Search result: Catalogue data in Autumn Semester 2017

GESS Science in Perspective Information
Only the topics listed in this paragraph can be chosen as GESS Science in Perspective.
Further below you will find the "type B courses Reflections about subject specific methods and content" as well as the language courses.

6 ECTS need to be acquired during the BA and 2 ECTS during the MA

Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again.
Type A: Enhancement of Reflection Competence
Suitable for all students
Students who already took a course within their main study program are NOT allowed to take the course again.
History
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0549-00LWebClass Introductory Course History of Technology Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 100.

Particularly suitable for students of D-BAUG, D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MATL, D-MAVT.
W3 credits2VD. Gugerli
AbstractWebClass Introductory Course History of Technology is an introductory course to the history of technology. The students are challenged to discover how technological innovations take place within complex economical, political and cultural contexts. They get introduced into basic theories and practices of the field.
Learning objectiveStudents are introduced into how technological innovations take place within complex economical, political and cultural contexts. They get to know basic theories and practices of the field.
ContentWebClass Einführungskurs Technikgeschichte ist eine webgestützte Einführung in die Technikgeschichte. Technikgeschichte untersucht Angebote technischer Entwicklungen, die in bestimmten historischen Kontexten entstanden und von sozialen Gruppen oder ganzen Gesellschaften als Möglichkeit sozialen Wandels wahrgenommen, ausgehandelt und schliesslich genutzt oder vergessen wurden.
Der Onlinekurs wird von zwei obligatorischen Präsenzveranstaltungen begleitet. Die aktive Teilnahme und das erfolgreiche Bearbeiten von Onlineaufgaben werden vorausgesetzt.
Lecture notesInformationen zur Arbeit mit WebClass finden Sie unter https://www.tg.ethz.ch/programme/lehrprogramm/webclass-einfuehrungskurs/. Sobald Sie eingeschrieben sind, haben Sie Zugang zum Skript und zu weiterführenden Materialien.
Literaturehttps://www.tg.ethz.ch/de/programme/
Prerequisites / NoticeOnlinekurs kombiniert mit zwei obligatorischen Präsenzveranstaltungen. Einführungssitzung: 25.9.2017, zweite Präsenzsitzung: 13.11.2017. Die aktive Teilnahme und das erfolgreiche Bearbeiten von Onlineaufgaben werden vorausgesetzt.
Die Zahl der Teilnehmenden ist auf 100 beschränkt. Anmeldung: In der Einführungssitzung am 25.9.2017, zudem schriftliche Einschreibung sowohl unter www.einschreibung.ethz.ch wie auch auf dem Olat-Server.
Verspätete Anmeldungen können nicht berücksichtigt werden.

Weitere Informationen unter https://www.tg.ethz.ch/de/programme/
851-0551-05LThe Moon Over Cape Canaveral. History of Manned Space FlightW3 credits2SD. Gugerli
AbstractManned space flight is certainly a crazy and fascinating project. We will read new and contemporary texts about an enterprise which may be understood as a closely observed journey to mankind.
Learning objectiveThis seminar deals with new and contemporary studies, reports, and projects about manned space flight. It will test the hypothesis, that everything concerned with the moon "over" Cape Canaveral had to be dealt with by means of organizational displacements, technical translations, and cultural learning processes in the sublunary world. A syllabus will be provided at the beginning of the seminar.
Lecture notesA syllabus will be provided at the beginning of the Seminar.
Prerequisites / NoticeDie Zahl der Teilnehmenden ist auf 40 beschränkt.
853-0725-00LHistory Part One: Europe (Modernization in the 'Old Continent' 1815-1992) Information W3 credits2VD. Speich Chassé
AbstractA range of fundamental processes have transformed European societies in the course of the 19th and the 20th centuries. This lecture series asks whether one single model of modernization prevailed on the 'Old Continent' or whether we need to differenciate regionally. A special focus lies on the Swiss experience.
Learning objectiveAt the end of this lecture course, students can: (a) highlight the most important changes in the "long nineteenth century" in Europe (b) explain their long-term effects; and (c) relate these changes to global developments today.
ContentThe thematic foci include: Industrialization on the British Isles, urban growth in Switzerland, the difficult road to democracy in Germany, and French individualism.
Lecture notesPower Point Slides and references will be made available in digital form during the course of the semester.
LiteratureMandatory and further reading will be listed on the course plan that is made available as from the first session.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis lecture series does not build upon specific previous knowledge by the students.
851-0551-06LPaper and Papers. The History of Print Technologies and its ApplicationsW3 credits2SD. F. Zetti
AbstractIn the second half of the 20th century, print technologies and applications have dramatically changed. Communication today is computerbased. The lecture offers problem oriented insights into this sociotechnical process of translation.
Learning objectiveStudents become familiar with the mutual interdependence of social and technological change that characterises the history of computing, media and communication.
851-0101-42LCulture, Conflict and Consumerism: A Global History of Jazz in the 20th CenturyW3 credits2VH. Fischer-Tiné
AbstractDer Kurs gibt einen Überblick über die hundertjährige Geschichte der improvisierten Musik. Nach einem ersten ausführlichen Block, der die Rolle des Jazz als spezifisch afro-amerikanischer Kunstform in den USA nachzeichnet, wird deren Adaption in Europa, Asien und Afrika analysiert. Zentral ist jeweils die Einbettung der Musik in die politischen und sozialen Kontexte der Zeit.
Learning objectiveDie Vorlesung verfolgt zwei zentrale Ziele. Zum einen sollen den TeilnehmerInnen anhand der Rekonstruktion der Geschichte einer neuen Kunstform exemplarisch Prozesse der kulturellen Globalisierung und deren Auswirkungen auf unser Alltagsleben nahe gebracht werden. Zum zweiten dient der narrative Strang der Jazzgeschichte dazu, zentrale überwölbende Transformationsprozesse der Moderne zu analysieren und die mannigfaltigen Krisen, Brüche und Konflikte welche von ihnen hervorgerufen wurden (Rassengegensätze und Bürgerrechtsbewegung, Nationalsozialismus, Ost-West-Konflikt, Studentenunruhen um 1968) sichtbar zu machen. Der darstellende Teil wird durch den Einsatz von Film- und Audioclips ergänzt.
851-0101-20LPeople on the Move: Migration and Diaspora in Modern History (1750-2000)W3 credits2SH. Fischer-Tiné
AbstractThe massive intensification of long-distance migration processes and the almost ubiquitous emergence of diasporas are among the most obvious social expressions of globalisation. The course attempts to provide a historical perspective on these phenomena, thereby also exploring the important issues of assimilation and integration of immigrants.
Learning objectiveThe participants will be acquainted with the historicity of issues surrounding migration and diaspora and encouraged to relate the historical case studies to current debates revolving around these phenomena. In the process they will be made familiar with the analysis of both historical sources and state of the art research literature.
LiteratureINTRODUCTORY LITERATURE:

MCKEOWN, Adam, ‘Global Migration, 1846-1940’, in: Journal of World History, 15 (2), 2004, pp. 155-89.
851-0101-53LHistorical Collections in Context: Putting Butterflies, Stones, and Orchids on Film
Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-BSSE, D-USYS
W3 credits2SB. Schär, M. Greeff
AbstractZurich holds huge scientific collections. They contain objects from around the world, some of them dating back to the 18th century. In this interdisciplinary seminar, students will visit and explore the histories of these collections, and present some of their findings on film.
Learning objectiveThe aim of this seminar is threefold: Firstly, students will become familiarized with how historical collections in Zurich yield surprising new insights into the Global History of Science, Zurich, and Switzerland. Secondly, students will learn how old collections can produce new insights for current scientists working, e.g., on questions of ecology. Thirdly, the seminar will explore new ways of presenting historical narratives, namely on film. To this end, students will be supported by ETH communication experts in producing a short film on the Global histories of the Zurich collections.
Students are expected to engage with historiographical readings and historical source materials, participate in discussions with curators, and produce a film-script by the end of the term.
851-0101-55LIntroduction to the History of Economic Thought Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 25

Particularly suitable for students of D-MTEC
W3 credits2SN. Kamenov
AbstractThe course offers a historical introduction to modern economic thought. It looks at texts of 'classical economics' as well as 'neo-classical', 20th century texts. In addition, the course addresses some modern contributions in the history of economics - in particular extra-European economic history - and their potential for the enrichment of mainstream economic thought.
Learning objectiveThe course is conceptualized as an introduction to the history of economic thought. It acquaints students with the basic tenets of the 'classical economics' through historical accounts of the work of 'worldly philosophers' as well as primary reading of authors such as Adam Smith, David Ricardo and Karl Marx. Further, the course introduces students to 'neoclassical economics' of the 20th century, again looking at authors of particular significance in the furtherance of economic debates such as John Maynard Keynes, Friedrich Hayek and Milton Friedman. The course, however, takes also a closer look at authors whose work is usually situated beyond conventional economic thought, such as Karl Polanyi. Additionally, the course devotes also time to some extra-European economic thought - drain theory, world system and dependency theory, etc. - and its implications/applications in the history of the 20th century. Finally, a particular attention will be paid to some important contributions in the extra-European history of economics and to specific notions such as 'commodity chains', 'divergences' and 'modernization'. Combining these various items, the course aims not simply at introducing students to the 'evolution' of economic thought, but more broadly to ongoing academic debates, political and ideological tensions as well as to critical interventions. The ambition of the course is to inspire through a historical approach and to enrich the 'understanding' of economic theory with a questioning of its underlying structures and tenets and, ultimately, to advance critical thinking among students interested in modern economics.
851-0105-00LBackground Knowledge Arabic WorldW2 credits2VU. Gösken
AbstractThis lecture will discuss important topics of the Arab culture involving concepts relating to history, the role of literature, sciences and religion, concepts of 'the West', meaning of education, understanding of culture as well as current concepts and discourses relevant at the sociocultural level.
Learning objectiveTeaching about epistemic contents relating to the Arabic world that constitute modern Arabs' self understanding and are relevant for adequate behavior in practically dealing with the Arabic world. What basic knowledge about 'their' culture are Arabs taught? What educational goals are pursued? What is the relationship they build with the West?
The topics that are discussed on the basis of a scientifically critical approach are concepts and understandings of history, the role of literature, sciences and religion, concepts of the West and relationship with the West, the role of education, understanding of culture and cultural refinement, current concepts and discourses relevant at the sociocultural level.
051-0311-00LHistory of Art and Architecture III Information
Expiring study program according to BSc 2011 regulations.
W3 credits2VL. Stalder
AbstractThe two-semester course offers an introduction to the history and theory of architecture from the industrial revolution up to now. Based on current questions a variety of case studies will be discussed.
Learning objectiveThe aim is to give an overview on crucial events, works of art, buildings and theories since the beginning of the 19th century up to today. The course should enhance the comprehension of historical and theoretical issues, and allow the students to localize their own practice within a broader historical context.
ContentThe subject of this lecture course is the history and theory of architecture since the beginning of the 19th century up to now. It examines the architectural answers to the changing technical inventions and social practices. Consequently, the focus will be less on individual architects or buildings than on various themes that determined the architecture of the period.
Lecture noteshttp://www.stalder.arch.ethz.ch/courses
051-0363-00LHistory of Urban Design I Information
Expiring study program according to BSc 2011 regulations.
W2 credits2GA. Gerber
AbstractThe lecture focuses on the history of the city and of its environment, on the processes and actors that foster and accompany their developments and transformations. Main objects of study will be urban situations in Europe and the USA.
Learning objectiveThe lecture course concerns itself mainly with the definition of town planning as an independent discipline, in its relation to other disciplines that are concerned with the transformation of the city. This topic is (presented) projected? upon the history of the city – understood widely as urban landscape – with the complex network of human and non-human actors it encompasses. Town planning understood as “Kulturtechnik”, implies a consideration of its disciplinary limits. These are related to the scale and complexity of the urban dimension. Consequently, the “heroic history” of town planning is put in question.
ContentIn the first semester our specific approach and questioning of the history of town planning
is given along the thematic issues from the beginning of urban culture until the mid-19th century. 

01. Introduction: Which history for which discipline?

02. Once upon a time there was a town…

03: Greece and the birth of “democratic” space

04: Rome: „planetary urbanism“

05: Middle Ages: between shrinking and growth

06: Renaissance and its unaccomplished ideals

07: Renaissance gardens as urban laboratories

08: Roma! From “rotting giant” to renovatio urbis

09: Paris: La ville c’est moi?

010: Town planning between absolutism and enlightenment

011: English landscape garden as spatial politics
Lecture notesSome printed pages will be distributed before every lecture and together they will form the script for the semester. The script serves as an auxiliary means to the attended lecture compiling the most important illustrations showed and the names and dates of the buildings and its builders along with a short introductory note.
LiteratureFurther recommended literature to consult is listet within the script.
Prerequisites / NoticeHistory of Urban Design from antiquity to the 19th century
063-0366-00LThe Architecture of the City from Modernity to Today Information W2 credits2VR. Hanisch
AbstractThe lecture covers the time of the 20th century and describes with theories, projects and implemented plannings the history of the modern city. The lectures emphasizes on the historical plannings and methods and presents each specific urban development within a broader context.
Learning objectiveThis course analyzes the history of urban architecture primarily in its existing three dimensional form as a complex human artefact. It also explores the inspirations that prompted the creation of this artefact: philosophical and religious concepts, social conditions, property relationships and the mechanisms that exploit the economics of real estate and the influence of building technology. Intellectual, literary or artistic modes of thought will also be assessed with regard to their impact on urban development. Urbanism has its own distinctive approach as a discipline, but it is also clearly responsive to the influence of related disciplines. Study is made of actual cities and urban expansion plans which are in the process of implementation, as well as unrealized projects and visions of the future. These projects sometimes illustrate ways of thinking that are equal to, or clearer than, actual urban situations.
ContentThe lecture which will be hold only in one semester includes the developments of the 20th century

1. Le Corbusier: theories, visions and clearcuts in the name oft he autorité

2. The United States in the Jazz Age: Between Metropolis of Tomorrow and Broadacre City

3. Italy in the Fascist Era: Monumental ensembles and new town between assiduousness of modernization and obsession of representation

4. Urban design under totalitarian regimes: The architects of the "Tausendjährige Reich" and the "engineers of luck" of the Soviet Union of Stalin

5. Coming to terms with the past and the Cold War: Reconstruction in the two German states

6. The myth of the human scale: the 1950s in Spain, Great Britain, Scandinavia and Italy

7. Postwar Experiments: Rationalistic classicism in France

8. Two new towns in the 20th century: Chandigarh and Brasilia

9. Fictions and visions: The international utopia of the city

10. The second conquest of the North American territorium: The automobile and the city in the USA

11. Analysis, analogy and renewal: The adventure of the typological city
Lecture notesTo each lecture an overview is listet within a script, that can be purchased at the chair for the history of urban design (HIL D 75.2) at the price of CHF 25,-. The script serves as an auxiliary means to the attended lecture compiling the most important illustrations showed and the names and dates of the buildings and its builders along with a short introductory note.
Aside this script the chair offers the ‚Quellentextbände' (sourcetexts) which help to extend the knowledge of theoretical discourses in the field of urban design. For the master program the institute offers one volume of texts at the price of CHF 5,-. The script is in German, the ‚Quellentextbände’ are reprinted in their original languages.
LiteratureFurther recommended literature to consult is listet within the script.
701-0791-00LEnvironmental History - Introduction and Overview Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 100.
W2 credits2VD. Speich Chassé
AbstractOur society faces a serious ecological crisis. Of what historical dimension is this crisis? How have human societies already in earlier times changed their environment, and, consequently, perhaps also ours? What were the main ecological challenges for societies and how did they change over time? And how did societies adapt to changing environmental conditions?
Learning objectiveIntroduction into environmental history; survey of long-term development of human-nature-interrelations; discussion of selected problems. Improved ability to assess current problems from a historical perspective and to critically interrogate one's own standpoint.
Lecture notesCourse material is provided in digital form.
LiteratureMcNeill, John R. 2000. Something new under the sun: An environmental history of the twentieth-century world, New York: Norton.

Uekötter, Frank (Ed.) 2010. The turning points of environmental history, Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press.

Winiwarter, Verena und Martin Knoll 2007. Umweltgeschichte: Eine Einführung, Köln: Böhlau.
Prerequisites / NoticeStudents are asked to write an exam during the second last session (11.12.2015).
851-0125-65LA Sampler of Histories and Philosophies of Mathematics
Particularly suitable for students D-CHAB, D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MATH, D-PHYS
W3 credits2VR. Wagner
AbstractThis course will review several case studies from the history of mathematics (Greek geometry, early modern European notions of infinity and 20th century constructive and axiomatic approaches). The case studies will be analyzed from various philosophical perspectives, while rooting them in their historical and cultural contexts.
Learning objectiveThe course aims are:
1. To introduce students to the historicity of mathematics
2. To make sense of mathematical practices that appear unreasonable from a contemporary point of view
3. To develop critical reflection concerning the nature of mathematical objects
4. To introduce realist, dialectical, practical and constructivist approaches to the philosophy and history of mathematics
5. To open the students' horizons to the plurality of mathematical cultures and practices
851-0535-09LRegional Politics of the Arabian PeninsulaW2 credits2KE. Manea
AbstractThe course explores the complex nature of politics and history of the Arabian Peninsula. It takes a closer look at the political systems of several countries of the Arabian Peninsula, especially Yemen, Saudi Arabia and Oman and Bahrain.
Learning objectiveTo highlight how the politics of the Arabian Peninsula is a product of two spheres: politics within states and politics between states.

Introduce the Arabian Peninsula as a political unit, but not a homogeneous one

An overview of the type of political systems prevalent in the region,
religious Denominations, sectarian rivalry, and how this shape its regional relations
ContentThe neighbouring states of the Arabian Peninsula - especially Saudi Arabia, Oman and Yemen - make for strange bedfellows. They are governed by different systems with different results, calling into question how their internal policies affect regional relations and vice versa. Saudi Arabia is a monarchy, a prosperous, religious and restrictive state increasingly facing problems of social/politica unrest. Oman is a small, thriving, stable sultanate, modernised and moderate but tightly controlled; and the republic of Yemen, which has the region's poorest economy, has still not shrugged off the legacy of its turbulent modern history. Each state adheres to a different Islamic sect, moreover, and though their populations are overwhelmingly Arab, differing tribal structures result in widely variant effects on the political process in their respective systems. Each state has also had extensive historical relationships with the Ottoman and British empires, the US and Russia, and these too have coloured regional relations. Recent events like the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, the American-led invasion of Iraq and the Arab uprisings of 2011 have also influenced these states' internal policy decisions, further affecting their dealings with one another and at with the world at large. This course examines each country in detail, from state formation to current affairs and from local to international government.
Literature
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0301-10LTitle: What does the "Beautiful" mean? Elements and History of a Theory of the BeautifulW3 credits2SA. Kilcher
AbstractThe meaning of the "beautiful" seems hard to pin down. Yet intersubjective and objective criteria of the beautiful nevertheless exist. The foundation of aesthetics as a "science" of the beautiful based on sensuous experience temporarily suspended this tension. Since modernity, the question of the beautiful has been ever more open. We shall approach this question theoretically and historically.
Learning objectiveThe meaning of the "beautiful" seems hard to define. At first glance, it rather constitutes a merely subjective sensation. Yet, on the other hand, intersubjective, collective and cultural ideas, or even objective criteria of the beautiful exist. Since antiquity, this irresolvable tension has characterized the discourse on the beautiful in the realms of art and philosophy. With the foundation of "aesthetics" in the 18th century, however, this debate was significantly altered. This new "science" aimed at a scientific investigation of the beautiful by situating sensuous impression above logic. While art had been hitherto understood as a learnable technique, it now appears as a sensuous and therefore subjective realization. The rejection of this optimism marks the turn to modernity that defined itself through a notion of art transcending the beautiful. Ever since, the question as to the meaning of the beautiful has been continuously open for debate. In the course of this seminar, we shall approach this question from a historical as well as theoretical perspective.

