultivating a researching habitus.
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2025 Summer Semester Courses
Caste on Screen
Hindi Cinema and the Making of Contemporary India
This course explores the complex role of caste in shaping contemporary societies in South Asia, particularly in India, where caste-based dynamics contribute to violence against Dalits (literally “oppressed”, the social strata at the bottom of caste system), gender subjugation, communal tensions, nationalism, authoritarianism, and minority persecution. By examining the presence and absence of caste in Hindi films—through both feature films and documentaries—this course examines how cinema influences and reflects these social structures and their consequences.
10 Weeks
24.04.2025 – 17.07.2025
Thursdays, 14:00 CEST
History and Memory in Contemporary Russia
This course, supported by the Memory Studies Association, explores memory and historical culture in contemporary Russia through an examination of both state memory policies and grassroots initiatives. In Russia, official narratives are state-centred, emphasising patriotism and military achievement and , limiting critical discussion of topics such as the Second World War, Stalinist repression and the socio-economic transformations of the 1990s. This has intensified since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. At the same time, independent voices — from bloggers to journalists and grassroots memory activists – are offering alternative perspectives, challenging official discourse and advocating for a more inclusive and critical approach to historical memory.
10 Weeks
07.04.2025 – 18.07.2025
Mondays, 15:00 CEST
Myanmar in the World
This course discusses the impact of geographical aspects such as location, resources and demography on (international) politics. Geopolitics is a method of studying foreign policy in order to understand, explain and predict international political behaviour. Geographical characteristics are closely related to a country’s decision-making process in determining its foreign policy principles, they can influence a country’s attitude towards other countries and are a strategic resource to enhance its geopolitical value.
In this seminar, students will learn about the main theories of geopolitics in international relations and apply their theoretical knowledge to the context of Myanmar.
14 Weeks
10.05.2025 – 19.07.2025
Saturdays, 09:00 CEST,
13:30 MMT
Othering, Social Taboo, and Ethnicity
Representations of the Margin in Arab Contemporary Fiction
This course is a thematic navigation of othering, social taboos, and ethnicity in Arab contemporary fiction, focusing on how marginalized ethnic communities are represented within novels. Contemporary Arab writers often engage with social norms, religious constraints, and political landscapes, exposing the tensions that shape identities on the periphery. We will use an interdisciplinary approach to analyse the chosen texts.Through multiple fields like anthropology, sociology, history, psychology, and cultural studies, We will thus examine these themes from various perspectives and gain a more comprehensive understanding of them. We will explore how marginalized individuals – particularly those who are different – are positioned in contrast to dominant social groups. The “othering” of ethnicities highlights the creation and regulation of social boundaries, emphasizing the role of taboos in reinforcing exclusion.
14 Weeks
09.04.2025 – 09.07.2025
Wednesdays, 14:00 CEST