Texts: A reader will be supplied.
851-0301-11LThe Unconditionality of Knowledge. Faust-LiteratureW3 credits2VA. Kilcher
AbstractHis unconditional desire for knowledge made "Faust" the symbolic figure of the modern period. Since the Renaissance, a rich Faust-literature, ranging from Marlowe, Goethe, and up to Thomas Mann, has portrayed the highly conflictual emancipation of knowledge from theology as well as the self-assertion of a modern knowledge of nature and the human being.
Learning objectiveLearning objectives: Faust is one of the most dazzling figures in European literature and cultural history. A pact with the devil, magic, sexual desire, power and knowledge, these are the great taboos of the medieval world, which, in 1500, the graduated theologian set out to dismantle. Through this demonstrative gesture of hubris, he became the much-disputed hero of the modern period. Since the "Historia von Johann Fausten" (1587), the wide range of Faust-literature also depicts the highly conflictual emancipation from theological knowledge in favor of an unconditional knowledge of nature and the human being that hides itself behind disciplines such as medicine, astrology and magic. Faust was thereby not only transformed into the epitome of the fortuneteller, he also became the cipher for the risky undertaking of modern knowledge as such, to which he then spectacularly fell victim in an experiment. Consequently, the course's treatment of this subject matter in the literature since the early modern period will center on the question of knowledge as it is negotiated through the Faust-figure. Initially, we shall take a look at examples from the early modern period (apart from the Faust-book from 1587, among others the drama version by Christopher Marlowe, 1589). Then we shall move on to new editions around 1800, which highlight the modernity of this norm-transcending and boundary-breaking knowledge paradigm (among others Goethe's Faust). Finally, we shall discuss Faust-figures of the 20th century, such as Friedrich Murnau's Faust movie (1926), Thomas Mann's novel, "Doktor Faustus", written in exile in 1947, or Klaus Mann's "Mephisto" (1936).
851-0301-12LThe "New Man" in Culture, Politics and ScienceW3 credits2VH.‑J. Hahn
AbstractSince Christian Antiquity the figure of the "New Man" concentrates ambivalent knowledge of human beings and their ability to transform. The lecture focuses on contemporary manifestations of the "New Man" which can be found in culture and popular culture, in politics as well as in human and social sciences.
Learning objectiveThe lecture offers a critical survey of the figure of the "New Man" since Christian Antiquity until today. At the same time the lecture stimulates the theoretical analytical understanding while examining the heterogeneous functions for which this prominent figure of human transformability has been (and still is) required within culture, politics and science. Additionally analyses of cultural representations of the "New Man" also convey the importance of aesthetical aspects.
ContentSpätestens seit der Antike tritt eine Figur in vielfältigen Erscheinungsformen und historischen Augenblicken auf, die Verwandlung und Verbesserung verspricht: die Vorstellung vom Neuen Menschen. Mit ihr verbunden ist zugleich die Aussicht auf eine bessere Welt. Die Formel vom Neuen Menschen besitzt ein eigenes Narrativ, d.h. sie bildet den Kern historisch wandelbarer, sinngebender Erzählungen. Sie gehört zum Judentum ebenso wie zum paulinischen Christentum, zum Pietismus oder zu den politischen und ästhetischen Avantgarden des 20. Jahrhunderts. Offenbar hat der Neue Mensch sein utopisches Potential in den totalitären Bewegungen des 20. Jahrhunderts noch keineswegs erschöpft. So treibt die Frage nach der Perfektibilität des Menschen die Öffentlichkeit weiterhin um, wie sich an den Debatten um künstliche Intelligenz oder die Reproduktionsmedizin und deren bisweilen antimoderne Zurückweisung (etwa in Sybille Lewitscharoffs Dresdner Rede) ablesen lässt. Dabei artikulieren sich einerseits Ängste vor technischen Entwicklungen und den jeweils neuen Unübersichtlichkeiten unserer sozialen Lebenswelten. Ironisch schrieb Thomas Assheuer kürzlich in der "Zeit" (15.12.2016), dass in den Digitalmanufakturen des Silicon Valley und den Biotech-Laboren der Welt "an der Überwindung des fehlerhaften Altmenschen" gearbeitet werde. Dort scheint die Sehnsucht nach neuen Möglichkeiten und Intensitäten des Menschseins ebenso greifbar, wie sie in den utopischen Reichen der Produktwerbung oder der Esoterik immer aufs Neue in Erscheinung tritt. Schließlich eignet dem Topos vom Neuen Menschen eine universale Dimension, die in einem auch von Thomas Anz angeführten Satz des Expressionisten Ernst Toller steckt: "Wer keine Kraft zum Traum hat, hat keine Kraft zum Leben."
An Gottfried Küenzlens einschlägige Studie zum Neuen Menschen in der säkularen Religionsgeschichte der Moderne anknüpfend, schlägt die Vorlesung auf der erzähltheoretischen Grundlage von Albrecht Koschorkes "Grundzügen einer Allgemeinen Erzähltheorie" einen Bogen von der antiken Figur zu unserer Gegenwart und versucht zwischen verschiedenen Disziplinen den Diskurs zu erfassen, in dem sich der Neue Mensch gebildet hat. Im Zentrum stehen vor allem gegenwärtige Auseinandersetzungen mit dem Neuen Menschen, die sich in den Human- und Gesellschaftswissenschaften (Hondrich, Sloterdijk u.a.), den Medien, in Ausstellungen, in der Populärkultur sowie auch in belletristischen Veröffentlichungen finden.
LiteratureGottfried Küenzlen: Der Neue Mensch. Eine Untersuchung zur säkularen Religionsgeschichte der Moderne. Frankfurt a. M. 1997

Further literature will be provided in form of digitalised texts (pdf).
Prerequisites / NoticeApart from regular participation in the course there are no special requirements.
851-0129-00LWriting for Others - Science and Public Restricted registration - show details W2 credits2VU. J. Wenzel
AbstractLearning to write texts, that can present topics from the sciences to an interested public (in newspapers, non-specialist journals but also in papers for non-specialists in an academic context); to gain insights into the cultural, historical and philosophical contexts of science and the public.
Learning objectiveLearning to write texts, that can present topics from the sciences to an interested public (in newspapers, non-specialist journals but also in papers for non-specialists in an academic context); to gain insights into the cultural, historical and philosophical contexts of science and the public.
ContentPractical exercises in writing articles for the feature pages of newspapers will be combined with the theoretical work on topics relevant for the historical, sociological and philosophical aspects of writing for others.
Prerequisites / NoticeVoraussetzungen: Die Bereitschaft, sich auf ein Projekt mit experimentellem Charakter einzulassen. GUTE BEHERRSCHUNG DER DEUTSCHEN SPRACHE.

Die Teilnehmerzahl ist begrenzt. SCHRIFTLICHE ANMELDUNG erforderlich (bis 31. August): uwe.justus.wenzel@nzz.ch
851-0315-01LWriting: Precision of Language as a Field of Research for Literature Restricted registration - show details W1 credit1GF. Kretzen
AbstractWhen we write a literary text we enter into a set-up for experiments and explore the possibilities ensuing from the specific structure and consistency of such a text. Literary writing allows us to go over to another kind of knowledge. Thus, the question: what is it that I want to write about? is replaced by: what do I write?
Learning objectiveIn this course we shall analyze and apply conditions and criteria for literary writing on the basis of our own texts.
The course is intended for persons who are interested in literary approaches to exactitude.
Any attempt to write literature is confronted with an unforeseeable linguistic dynamism whose feasibility is determined by laws and rules quite different from those of science and technology. For the science-oriented writer, experiencing the self-evidence produced by literary approaches in his or her own writing project opens up a field of language with new content and new methods.
ContentIn the natural sciences as well as in engineering we set up experiments, analyze equation systems, and formulate theories. In order to complement these practices, the course «Writing» shall pursue precision in literary writing, its choice of word and its self-evidence.

When we write a literary text we also enter into a set-up for experiments and explore the possibilities ensuing from the specific structure and overall consistency of such a text. This form of writing takes us from the question: what is it that I want to write about? to the question: what do I write?
How do such literary approaches differ from the ways in which the natural sciences use language?
In this course we shall analyze and apply conditions and criteria for literary writing on the basis of our own texts.
The course is intended for persons who are interested in literary approaches to exactitude.
Any attempt to write literature is confronted with an unforeseeable linguistic dynamism whose feasibility is determined by laws and rules quite different from those of science and technology. For the science-oriented writer, experiencing the self-evidence produced by literary approaches in his or her own writing project opens up a field of language with new content and new methods.
Prerequisites / NoticeThose wishing to participate are required to send in between two and three pages text of their own writing that will be discussed in class. The next step will be writing a text on a preset topic as a basis for discussing the various realizations of a given task.
851-0365-01LIntroduction to English Literature: Science and Fiction Part IW2 credits2SA. Brand-Kilcher
Abstract"Plot is to the novelist what experiment is to the scientist." (Lionel Trilling) We will read Emile Zola's essay "The Experimental Novel" and other texts to look on the one hand at the scientific aspect to fiction and fiction writing and on the other hand at the narrative and fictional aspects to science.
Learning objectiveCompare and find out about differences and similarities between natural sciences and fiction/ fiction writing. Maybe become aware that "to conclude that what happens in the laboratory is what happens in the universe requires a leap of the imagination." (Trilling)
ContentWe will look at a number of essays and texts on that subject. We will also read Zadie Smith's highly entertaining novel "White Teeth" which has a very elaborate not to say artificial plot. One line of the story is about the geneticist Marcus Chalfen and the "Future Mouse" he designed.
LiteratureRecommended Reading: Zadie Smith: White Teeth; Emile Zola: The Experimental Novel
851-0334-04LPolitics and Sciences in IsraelW2 credits1SN. Zadoff
AbstractOne of the central aspects of the Zionist project was to explore and understand the Land of Israel and Jewish nationalism with contemporary scientific tools. The aim of this seminar is to examine different Zionist ideologies - before and after the establishment of the State of Israel - through the prism of academic disciplines such as Sociology, History, Botany, Archeology and Religious Studies.
Learning objective1. To increase knowledge on the Zionist Movement, and the role of science and humanities in nation building process in general.
2. To provide a deeper and more differenciated view on the political role of the academic world and the role of intellectuals in society.
3. Improve the ability to read texts and analyze them in their historical context.
851-0334-05LSemiotics, Literature, and Sociopolitical DiscourseW3 credits2VD. Bertrand
AbstractThe course will concern three major aspects. The first concerns the insights of semiotics with regard to current political and media discourses, and through the lens of the literary imaginary. The second aspect deepens the recent semiotic evolutions concerning the expression of sensation, and the third one concerns the specifically literary question of genre theory.
Learning objectiveAfter an introductory session concerning the emergence, the history, the method, and the objectives of semiotics, illustrated through small examples, the course will address three major aspects. The first, "Literature and society in the eyes of the semiotician", concerns the insights of semiotics with regard to current political and media discourses, and through the lens of the literary imaginary. The second aspect deepens the recent semiotic developments concerning the "expression of sensation" by combining the benefits of phenomenology with textual analysis. We will then use the semiotic approach to understand scientific and fictional literature (e.g. Zola and his "experimental novel"). Finally, we will focus on the more specifically literary question of "genre theory", and analyze the novel via one of its specific dimensions, namely the meta-novel inside of the novel (from Cervantes to Perec). Our last object of study will be the "Faux monnayeurs" from André Gide.
851-0334-06LSHIPWRECKED HEARTS. Two Centuries of Expatriate in The Italian Literature and CultureW3 credits2VM. G. Mazzucco
AbstractThe course explores the history of migration from and within Italy over two centuries. Through the study of images (paintings, pictures, movies) and texts (short stories, poems, letters, diaries, reports), we will retrace the mass expatriation that contributed to the formation of the national character by founding it, first, on the need of escape and, second, on the fear of the escape of others.
Learning objectiveWe will compare the aspects characterizing the imaginary of migration across the literature of almost two centuries (journey, disorientation in a foreign country, homesickness, aphasia, loss of identity). We will also discuss the aspects brought up by contemporary authors (dry roots, liquid identity, never-ending displacement), thus aiming at a better understanding of a continuously changing world.
Economics
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0252-04LBehavioral Studies Colloquium Information W2 credits2KM. Kapur, H.‑D. Daniel, D. Helbing, C. Hölscher, R. Schubert, C. Stadtfeld, E. Stern, E. Ziegler
AbstractThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their research ideas in relation to behavioral science. The colloquium also features invited research talks.
Learning objectiveStudents know and can apply autonomously up-to-date investigation methods and techniques in the behavioral sciences. They achieve the ability to develop their own ideas in the field and to communicate their ideas in oral presentations and in written papers. The credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages.
ContentThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their ideas in so far as they have some relation to behavioral science. The possible research areas are wide and may include theoretical as well as empirical approaches in Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education, Sociology, Modeling and Simulation in Sociology, Decision Theory and Behavioral Game Theory, Economics, Research on Learning and Instruction, Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science. Ideally the students (from Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. and Post-Doc programs) have started to start work on their thesis or on any other term paper.
Course credit can be obtained either based on a talk in the colloquium plus a written essay, or by writing an essay about a topic related to one of the other talks in the course. Students interested in giving a talk should contact the course organizers (Ziegler, Kapur) before the first session of the semester. Priority will be given to advanced / doctoral students for oral presentations. The course credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages. The colloquium also serves as a venue for invited talks by researchers from other universities and institutions related to behavioral and social sciences.
851-0626-01LInternational Aid and Development Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40

Prerequisites: Basic knowledge of economics
W2 credits2VI. Günther
AbstractThe course gives economic and empirical foundations for a sound understanding of the instruments, prospects and limitations of international development aid.
Learning objectiveStudents have a theoretically and empirically sound understanding of the prospects and limitations of international development aid. Students are able to critically discuss the various aid instruments of bi-and multilateral donors and NGOs.
ContentIntroduction to the Determinants of Underdevelopment; History of Aid; Aid and Development: Theories and Empirics; Political Economy of Aid; Experience and Impact of Aid; New Instruments of Aid: e.g. Micro-Finance, Budget-Support; Fair-Trade.
LiteratureArticles and book abstracts will be uploaded to a course website.
851-0609-06LGoverning the Energy Transition Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30.

Primarily suited for Master and PhD level
W2 credits2VT. Schmidt
AbstractThis course addresses the role of policy and its underlying politics in the transformation of the energy sector. It covers historical, socio-economic, and political perspectives and applies various theoretical concepts to specific aspects of governing the energy transition.
Learning objective- To gain an overview of the history of the transition of large technical systems
- To recognize current challenges in the energy system to understand the theoretical frameworks and concepts for studying transitions
- To demonstrate knowledge on the role of policy and politics in energy transitions
ContentClimate change, access to energy and other societal challenges are directly linked to the way we use and create energy. Both the recent United Nations Paris climate change agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Goals make a fast and extensive transition of the energy system necessary.
This course introduces the social and environmental challenges involved in the energy sector and discusses the implications of these challenges for the rate and direction of technical change in the energy sector. It compares the current situation with historical socio-technical transitions and derives the consequences for policy-making. It then introduces theoretical frameworks and concepts for studying innovation and transitions. It then focuses on the role of policy and policy change in governing the energy transition, considering the role of political actors, institutions and policy feedback.
The course has a highly interactive (seminar-like) character. Students are expected to actively engage in the weekly discussions and to give a presentation (15-20 minutes) on one of the weekly topics during that particular session. The presentation (30%) and participation in the discussions (20%) will form one part of the final grade, the remaining 50% of the final grade will be formed by a final exam.
Lecture notesSlides and reading material will be made available via moodle.ethz.ch (only for registered students).
LiteratureA reading list will be provided via moodle.ethz.ch at the beginning of the semester.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis course is particularly suited for students of the following programmes: MA Comparative International Studies; MSc Energy Science & Technology; MSc Environmental Sciences; MSc Management, Technology & Economics; MSc Science, Technology & Policy; ETH & UZH PhD programmes.
151-0757-00LEnvironmental ManagementW2 credits2GR. Züst
AbstractAn environmental management system has the objective to continuously improve the environmental performance of the activities, products and services of a company. The company has to introduce different management procedures. The goal of this lecture is to provide basics and specific procedure to implement the environmental dimension in the planning and decision making processes of an organisation.
Learning objectiveOverview on environmental management and environmental management systems, general methods and principles.
ContentIntroduction to environmental mangement / environmental
management systems, energy and material flows; economical and
ecological problems in industry; charakterisation of an
enterprise (incl. management handbook); structur and contents of an
environmental management system; overview on the ISO 14001 ff. series; methodes for environmental evaluation and assessment; integrated management systems; planning methodology and life-cycle-design
design; planning exampl
Lecture notesInformation about environmental management and environmental
management systems will be provided by a CD or mail.
Literaturea list with literatures and links will be provided
Prerequisites / NoticeDelivery of a case study, worked out in groups. Language: Teaching in English on request.
860-0006-00LApplied Statistics and Policy Evaluation Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 20.

Science, Technology, and Policy MAS and MSc as well as MAS in Development and Cooperation have priority.
W3 credits3GI. Günther, K. Harttgen
AbstractThis course introduces students to key statistical methods for analyzing social science data with a special emphasis on causal inference and policy evaluation. Students learn to choose appropriate analysis strategies for particular research questions and to perform statistical analyses with the statistical Software Stata.
Learning objectiveStudents
- have a sound understanding of linear and logit regression
- know strategies to test causal hypotheses using regression analysis and/or experimental methods
- are able to formulate and implement a regression model for a particular policy question and a particular type of data
- are able to critically interpret results of applied statistics, in particular, regarding causal inference
- are able to critically read and assess published studies on policy evaluation
- are able to use the statistical software STATA for data analysis
ContentThe topics covered in the first part of the course are a revision of basic statistics and linear and logit regression analysis. The second part of the course focuses on causal inference and introduces methods such as panel data analysis, difference-in-difference methods, instrumental variable estimation, regression discontinuity design, and randomized controlled trials used for policy evaluation. The course shows how the various methods differ in terms of the required identifying assumptions to infer causality as well as the data needs.
Students will apply the methods from the lectures by solving weekly assignments using statistical software and data sets provided by the instructors. These data sets will cover topics at the interface of policy, technology and society. Solving the assignments contributes to the final grade with a weight of 30%.
363-1027-00LIntroduction to Health Economics and PolicyW3 credits2VW. Mimra
AbstractHealth expenditures constitute about 10% of GDP in OECD countries. Extensive government intervention is a typical feature in health markets. Risk factors to health have been changing with growing importance of lifestyle factors such as smoking, obesity and lack of physical activity. This course gives an introduction to the economic concepts and empirical findings in health economics.
Learning objectiveIntroduce students without prior economics background to the main concepts of health economics and policy to enhance students understanding of how health care institutions and markets function.
ContentThe course gives an introduction to the economic concepts and empirical findings in health economics to enhance students understanding of how health care institutions and markets function. First, the three important decisions made by individuals will be analyzed: What determines the health behaviors, like the intensity of preventive measures like sport, that an individual undertakes? What types and amount of personal health care services does an individual demand? How much health insurance coverage will be purchased?
In a second part, the major participants on the supply side of health care markets - physicians, hospitals, nurses and pharmaceutical manufacturers - will be discussed. E.g., how important are financial incentives in the choice of medicine as a career, specialty choice and practice location? What does it mean and imply that a physician is an agent for a patient? How do pharmaceutical firms decide on investments in new products and how can public policy encourage pharmaceutical innovation?
The choices made by societies about how health care services are financed and about the types of organizations that supply health care will be addressed in a third part. One important choice is whether a country will rely on public financing of personal health care services or encourage private health insurance markets. How could and should a public health insurance system be designed? What health care services should be included or excluded from a public system? Another important choice is whether a society relies on government provision of health care services, private provision by not-for-profit or for-profit organizations or some combination. The advantages and disadvantages of the alternatives will be discussed to provide a framework for analyzing specific types of health care systems.
LiteratureJay Bhattacharya, Timothy Hyde, Peter Tu, "Health Economics", Palgrave Macmillan.
Frank A. Sloan and Chee-Ruey Hsieh, "Health Economics", MIT Press.
363-0387-00LCorporate SustainabilityW3 credits2GV. Hoffmann
AbstractThe lecture explores current challenges of corporate sustainability and prepares students to become champions for sustainable business practices. In the beginning, traditional lectures are complemented by e-modules that allow students to train critical thinking skills. In the 2nd half of the semester, students work in teams on sustainability challenges related to water, energy, mobility, and food.
Learning objectiveStudents
- assess the limits and the potential of corporate sustainability for sustainable development
- develop critical thinking skills (argumentation, communication, evaluative judgment) that are useful in the context of corporate sustainability using an innovative writing and peer review method.
- recognize and realize opportunities through team work for corporate sustainability in a business environment
- present strategic recommendations in teams with different output formats (tv-style debate, consultancy pitch, technology model walk-through, campaign video)
ContentIn the first part of the semester, Prof. Volker Hoffmann will share his insights on corporate sustainability with you through a series of lectures. They introduce you to a series of critical thinking exercises and build a foundation for your group work. In the second part of the semester, you participate in one of four tracks in which SusTec researchers will coach your groups through a seven-step program. Our ambition is that you improve your analytic and organizational skills and that you can confidently stand up for corporate sustainability in a professional setting. You will share the final product of your work with fellow students in a final puzzle session at the end of the semester.

http://www.sustec.ethz.ch/teaching/lectures/corporate-sustainability.html
Lecture notesPresentation slides will be made available on moodle prior to lectures.
LiteratureLiterature recommendations will be distributed during the lecture
363-0565-00LPrinciples of MacroeconomicsW3 credits2VJ.‑E. Sturm
AbstractThis course examines the behaviour of macroeconomic variables, such as gross domestic product, unemployment and inflation rates. It tries to answer questions like: How can we explain fluctuations of national economic activity? What can economic policy do against unemployment and inflation. What significance do international economic relations have for Switzerland?
Learning objectiveThis lecture will introduce the fundamentals of macroeconomic theory and explain their relevance to every-day economic problems.
ContentThis course helps you understand the world in which you live. There are many questions about the macroeconomy that might spark your curiosity. Why are living standards so meagre in many African countries? Why do some countries have high rates of inflation while others have stable prices? Why have some European countries adopted a common currency? These are just a few of the questions that this course will help you answer.
Furthermore, this course will give you a better understanding of the potential and limits of economic policy. As a voter, you help choose the policies that guide the allocation of society's resources. When deciding which policies to support, you may find yourself asking various questions about economics. What are the burdens associated with alternative forms of taxation? What are the effects of free trade with other countries? What is the best way to protect the environment? How does the government budget deficit affect the economy? These and similar questions are always on the minds of policy makers.
Lecture notesThe course webpage (to be found at https://moodle-app2.let.ethz.ch/course/view.php?id=3543) contains announcements, course information and lecture slides.
LiteratureThe set-up of the course will closely follow the book of
N. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2017), Economics, Cengage Learning, Fourth Edition.

We advise you to also buy access to Aplia. This internet platform will support you in learning for this course. To save money, you should buy the book together with Aplia. This is sold as a bundle (ISBN: 978-1-473762008).

Besides this textbook, the slides and lecture notes will cover the content of the lecture and the exam questions.
363-0561-00LFinancial Market RisksW3 credits2GD. Sornette
AbstractI aim to introduce students to the concepts and tools of modern finance and to make them understand the limits of these tools, and the many problems met by the theory in practice. I will put this course in the context of the on-going financial crises in the US, Europe, Japan and China, which provide fantastic opportunities to make the students question the status quo and develop novel solutions.
Learning objectiveThe course explains the key concepts and mechanisms of financial economics, their depth and then stresses how and why the theories and models fail and how this is impacting investment strategies and even a global view of citizenship, given the present developing crises in the US since 2007 and in Europe since 2010.

-Development of the concepts and tools to understand these risks and master them.

-Working knowledge of the main concepts and tools in finance (Portfolio theory, asset pricing, options, real options, bonds, interest rates, inflation, exchange rates)

-Strong emphasis on challenging assumptions and developing a systemic understanding of financial markets and their many dimensional risks
Content1- The Financial Crises: what is really happening? Historical perspective and what can be expected in the next decade(s). Bubbles and crashes. The illusion of he perpetual money machine.

2- Risks in financial markets
-What is risk?
-Measuring risks of financial assets
-Introduction to three different concepts of probability
-History of financial markets, diversification, market risks

3- Introduction to financial risks and its management.
-Relationship between risk and return
-portfolio theory: the concept of diversification and optimal allocation
-How to price assets: the Capital Asset Pricing Model
-How to price assets: the Arbitrage Pricing Theory, the factor models and beyond

4- Financial markets: role and efficiency
-What is an efficient market?
-Financial markets as valuation engines: exogeneity versus endogeneity (reflexivity)
-Deviations from efficiency, puzzles and anomalies in the financial markets
-Financial bubbles, crashes, systemic instabilities

5- An introduction to Options and derivatives
-Calls, Puts and Shares and other derivatives
-Financial alchemy with options (options are building blocs of any possible cash flow)
-Determination of option value; concept of risk hedging

6-Valuation and using options
-a first simple option valuation modle
-the Binomial method for valuing options
-the Black-scholes model and formula
-practical examples and implementation
-Realized prices deviate from these theories: volatility smile and real option trading
-How to imperfectly hedge with real markets?

7- Real options
-The value of follow-on investment opportunities
-The timing option
-The abandonment option
-Flexible production
-conceptual aspects and extensions

8- Government bonds and their valuation
-Relationship between bonds and interest rates
-Real and nominal rates of interest
-Term structure and Yields to maturity
-Explaining the term structure
-Different models of the term structure

9- Managing international risks
-The foreign exchange market
-Relations between exchanges rates and interest rates, inflation,
and other economic variables
-Hedging currency risks
-Currency speculation
-Exchange risk and international investment decisions
Lecture notesLecture slides will be available on the site of the lecture
LiteratureCorporate finance
Brealey / Myers / Allen
Eight edition
McGraw-Hill International Edition (2006)

+ additional paper reading provided during the lectures
Prerequisites / Noticenone
351-0555-00LOpen- and User Innovation Information W3 credits2GS. Häfliger, S. Spaeth
AbstractThe course introduces the students to the long-standing tradition of actively involving users of technology and other knowledge-intensive products in the development and production process, and through own cases they develop an entrepreneurial understanding of product development under distributed, user-centered, or open innovation strategies.
Learning objectiveThe course includes both lectures and exercises alternately. The goal is to understand the opportunity of user innovation for management and develop strategies to harness the value of user-developed ideas and contributions for firms and other organizations.

The students actively participate in discussions during the lectures and contribute presentations of case studies during the exercises. The combination should allow to compare theory with practical cases from various industries.

The course presents and builds upon recent research and challenges the students to devise innovation strategies that take into account the availability of user expertise, free and public knowledge, and the interaction with communities that span beyond one organization.

Grading is based on the final exam, the class presentations (including the slides) as well as class participation.
ContentThis course on user innovation extends courses on knowledge management and innovation as well as marketing. The students are introduced to the long-standing tradition of actively involving users of technology and other knowledge-intensive products in the development and production process, and through own cases they develop an entrepreneurial understanding of product development under distributed, user-centered, or open innovation strategies. Theoretical underpinnings taught in the course include models of innovation, the structuration of technology, and an introduction to entrepreneurship.
Lecture notesThe slides of the lectures are made available and updated continuously through the SMI website:
LiteratureRelevant literature for the exam includes the slides and the reading assignments. The corresponding papers are either available from the author online or distributed during class.

Reading assignments: please consult the SMI website:
351-0778-00LDiscovering Management
Entry level course in management for BSc, MSc and PHD students at all levels not belonging to D-MTEC. This course can be complemented with Discovering Management (Excercises) 351-0778-01.
W3 credits3GB. Clarysse, M. Ambühl, S. Brusoni, E. Fleisch, G. Grote, V. Hoffmann, T. Netland, G. von Krogh, F. von Wangenheim
AbstractDiscovering Management offers an introduction to the field of business management and entrepreneurship for engineers and natural scientists. The module provides an overview of the principles of management, teaches knowledge about management that is highly complementary to the students' technical knowledge, and provides a basis for advancing the knowledge of the various subjects offered at D-MTEC.
Learning objectiveDiscovering Management combines in an innovate format a set of lectures and an advanced business game. The learning model for Discovering Management involves 'learning by doing'. The objective is to introduce the students to the relevant topics of the management literature and give them a good introduction in entrepreneurship topics too. The course is a series of lectures on the topics of strategy, innovation, corporate finance, leadership, design thinking and corporate social responsibility. While the 14 different lectures provide the theoretical and conceptual foundations, the experiential learning outcomes result from the interactive business game. The purpose of the business game is to analyse the innovative needs of a large multinational company and develop a business case for the company to grow. This business case is as relevant to someone exploring innovation within an organisation as it is if you are planning to start your own business. By discovering the key aspects of entrepreneurial management, the purpose of the course is to advance students' understanding of factors driving innovation, entrepreneurship, and company success.
ContentDiscovering Management aims to broaden the students' understanding of the principles of business management, emphasizing the interdependence of various topics in the development and management of a firm. The lectures introduce students not only to topics relevant for managing large corporations, but also touch upon the different aspects of starting up your own venture. The lectures will be presented by the respective area specialists at D-MTEC.
The course broadens the view and understanding of technology by linking it with its commercial applications and with society. The lectures are designed to introduce students to topics related to strategy, corporate innovation, leadership, corporate and entrepreneurial finance, value chain analysis, corporate social responsibility, and business model innovation. Practical examples from industry experts will stimulate the students to critically assess these issues. Creative skills will be trained by the business game exercise, a participant-centered learning activity, which provides students with the opportunity to place themselves in the role of Chief Innovation Officer of a large multinational company. As they learn more about the specific case and identify the challenge they are faced with, the students will have to develop an innovative business case for this multinational corporation. Doing so, this exercise will provide an insight into the context of managerial problem-solving and corporate innovation, and enhance the students' appreciation for the complex tasks companies and managers deal with. The business game presents a realistic model of a company and provides a valuable learning platform to integrate the increasingly important development of the skills and competences required to identify entrepreneurial opportunities, analyse the future business environment and successfully respond to it by taking systematic decisions, e.g. critical assessment of technological possibilities.
Prerequisites / NoticeDiscovering Management is designed to suit the needs and expectations of Bachelor students at all levels as well as Master and PhD students not belonging to D-MTEC. By providing an overview of Business Management, this course is an ideal enrichment of the standard curriculum at ETH Zurich.
No prior knowledge of business or economics is required to successfully complete this course.
701-0747-00LEnvironmental Policy of Switzerland
The lecture takes place in CHN F46.
W3 credits2VE. Lieberherr, F. Metz, J. Wilkes-Allemann
AbstractThis course presents the basics of public policy analysis and the specific characteristics of Swiss environmental policy. Policy instruments, actors and processes are addressed from a political science perspective both theoretically as well as by means of current Swiss environmental policy examples.
Learning objectiveBeyond acquiring basic knowledge about public policy analysis, this course teaches students how to analytically address current and concrete questions of environmental policy. Through exercises the students learn about political science concepts and frameworks as well as real-life political decision-making processes. The well-grounded examination of complex political conflict situations is an important precondition for the entry into the (environmental policy) workforce or a future research career.
ContentThe processes of change, overuse or destruction of the natural environment through humans have historically placed high demands on social and political institutions. In the interplay between the environment, society and economy, the environmental policy field encompasses the sum of public measures that have the goal to eliminate, reduce or avoid environmental degradation. The course systematically presents the basics of environmental policy instruments, actors, programs and processes as well as their change over time. Invited practitioners will provide us with insight regarding the current developments in forest, water and spatial planning policies. A key aspect is the distinction between politics and political science and specifically environmental policy.
Lecture notesThe lecture is based on the book Ingold et al., 2016 mentioned below. In addition to this lecture material and exercises will be posted on Moodle.
LiteratureThe lecture is based on the following book:
Ingold, K., Lieberherr, E., Schläpfer, I., Steinmann, K. und Zimmermann, W. 2016. Umweltpolitik der Schweiz: ein Lehrbuch. Zürich: Dike Verlag.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe detailed semester program (syllabus) is made available to the students at the beginning of the semester.
During the lecture we will work with Moodle and eduApp. We ask that all students register themselves on these platforms before the lecture and to bring a laptop, tablet or smartphone to class, so that you can complete exercises using Moodle and eduApp.
701-0757-00LPrinciples of EconomicsW3 credits2GR. Schubert
AbstractThis course covers the bases for understanding micro- and macroeconomic issues and theories. Participants are given the tools to argue in economic and political terms and to evaluate the corresponding measures. Group and individual exercises deepen the knowledge gained.
Learning objectiveStudents are able to
- describe fundamental micro- and macroeconomic issues and theories.
- apply suitable economic arguments to a given theme.
- evaluate economic measures.
ContentSupply and demand behaviour of firm and households; market equilibrium and taxation; national income and indicators; inflation ; unemployment; growth; macroeconomics policies
Lecture notesavailable on electronic platform
LiteratureMankiw, N.G.: “Principles of Economics”, fourth edition, South-Western College/West, Mason 2006.

German translation: Mankiw, N.G. : Grundzüge der Volkswirtschaftslehre, 3rd. edition, Stuttgart 2004.
Prerequisites / Noticeelectronic plattform
701-0985-00LSocial Intercourse with Current Environmental RisksW1 credit1VB. Nowack, C. M. Som-Koller
AbstractThe lecture treats the social intercourse with risks of technical systems. The notion of risk and the perception of risk are discussed by case studies (e.g. nanotechnology) and socio-political instruments for decision-making are presented. Methods are presented that can be applied to deal with environmental risks and how they can be used for sustainable innovation.
Learning objective- Getting acquainted to the extended risk concept
- Evaluation of the risks caused by technology within the societal context
- Knowledge about the mode science and society handle current environmental risks (examples gene- and nanotechnology)
- Knowledge about handling risks (e.g. precautionary principle, protection goal, damage definition, ethics)
Knowledge about possibilities for sustainable innovation
Content- Risks and technical systems (risk categories, risk perception, risk management)
- Illustration with case studies (nanotechnology)
- Implementation (politics, science, media, etc.)
- Decision making (technology assessment, cost/benefit analysis etc.)
- The role of the media
- prospects for future developments
Lecture notesCopies of slides and selected documents will be distributed
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture is held biweekly (for 2 hours). The dates are 25.9., 2.10. (out of schedule), 23.10, 6.11, 20.11, 4.12, 18.12
701-0727-00LPolitics of Environmental Problem Solving in Developing CountriesW2 credits2GU. Scheidegger
AbstractThe course focuses on processes and drivers of decision-making on natural resources management issues in developing countries. It gives insights into the relevance of ecological aspects in developing countries. It covers concepts, instruments, processes and actors in environmental politics at the example of specific environmental challenges of global importance.
Learning objectiveAfter completion of the module, students will be able to:
- Identify and appraise ecological aspects in development cooperation, development policies and developing countries' realities
- Analyze the forces, components and processes, which influence the design, the implementation and the outcome of ecological measures
- Characterize concepts, instruments and drivers of environmental politics and understand, how policies are shaped, both at national level and in multilateral negotiations
- Study changes (improvements) in environmental politics over time as the result of the interaction of processes and actors, including international development organizations
- Analyze politics and design approaches to influence them, looking among others at governance, social organization, legal issues and institutions
ContentKey issues and basic concepts related to environmental politics are introduced. Then the course predominantly builds on case studies, providing information on the context, specifying problems and potentials, describing processes, illustrating the change management, discussing experiences and outcomes, successes and failures. The analysis of the cases elucidates factors for success and pitfalls in terms of processes, key elements and intervention strategies.

Different cases not only deal with different environmental problems, but also focus on different levels and degrees of formality. This ranges from local interventions with resource user groups as key stakeholders, to country level policies, to multi- and international initiatives and conventions. Linkages and interaction of the different system levels are highlighted. Special emphasis is given to natural resources management.

The cases address the following issues:
- Land use and soil fertility enhancement: From degradation to sustainable use
- Common property resource management (forest and pasture): Collective action and property rights, community-based management
- Ecosystem health (integrated pest management, soil and water conservation)
- Payment for environmental services: Successes in natural resources management
- Climate change and agriculture: Adaptation and mitigation possibilities
- Biodiversity Convention: Implications for conservations and access to genetic resources
- Biodiversity as a means for more secure livelihoods: Agroforestry and intercropping
- The Millennium Development Goals: Interactions between poverty and the environment
- Poverty and natural resources management: Poverty reduction strategies, the view of the poor themselves
- Food security: Policies, causes for insecurity, the role of land grabbing
- Biofuels and food security: Did politics misfire?
- Strategy development at global level: IAASTD and World Development Report 2008
Lecture notesInformation concerning the case studies and specific issues illustrated therein will be provided during the course (uploaded on Moodle)
LiteratureRobbins P, 2004. Political ecology: a critical introduction. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 242 p.

Peet R, Robbins P, Watts M, 2011. Global political ecology. Routledge, New York, 450 p.

Keeley J, Scoones I, 2000. Knowledge, power and politics: the environmental policy-making process in Ethiopia. The Journal of Modern African Studies, 38(1), 89-120.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe performance assessment will consist of an individual essay to be written by each student based on at least five references in addition to the sources provided in the course. Students can choose from a list of topics. Criteria for assessment will be communicated at the beginning of the course.
363-0503-00LPrinciples of MicroeconomicsW3 credits2GM. Filippini
AbstractThe course introduces basic principles, problems and approaches of microeconomics.
Learning objectiveThe learning objectives of the course are:

(1) Students must be able to discuss basic principles, problems and approaches in microeconomics. (2) Students can analyse and explain simple economic principles in a market using supply and demand graphs. (3) Students can contrast different market structures and describe firm and consumer behaviour. (4) Students can identify market failures such as externalities related to market activities and illustrate how these affect the economy as a whole. (5) Students can apply simple mathematical treatment of some basic concepts and can solve utility maximization and cost minimization problems.
Lecture notesLecture notes, exercises and reference material can be downloaded from Moodle.
LiteratureN. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2017), "Economics", 4th edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.
The book can also be used for the course 'Principles of Macroeconomics' (Sturm)

For students taking only the course 'Principles of Microeconomics' there is a shorter version of the same book:
N. Gregory Mankiw and Mark P. Taylor (2017), "Microeconomics", 4th edition, South-Western Cengage Learning.

Complementary:
1. R. Pindyck and D. Rubinfeld (2012), "Microeconomics", 8th edition, Pearson Education.
2. Varian, H.R. (2014), "Intermediate Microeconomics", 9th edition, Norton & Company
Philosophy
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0147-03LRelevance and Information
Particularly suitable for students of D-INFK
W3 credits2SM. Hampe, T. Hofmann
AbstractIn the seminar we will compare theories of meaning and information by looking at exemplary texts in this field, e.g. from Paul Grice and Fred Dretske.
Learning objectiveStudents should become acquainted with the different philosophical explications of what it is for language to have a "content", and especially be able to make up their mind about the difference between intentional and non-intentional conceptions in this field.
851-0147-02LImages of Biology
Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-BSSE
W3 credits2VM. Hampe, D. Iber
AbstractStudents should be made acquainted with the different understandings of biology, especially with the relevance of mathematical methods for latest biological research by looking at exemplary cases of research, which will be presented by different lectureres.
Learning objectiveDevelopment of a broad understanding of the methods of biology by using philosophical and historical perspectives onto the subject.
851-0125-51LPhilosophy of Technology: Man and Machine
Does not take place this semester.
Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB, D-HEST, D-MAVT, D-MATL
W3 credits2GM. Hampe
AbstractThe lecture gives an overview about the different Man-Machine-Relations since the 16th century. Different modells of machines will be important here: the clockwork, the steam engine and the computer.
Learning objectiveOn the one hand modells of machines had a heuristical value in research on man, e.g. in Harvey's discovery of blood circulation in the 17th century or in brain research in the 20th century. On the other hand these modells were always criticised, sometimes polemically, because they are supposedly not adequate for man.
Students should learn about the connections between the history of anthropology and technology and be able at the end of the course to evaluate the critical philosophical arguments that are connected with the metaphor of the machine.
851-0125-41LIntroduction Into Philosophy of Technology
Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-MATL, D-MAVT
W3 credits2VO. Müller
AbstractSince antiquity philosophy reflects about and evaluates technology. The technical developments in the 19th and 20th century have led to a autonomous philosophy of technology, which had become important also for other philosophical disciplines (e.g. in Heidegger's philosophy).
Learning objectiveThe course gives an overview on the main schools in the philosophy of technology. Students should learn to analyse and evaluate different philosophies of technology (compensation, objectification, externalisation). For credit point a critical protokoll is to be written.
851-0125-18LSelf-Ownership - Philosophical and Juridical PerspectivesW3 credits2GB. Hilmer
AbstractRights in Objects are founded by an inalienable Self-Ownership. These Idea ist central for personal rights. We speak of my body, my genes, my name, my portrait, my ideas oder ways of eypression.
Learning objectiveParticipants will make acquintance with founding texts of the natural rights property concept (John Locke). They will see the connection between inalienable self-ownership, prohibition of slavery, derivaitve commercial rights and modern personal rights. They will learn about the problems of self-ownership today concerning property in one's body and intellectual property. Critical alternatives to the property paradigm will be discussed.

Participants will have the opportunity to gain access to unfamiliar texts from the philosophical tradition and to see their relevance today. They experience the consequences of a certain use of concepts und orient themselves in current bioethical, juridical and political discussions.
ContentTexts by Locke, Nozick, Christman, Otsuka, Rasmussen, Schneider, Stirner, Fichte and Forschner. Founding of property right in self-ownership (Locke), revival of this concept in Nozick and his egalitarian critics. Critique of the concept of self-ownership related to property in one's body. Looking back to the personal self-relatedness that comes up again in Intellectual Property and in modern personal rights.
LiteratureText, Seminarplan und Literaturliste in ILIAS Lehrdokumentenablage.
851-0125-68LIntroduction to Premodern Astral SciencesW3 credits2VS. Hirose
AbstractThis course gives an outline of the history of astral sciences in the premodern times. We shall look at some representative texts ranging from around the beginning of the common era until the end of medieval times, and discuss their main topics and their approaches to solve astronomical problems.
Learning objectiveThere are three main aims. (1) To see how disciplines that we today would call for example "astronomy", "mathematics" or "astrology" are positioned and related with each other. (2) To recognize the variance among different authors and texts. (3) To see the exchanges with the
surrounding world.
851-0180-00LResearch Ethics Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40

Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-CHAB, D-HEST
W2 credits2GG. Achermann
AbstractThis course enables students to:
• Identify and describe leading approaches to and key questions and concepts of research ethics;
• Identify, construct and evaluate moral arguments;
• Make well-reasoned decisions to ethical problems a scientist is likely to encounter;
• Analyze the theoretical foundations and disputes underlying contemporary debates on moral issues in research.
Learning objectiveParticipants of the course Research Ethics will
• Develop an understanding of the role of certain moral concepts, principles and normative theories related to scientific research;
• Improve their moral reasoning skills (such as identifying and evaluating reasons, conclusions, assumptions, analogies, concepts and principles), and their ability to use these skills in assessing other people’s arguments, making decisions and constructing their own reasoning to the kinds of ethical problems a scientist is likely to encounter;
• Deepen their understanding of the debates on certain central moral issues in research, e.g. the use of animals in biomedical research.
ContentI. Introduction to Moral Reasoning
-------------------------------------------
1. Ethics - the basics
- What is ethics? What ethics is not...
- Identification of moral issues (awareness): what constitutes an ethical question? Distinguishing ethical questions from other kinds of questions;
- Values (personal, cultural & ethical) & principles for ethical conduct in research;
- Descriptive and prescriptive ethics
- Ethical universalism, ethical relativism and cultural relativism
- What is research ethics and why is it important?
- Professional codes of conduct: functions and limitations

2. Normative Ethics
- Overview on important theories for research ethics: virtue theories, duty-based theories (rights theory, categorical imperative, prima facie duties), consequentialist theories, other theories;
- The plurality of ethical theories, moral pluralism and its consequences;

3. Moral reasoning I: Decision-making
- How (not) to approach ethical issues...; Is there a correct method for answering moral questions?
- Models of method in Applied Ethics: a) Top-down approaches; b) the reflective equilibrium; c) a bottom-up approach: casuistry (or reasoning-by-analogy);
- Is there a right answer?

4. Moral reasoning II: Arguments
- Why arguments? What is a good argument? The structure of (moral) arguments;
- Deductive and inductive arguments; Validity and soundness; strength and cogency;
- Assessing moral arguments

II. Research Ethics
-------------------------
1. Research involving animals
- The moral status of animals: moral considerability, moral significance; morally relevant features;
- Representative views on the moral status of animals and resulting standpoints on the use of animals in biomedical research
- The 3 R's (replacement, reduction, refinement);
- Public policy in the context of moral disagreement
- The concept of dignity and the dignity of living beings in the Swiss constitution;
- The weighing/evaluation of interests: the procedure and criticism, the value of basic research and related problems in the weighing of interests;

2. Research involving human subjects
- History of research involving human subjects
- Basic ethical principles – the Belmont report
- Selection of study participants. The concept of vulnerability
- Assessment of risks and benefits of a research project
- Research ethics committees
- Information and consent; confidentiality and anonymity;
- Research projects involving biological material and health related data

3. Social responsibility
- What is social responsibility? Social responsibility: whose obligation?
- Public advocacy by researchers
Lecture notesCourse material (handouts, case studies, exercises, surveys and papers) will be available during the lectures and on the course homepage.
Prerequisites / NoticeWhat are the requirements?
First and foremost your strong willingness to seriously achieve the main learning outcomes as indicated in the Course Catalogue (specific learning outcomes for each module will be provided at the beginning of the course). For successfully completing the course Research Ethics, the following commitment is absolutely necessary (but not sufficient) (observed success factors for many years!):
1. Your regular presence is absolutely required (so please no double, parallel enrollment for courses taking place at the identical time!) connected with your active participation during class, e.g. taking notes, contributing to discussions (in group as well as in plenary class), solving exercises.
2. Having the willingness and availability of the necessary time for regularly preparing the class (at least 1 hour per week, probably even more…). This includes e.g. the solving of exercises, the reading of ethics papers, and – of course – the preparation for the performance assessment during the semester.
3. Availability for writing the Performance assessment in the first part of the semester as well as the end-of-semester exam (the dates will be communicated in the first week of the semester).

Please carefully evaluate your situation for the autumn semester 2017 in respect of the necessary commitments.
851-0127-29LLegitimate Killing Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 45
W3 credits2SH. Wiedebach
AbstractCombating terror, war, death penalty: the question whether killing is legitimate is an obvious issue. It also concerns abortion, suicide, animal slaughter, and for some the chopping down of trees and picking of flowers. Is life necessarily killing? Does it always eventuate in victims? And morally: is there an obligation for (self-)sacrifice? Where is the boundary? What's the role of jurisprudence?
Learning objective1) Discussion on various conceptions of killing in history.
2) Discussion of factual issues, such as: a) general: killing as an act bound up with life's events more generally; b) specific: killing for political or legal reasons.
3) The search for one's own personal position.
4) Training in and practicing of the skills of precise speaking and writing.
LiteratureTexte als Diskussionsgrundlage werden zu Beginn des Semesters genannt bzw. als PDF unter "Lernmaterialien" bereitgestellt.
Prerequisites / NoticeDas mündliche Diskutieren während der Sitzungen ist zentral wichtig. Daher besteht Anwesenheitspflicht. Einmaliges Fehlen ist möglich mit Entschuldigung. Als Ersatz wird eine 4-seitige Darstellung des in der versäumten Sitzung diskutierten Textes geliefert.

Schriftliche Semesterleistung:
- Ab dem 2. Seminartermin erfolgt im Voraus pro Sitzung (d.h. insgesamt 6mal) eine 2-seitige Darstellung bzw. Stellungnahme zu einem vorgegebenen Text oder Thema.
- Die 2-seitigen Darstellungen müssen bis Samstag Abend in der Woche vor der nächsten Sitzung vorliegen.
- Statt einer der 6 Kurzdarstellungen kann ein einführendes Referat (15 min, max. 2 Personen) gehalten werden.

Formalia btr. der Texte:
- Schriftbild: Zeilenabstand 1.5, Schriftgrösse 12, Seitenabstand 2.5cm, Schriftart: Arial, Times New Roman.
- Vor- und Nachname, Matrikelnummer, Veranstaltungsname, Dozent, E-Mail-Adr., Studiengang.

- Ihre Texte schicken Sie bitte zum jeweils für die kommende Sitzung angegebenen Termin an folgende Email-Adresse:
legitimestoeten@ethz.ch
- organisatorische Rückfragen bitte an den Assistenten Raphael Salvi:  raphael.salvi@phil.gess.ethz.ch
851-0125-67LStructuralist and Post-Structuralist Approaches to Signs and KnowledgeW3 credits2SR. Wagner
AbstractThis course will review some structuralist and post-structuralist approaches to signs and knowledge. It will start from the French structuralist tradition, continue with the "1968 thinkers", and conclude with feminist and queer critiques of knowledge that rely on this tradition. The theories studied in class will be evaluated in terms of their application to science studies.
Learning objective1. To introduce the structuralist and post-structuralist tradition, as well as subsequent queer and feminist critiques of knowledge (the thinkers taught in the course will most probably come from the following list: Ferdinand de Saussure, Claude Levi-Strauss, Jacques Lacan, Pierre Bourdieu, Julia Kristeva, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Jacques Derrida, Hans Jorg Rheinberger, Judith Butler, Evelyn Fox Keller, Carol Cohn, Emily Martin and Donna Harraway).
2. To apply the ideas of this tradition to the context of science studies

At the end of the course the students will be able to analyze scientific texts and practices in terms of structuralist, post-structuralist and feminist critique of science.
851-0125-69LWhat is Science? Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 25
W3 credits2SK. Bschir
AbstractScience is not only one of the most amazing, but also one of the most puzzling human practices. In this course, we will raise two rather broad questions: How does science work? And what makes scientific knowledge special? Even though we will probably fail to give conclusive answers to both questions, adressing them will increase our understanding of the nature of science and its role in society.
Learning objectiveThe course provides an introductory overview over different positions in the general philosophy of science including late 19th century inductivism, logical empiricism, critical rationalism, integrated history and philosophy of science, social theories of scientific knowledge, and systematicity theory.
By looking at different conceptualizations of science at different periods in history, students will be enabled to evaluate the epistemic status of scientific knowledge compared to other forms of knowledge, as well as to critically reflect the role that science plays as an institution in modern societies.
Contenthttps://blogs.ethz.ch/whatisscience/
Literaturehttps://blogs.ethz.ch/whatisscience/
851-0144-07LThe Infinite in Philosophy and in the Exact Sciences: Logic, Mathematics, Physics Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40.

Particularly suitable for students of D-MATH, D-PHYS
W3 credits2SG. Sommaruga
AbstractOn the one hand, the topic of the infinite will be dealt with historically by discussing philosophical texts, by e.g., Kant, Bolzano and Cantor. On the other hand, the topic will be treated from a (non-historical) scientific point of view: the point of view of logic, mathematics, and physics.
Learning objectiveTo get acquainted with different types of infinitness; to study what is intriguing or problematic about the infinite; to inquire whether these different types of infinitness have (important) features in common.
851-0144-23LPhilosophical Reflections on Digital Methods in Architecture
Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH
W3 credits2GN. Sieroka, H. Mayer
AbstractThis course provides an introduction to philosophical issues surrounding digital methods and processes in architecture. In particular, key concepts such as process, continuity versus discreteness, and simulation will be discussed from both a philosophical and an architectural perspective in order to establish an awareness of changing world views and of architecture as its expression.
Learning objectiveBy the end of the course students are able to precisely describe and compare different interpretations of the given key concepts. They are able to link architectural concepts to philosophical interpretations and show an understanding also of their historical development and mutual influence. In many cases, the origin of these concepts can be traced back to Ancient Greece and shows both important continuities and important discontinuities with contemporary thinking. Students are in a position to critically discuss and evaluate the repercussions of these issues in broader scientific and cultural contexts.
The course is part of ETH's "Critical Thinking"-Initiative and facilitates students' abilities to express their thoughts clearly and effectively (both verbally and in writing).
This course is particularly suitable for students from D-ARCH.
851-0144-20LPhilosophical Aspects of Quantum Physics
Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB, D-PHYS
W3 credits2SN. Sieroka, R. Renner
AbstractThis course provides an introduction to philosophical issues about quantum physics. In particular, we will examine key concepts (such as locality and time) and different interpretations of quantum mechanics (such as the many-worlds interpretation).
Learning objectiveBy the end of the course students are able to describe and compare different interpretations of quantum mechanics. They are able to identify and examine issues about these different interpretations as well as more general issues concerning key concepts of quantum physics and concerning the transition between quantum and classical descriptions in physics. Students are in a position to critically discuss and evaluate the repercussions of these issues in broader scientific contexts.
The course is part of ETH's "Critical Thinking"-Initiative and facilitates students' abilities to express their thoughts clearly and effectively (both verbally and in writing).
851-0145-06LHistory and Philosophy of Chemistry Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 15

Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB
W3 credits2SS. Baier
AbstractThe course provides an insight into the historical roots and the philosophy of chemistry. In particular, the transition from Early Modern alchemy to modern chemistry will be considered and made understandable by referring to different concepts and theories of philosophy of science and history.
Learning objective- get to know both the methodology and concepts of philosophy of science/history of science
- get to know key texts of the history and philosophy of chemistry
- The course is organized mainly as an e-course (texts and working sheets will be provided) with 1 presence session at the end of the semester.
701-0701-00LPhilosophy of Science
Does not take place this semester.
Shift in Semester. Will be offered in Spring Semester 2018.
W3 credits2VG. Hirsch Hadorn, C. J. Baumberger
AbstractThe lecture explores various strands in philosophy of science in a critical way, focusing on the notion of rationality in science, especially with regards to environmental research. It addresses the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Learning objectiveStudents learn to engage with problems in the philosophy of science and to relate them to natural and environmental sciences, thus developing their skills in critical thinking about science and its use. They know the most important positions in philosophy of science and the objections they face. They can identify, structure and discuss issues raised by the use of science in society.
Content1. Core differences between classical Greek and modern conceptions of science.
2. Classic positions in the philosophy of science in the 20th century: logical empiricism and critical rationalism (Popper); the analysis of scientific concepts and explanations.
3. Objections to logical empiricism and critical rationalism, and further developments: What is the difference between the natural sciences, the social sciences and the arts and humanities? What is progress in science (Kuhn, Fleck, Feyerabend)? Is scientific knowledge relativistic? What is the role of experiments and computer simulations?
4. Issues raised by the use of science in society: The relation between basic and applied research; inter- and transdisciplinarity; ethics and accountability of science.
Lecture notesA reader will be available for students.
LiteratureA list of introductory literature and handbooks will be distributed to the students.
Prerequisites / NoticeOral examination during the session examination.
Further optional exercises accompany the lecture and offer the opportunity for an in-depth discussion of selected texts from the reader. Students receive an additional credit point. They have to sign up separately for the exercises for the course 701-0701-01 U.
701-0701-01LPhilosophy of Science: Exercises
Does not take place this semester.
Shift in Semester. Will be offered in Spring Semester 2018.
W1 credit1UG. Hirsch Hadorn, C. J. Baumberger
AbstractThe exercises in philosophy of science serve to develop skills in critical thinking by discussing seminal texts about the rationality of science. Topics discussed include the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Learning objectiveStudents can engage with problems in the philosophy of science and to relate them to natural and environmental sciences. They learn to analyze and summarize philosophical texts. In this way, they develop their skills in critical thinking with a focus on the rationality of science.
ContentThe optional exercises accompany the lecture and serve to develop skills in critical thinking with a focus on the rationality of science, based on discussing seminal texts. The texts cover important positions in the philosophy of science and their critics. Topics discussed include the significance and limits of empirical, mathematical and logical methods, as well as problems and ethical issues raised by the use of science in society.
Lecture notesA reader will be available for students.
LiteratureA list of literature will be distributed to the students together with the reader.
Prerequisites / NoticeStudents that want to subscribe for this course also have to subscribe for the lecture 701-0701-00 V "Wissenschaftsphilosophie". Credit points are given for preparing a structure and a summary of one of the texts.
701-0703-00LEnvironmental Ethics Information W2 credits2VA. Deplazes Zemp, I. P. Wallimann-Helmer
AbstractThe lecture beginns with an introduction to applied ethics in general. The main focus is on environmental ethics. Students learn to handle important concepts and positions of environmental ethics. They achieve a deeper understanding of these concepts and positions in applying them to ecological problems and discussing them in case studies.
Learning objectiveOn completion of this lecture course you will have acquired the ability to identify and process general and environmental ethical problems. You will be capable of recognising and analysing environmental ethical problems and of working towards a solution. You will have acquired a fundamental knowledge of standpoints and argumentations to be found within the field of environmental ethics and will have practised these in small case studies.
Content- Introduction to general and applied ethics.
- Overview and discussion of ethical theories relevant to the environment.
- Familiarisation with various basic standpoints within environmental ethics.
- Cross-section topics, such as sustainability, intergenerational justice, protection of species, etc.
- Practising of newly acquired knowledge in case studies (protection of species, climate change, etc.)
Lecture notesSummaries of the individual sessions will be distributed, including the most important theories and keywords; reading list.
In the part of the course serving as an introduction to general and applied ethics, we shall be using the following textbook: Barbara Bleisch/Markus Huppenbauer: Ethische Entscheidungsfindung. Ein Handbuch für die Praxis, 2nd Edition Zürich 2014
Literature- Angelika Krebs (Hrg.) Naturethik. Grundtexte der gegenwärtigen tier- und ökoethischen Diskussion 1997
- Andrew Light/Holmes Rolston III, Environmental Ethics. An Anthology, 2003
- John O'Neill et al., Environmental Values, 2008
- Klaus Peter Rippe, Ethik im ausserhumanen Bereich, Paderborn (mentis) 2008

Generel introductions:
- Barbara Bleisch/Markus Huppenbauer: Ethische Entscheidungsfindung. Ein Handbuch für die Praxis, Zürich 2014, 2. Auflage
- Marcus Düwell et. al (Hrg.), Handbuch Ethik, 2. Auflage, Stuttgart (Metzler Verlag), 2006
- Johann S. Ach et. al (Hrg.), Grundkurs Ethik 1. Grundlagen, Paderborn (mentis) 2008
Prerequisites / NoticeThe procedure for accumulating CP will be explained at the start of term.
I expect participants to be motivated and contribute to discussions, keeping the course interesting and lively.
851-0125-71LWhose Responsibility for What? Aspects of Individual and Collective Responsibility
Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-HEST, D-MTEC, D-USYS
W3 credits2GL. Wingert
AbstractResponsibility is a key concept in ethics: The individual's responsibility is emphasized. Contrary to that, one often points to the limits of a person's responsibility, e.g. for a stock market crash, for greenhouse gas emissions, for injust social conditions. What belongs to to our responsibility as individuals and what to our collective responsibility? And do robots have responsibilities?
Learning objective1. Certain concepts should be clarified: e.g., the very meaning of "being responsible for one's actions and its consequences". To what extent are we responsible for the social conditions we find ourselves in?

2. One theoretical position in the philosophy of sociality holds that only individual persons (and not firms, institutions, or states) can be responsible for action and social conditions. Students should be able to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this thesis (methodological individualism).

3. What does responsibility mean in special social spheres like the economy and the sciences? What does a citizen's collective and personal responsibility consist in?
851-0125-70LWhat is Enlightening Reasoning? On Enlightenment, Prejudices and Social CriticismW3 credits2GL. Wingert
AbstractWhat are the essentials for a social order which protects equal personal freedom as well as the common good? In our days, the answer is difficult when taking into account the return of intolerant religions, e.g. radical islam, increasing scepticism towards science and raising political conflicts. The course should figure out the meaning and potential achievements of an enlightening reason.
Learning objectiveThere are many theories of rationality. According to one tradition of thinking, rationality or reason is the ability, to enligthen or to track prejudices, the own one's and the prejudices of others, and to correct them.

Charles S. Peirce and Wilfrid Sellars, Jürgen Habermas and Ernst Tugendhat, Hilary Puntam and Thomas Nagel, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Paul Ricoeur belong to this strand of thinking about rationality.

Enlightening reasoning is self-critical and anti-fundamentalistic.

1. The course should make familiar with such a conception of enlightening reason.

2. Enlightening reasoning is associated with a specific period in European history. The course should inform about this period and - as far as possible - about enligthenment in other times and regions of the world.

Prejudices and blind spots are not confined to an individual's mind. Collectivities and societies do have them, too. E. g., one collective prejudice is that only competition on markets, but not solidaristic cooperation could produce sustainable progress. According to another collective prejudice, all human cultures have equal worth, and criticism of a certain culture expresses a racist attitude. A third collectively shared prejudice in Western societies is that growth is essential for the functioning of a modern economy.

3. Part of the course's tasks is to investigate whether and how the conception of an enlightening reasoning can contribute to correcting concrete prejudices.
851-0125-65LA Sampler of Histories and Philosophies of Mathematics
Particularly suitable for students D-CHAB, D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MATH, D-PHYS
W3 credits2VR. Wagner
AbstractThis course will review several case studies from the history of mathematics (Greek geometry, early modern European notions of infinity and 20th century constructive and axiomatic approaches). The case studies will be analyzed from various philosophical perspectives, while rooting them in their historical and cultural contexts.
Learning objectiveThe course aims are:
1. To introduce students to the historicity of mathematics
2. To make sense of mathematical practices that appear unreasonable from a contemporary point of view
3. To develop critical reflection concerning the nature of mathematical objects
4. To introduce realist, dialectical, practical and constructivist approaches to the philosophy and history of mathematics
5. To open the students' horizons to the plurality of mathematical cultures and practices
851-0157-82LSciences and Philosophy: The History of a Complicated Relationship Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40
W3 credits2SM. Wulz, N. El Kassar
AbstractThe seminar traces the past and present of a complex and multifaceted relationship: the relations and debates between philosophical and scientific research. In the seminar we will examine this relationship from a historical and philosophical perspective.
Learning objectiveDoes philosophy have its own methods and forms of knowledge production or do philosophical positions only develop in exchange with scientific research and findings? In how far is scientific research influenced by philosophical theories? Or does it rather influence philosophical theories? In the seminar we trace the relationship between philosophy of science and epistemology, on the one hand, and the particular historical forms of scientific research, on the other: from philosophers who conducted scientific research (Aristotle, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz) and scientists who became philosophers (Ernst Mach) to debates and collaborations between philosophers and scientists in the 20th century (e.g. Albert Einstein and Henri Bergson, Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers). We will examine the relationship between philosophy and the natural sciences as an entwined history that includes instances of collective pursuit of knowledge as well as instances of conflict. The seminar is aimed at students of natural sciences as well as students of philosophy and the history of sciences.

- sensitivity to questions from epistemology and history of science
- ability to reflect and discuss epistemological theories
- sensitivity to historical contexts of scientific knowledge and philosophical theories
- reading philosophical texts (including texts in English)
Political Science
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
860-0023-00LInternational Environmental Politics
Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-USYS
W3 credits2VT. Bernauer
AbstractThis course focuses on the conditions under which cooperation in international environmental politics emerges and the conditions under which such cooperation and the respective public policies are effective and/or efficient.
Learning objectiveThe objectives of this course are to (1) gain an overview of relevant questions in the area of international environmental politics from a social sciences viewpoint; (2) learn how to identify interesting/innovative questions concerning this policy area and how to answer them in a methodologically sophisticated way; (3) gain an overview of important global and regional environmental problems.
ContentThis course deals with how and why international cooperation in environmental politics emerges, and under what circumstances such cooperation is effective and efficient. Based on theories of international political economy and theories of government regulation various examples of international environmental politics are discussed: the management of international water resources, the problem of unsafe nuclear power plants in eastern Europe, political responses to global warming, the protection of the stratospheric ozone layer, the reduction of long-range transboundary air pollution in Europe, the prevention of pollution of the oceans, etc.

The course is open to all ETH students. Participation does not require previous coursework in the social sciences.

After passing an end-of-semester test (requirement: grade 4.0 or higher) students will receive 3 ECTS credit points. The workload is around 90 hours (meetings, reading assignments, preparation of test).

Visiting students (e.g., from the University of Zurich) are subject to the same conditions. Registration of visiting students in the web-based system of ETH is compulsory.
Lecture notesAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at http://www.ib.ethz.ch/teaching.html (select link 'Registered students, please click here for course materials' at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to Dennis Atzenhofer at dennis.atzenhofer@ir.gess.ethz.ch). All assigned papers must be read ahead of the respective meeting. Following the course on the basis of on-line slides and papers alone is not sufficient. Physical presence in the classroom is essential. Many books and journals covering international environmental policy issues can be found at the D-GESS library at the IFW building, Haldeneggsteig 4, B-floor, or in the library of D-USYS.
LiteratureAssigned reading materials and slides will be available at http://www.ib.ethz.ch/teaching.html (select link -Registered students, please click here for course materials- at top of that page). Log in with your nethz name and password. Questions concerning access to course materials can be addressed to dennis.atzenhofer@ir.gess.ethz.ch).
Prerequisites / NoticeNone
851-0595-01LInternational Organizations
Does not take place this semester.
The course doesn't take place in HS17
W3 credits2S
AbstractThis course offers a comprehensive examination of the role of international organizations (IOs) in world politics. Besides teaching the basic theories and methods that are necessary for studying IOs, this course considers the application of those theories and methods to a range of special institutions.
Learning objectiveThe first part of this course offers an introduction and will seek to explain how, if at all, IOs obtain some measure of authority in international affairs, i.e., why states delegate certain tasks to IOs instead of dealing unilaterally or multilaterally outside of an institutional context. The second part of the course focuses on the impact and effectiveness of international institutions. We assess whether and how IOs influence state compliance with agreements, and whether IOs socialize states to behave in certain ways. The third and final part of the course examines a special set of IOs: international alliances and international regimes, i.e., explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures that define expected behavior in a specific problem field.
ContentThe requirements for the course include participation in class discussions (10%), one class presentation (30%), and a final exam (60%).

a) Participation: The quality of students' experience in this course depends on the participation of students. Regular attendance and active class participation constitute a significant portion of the course grade. Students will be expected to read the required readings, think critically about them, and discuss them in class.

b) Class Presentation: First, you will submit one short (maximum 2 pages) paper summarizing the readings for a particular week. This short paper should be distributed to the class ahead of the meeting time (email, at least 24 hours in advance). Each student writing such a paper must also prepare a short class presentation. The goal of this exercise is not simply to summarize the assigned readings, as others in the class will already be familiar with the assignment. Rather, a good summary discusses the broader issues, themes, and questions underlying the readings or identifies problems with research design or potential flaws in the particular articles. The paper(s) and presentation(s) serve as a starting point for a more focused in-class discussion.

c) Final exam: The final examination will take place at the last week of the course. It lasts 1.5 hours, during which you will be required to answer 3 questions out of 9 questions.
851-0589-00LTechnology and Innovation for DevelopmentW Dr3 credits2VP. Aerni
AbstractTechnological change plays a crucial role in efforts to create a more sustainable future. In this context, policy decision makers must design rules that minimize its risks and maximize its benefits for society at large. The course discusses this challenge from an interdisciplinary perspective taking into account legal, economic, historical, development and environmental aspects..
Learning objective- to recognize the challenges and opportunities of technological change in terms of sustainable development
- to become familiar with policy instruments to promote innovation
- to improve understanding of political decision-making processes in the regulation of science & technology
- improved understanding of the role of science and technology in the context of human and societal development
ContentScience and Technology Policy is normally associated with the improvement of national competitiveness; yet, it is also an integral part of effective environmental and development policies.
The course will discuss the challenges and opportunities of technological change in terms of sustainable development and show how public policy on the national and the international level is responding to this change.

In this context, students are to become familiar with the basic principles of political economy and New Growth Theory and how such theories help explain political decisions as well as political outcomes in the area of Science, Technology and Innovation. State interventions are either designed to regulate (e.g. environmental regulations, anti-trust law) or facilitate (e.g. intellectual property rights protection, public investment in R&D and technical education, technology transfer) technological change. This will be illustrated by looking at different industries and different national systems of innovation. Subsequently the positive and negative consequences for society and the natural environment will be discussed from a short-term and a long-term perspective.
Lecture notesReader with issue-specific articles. E-version is partly available under
Link
LiteratureAerni, P. 2015a. Entrepreneurial Rights as Human Rights: Why Economic Rights Must Include the Human Right to Science and the Freedom to Grow Through Innovation. Banson, Cambridge, UK

Aerni, P. 2015b. The Sustainable Provision of Environmental Services: From Regulation to Innovation. Springer, Heidelberg.

Aerni, P., Gagalac, F., Scholderer, J. 2016. The role of biotechnology in combating climate change: A question of politics. Science and Public Policy, 43 (1): 13-28.

Aerni, P., Nichterlein, K., Rudgard, S, Sonnino, A. 2015. Making Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) Work for Development in Tropical Countries. Sustainability 7 (1): 831-850.

Aerni, P. 2013b. Do Private Standards encourage or hinder trade and innovation? NCCR Trade Working Paper 18/2013.

Aerni, P. 2009a. What is Sustainable Agriculture? Empirical Evidence of Diverging Views in Switzerland and New Zealand. Ecological Economics 68(6): 1872-1882.

Aerni, P. 2007. Exploring the Linkages between Commerce, Higher Education and Human Development: A Historical Review. ATDF Journal 4(2): 35-47.

Aerni, P. 2004. Risk, Regulation and Innovation: The Case of Aquaculture and Transgenic Fish. Aquatic Sciences 66: 327-341.

Arthur, B. 2009. The Nature of Technology. New York: Free Press.

Baylis, K./Rausser, G. C. and Leo S. 2005. Including Non-Trade Concerns: The Environment in EU and US Agricultural Policy. International Journal of Agricultural Resources Governance and Ecology, 4 (3/4): 262-276.

Brown, T. (2013) The Precautionary Principle is a blunt instrument. The Guardian. July 9, 2013.

Burk, D. L. & Lemley, M. A. 2009. The Patent Crisis and How to Solve it. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Burk, D., L. 2013. Patent Reform in the United States: Lessons Learned. Regulation: 1-25.

Carr, N. 2008. The Big Switch. Rewiring the World from Edison to Google. W. W. Norton & Company, New York.

Christensen, C. 2011. Innovatior's Dilemma. Harper Business, New York.

Christensen, Jon. 2013. The Biggest Wager. Nature 500: 273-4.

Diamond, Jared. 2013. The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies. Viking, New York.

Diamond, Jared. 1999. Guns, Germs and Steel. New York: Norton.

Farber, Daniel. 2000. Eco-pragmatism: Making Sensible Environmental Decisions in an Uncertain World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2000.

Farinelli, F., Bottini, M., Akkoyunlu, S., Aerni, P. 2011. Green entrepreneurship: the missing link towards a greener economy. ATDF Journal 8(3/4): 42-48.

Freidberg, S. (2007). Supermarkets and imperial knowledge. Cultural Geographies, 14(3): 321-342.

Goldstone, Jeffrey. 2010. Engineering Culture, Innovation, and Modern Wealth Creation. In: C. Karlsson, R.R. Stough, B. Johansson (eds) Entrepreneurship and Innovations in Functional Regions. Northampton: Edgar Elgar.

Hamblin, J. D. 2013. Arming Mother Nature: The Birth of Catastrophic Environmentalism. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Jefferson, D. J., Graff, G. D, Chi-Ham, C. L. & Bennett, A. B. (2015) The emergence of agbiogenerics. Nature Biotechnology 33 (8): 819-823

Juma, Calestous. 2016. Innovation and its Enemies. Oxford University Press.

Kaul, Inge, Grunberg, Isabelle, and Marc A. Stern (eds). 1999. 'Global Public Goods. International Cooperation in the 21th century.' Published for the United Nations Development Program. New York: Oxford University Press.

Rosenberg, Nathan. 2000.'Schumpeter and the Endogeneity of Technology'. London: Routledge.

Warsh, David. 2006. Knowledge and the Wealth of Nations. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe 2-hour course (5-7 p.m.) will be held as a series of lectures. The course materials will be available in form of an electronic Reader at the beginning of the semester.
The class will be taught in English.
Students will be asked to give a (a) presentation (15 Minutes) or write a review paper based on a article selected from the electronic script, and (b) they will have to pass a written test at the end of the course in order to obtain 3 credit points in the ECTS System. In the final mark (a) will have a weight of 40% and (b) 60%.
853-0038-00LSwiss Foreign PolicyW3 credits2VD. Möckli Weder
AbstractThis course analyzes the foundations and challenges of Swiss foreign policy. After reviewing the history of foreign policy conceptions since the early 20th century, we will discuss the determining factors of Swiss foreign policy and examine, together with guest speakers from the foreign ministry, current international developments and respective foreign policy challenges.
Learning objectiveStudents should acquire a sound understanding of Swiss foreign policy and the relevant academic and political debates associated with it.
ContentNach einer Einführung in die Aussenpolitikanalyse behandelt die Lehrveranstaltung zunächst die historischen Grundlagen und die konzeptionelle Entwicklung der schweizerischen Aussenpolitik. Dabei stehen die unterschiedlichen Reaktionen der Schweiz auf die internationalen Neuordnungen nach 1918, 1945 und 1989 und die seitherige Ausgestaltung der Schweizer Aussenpolitik im Zentrum. Es wird auch darum gehen, zentrale Determinanten der Schweizer Aussenpolitik zu identifizieren.
Auf dieser Basis werden wir die derzeitigen weltpolitischen Entwicklungslinien und deren Bedeutung für die Schweiz analysieren. Zu den aussenpolitischen Herausforderungen und Themen, die wir diskutieren, gehören die Krise der liberalen internationalen Ordnung (Autoritarismus und Populismus), die Konflikte im Nahen und Mittleren Osten, die Ukrainekrise und das Engagement in der OSZE, die Friedensförderungspolitik der Schweiz generell, die Entwicklungszusammenarbeit, die aussenpolitischen Beiträge zur Bewältigung der Migrationskrise, das Engagement der Schweiz gegen den Terrorismus, die Europapolitik und Brexit sowie die Politik in der UNO.
Die erste Stunde wird in der Regel als Vorlesung des Dozenten bestritten. In der zweiten Stunde vertiefen wir Themen teilweise durch den Einbezug von Gastreferaten von Mitarbeitenden des Eidgenössischen Departements für auswärtige Angelegenheiten (EDA).
Lecture notesStudents will receive a handout of slides accompanying the lectures.
LiteratureA reading list will be handed out at the beginning of the semester.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course will be supported by an e-learning environment.
853-0047-01LWorld Politics Since 1945: The History of International Relations (Without Exercises)W3 credits2VA. Wenger
AbstractThis lecture series provides students with an overview of the development of international relations since the end of World War II. The first part of the series deals with the development of and changes in Cold War security policy structures. The second part deals with the period after the transformation of 1989/91; the focus here is on current issues in international security policy.
Learning objectiveBy the end of the semester, participants should have a solid knowledge of the history and theoretical foundations of International Relations since the end of the Second World War.
Contentcf. "Diploma Supplement"
LiteratureReading:

Wenger, Andreas und Doron Zimmermann. International Relations: From the Cold War to the Globalized World. Boulder: Lynne Rienner, 2003.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecure is being supported by a website on Moodle. If you have any questions, please contact Larissa Jäger, larissa.jaeger@sipo.gess.ethz.ch.
853-0060-00LCurrent Issues in Security PolicyW3 credits2VA. Wenger, O. Thränert
AbstractThis course provides an overview of the security implications of so-called "dual-use" technologies, i.e. technologies that can be used for both peaceful and military aims. The course will also cover various policies - in particular arms control - that are discussed and applied by the international community in dealing with such dual-use technologies.
Learning objectiveParticipants should gain a solid understanding of security challenges stemming from the use and control of dual-use technologies. In addition, the students should become aware of how researchers can deal with sensitive knowledge regarding research transparency and control.
ContentThe aim of the course is to provide participants with an overview of international security politics with a special focus on dual-use technologies. Students will analyze the character of dual-use security risks and of risk-based security strategies and instruments. Thematic areas include the nuclear non-proliferation regime, biological and chemical weapons conventions, missile proliferation, the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, cyber and space technologies, as well as robotics and nanotechnology.
Lecture notesParticipants are expected to study the compulsory texts provided at the beginning of the semester via the online platform Moodle.
LiteratureA reading list will be distributed at the beginning of the semester.
Prerequisites / NoticeAn online learning platform serves as a supplement to the course.
853-0033-00LLeadership IW3 credits2VM. Holenweger, F. Demont
AbstractThe lectures "Leadership I" (WS) and "Leadership II" (SS) have been designed as a two-semester lecture series, but may also be followed independently of one another or in reverse order. "Leadership I" covers the following fields: leadership basics, leadership theories and leadership styles, the concept of leadership responsibility and the role of communication in practical leadership.
Learning objectiveThe aim of this lecture is to give students an introductory overview of relevant topics regarding leadership research and practice, thus enabling them to gain a deeper understanding of the leadership phenomenon. Students should understand different concepts of leadership in the complex interaction between individuals, groups, organisation, context and situation. They should be informed about the evolution of the understanding of mankind in relation to working processes and its impact on organizations and the understanding of leadership theory in the past 100 years. They should grasp the concept of leadership responsibility (leadership ethics) and be able to derive consequences for leadership in practical situations. They should recognize the fundamental importance of communication in leadership situations and receive input which enables them to communicate adequately in specific situations.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe 1-hour written exam will take place during the last lecture in the semester.
853-0015-01LConflict Research I: Causes of War in Historical Context (without exercises) Restricted registration - show details W3 credits2VL.‑E. Cederman
AbstractThis course offers an introduction to research on causes of wars. War as a social phenomenon is covered from the pre-state world to today's state system after the end of the Cold War. Topics include state formation and collapse, nationalism, decolonization, democracy, and ethnic conflict.
Learning objectiveDeveloping an understanding for causes of war and their development over the last 500 years. Knowledge of fundamental concepts in research on causes of war.
853-0302-01LEuropean Integration (Seminar without Tutorial)W2 credits2SF. Schimmelfennig
AbstractThe lecture course covers the theory, development, and core policy fields of European integration as well as structures and processes of the EU as a decision- and policy-making system.
Learning objectiveThe seminar is designed to help students understand the European Union as a particular kind of political system that differs both from the nation-state and from other international organizations. It imparts basic knowledge on the development, institutions, procedures, and policies of the EU and provides an introduction to major approaches to integration theory and political science research on the EU.
Content1. Introduction
2. Theories of European integration
3. The development of European integration
4. Internal market and monetary union
5. Internal and external security policies
6. Constitutionalization
7. Widening and differentiation
8. Switzerland, the EEA, and EU neighbourhood policies
9. Identity, trust, and solidarity
10. Public spheres, parties, and elections
11. Decision-making and policy development in the EU
12. Statehood and democracy in the EU
13. European integration in crisis
Lecture notesThe seminar covers the theory, development, and core policy fields of European integration as well as structures and processes of the EU as a decision- and policy-making system.
LiteratureBasislektüre
Schmidt, Siegmar und Wolf J. Schünemann: Europäische Union. Eine Einführung. Baden-Baden: Nomos 2013
Prerequisites / NoticeThe grade is based on a written exam.
860-0001-00LPublic Institutions and Policy-Making Processes Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 25.

Priority for Science, Technology, and Policy MSc and MAS students.
W3 credits3GT. Bernauer, S. Bechtold, F. Schimmelfennig
AbstractStudents acquire the contextual knowledge for analyzing public policies. They learn why and how public policies and laws are developed, designed, and implemented at national and international levels, and what challenges arise in this regard.
Learning objectivePublic policies result from decision-making processes that take place within formal institutions of the state (parliament, government, public administration, courts). That is, policies are shaped by the characteristics of decision-making processes and the characteristics of public institutions and related actors (e.g. interest groups). In this course, students acquire the contextual knowledge for analyzing public policies. They learn why and how public policies and laws are developed, designed, and implemented at national and international levels, and what challenges arise in this regard. The course is organized in three modules. The first module (Stefan Bechtold) examines basic concepts and the role of law, law-making, and law enforcement in modern societies. The second module (Thomas Bernauer) deals with the functioning of legislatures, governments, and interest groups. The third module (Frank Schimmelfennig) focuses on the European Union and international organisations.
ContentPublic policies result from decision-making processes that take place within formal institutions of the state (parliament, government, public administration, courts). That is, policies are shaped by the characteristics of decision-making processes and the characteristics of public institutions and related actors (e.g. interest groups). In this course, students acquire the contextual knowledge for analyzing public policies. They learn why and how public policies and laws are developed, designed, and implemented at national and international levels, and what challenges arise in this regard. The course is organized in three modules. The first module (Stefan Bechtold) examines basic concepts and the role of law, law-making, and law enforcement in modern societies. The second module (Thomas Bernauer) deals with the functioning of legislatures, governments, and interest groups. The third module (Frank Schimmelfennig) focuses on the European Union and international organisations.
Lecture notesReading materials will be distributed electronically to the students when the semester starts.
LiteratureBaylis, John, Steve Smith, and Patricia Owens (2014): The Globalization of World Politics. An Introduction to International Relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Caramani, Daniele (ed.) (2014): Comparative Politics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

European Court of Justice (2013): ITV Broadcasting Ltd. and Others v. TV Catch Up Ltd., Case C-607/11, March 7, 2013, EU:C:2013:147.

Federal Communications Commission (2015): Protecting and Promoting the Open Internet, 80 Federal Register 19738-19847.

Gilardi, Fabrizio (2012): Transnational Diffusion: Norms, Ideas, and Policies, in Carlsnaes, Walter, Thomas Risse and Beth Simmons, Handbook of International Relations, 2nd Edition, London: Sage, pp. 453-477.

Hage, Jaap and Bram Akkermans (eds.) (2014): Introduction to Law, Heidelberg: Springer, available as an ebook at ETH library.

Jolls, Christine (2013): Product Warnings, Debiasing, and Free Speech: The Case of Tobacco Regulation, Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics 169: 53-78.

Lelieveldt, Herman and Sebastiaan Princen (2011): The Politics of European Union. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Lessig, Lawrence (2006): Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Version 2.0, New York: Basic Books. Available at http://codev2.cc/download+remix/Lessig-Codev2.pdf.

Schimmelfennig, Frank and Ulrich Sedelmeier (2004): Governance by Conditionality: EU Rule Transfer to the Candidate Countries of Central and Eastern Europe, in: Journal of European Public Policy 11(4): 669-687.

Shipan, Charles V. and Craig Volden (2012): Policy Diffusion: Seven Lessons for Scholars and Practitioners. Public Administration Review 72(6): 788-796.

Sunstein, Cass R. (2014): The Limits of Quantification, California Law Review 102: 1369-1422.

Thaler, Richard H. and Cass R. Sunstein (2003): Libertarian Paternalism. American Economic Review: Papers & Proceedings 93: 175-179.

U.S. Supreme Court (2014): American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. v. Aereo, Inc., 134 S.Ct. 2498.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis is a Master level course. The course is capped at 25 students, with ISTP Master students having priority.
851-0594-04LOne Study, Two Paths: The Dual-Use Dilemma in the Life Sciences Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 26

Particularly suitable for students of D-BIOL, D-CHAB, D-HEST
W3 credits2SC. Otto, O. Thränert
AbstractResearch and technologies emerging from the life sciences bring beneficial aspects to our society but also unforeseeable risks regarding the biosafety and biosecurity. In this course, students will learn about the advances in science and technology and their implications for society and international treaties (BWC or CWC) and their social, ethical and legal responsibilities as life scientists.
Learning objectiveThe rapid developments in the life- and associated sciences have the potential to yield enormous benefits to our society. However, those new and emerging technologies additionally bring along predictable and unforeseeable risks for the biosafety and biosecurity areas. The ability of life and associated scientist professionals to critically assess their own research is a crucial aspect to maintain research integrity against the background of novel security concerns arising from the speed of advancements in this scientific field. In this course, students will learn more about their social, ethical and legal responsibilities as life scientists. With a combination of lectures and a team-based learning model, we want to raise the awareness of researchers towards biosecurity and biosafety risks emerging from research in the life sciences and generate a basic understanding about what scientists can do to minimize a potential misuse in highest-risk research (=“dual use research of concern”). During short lectures, partly prepared by the students themselves, the students will learn about the threat of biological warfare, biological terrorism and the international prohibition regimes; the dual-use dilemma and social responsibilities of scientists; the national implementation of the biological and toxins weapons convention and about efforts to build the web of prevention against misuse of life sciences. To get a better understanding of real world applications of biosecurity and biosafety measures in the scientific and policy communities and to foster future collaborations between these fields we will invite guest speakers actively engaged in scientific research from university and industry, and from the policy world.
363-1094-00LMathematics in Politics and LawW2 credits1VP. Grech
AbstractThis course intends to show the usefulness of mathematical reasoning in selected areas of politics and law. As such, it targets both students with a mathematical/science/engineering background as well as students of political science and law who are interested in an interdisciplinary approach.
Learning objectiveDevelop an understanding in which areas of politics and law and how specifically mathematical reasoning can be a helpful tool.
Apply specific procedures and methods, inspired by microeconomics and computer science, in voting situations and negotiations.
ContentThis course presents a selection of topics relevant to real-life elections as well as negotiations from a mathematical perspective, e.g.
- Voting systems (Is there a `good' voting scheme?)
- Apportionment theory (How can one reasonably apportion seats to representatives given a popular vote?)
- Fairness (How do you fairly settle a negotiation over homogeneous/heterogeneous resources?)
- ...

Particular emphasis will be given to examples, such as
- US and Swiss elections (vote splitting, gerrymandering)
- Divorces, successions
- Bilateral treaties
- CO2-Negotiations
- Refugee Distribution
- ...
Lecture notesA slide deck will be made available.
LiteratureA list of relevant references will be distributed in the beginning of the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course does not require specific mathematical prerequisites. A flair/interest for mathematical reasoning is sufficient.
Psychology, Pedagogics
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0240-00LHuman Learning (EW1)
This lecture is only apt for students who intend to enrol in the programs "Teaching Diploma" or "Teaching Certificate". It is about learning in childhood and adolescence.
W2 credits2GE. Stern
AbstractThis course looks into scientific theories and also empirical
studies on human learning and relates them to the school.
Learning objectiveAnyone wishing to be a successful teacher must first of all understand the learning process. Against this background, theories and findings on the way humans process information and on human behaviour are prepared in such a manner that they can be used for planning and conducting lessons. Students additionally gain an understanding of what is going on in learning and behavioural research so that teachers are put in a position where they can further educate themselves in the field of research into teaching and learning.
ContentThematische Schwerpunkte:
Lernen als Verhaltensänderung und als Informationsverarbeitung; Das menschliche Gedächtnis unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Verarbeitung symbolischer Information; Lernen als Wissenskonstruktion und Kompetenzerwerb unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des Wissenstransfers; Lernen durch Instruktion und Erklärungen; Die Rolle von Emotion und Motivation beim Lernen; Interindividuelle Unterschiede in der Lernfähigkeit und ihre Ursachen: Intelligenztheorien, Geschlechtsunterschiede beim Lernen

Lernformen:
Theorien und wissenschaftliche Konstrukte werden zusammen mit ausgewählten wissenschaftlichen Untersuchungen in Form einer Vorlesung präsentiert. Die Studierenden vertiefen nach jeder Stunde die Inhalte durch die Bearbeitung von Aufträgen in einem elektronischen Lerntagebuch. Über die Bedeutung des Gelernten für den Schulalltag soll reflektiert werden. Ausgewählte Tagebucheinträge werden zu Beginn jeder Vorlesung thematisiert.
Lecture notesFolien werden zur Verfügung gestellt.
Literature1) Marcus Hasselhorn & Andreas Gold (2006). Pädagogische Psychologie: Erfolgreiches Lernen und Lehren. Stuttgart: Kohlhammer. 2) Jeanne Omrod (2006): Human Learning. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Prerequisites / NoticeThis lecture is only apt for students who intend to enrol in the programs "Lehrdiplom" or "Didaktisches Zertifikat". It is about learning in childhood and adolescence.
851-0252-04LBehavioral Studies Colloquium Information W2 credits2KM. Kapur, H.‑D. Daniel, D. Helbing, C. Hölscher, R. Schubert, C. Stadtfeld, E. Stern, E. Ziegler
AbstractThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their research ideas in relation to behavioral science. The colloquium also features invited research talks.
Learning objectiveStudents know and can apply autonomously up-to-date investigation methods and techniques in the behavioral sciences. They achieve the ability to develop their own ideas in the field and to communicate their ideas in oral presentations and in written papers. The credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages.
ContentThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their ideas in so far as they have some relation to behavioral science. The possible research areas are wide and may include theoretical as well as empirical approaches in Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education, Sociology, Modeling and Simulation in Sociology, Decision Theory and Behavioral Game Theory, Economics, Research on Learning and Instruction, Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science. Ideally the students (from Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. and Post-Doc programs) have started to start work on their thesis or on any other term paper.
Course credit can be obtained either based on a talk in the colloquium plus a written essay, or by writing an essay about a topic related to one of the other talks in the course. Students interested in giving a talk should contact the course organizers (Ziegler, Kapur) before the first session of the semester. Priority will be given to advanced / doctoral students for oral presentations. The course credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages. The colloquium also serves as a venue for invited talks by researchers from other universities and institutions related to behavioral and social sciences.
851-0252-01LHuman-Computer Interaction: Cognition and Usability Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30.

Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-INFK, D-ITET
W3 credits2SI. Barisic, C. Hölscher, S. Ognjanovic
AbstractThis seminar introduces theory and methods in human-computer interaction and usability. Cognitive Science provides a theoretical framework for designing user interfaces as well as a range of methods for assessing usability (user testing, cognitive walkthrough, GOMS). The seminar will provide an opportunity to experience some of the methods in applied group projects.
Learning objectiveThis seminar will introduce key topics, theories and methodology in human-computer interaction (HCI) and usability. Presentations will cover basics of human-computer interaction and selected topics like mobile interaction, adaptive systems, human error and attention. A focus of the seminar will be on getting to know evaluation techniques in HCI. Students form work groups that first familiarize themselves with a select usability evaluation method (e.g. user testing, GOMS, task analysis, heuristic evaluation, questionnaires or Cognitive Walkthrough). They will then apply the methods to a human-computer interaction setting (e.g. an existing software or hardware interface) and present the method as well as their procedure and results to the plenary. Active participation is vital for the success of the seminar, and students are expected to contribute to presentations of foundational themes, methods and results of their chosen group project. In order to obtain course credit a written essay / report will be required (details to be specified in the introductory session of the course).
851-0252-02LIntroduction to Cognitive Science Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 70.

Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET
W3 credits2VC. Hölscher, V. Schinazi, T. Thrash
AbstractThe lectures provide an overview of the foundations of cognitive science and investigate processes of human cognition, especially perception, learning, memory and reasoning. This includes a comparison of cognitive processes in humans and technical systems, especially with respect to knowledge acquisition, knowledge representation and usage in information processing tasks.
Learning objectiveCognitive Science views human cognition as information processing and provides an inter-disciplinary integration of approaches from cognitive psychology, informatics (e.g., artificial intelligence), neuroscience and anthropology among others. The lectures provide an overview of basic mechanisms of human information processing and various application domains. A focus will be on matters of knowledge acquisition, representation and usage in humans and machines. Models of human perception, reasoning, memory and learning are presented and students will learn about experimental methods of investigating and understanding human cognitive processes and representation structures.
851-0252-03LCognition in Architecture - Designing Orientation and Navigation for Building Users Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40.

Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH
W3 credits2SV. Schinazi, B. Emo Nax, C. Hölscher
AbstractHow can behavioral and cognitive science inform architecture? This project-oriented seminar investigates contributions of cognitive science to architectural design with an emphasis on orientation and navigation in complex buildings and urban settings. It includes theories on spatial memory and decision-making as well as hands-on observations of behavior in real and virtual reality.
Learning objectiveTaking the perspectives of building users (occupants and visitors) is vital for a human-centered design approach. Students will learn about relevant theory and methods in cognitive science and environmental psychology that can be used to understand human behavior in built environments. The foundations of environmental psychology and human spatial cognition will be introduced. A focus of the seminar will be on how people perceive their surroundings, how they orient in a building, how they memorize the environment and how they find their way from A to B. Students will also learn about a range of methods including real-world observation, virtual reality experiments, eye-tracking and behavior simulation for design. Students will reflect on the roles of designers and other stakeholders with respect to human-centered design and an evidence-based design perspective. The seminar is geared towards a mix of students from architecture / planning, engineering, computer science and behavioral science as well as anybody interested in the relation between design and cognition. Architecture students can obtain course credit in "Vertiefungsfach" or "Wahlfach"
851-0252-08LEvidence-Based Design: Methods and Tools For Evaluating Architectural Design Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40
Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH
W3 credits2SB. Emo Nax, M. Brösamle, C. Hölscher
AbstractStudents are taught a variety of analytic techniques that can be used to evaluate architectural design. The concept of evidence-based design is introduced, and complemented with theoretical background on space syntax and spatial cognition. This is a project-oriented course, students implement a range of methods on a sample project. The course is tailored for architecture design students.
Learning objectiveThe course aims to teach students how to evaluate a design project from the perspective of the end user. The concept of evidence-based design is introduced through a series of case studies. Students are given a theoretical background in space syntax and spatial cognition, with a view to applying this knowledge during the design process. The course covers a range of methods including visibility analysis, network analysis, conducting real-world observations, and virtual reality for architectural design. Students apply these methods to a case study of their choice, which can be at building or urban scale. For students taking a B-ARCH or M-ARCH degree, this can be a completed or ongoing design studio project. The course gives students the chance to implement the methods iteratively and explore how best to address the needs of the eventual end-user during the design process.

The course is tailored for students studying for B-ARCH and M-ARCH degrees. As an alternative to obtaining D-GESS credit, architecture students can obtain course credit in "Vertiefungsfach" or "Wahlfach".
851-0238-01LSupport and Diagnosis of Knowledge Acquisition Processes (EW3) Restricted registration - show details
Enrolment only possible with matriculation in Teaching Diploma (except for students of Sport Teaching Diploma, who complete the sport-specific course unit EW3) and for students who intend to enrol in the "Teaching Diploma".
Prerequisites: successful participation in 851-0240-00L "Human Learning (EW1)".
W3 credits3SP. Edelsbrunner, L. Schalk
AbstractIn this seminar students learn advanced techniques to support and to diagnose knowledge acquisition processes in school.
Learning objectiveThe main goals are:
(1) You have a deep understanding about the cognitive mechanisms of knowledge acquisition.
(2) You have a basic understanding about psychological test theory and can appropriately administer tests.
(3) You know various techniques of formative assessment and can apply these to uncover students' misconceptions.
Prerequisites / NoticeFür eine reibungslose Semesterplanung wird um persönliches Erscheinen zum ersten Lehrveranstaltungstermin ersucht.
227-0802-01LSocial PsychologyW2 credits2GR. Mutz
AbstractThe lecture covers the following main topics: Social perception and interpersonal judgement; attitudes; group dynamics and group performance; leadership behavior and leadership styles.
Learning objectiveThe aim of the lecture is to impart a well-founded scientific understanding of social influence processes in individuals, groups, organizations, and social settings.
The participants should develop competencies in the structuring of communication, interaction, and management processes.
ContentIm Einzelnen sollen die Teilnehmerinnen und Teilnehmer lernen:

- an den Beispielen von Kaufverhalten oder ökologischem Verhalten zu beschreiben, wie Normen und Einstellungen Einfluss auf das Verhalten nehmen,
- Die Subjektivität und die Fehlerquellen sozialer Wahrnehmung verstehen,
- Prinzipien der Psychologie der Kommunikation zu nutzen für eine Verbesserung der Kommunikation in Studium und Beruf,
- Merkmale und Strukturen von Gruppen zu identifizieren und mit geeigneten Methoden zu analysieren,
- Die Grundlagen von Konformität und Gehorsam gegenüber Autoritäten zu erkennen,
- Gruppenphänomene wie „soziales Faulenzen“, „Risiko- und Konservatismus-Schub“ und „Gruppendenken“ entgegenzuwirken,
- Gruppenleistungen und -–entscheidungen zu optimieren,
- Führungsstile zu unterscheiden lernen,
- Techniken zur Moderation von interagierenden Gruppen kennen zu lernen.
Lecture noteskein Skript
Literaturezur Einführung: Stroebe, W., Jonas, K. & Hewstone, M. (2014). Sozialpsychologie. Heidelberg: Springer. Es wird ein Reader mit ausgewählten Texten zu den Vorlesungsthemen angeboten.
Prerequisites / NoticeEs werden für D-ITET-Studierende Gruppenarbeiten (6 Kreditpunkte) in Form eines 3-tätigen computer-unterstützten Assessments fachübergreifender Kompetenzen angeboten (Teilnehmerzahl beschränkt auf 12 Studierende). Die Teilnehmenden verfassen Berichte, die benotet werden.
363-0311-00LPsychological Aspects of Risk Management and Technology Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 65.
W3 credits2VG. Grote, J. Schmutz, R. Schneider, M. Zumbühl
AbstractUsing uncertainty management by organizations and individuals as conceptual framework, risk management and risk implications of new technologies are treated. Three components of risk management (risk identification/evaluation, risk mitigation, risk communication) and underlying psychological and organizational processes are discussed, using company case studies to promote in-depth understanding.
Learning objective- understand basic components of risk management in organizations
- know and apply methods for risk identification/evaluation, risk mitigation, risk communication
- know psychological foundations of risk perception, decision-making under risk, and risk communication
- know organizational principles for managing uncertainty
- apply theoretical foundations to applied issues such as safety management, regulatory activities, and technology design and implementation in different domains (e.g. transport systems, IT, insurance)
ContentThe syllabus includes the following topics:
Elements of risk management
- risk identification and evaluation
- risk mitigation
- risk communication
Psychological and organizational concepts relevant in risk management
- decision-making under uncertainty
- risk perception
- resilient organizational processes for managing uncertainty
Case studies on different elements of risk management (e.g., rule making, training, managing project risks, automation)
Group projects related to company case studies
Lecture notesThere is no scirpt, but slides will be made available before the lectures.
LiteratureThere are texts for each of the course topics made available before the lectures.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course is restricted to 40 participants who will work closely with the lecturers on case studies prepared by the lecturers on topics relevant in their own companies (SWICA, SWISS, Credit Suisse).
701-0721-00LPsychologyW3 credits2VR. Hansmann, M. Siegrist, B. S. Sütterlin
AbstractThis course provides an introduction to psychological research and modelling, focusing on cognitive psychology and the psychological experiment. Participants learn to formulate problems for psychological investigation and apply basic forms of psychological experiment.
Learning objectiveStudents are able to
- describe the areas, concepts, theories, methods and findings of psychology.
- differentate scientific psychology from "everyday" psychology.
- structure the conclusions and significance of an experiment. according to a theory of psychology.
- formulate a problem for psychological investigation.
- apply basic forms of psychological experiment.
ContentEinführung in die psychologische Forschung und Modellbildung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der kognitiven Psychologie und des psychologischen Experiments. Themen sind u.a.: Wahrnehmung; Lernen und Entwicklung; Denken und Problemlösen; Kognitive Sozialpsychologie; Risiko und Entscheidung.
Law
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0735-04LWorkshop and Lecture Series in Law and FinanceW2 credits2SG. Hertig
AbstractThe Workshop and Lectures Series in Law & Finance is a joint seminar of ETH Zurich, the University of Zurich and the University of St. Gallen. Each semester, several guest scholars from law, finance and related fields give a lecture and/or discuss their ongoing research. All speakers are internationally well-known experts from Europe, the U.S. and beyond.
Learning objectiveThe Lecture and Workshop Series in Law & Finance aims at allowing participants to discuss current financial regulation and corporate governance issues with leading academics.
ContentParticipants discuss current Law & Finance issues with guest scholars from Europe and the U.S. In addition, participants write a comment on one of the discussed papers.
Lecture notesTo be discussed papers are posted in advance on the course's web page
Literature- Benefit-Cost Analysis of Financial Regulation, Conference Issue, 43(2) Journal of Legal Studies 2014
- Andrei Shleifer, The Failure of Judges and the Rise of Regulators (MIT Press 2012)
- Viral Acharya et al., Regulating Wall Street (Wiley 2011)
- Raghuram G. Rajan, Fault Lines (Princeton University Press 2010)
- Reinier Kraakman et al., The Anatomy of Corporate Law. A Comparative and Functional Approach (2d ed., Oxford University Press 2009)
- Curtis J. Milhaupt and Katharina Pistor, Law and Capitalism (University of Chicago Press, 2008)
- Jean Tirole, The Theory of Corporate Finance (Princeton University Press, 2006)
851-0735-09LWorkshop & Lecture Series on the Law & Economics of Innovation Information W2 credits2SS. Bechtold, H. Gersbach, A. Heinemann
AbstractThis series is a joint project by ETH Zurich and the University of Zurich. It provides an overview of interdisciplinary research on intellectual property, innovation, antitrust and technology policy. Scholars from law, economics, management and related fields give a lecture and/or present their current research. All speakers are internationally well-known experts from Europe, the U.S. and beyond.
Learning objectiveAfter the workshop and lecture series, participants should be acquainted with interdisciplinary approaches towards intellectual property, innovation, antitrust and technology policy research. They should also have an overview of current topics of international research in these areas.
ContentThe workshop and lecture series will present a mix of speakers who represent the wide range of current social science research methods applied to intellectual property, innovation, antitrust policy and technology policy issues. In particular, theoretical models, empirical and experimental research as well as legal research methods will be represented.
Lecture notesPapers discussed in the workshop and lecture series are posted in advance on the course web page.
LiteratureWilliam Landes / Richard Posner, The Economic Structure of Intellectual Property Law, 2003
Suzanne Scotchmer, Innovation and Incentives, 2004
Peter Menell / Suzanne Scotchmer: Intellectual Property Law, in: Polinsky / Shavell (eds.), Handbook of Law and Economics, Volume 2, Amsterdam 2007, pp. 1471-1570
Bronwyn Hall / Nathan Rosenberg (eds.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, 2 volumes, Amsterdam 2010
Bronwyn Hall / Dietmar Harhoff, Recent Research on the Economics of Patents, 2011
Robert Litan (ed.), Handbook on Law, Innovation and Growth, Cheltenham 2011
Paul Belleflamme / Martin Peitz, Industrial Organization: Markets and Strategies, Cambridge 2010
Einer Elhauge / Damien Geradin, Global Competition Law and Economics, 2007
Dennis Carlton / Jeffrey Perloff, Modern Industrial Organization, 4th edition, 2004
Martin Peitz / Joel Waldfogel, The Oxford Handbook of the Digital Economy, Oxford 2012
September 2013 issue of the Journal of Industrial Economics, available at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/joie.2013.61.issue-3/issuetoc
Stefan Bechtold, Law and Economics of Copyright and Trademark on the Internet, in: Durlauf/Blume (eds.), The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics, online edition, Palgrave Macmillan, 2013, available at http://www.dictionaryofeconomics.com/article?id=pde2013_L000245
Robert Merges, Economics of Intellectual Property Law, forthcoming in Parisi (ed.), Oxford Handbook of Law & Economics, available at http://ssrn.com/abstract=2412251
851-0703-00LIntroduction to Law
Students who have attended or will attend the lecture "Introduction to Law for Civil Engineering and Architecture " (851-0703-03L) or " Introduction to Law" (851-0708-00L), cannot register for this course unit.

Particularly suitable for students of D-MAVT, D-MATL
W2 credits2VO.  Streiff Gnöpff
AbstractThis class introduces students into basic features of the legal system. Fundamental issues of constitutional law, administrative law, private law and the law of the EU are covered.
Learning objectiveStudents are able to identify basic structures of the legal system. They unterstand selected topics of public and private law and are able to apply the fundamentals in more advanced law classes.
ContentBasic concepts of law, sources of law.
Private law: Contract law (particularly contract for work and services), tort law, property law.
Public law: Human rights, administrative law, procurement law, procedural law.
Insights into the law of the EU and into criminal law.
Lecture notesJaap Hage, Bram Akkermans (Eds.), Introduction to Law, Cham 2014 (Online Resource ETH Library)
LiteratureFurther documents will be available online (see https://moodle-app2.let.ethz.ch/course/view.php?id=3281).
851-0703-04LLegal Rules in Urban Space Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 60

Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH
W2 credits2VO.  Streiff Gnöpff
AbstractLegal rules are tied to urban space. Illustrative is the relation between land ownership and urban morphology or between zoning and the functional dimension of urban space. Legal concepts (from property law, fundamental rights and administrative law) with spatial impacts are introduced and related to the theory of urban design. Moreover, it is discussed how these concepts shape specific places.
Learning objectiveStudents recognize the interplay between legal structures and urban space. They can describe legal concepts with spatial impact. Moreover, they are able to compare legally binding targets with theoretical approaches in urban design. By analysing specific places, students learn to find relevant norms, to analyse and to judge them with regard to urban design theories. Thereby, they are able to distinguish design and policy questions.
ContentUsing the the term «lawscape» (Philippopoulos-Mihalopoulos), we initially discuss general aspects of the interplay between legal rules and urban space.

The first part of the course is about the morphological dimension of urban space. We compare positions of urban planners like Trancik (Finding Lost Space) or Rowe/Koetter (Collage City) with property law. Freedom of property in turn contrasts to the theoretical approaches of Bernoulli (Die Stadt und ihr Boden) or Rossi (L'architettura della città). Using court decisions concerning nail houses, we study the tensions between urban development and the system of property ownership.

The second part of the course is about the functional dimension of urban space. Key concept is the zone (cf. CIAM 4). This concept is criticized (Wolfrum, Zoning Bien Défini). We compare the concept as well as the critique with the main concerns in spatial planning law. Environmental law and neighbouring rights are also relevant.

In the third part of the course, we work on the social, visual and temporal dimensions of urban space. The positions of Jacobs (The Death and Life of Great American Cities), Cullen (Townscape) or Lynch (The Presence of the Past) are compared with the dichotomy public space/private space, safety regulations, regulations on design reviews or heritage protection laws.

Working tools are theoretical texts, legal rules, court decisions as well as site analyses. Students undertake a case study in small groups. Selected case studies are presented and discussed in a final meeting.
Lecture notesSee Literature.
LiteratureDocuments will be available online (see https://moodle-app2.let.ethz.ch/course/view.php?id=3282).
Prerequisites / NoticeNumber of participants limited to: 60
851-0707-00LSpace Planning Law and Environment
Particularly suitable for students of D-ARCH, D-BAUG, D-USYS
W2 credits2GO. Bucher
AbstractSystem of swiss planning law,
Constitutional and statutory provisions,
Space planning and fundamental rights,
Instruments,
Application, legal protection, enforcement,
Practical training.
Learning objectiveBasic unterstanding of nature and function of space planning from a legal point of view. Basic knowledge of space planning instruments, relationship between space planning and constitutional law (especially property rights), solving of practical cases.
ContentDie Vorlesung basiert wesentlich auf der Mitwirkung der Studenten. Es finden 3 Sitzungen im Hörsaal statt, in welchen sich in der Praxis stellende Probleme erörtert werden. Die Vorbereitung auf die jeweiligen Sitzungen erfolgt an Hand von Fallbearbeitungen und einem Selbststudium an Hand des Lehrbuchs zum Raumplanungs- und Baurecht. Lösen von drei Aufgaben (praktischen Fällen) mit je genügender Leistung für die Erlangung der KP. Als Lernhilfe werden Anleitungen und insbesondere ein Musterfall mit Musterlösung zur Verfügung gestellt.
Lecture notesHaller, Walter/Karlen, Peter, Raumplanung-, Bau- und Umweltrecht, 3.A., Zürich 1999

Hänni, Peter, Planungs-, Bau- und besonderes Umweltschutzrecht, 6.A., Bern 2016
851-0709-00LIntroduction to Civil LawW2 credits2VH. Peter
AbstractThe course Private Law focuses on the Swiss Code of Obligations (contracts, torts) and on Property Law (ownership, mortgage and easements). In addition, the course will provide a short overview of Civil Procedure and Enforcement.
Learning objectiveEnseignement des principes du droit, en particulier du droit privé. Introduction au droit.
ContentLe cours de droit civil porte notamment sur le droit des obligations (droit des contrats et responsabilité civile) et sur les droits réels (propriété, gages et servitudes). De plus, il est donné un bref aperçu du droit de la procédure et de l'exécution forcée.
LiteratureEditions officielles récentes des lois fédérales, en langue française (Code civil et Code des obligations) ou italienne (Codice civile e Codice delle obbligazioni), disponibles auprès de la plupart des librairies.

Sont indispensables:
- le Code civil et le Code des obligations;
Sont conseillés:
- Nef, Urs Ch.: Le droit des obligations à l'usage des ingénieurs et des architectes, trad. Bovay, J., éd. Payot, Lausanne
- Scyboz, G. et. Gilliéron, P.-R, éd.: Edition annotée du Code civil et du Code des obligations, Payot, Lausanne, et Helbing & Lichtenhahn,
- Boillod, J.-P.: Manuel de droit, éd Slatkine, Genève
- Biasio, G./Foglia, A.: Introduzione ai codici di diritto privato svizzero, ed. Giappichelli, Torino
Prerequisites / NoticeRemarques
- Le cours de droit civil et le cours de droit public (2e sem.) sont l'équivalent des cours "Recht I" et "Recht II" en langue allemande et des exercices y relatifs.
- Les examens peuvent se faire en français ou en italien.
- Examen au 1er propédeutique; convient pour travail de semestre.
- Con riassunti in italiano. E possibile sostenere l'esame in italiano.
851-0727-02LE-Business-Law
Particularly suitable for students of D-INFK, D-ITET
W2 credits2VD. Rosenthal
AbstractThe course deals with the basic legal framework for doing e-business as well as using information technology. It discusses a variety of legal concepts and rules to be taken into account in practice, be it when designing and planning new media business models, be it when implementing online projects and undertaking information technology activities.
Learning objectiveThe objective is knowing and understanding key legal concepts relevant for doing e-business, in particularly understanding how e-business is regulated by law nationally and internationally, how contracts are concluded and performed electronically, which rules have to be obeyed in particular in the Internet with regard to third party and own content and client data, the concept of liability applied in e-business and the role of the law in the practical implementation and operation of e-business applications.
ContentVorgesehene Strukturierung der Vorlesung:

1) Welches Recht gilt im E-Business?
–Internationalität des Internets
–Regulierte Branchen

2) Gestaltung und Vermarktung von E-Business-Angeboten
Verwendung fremder und Schutz der eigenen Inhalte
–Haftung im E-Business (und wie sie beschränkt werden kann)
–Domain-Namen

3) Beziehung zu E-Business-Kunden
–Verträge im E-Business, Konsumentenschutz
–Elektronische Signaturen
–Datenschutz
Spam

4) Verträge mit E-Business-Providern

Änderungen, Umstellungen und Kürzungen bleiben vorbehalten. Der aktuelle Termin- und Themenplan ist zu gegebener Zeit über die elektronische Dokumentenablage abrufbar (https://ilias-app2.let.ethz.ch/goto.php?target=crs_115097&client_id=ilias_lda).
Lecture notesEs wird mit Folien gearbeitet, die als PDF über die elektronische Dokumentenablage (ILIAS) auf dem System der ETHZ vorgängig abrufbar sind. Auf dem Termin- und Themenplan (ebenfalls online abrufbar) sind Links zu Gesetzestexten und weiteren Unterlagen abrufbar. Schliesslich wird jede Vorlesung auch als Podcast aufgezeichnet, der jedoch nur für die Studierenden mit einem Passwort (erhältlich beim Dozenten) zugänglich sind.

Der Termin- und Themenplan ist zu gegebener Zeit über die elektronische Dokumentenablage abrufbar (https://ilias-app2.let.ethz.ch/goto.php?target=crs_115097&client_id=ilias_lda).
LiteratureWeiterführende Materialien, Links und Literatur sind auf dem Termin- und Themenplan aufgeführt (zu gegebener Zeit abrufbar via elektronische Dokumentenablage, https://ilias-app2.let.ethz.ch/goto.php?target=crs_115097&client_id=ilias_lda).
Prerequisites / NoticeDie Semesterendprüfung ist in Form eines schriftlichen Kurztests (normalerweise MC) in voraussichtlich der letzten Doppelstunde geplant. Es wird angegeben, welche Unterlagen beim jeweiligen Thema den Prüfungsstoff definieren. Der Test wird möglicherweise elektronisch durchgeführt.

Ergänzend zu dieser Vorlesung bietet Clemens von Zedtwitz (alternierend) eine Vorlesung zum Thema Telekommunikationsrecht an. Sie befasst sich mit den rechtlichen Grundlagen der Bereitstellung und des Betriebs von Telekommunikationsnetzen. Neben einem geschichtlichen Überblick über die Entwicklung des Telekommunikationsrechts werden die rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen erläutert, welche für Netzbetreiber in der Schweiz, der EU und den USA massgeblich sind.

Ferner bietet Ursula Widmer eine Vorlesung zum Thema Informationssicherheit an, welche die rechtlichen Aspekte der Sicherheit von ICT-Infrastrukturen und Netzen und der transportierten und verarbeiteten Informationen.
851-0735-10LBusiness Law Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 100

Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-MAVT
W2 credits2VP. Peyrot
AbstractThe students shall obtain a basic knowledge about business law. They shall be able to recognize and evaluate issues in the area of business law and suggest possible solutions.
Learning objectiveThe students shall obtain the following competence:
- They shall obtain a working knowledge on the legal aspects involved in setting up and managing an enterprize.
- They shall be acquainted with corporate functions as contracting, negotiation, claims management and dispute resolution
- They shall be familiar with the issues of corporate compliance, i.e. the system to ascertain that all legal and ethical rules are observed.
- They shall be able to contribute to the legal management of the company and to discuss legal issues.
- They shall have an understanding of the law as a part of the corporate strategy and as a valuable ressource of the company.
Lecture notesA comprehensive script will be made available online on the moodle platform.
851-0738-00LIntellectual Property: Introduction
Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB, D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MAVT, D- MATL, D-MTEC
W2 credits2VM. Schweizer
AbstractThe course provides an introduction to Swiss and European intellectual property law (trademarks, copyright, patent and design rights). Aspects of competition law are treated insofar as they are relevant for the protection of intellectual creations and source designations. The legal principles are developed based on current cases.
Learning objectiveThe aim of this course is to enable students at ETH Zurich to recognize which rights may protect their creations, and which rights may be infringed as a result of their activities. Students should learn to assess the risks and opportunities of intellectual property rights in the development and marketing of new products. To put them in this position, they need to know the prerequisites and scope of protection afforded by the various intellectual property rights as well as the practical difficulties involved in the enforcement of intellectual property rights. This knowledge is imparted based on current rulings and cases.

Another goal is to enable the students to participate in the current debate over the goals and desirability of protecting intellectual creations, particularly in the areas of copyright (keywords: fair use, Creative Commons, Copyleft) and patent law (software patents, patent trolls, patent thickets).
851-0738-01LThe Role of Intellectual Property in Daily Routine: A Practical Introduction
Particularly suitable for students of D-BAUG, D-ITET, D-MAVT
W2 credits2VC. Soltmann
AbstractThe lecture gives an overview of the fundamental aspects of intellectual property, which plays an important role in the daily routine of engineers. The lecture aims to make participants aware of the various methods of protection and to put them in a position to use this knowledge in the workplace.
Learning objectiveIn recent years, knowledge about intellectual property has become increasingly important for engineers. Both in production and distribution and in research and development, engineers are increasingly being confronted with questions concerning the patenting of technical inventions and the use of patent information.

The lecture will acquaint students with practical aspects of intellectual property and enable them to use the acquired knowledge in their future professional life.

Topics covered during the lecture will include:
- The importance of innovation in industrialised countries
- An overview of the different forms of intellectual property
- The protection of technical inventions and how to safeguard their commercialisation
- Patents as a source of technical and business information
- Practical aspects of intellectual property in day-to-day research, at the workplace and for the formation of start-ups.

Case studies will illustrate and deepen the topics addressed during the lecture.

The seminar will comprise practical exercises on how to use and search patent information. Basic knowledge of how to read and evaluate patent documents as well as how to use publicly available patent databases to obtain the required patent information will also be provided.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture is in particular tailored to the needs of the following degree programs: Agricultural science, architecture, civil engineering, computational science and engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and information technology, environmental engineering, geomatic engineering and planning, interdisciplinary sciences, materials science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, physics.

For students of chemistry-related degree programs, the lecture 'Protecting inventions in chemistry' (851-0738-03) will be offered in the autumn semester.
851-0738-03LProtecting Inventions in Chemistry
Particularly suitable for students of D-CHAB
W2 credits2VC. Soltmann
AbstractThe lecture gives students of chemistry-related degree programs an overview of the options to protect inventions and the underlying research efforts. The lecture aims to put the participants in a position to use this know-how in the workplace.
Learning objectiveResearch and development play an important role in chemistry-related technology sectors such as inorganic and organic chemistry or pharmacy.

Investments in the development of new substances and active components in these sectors are traditionally secured by patents because publicly known inventions, generally chemical substances, may easily be reproduced by others.

In the last years, the know-how about intellectual property has become increasingly important for chemists and engineers. Both in the production process and in the distribution sector, chemists and engineers are increasingly being confronted with questions concerning the patenting of technical inventions and the use of patent information. As more than three-quarters of all publicly available technical information are available only in patents, it is more and more important for researchers and engineers to be capable of extracting relevant information from the flood of patents.

Patents are not only a powerful measure to protect investments and inventions in chemistry-related sectors but also an important source of information about competitors and potential cooperation partners and about the development of markets. Accordingly, the know-how about patents and patent information has become a key qualification on the strategic level in companies and in the research sector.

The seminar is customised to the needs of chemists and students of related degree programs. Participants will become familiar with practice-oriented aspects of intellectual property and will be enabled to use the acquired knowledge in their future professional life.

Topics covered during the lecture will include:
- The importance of innovation in industrialised countries
- An overview of the different forms of intellectual property
- The protection of technical inventions and how to safeguard their commercialisation
- Patents as a source of technical and business information
- Practical aspects of intellectual property in day-to-day research, at the workplace and for the formation of start-ups
- Special aspects of protecting inventions in chemistry-related sectors, e.g. polymorphs and inventions in the field of nanotechnology.

Case studies will illustrate and deepen the topics addressed during the lecture.

The seminar will comprise practical exercises on how to use and search patent information. Basic knowledge of how to read and evaluate patent documents as well as how to use publicly available patent databases to obtain the required patent information will also be provided.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe lecture is coordinated in particular to the needs of the following degree programs: Agricultural science, biotechnology, chemical engineering, chemistry, food science, pharmaceutical sciences.

For engineering and physics students, the lecture 'The Role of Intellectual Property in daily routine: A Practical Introduction' (851-0738-01) will be offered in the autumn semester.
363-1094-00LMathematics in Politics and LawW2 credits1VP. Grech
AbstractThis course intends to show the usefulness of mathematical reasoning in selected areas of politics and law. As such, it targets both students with a mathematical/science/engineering background as well as students of political science and law who are interested in an interdisciplinary approach.
Learning objectiveDevelop an understanding in which areas of politics and law and how specifically mathematical reasoning can be a helpful tool.
Apply specific procedures and methods, inspired by microeconomics and computer science, in voting situations and negotiations.
ContentThis course presents a selection of topics relevant to real-life elections as well as negotiations from a mathematical perspective, e.g.
- Voting systems (Is there a `good' voting scheme?)
- Apportionment theory (How can one reasonably apportion seats to representatives given a popular vote?)
- Fairness (How do you fairly settle a negotiation over homogeneous/heterogeneous resources?)
- ...

Particular emphasis will be given to examples, such as
- US and Swiss elections (vote splitting, gerrymandering)
- Divorces, successions
- Bilateral treaties
- CO2-Negotiations
- Refugee Distribution
- ...
Lecture notesA slide deck will be made available.
LiteratureA list of relevant references will be distributed in the beginning of the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe course does not require specific mathematical prerequisites. A flair/interest for mathematical reasoning is sufficient.
Sociology
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0252-04LBehavioral Studies Colloquium Information W2 credits2KM. Kapur, H.‑D. Daniel, D. Helbing, C. Hölscher, R. Schubert, C. Stadtfeld, E. Stern, E. Ziegler
AbstractThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their research ideas in relation to behavioral science. The colloquium also features invited research talks.
Learning objectiveStudents know and can apply autonomously up-to-date investigation methods and techniques in the behavioral sciences. They achieve the ability to develop their own ideas in the field and to communicate their ideas in oral presentations and in written papers. The credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages.
ContentThis colloquium offers an opportunity for students to discuss their ongoing research and scientific ideas in the behavioral sciences, both at the micro- and macro-levels of cognitive, behavioral and social science. It also offers an opportunity for students from other disciplines to discuss their ideas in so far as they have some relation to behavioral science. The possible research areas are wide and may include theoretical as well as empirical approaches in Social Psychology and Research on Higher Education, Sociology, Modeling and Simulation in Sociology, Decision Theory and Behavioral Game Theory, Economics, Research on Learning and Instruction, Cognitive Psychology and Cognitive Science. Ideally the students (from Bachelor, Master, Ph.D. and Post-Doc programs) have started to start work on their thesis or on any other term paper.
Course credit can be obtained either based on a talk in the colloquium plus a written essay, or by writing an essay about a topic related to one of the other talks in the course. Students interested in giving a talk should contact the course organizers (Ziegler, Kapur) before the first session of the semester. Priority will be given to advanced / doctoral students for oral presentations. The course credits will be obtained by a written report of approximately 10 pages. The colloquium also serves as a venue for invited talks by researchers from other universities and institutions related to behavioral and social sciences.
851-0252-07LRecent Debates in Social Networks Research Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30
W2 credits2SC. Stadtfeld, P. Block, A. Vörös
AbstractSocial Networks research is a highly interdisciplinary fields. For example, scholars in Sociology, Psychology, Political Sciences, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics contribute to the development of theories and methods. This course aims at understanding, comparing and structuring recent debates in the field of Social Networks.
Learning objectiveSocial Networks research is a highly interdisciplinary fields. At the end of this seminar, students will understand and be able to compare different subject-specific approaches to social networks research (e.g., from Sociology, Psychology, Political Sciences, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics and Statistics). They will be familiar with recent publications in the field of Social Networks and be able to critically participate in a number of recent debates. Amongst others, these debates touch upon the co-evolution of selection and influence mechanisms, appropriateness of statistical models, generic mechanisms and features of social networks, models for the analysis of dynamic networks.
851-0252-10LResearch Seminar in Behavioural Finance Restricted registration - show details
Does not take place this semester.
Number of participants limited to 25

Particularly suitable for students of D-MTEC
W2 credits2SC. Hölscher
AbstractIn this seminar, students will study cognitive processes, behaviour and the underlying biological response to financial decisions. Research methods such as asset market experiments, lottery games, risk preference assessment, psychometrics, neuroimaging and psychophysiology of decision processes will be discussed. Financial bubbles and crashes will be the core interest.
Learning objectiveThis course has four main goals:
1) To learn about the most important topics within Behavioural Finance
2) To learn how to conduct behavioural studies, design experiments, plan data collection and experimental tasks
3) To learn about causes of market crashes, factors that influence them, traders' behaviour before, during and after financial crises
4) To investigate a topic of interest, related to behaviour of traders during market crashes.

Additionally, the course gives to the students the opportunity to practice oral presentations, communication skills, report writing and critical thinking.
ContentThe course provides an overview of the most important topics in Behavioural Finance. First part of the course involves reading scientific articles, which will be discussed during the seminar. Therefore, attendance is required to pass the course. Each week, a student volunteer will present a paper and the presentation will be followed by a discussion. After obtaining sufficient knowledge of the field, students will select a topic for a behavioural study of their own. The final assignment consists of preparing and conducting a small behavioural study/experiment, analysing the data and presenting the project in the final meeting of the class. Each student will write a scientific report of their study.
851-0252-11LAesthetics Between Philosophy and Empirical Psychology Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30
W3 credits2SC. Jany, K. Stocker
AbstractAesthetics is a contradictory discipline. It concerns the subjective experience of beauty, but at the same time the general philosophical meaning of works of art. In addition to this dichotomy, the empirical dimension of aesthetic experience is often at issue, viz., the role of perception, of subjectivity, and of embodiment. These are the conflicts we will explore in this interdisciplinary course.
Learning objective- introduce basic concepts of aesthetics (as of perception) from a philosophical and psychological perspective
- reflect on the different modes of embodiment that characterize perception and mental representation alike
- explore the overlap between empirical and philosophical methods in the context of aesthetic experience
851-0253-03LThe Sense of Time and its Effects on Motivation, Cognition, and Emotion Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40
W2 credits2SK. Stocker
AbstractWhile time is studied prominently in physics, it is also an integral part of our mind. Some of the main parameters of our sense of time are time immersion, time specificity, time speed, time texture, time horizon, time motion, time embodiment, and lifetime localization. Our sense of time can (often unconsciously) have profound effects on our motivation, cognition, and emotion.
Learning objectiveTo learn and understand how our sense of time influences our motivation, cognition, and emotion and to learn that our sense of time is malleable and can be influenced for the better. The course involves participating actively and regularly, reading articles, giving an oral presentation (in groups or individually), and writing a short paper.
851-0585-04LLecture with Computer Exercises: Modelling and Simulating Social Systems with MATLAB Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 70.

Particularly suitable for students of D-MAVT, D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MTEC, D-PHYS.
W3 credits2SO. Woolley, D. Helbing, L. Sanders
AbstractThis course introduces mathematical and computational models to study social systems, the mathematical software package MATLAB, and the process of scientific research.

Students develop a significant project, implementing a model and communicating their results through a seminar thesis and a short oral presentation.
Learning objectiveThe students should learn how to use MATLAB as a tool to solve
various scientific problems. MATLAB is an integrated environment with a high level programming language which makes it possible to quickly find numerical solutions to a wide range of scientific problems. Furthermore, it includes a rich set of tools for graphically
presenting the results.

After the students have learned the basic structure of the programming language, they should be able to implement social simulation models in MATLAB and document their skills through a seminar thesis and finally give a short oral presentation.
ContentThis course introduces first the basic functionalities and features of the mathematical software package MATLAB, such as the simple operations with matrices and vectors, differential equations, statistical tools, the graphical representation of data in various forms, and video animations of spatio-temporal data. With this knowledge, students are expected to implement themselves in MATLAB, models of various social processes and systems, including agent-based models, e.g. models of interactive decision making, group dynamics, human crowds, or game-theoretical models.

Part of this course will consist of supervised programming exercises in a computer pool. Credit points are finally earned for the implementation of a mathematical model from the sociological literature in MATLAB and the documentation in a seminar thesis.
Lecture notesThe lecture slides will be presented on the course web page after each lecture.
LiteratureLiterature, in particular regarding computer models in the
social sciences, will be provided in the course.
Prerequisites / NoticeThe number of participants is limited to the size of the available computer teaching room. The MATLAB code related to the seminar thesis should be well enough documented for further use by others and must be handed over to the Chair of Sociology, in particular of Modeling and Simulation, for further free and unrestricted use.
860-0022-00LComplexity and Global Systems Science Information
Prerequisites: solid mathematical skills.

Particularly suitable for students of D-ITET, D-MAVT and ISTP
W3 credits2VD. Helbing, K. K. Kleineberg
AbstractThis course discusses complex techno-socio-economic systems, their counter-intuitive behaviors, and how their theoretical understanding empowers us to solve some long-standing problems that are currently bothering the world.
Learning objectiveParticipants should learn to get an overview of the state of the art in the field, to present it in a well understandable way to an interdisciplinary scientific audience, to develop models for open problems, to analyze them, and to defend their results in response to critical questions. In essence, participants should improve their scientific skills and learn to think scientifically about complex dynamical systems.
ContentThis course starts with a discussion of the typical and often counter-intuitive features of complex dynamical systems such as self-organization, emergence, (sudden) phase transitions at "tipping points", multi-stability, systemic instability, deterministic chaos, and turbulence. It then discusses phenomena in networked systems such as feedback, side and cascade effects, and the problem of radical uncertainty. The course progresses by demonstrating the relevance of these properties for understanding societal and, at times, global-scale problems such as traffic jams, crowd disasters, breakdowns of cooperation, crime, conflict, social unrests, political revolutions, bubbles and crashes in financial markets, epidemic spreading, and/or "tragedies of the commons" such as environmental exploitation, overfishing, or climate change. Based on this understanding, the course points to possible ways of mitigating techno-socio-economic-environmental problems, and what data science may contribute to their solution.
Prerequisites / NoticeMathematical skills can be helpful
851-0585-43LExperimental Game Theory Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 60.
W2 credits2VA. Diekmann
AbstractThe course addresses principles and methods of experimental game theory. It focuses on experiments about social interaction, conflict and cooperation, emergence of cooperation and experimental validity of concepts for strategic behaviour in decision-making situations.
Learning objectiveLearn the fundamentals and logic of thinking about experimental methods and experimental game theory. Apply experimental game theory methods to strategic interaction situations.
ContentDie Spieltheorie ist ein Zweig der Entscheidungstheorie. Sie befasst sich mit Entscheidungen, an denen zwei und mehr Personen beteiligt sind und stellt Modelle zur Beschreibung und Analyse strategischer Interaktionen zur Verfügung.
Schwerpunkt der Vorlesung sind - neben einer Einführung in Grundlagen der Spieltheorie - experimentelle Studien und empirische Anwendungen der Theorie in verschiedenen Bereichen, insbesondere Untersuchungen über soziale Kooperation. Anwendungen beziehen sich auf Politik, Wirtschaft, Unternehmen, Verkehr, digitale Märkte u.a. Ausserdem werden in der Grundlagenforschung zur sozialen Kooperation Experimente aus der Verhaltensbiologie präsentiert. Experimentelle Studien zeigen allerdings, dass häufig die strikten Rationalitätsanforderungen der "Standardtheorie" nicht erfüllt sind. Unter dem Stichwort "Behavioural Game Theory" werden in der Vorlesung auch Theorievarianten vorgestellt, die mit den experimentellen Beobachtungen von Entscheidungen "begrenzt rationaler" Akteure besser im Einklang stehen.
Lecture notesFolien der Vorlesung und Literatur (Fachartikel, Kapitel aus Lehrbüchern) können auf der Webseite der Vorlesung eingesehen und heruntergeladen werden.
LiteratureKurzer Überblick in Kapitel 10 von Einführung in die Spieltheorie: Diekmann, Andreas, 2016. Spieltheorie. Einführung, Beispiele, Experimente. 4. Aufl. Reinbek: Rowohlt. Ausführlich: John H. Kagel und Alvin E. Roth, Hg., 2015, Handbook of Experimental Economics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press.
Literatur zum Download befindet sich auch auf der Webseite:
http://www.socio.ethz.ch/publications/spieltheorie
Prerequisites / NoticeInteresse am Thema und Motivation zur Mitarbeit.
851-0585-47LCognitive Agent-Based and Individual-Based Modeling: A Tool for Exploring Collective Intelligence
Does not take place this semester.
Particularly suitable for students of D-MAVT, D-INFK, D-ITET
doesn't take place in HS17
W3 credits2G
AbstractThis course considers those causal environmental, biological, cognitive, and socio-technical components that may contribute to the social phenomena "Collective Intelligence." Collective Intelligence is that emergent social product and those material effects that arise as groups of individuals coexist in social collaboration and or competition. This course will study the process from the bottom up
Learning objectiveThis course is for ETH students/staff motivated to question and to understand the basis of our shared, complex sociality as demonstrated through the processes of Collective Intelligence. Entire civilizations have emerged because of Collective Intelligence, wars fought, technologies created, and religions spread too because of it. This course uses modeling and simulation to explore the question.
851-0585-48LControversies in Game Theory IV: Social Norms and CooperationW3 credits2VD. Helbing, H. Nax, H. Rauhut
AbstractThe mini-course `Controversies in Game Theory' consists of 5 course units that provide an in-depth introduction to issues in game theory motivated by real-world issues related to social norms and cooperation, with a focus on implications for mechanism design. The course integrates theory from sociology, economics, physics, control theory, disaster response and biology.
Learning objective
851-0591-00LDigital Sustainability in the Knowledge Society
Does not take place this semester.
Particularly suitable for students of D-INFK, D-ITET, D-MATL, D-MAVT, D-MTEC, D-USYS.
W2 credits2V
AbstractHow do various interest groups influence the methods of production, distribution, and use of digital resources? Current models focusing on strong intellectual property rights are contrasted with open models like, e.g. Open Source/Content/Access. The course discusses consequences from different models and introduces »digital sustainability« as an alternative vision for society.
Learning objectiveAt the heart of the discourse is the handling of digital goods and intellectual property in society. Digitization and the Internet allow handling knowledge in a way, which directly contrasts with the traditional understanding of "intellectual property" and the industries based on it. Starting from economic and legal basics, we compare proprietary and open/"free" models. Sustainable development as a concept is transferred to digital goods, taking into account the particular nature of digital stuff.
After the lecture, you should (hopefully) be able to
- characterize the nature of digital goods vs. physical goods
- critique the basic concepts of copyright and patent rights
- explain the basic principles of blockchains as the most recent open design
- explain the political/legal and economic differences between proprietary and open approaches to the production and use of digital goods
- using an example, explain the meaning of digital sustainability and argue why it is relevant for a knowledge society
- transfer the ideas of the free/open source software model to other digital goods (e.g., open content, open access)
ContentTechnical reality: Within minutes you can make perfect copies of high-value digital goods of knowledge or culture (as text, audio, video, image or software) and distribute them around the globe -- for free. «Digitization plus Internet» allows for the first time in humankind's history the (theoretically) free access and global exchange of knowledge at minimal cost. A tremendous opportunity for societal development, in north and south. «Cool, so what's the problem?»
The problem is, that this reality poses a fundamental threat to today's business model of the knowledge and culture industries (starting from the music label and Hollywood, via publishers, up to software vendors). Powerful commercial interests are at stake as «knowledge» (the fourth factor of production) will become ever more important in the 21st century. Accordingly, «piracy» and «file-sharing» are attacked with all means. At the core lies the question about the design of property in digital assets. For that, we apply a concept of «intellectual property», which is several hundred years old and does not address digtal reality in an adequate manner, sometimes leading to absurd situations. Its original goal seems to get forgotten: to help society develop by spreading knowledge as much as possible.
Using the PC becomes the new cultural technique of the 21st century. In contrast to «reading, writing and arithmetics», this new cultural technique cannot exist in isolation, but depends on a hard- and software infrastructure. This dependency extends to the provider of the infrastructure, who can define technical rules, which can take away or restrict the user's freedom. Even advanced users may have difficulties in recognizing these, often hidden, restrictions and in evaluating their societal relevance. But exactly these invisible consequences we need to understand and investigate, because they decide about access, distribution and usage of digital knowledge.
Comparable to the environmentalist movement of the 60s and 70s, a growing political movement for «Free Software» exists today, with «GNU/Linux» as its most popular symbol. The movement fights against treating software code as private property but as a central cultural good available to all without private interests. Based on the success of the Free Software movement, new initiatives extend the concepts to other domains (e.g. scientific knowledge, music)...
As a «teaser» to the lecture, you are invited to read the essay «ETH Zurich - A Pioneer in Digital Sustainability!». It can be downloaded from www.essays2030.ethz.ch.
Lecture notesSlides and other material (both usually in English) will be made available on a weekly basis as the lecture proceeds.
LiteratureContent of the following books is covered (PDFs freely available online):
1 Volker Grassmuck, Freie Software - Zwischen Privat- und Gemeineigentum, Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung, 2. Aufl. Bonn 2004.
2 François Lévêque & Yann Ménière, The Economics of Patents and Copyright, Berkeley Electronic Press, 2004.
3 Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks, Yale University Press. New Haven 2006.

Other recommended books are:
1 (general) Chris DiBona et al., Open Sources Voices from the Open Source Revolution, O'Reilly, 1999.
2 (pol. sc.) Steven Weber, The Success of Open Source, Harvard UP, 2004.
3 (law) James Boyle, Shamans, Software, & Spleens - Law and The Construction of the Information Society, Harvard UP, 1996.
4 (law) Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, Basic Books, New York 1999.
Prerequisites / NoticeFor administrative and didactic reasons (high level of interaction and credit group assignments on current hot topics), the number of participants is limited to 45.
Of course, any interested person is invited to attend the lecture without doing the group assignment.
227-0802-02LSociologyW2 credits2VA. Diekmann
AbstractVarious studies are used to introduce basic sociological concepts, theories and empirical research methods, along with selected sociological topics. The goal of the course is to provide participants with an understanding of working practice in empirical sociology and the central findings of sociological studies.
Learning objectiveTo learn about methods of empirical social research and key results of classic and modern sociological studies.
ContentSoziologie befasst sich mit den Regelmässigkeiten sozialer Handlungen und ihrer gesellschaftlichen Folgen. Sie richtet ihren Blick auf die Beschreibung und Erklärung neuer gesellschaftlicher Entwicklungen und erfasst diese mit empirischen Forschungsmethoden. Die Vorlesung wird u.a. anhand von Beispielstudien - klassische Untersuchungen ebenso wie moderne Forschungsarbeiten - in die Grundbegriffe, Theorien, Forschungsmethoden und Themenbereiche der Soziologie einführen. Dabei kommen auch neue Arbeiten zur Sprache, die auf Spieltheorie, Netzwerkanalyse, Modellen sozialer Diffusion, experimentellen Studien und der Analyse von Internetdaten aufbauen, zur Sprache.

Folgende Themen werden behandelt:

1. Einführung in die Arbeitsweise der Soziologie anhand verschiedener Beispielstudien. Darstellung von Forschungsmethoden und ihrer Probleme. Etappen des Forschungsprozesses: Hypothese, Messung, Stichproben, Erhebungsmethoden, Datenanalyse.

2. Darstellung und Diskussion soziologischer Befunde aus der Umwelt- und Techniksoziologie. (1) Modernisierung und Technikrisiken, (2) Umweltbewegung, Umweltbewusstsein und Umweltverhalten, (3) Umweltprobleme als "soziale Dilemmata", (4) Modelle der Diffusion technischer Innovationen.

3. Der Beitrag der Sozialtheorie. Vorstellung und Diskussion ausgewählter Studien zu einzelnen Themenbereichen, z.B.: (1) Die Entstehung sozialer Kooperation, (2) Reputation und Märkte, (3) Soziale Netzwerke u.a.m.

Ergänzende Gruppenarbeiten (nicht verpflichtend). Im Rahmen des MTU-Programms des ITET und Programmen anderer Departemente können Semesterarbeiten in Soziologie (Durchführung einer kleinen empirischen Studie, Konstruktion eines Simulationsmodels sozialer Prozesse oder Diskussion einer vorliegenden soziologischen Untersuchung) angefertigt werden. Kreditpunkte (in der Regel 6 bis 12) für "kleine" oder "grosse" Semesterarbeiten werden nach den Regeln des Departements, das Semestergruppenarbeiten ermöglicht, vergeben.
Lecture notesFolien der Vorlesung und weitere Materialien (Fachartikel, Kopien aus Büchern) werden auf der Webseite der Vorlesung zum Download zur Verfügung gestellt.
LiteratureFolien der Vorlesung und weitere Materialien (Fachartikel, Kopien aus Büchern) werden auf der Webseite der Vorlesung zum Download zur Verfügung gestellt.
Prerequisites / NoticeInteresse am Thema und Bereitschaft zum Mitdenken.
701-1541-00LMultivariate Methods
One of the lectures 701-1541-00 (autumn semester) OR 752-2110-00 (spring semester) are highly recommended for students in Environmental Sciences with the Major Environmental systems and Policy.
W3 credits2V + 1UR. Hansmann
AbstractThe course teaches multivariate statistical methods such as linear regression, analysis of variance, cluster analysis, factor analysis and logistic regression.
Learning objectiveUpon completion of this course, the student should have acquired:
(1) Knowledge on the foundations of several methods of multivariate data analysis, along with the conditions under which their use is appropriate
(2) Skill in the estimation, specification and diagnostics of the various models
(3) Hands-on experience with those methods through the use of appropriate software and actual data sets in the PC lab
ContentThe course will begin with an introduction to multivariate methods such as analysis of variance and multiple linear regression, where a metric dependent variable is "explained" by two or more independent variables. Then two methods for structuring complex data, cluster analysis and factor analysis will be covered. In the last part, procedures for the analysis of relationships involving dichotomous or polytomous dependent variables (e.g., the choice of a mode of transportation) will be discussed.
LiteratureWill be announced at the beginning of the course.
701-0731-00LEnvironmental Behavior in Social ContextW2 credits2GH. Bruderer Enzler
AbstractThis introductory class in the environmental social sciences covers topics such as environmental behavior, environmental concern, social dilemmas and social norms.
Learning objectiveBasic knowledge of the environmental social sciences
Overview on current fields of research and their relevance for practical application
ContentUmweltverhalten ist stets in einen gesellschaftlichen Kontext eingebettet und wird durch verschiedenste soziale, psychologische und situationale Faktoren beeinflusst. In diesem Kurs wird Umweltverhalten daher unter anderem im Zusammenhang mit Umweltbewusstsein, sozialen Dilemmata und sozialen Normen diskutiert. Alle Themen werden zunächst eingeführt und anschliessend durch Studierende vertieft. Die Studierenden gestalten voraussichtlich in Zweiergruppen eine Unterrichtsstunde.

Fragen, die uns während des Semesters beschäftigen:
- Wie kommt es zu Umweltschädigungen, obwohl niemand diese beabsichtigt?
- Wer verhält sich besonders umweltschonend? Wie wird dies gemessen?
- Welche Rolle spielt das Umweltbewusstsein?
- Welche Rolle spielen äussere Faktoren (Möglichkeiten, Kosten etc.)?
- Wie sehr lassen wir uns dadurch beeinflussen, was andere machen?
- Kooperieren wir nur, wenn auch andere dies tun?
LiteratureSteg, L., van den Berg, A., & de Groot, J. (2013). Environmental Psychology. An Introduction. Chichester: BPS Blackwell.
Diekmann, A., & Preisendörfer, P. (2001). Umweltsoziologie. Eine Einführung. Reinbek: Rowohlt.
052-0703-00LSociology I Information W2 credits2VC. Schmid, R. Nüssli, M. Streule Ulloa Nieto, C. Ting
AbstractSociology I investigates the relation between social developments and the production of the built environment from a macro-sociological point of view. It examines central aspects of social change, historical and present-day forms of urbanization, and typical examples of models of urbanization.
Learning objectiveThis series of lectures should enable students to comprehend architecture in its social context. It approaches the architectural profession from two different angles: macro-sociological and micro-sociological.
ContentSociology I deals with the macro-sociological point of view, and investigates the relation between social developments and the production of the built environment. In the first part some central aspects of social change are examined – in particular the transition from Fordism to Postfordism and from Modernism to Postmodernism, and the interlinked processes of globalization and regionalization. The second part deals with historical and present-day forms of urbanization. Among other aspects treated here are the changed significance of urban-rural contrasts, the processes of suburbanization and periurbanization, the formation of global cities and metropolitan regions, the growth of new urban configurations in centres (gentrification) and on urban peripheries (edge city, exopolis). In the third part these general processes are illustrated by typical models of urbanization.
052-0723-17LSociology: Planetary Urbanization - a Theory Seminar Information W2 credits2SC. Schmid
AbstractIn the last decades, urbanization has become a planetary phenomenon, leading to an intense debate about a new conceptionalization of urbanization. This theory seminar aims at giving an introduction into the actual debate on planetary urbanization, into urban theory, theoretical thinking and the work with scientific texts.
Learning objectiveThis elective course highlights the sociological perspective on architectural practice and provides an introduction to sociological research.
It focuses on two main procedures: on the one hand, a systematic reading and discussion of theoretical texts, and on the other, empirical case studies of social aspects of the production of the built environment. In this course, a wide set of qualitative research methods is used (including various forms of interview, participant observation, image and text analyses). This approach enables students to gain their own experience by dealing with the various participants and constellations in the social field of architecture and building construction, and to familiarize themselves with the approaches and perceptions of various different participants.
ContentIn the last decades, urbanization has become a planetary phenomenon. Urban areas are extending their reach, and a whole range of urban phenomena are emerging, such as:
The implosion and explosion of urban regions.
The disintegration of contiguous "hinterlands".
Corridor urbanization.
The industrialization of agricultural areas.
The production of extended urban fabrics of logistics.
The creation and extension of operational landscapes.
The end of the "wilderness".
The urbanization of ocean space.

In this theory seminar we read and discuss a series of recent papers and book chapters which analyze these new phenomena of planetary urbanization.
LiteratureThe relevant texts will be distributed in the seminar. A very good overview is provided in the following edited volume: Brenner, Neil (ed.): Implosions / Explosions: Towards a Study of Planetary Urbanization. Jovis, Berlin, 2014.
Science Research
NumberTitleTypeECTSHoursLecturers
851-0157-79LHans Blumenberg, The Readability of the WorldW3 credits2SM. Hagner
AbstractThe seminar offers a close reading of Hans Blumenberg's "Lesbarkeit der Welt", published in 1981. The metaphoric title of this study aims at different historic attempts to not only claim but rather to perceive the worlds intelligibility by reading its signs as a text.
Learning objectiveThe seminar aims at a close reading of a text, which is philosophical and historical at the same time. Reading Blumenberg provides an excellent opportunity to exercise critical thinking.
851-0157-80LWhat is Enlightenment?W3 credits2SM. Hagner
AbstractFor some Enlightenment is the way out of human self-inflicted immaturity, for others it is a discourse that nurtured Western hubris and suppression. Maybe Enlightenment is both. In this seminar, we will read basic texts of Enlightenment and discuss them with hindsight to their possible relevance for the present age
Learning objectiveIt is the aim of this seminar to develop a critical perspective on the most important theoretical views of Enlightenment
851-0157-00LMind and Brain
Does not take place this semester.
W3 credits2VM. Hagner
AbstractIn the last 2500 years, the mind-brain relationship has been articulated in various ways. In these lectures, I will explore the scientific and philosophical aspects of this relationship in the context of relevant cultural, historical and technological processes, with a focus on the modern neurosciences, but I will also discuss works of art and literature.
Learning objectiveBy the end of this lecture, students should be familiar with essential positions in the scientific and philosophical treatment of questions relating the mind to the brain. It should also become clear that some of the most relevant problems in current neurosciences have a long history.
ContentAccording to a myth, the ancient Greek philosopher Democrit dissected animals, because he was in search of the seat of the soul. Current neuoscientists use neuroimaging techniques like functional magnetic-resonance-tomography in order to localize cognitive and emotional qualities in the brain. Between these two dates lies a history of 2500 years, in which the relationship between the mind and the brain has been defined in various ways. Starting with ancient and medieval theories, the lecture will have its focus on modern theories from the nineteenth century onward. I will discuss essential issues in the history of the neurosciences such as localization theories, the neuron doctrine, reflex theory, theories of emotions, neurocybernetics and the importance of visualizing the brain and its parts, but I will also include works of art and literature.
851-0157-77LSight of Nature (With a Book in the Hand) - Evidence and Autopsy in the Early Modern Period Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30
W3 credits2ST. Asmussen
AbstractThis Seminar pays attention to empirical and experimental forms of natural philosophy, as they emerged in late 16th century. Precisely we will discuss the issue of "seeing" and the practices, possibilities and limits of visual evidence. We elaborate on the nature of sight as both, directed towards something and culturally constructed - a construction based on norms, conventions and traditions.
Learning objectiveAmong the learned in late 16th century visual inspection and visual evidence gained an increasing importance. But how, when, where, by whom and by which practices did observations aquired the status of knowledge? Key aspects of this seminar are questions about the creation of scientific authority as well as the presentation and rhetoric of evidence. Thereby we will examine both, social categories such as authority, witnessing and credibility as well as epistemic categories like objectivity, proofs and facts.
851-0157-78LPeople - Machines - WorkW3 credits2VM. Stadler
AbstractDiese Vorlesung behandelt das Verhältnis Mensch/Maschine im 20. Jh. Es wird einerseits darum gehen, die Wissenschaften vom arbeitenden, maschinenbenutzenden Menschen - von der Psychotechnik bis human-computer-interaction (HCI) - im Kontext von Arbeits-, Technik- und Designgeschichte zu verstehen; andererseits darum, den Wandel der industriellen zur postindustriellen "Kopfarbeit" nachzuzeichnen.
Learning objectiveDie Ansicht, dass die Dinge immer komplizierter, die Welt immer künstlicher, und die Arbeit sich immer kopflastiger ausnehmen würde, begann spätestens zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts die Runde zu machen. Damals waren es das elektrische Licht, die neuen Automobile und die immer und überall drohende Mechanisierung, welche die Zeitgenossen in Atem hielten; knapp hundert Jahre später sind es Algorithmen, Computer und "Industrie 4.0". Dazwischen liegt eine Geschichte von Menschen, deren Maschinen, und den Transformationen von Arbeit, die auch an der Geschichte der Wissenschaften nicht spurlos vorüber ging.

Diese Vorlesung behandelt diese Wissensgeschichte: die Wissensgeschichte des Verhältnis Mensch/Maschine im 20. Jahrhundert. Es wird einerseits darum gehen, die Wissenschaften vom arbeitenden, maschinenbenutzenden Menschen - von der Psychotechnik bis HCI - im Kontext von Arbeits-, Technik- und Designgeschichte zu verstehen; andererseits wird es darum gehen, so den Wandel der industriellen, "körperlichen" Arbeit zur postindustriellen "Kopfarbeit" nachzuzeichnen. Der Fokus wird dabei auf der Frage liegen, wie sich die Geschichte der Humanwissenschaften - von der Sinnesphysiologie der zwanziger Jahre über die Kybernetik des Kalten Kriegs bis hin zu den heutigen Diskursen um "embodied and embedded" cognition - als Problemgeschichte (post)industrieller Arbeitsumwelten lesen lässt.
851-0157-81LZurich Airport (Kloten) - Anatomy of a Complicated Site (Research and Writing Workshop) Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 30
W3 credits2SN. Guettler, M. Stadler
AbstractIn working collectively toward a publication, the seminar deals with a significant site of technoscience: the Zurich airport (Kloten). Students will learn to integrate skills in research, writing and science communication.
Learning objectiveThe seminar will function as a workshop for research and writing. It deals with a largely unexplored, complex assemblage of scientific, technological, political, social, and environmental phenomena: Zurich airport. It's eminently suitable therefore to develop and think through some of the key questions that are currently being debated in Science and Technology Studies (STS), cultural theory and contemporary history. The airport, located in close proximity to the ETH, thus lends itself for a collective exploration in terms of individual student projects. In contrast to the usual humanities seminar, students will assume responsibility for a given sub-project - in close coordination with the teachers and the group. Regular group-meetings and feedback-sessions will serve to integrate the processes of research, writing, and science communication closely and make sure we collectively arrive at a 'product': a publication on Zurich airport. Special emphasis will be put on the creative use of media, a task in which we will be supported by students from Zürcher Hochschule der Künste (ZHdK / Visual Communication).
Participants expected to work independently, engage with the topic, and bring with them an interest in writing and the design of scientific publications. Note that the seminar follows up on the course "On the Future of Scientific Publishing" in the spring semester 2017. Enrolment in this prior course is not a requirement to participate in the fall semester, however. Students from various disciplinary backgrounds are strongly encouraged to take part. Possible topics for sub-projects include: the various "sciences of control" on which the airport depends (e.g. meteorology, logistics, airspace-management, etc.); environmental issues; biomonitoring; ecosystem-management; the architecture of terminals; regional planning; practices of border-control; etc.
851-0157-82LSciences and Philosophy: The History of a Complicated Relationship Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40
W3 credits2SM. Wulz, N. El Kassar
AbstractThe seminar traces the past and present of a complex and multifaceted relationship: the relations and debates between philosophical and scientific research. In the seminar we will examine this relationship from a historical and philosophical perspective.
Learning objectiveDoes philosophy have its own methods and forms of knowledge production or do philosophical positions only develop in exchange with scientific research and findings? In how far is scientific research influenced by philosophical theories? Or does it rather influence philosophical theories? In the seminar we trace the relationship between philosophy of science and epistemology, on the one hand, and the particular historical forms of scientific research, on the other: from philosophers who conducted scientific research (Aristotle, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz) and scientists who became philosophers (Ernst Mach) to debates and collaborations between philosophers and scientists in the 20th century (e.g. Albert Einstein and Henri Bergson, Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers). We will examine the relationship between philosophy and the natural sciences as an entwined history that includes instances of collective pursuit of knowledge as well as instances of conflict. The seminar is aimed at students of natural sciences as well as students of philosophy and the history of sciences.

- sensitivity to questions from epistemology and history of science
- ability to reflect and discuss epistemological theories
- sensitivity to historical contexts of scientific knowledge and philosophical theories
- reading philosophical texts (including texts in English)
851-0157-83LA Short History of the Senses Restricted registration - show details
Number of praticipants limited to 25
W3 credits2SV. Wolff
AbstractAt all times and all over this world people have used their senses: they have seen and heard, touched and tasted something, discerned a flower's scent or smelled the gutter's stench. While the sensations themselves are a fact and remain undisputed, theories of the senses specific modes of operation, meaning and notions of their hierarchy have considerably varied over the course of history.
Learning objectiveThis seminar will discuss the senses epistemic history in relation to their social and cultural uses ever since the early modern age.
851-0157-76LHistory of Ancient Science Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 40
W3 credits2SS. Mastorakou
Abstractn this course we will discuss the fundamental scientific achievements in the ancient Greek world from the Presocratics and Plato until Ptolemy's time. We will cover the principal works of ancient Greek science to understand their contents and arguments with a particular attention on natural philosophy and astronomy.
Learning objectiveThis course aims to examine the practices of ancient Greeks in areas such as theory of matter, the origins of our world, the idea of change, the study and mapping of the heavens. While the main focus is the ancient Greeks, we also look at the Babylonian, Egyptian and Roman cultures, their mathematics, technology, astronomical practices, and how they conceived of the world around them. At the end of the course we will have a better understanding of the role that science played in the ancient Greek world, of the social context it was practiced in and its interrelations with philosophy and technology. We will mainly draw on literary sources along with a few examples of material culture.
851-0158-10LCybernetics. The Renaissance of an Almost Forgotten ParadigmW2 credits1SH. von Sass
AbstractCybernetics is the 'art of steering', i.e. the (self)regulation of systems of very different kinds. In the middle of the 20th century 'cybernetics' developed to denote its own subject that studies regulations of systems in a transdisciplinary way. For some time cybernetics had been marginalized - bot now, under digital conditions, there is a return of the 'art of steering'.
Learning objectiveIntroduction into cybernetics; conveying acquaintance with basic problems in the philosophy of science.
701-0771-00LEnvironmental and Integral Conciousness and Communication Information Restricted registration - show details
Number of participants limited to 60.

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Please describe your expectations. Why do want to attend this special topic? Do you have any pre-information about the integral model? Do you have any practical experience in environmental communication?
W2 credits2GR. Locher Van Wezemael
AbstractThe environmental Conciousness and the sustainability discussion were the leading themes of the last decades. Now the public awareness is changing. We discuss these changes, look how different the postmodern perspectives interprete the reality and we evaluate how to communicate in times of trouble.
Learning objectiveYou learn how to handle tools and concepts in environmental communication. Examples of realized campaigns and projects show what works and what's of minor impact.
We discuss the evolution of consciousness and the integral model from the point of view of communication, psychology and neuro sciences.
Content- What is Consciousness?
- Individual and social evolution of consciousness
- Environmental Consciousness or "is climate change a chinese joke?"
- Examples of campaigns, events, print products, media relations.
- Integral sustainability and the integral model of Ken Wilber
Lecture notesHandouts
Literature- Integral Vision; Ken Wilber, 2005
- Reinventing Organizations, Frédéric Laloux
- Embrace your life, Wilfried Nelles
851-0158-07LWorldviews in ConflictW3 credits2VG. Folkers, W. A. Stahel, C. aus der Au Heymann
AbstractWorldviews guide our thoughts and our actions even though we may not be aware of it. They often are realized only when they are confronted with each other. By means of lectures, discussions and contributions of participants, we will examine those worldviews as to the underlying philosophical concepts and their relations to the sciences, philosophy and religion.
Learning objectiveStudents of all disciplines shall obtain a basis for their own exploration of worldviews. Prior knowledge of philosophical concepts and history is not required.