Cross-faculty elective subjects SS 2025

Practise listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills and competences to reach an advanced B2 level (cf. CEFR descriptors).

Information about the placement test is provided on the website of the cross-faculty elective subjects > language courses and by the study programmes.

The schedule is preliminary and can later be adapted upon participants' request.

Practise listening, reading, speaking, and writing skills and competences to reach an advanced C1 level (cf. CEFR descriptors) and be able to take an English certificate exam at C1 level

Communication & psychology: Building successful and sustainable relationships with your internal and external business networks

In the age of digitalization and rapid change, the art of building lasting relationships with clients, customers, builders, colleagues, superiors and employees is more critical than ever to business success. It's not just about delivering first-class work, but also about being a trusted partner and confidante who understands and shares their clients' visions and goals. Relationships are the foundation on which to grow and develop your business.

While tools and technologies evolve, the human factor remains at the core of every business relationship. Knowing the psychology behind trusting relationships and communication situations will therefore allow you to deal more easily with demanding contemporaries in your professional and private lives.

Communication is the key to any successful relationship. Understanding someone's pattern of behavior is the key to successful communication. There are four key types of behavior that define how we interact with and perceive the people around us. By understanding these different behavioral types, you will know how to effectively communicate with each in business (and in life). The simple four-color system allows you to speedily identify a boss or coworker, customer or client, and adjust how you speak, write, and deal with them.

Building and sustaining relationships are also at the heart of organizing communities. The strength of community lies in the strength of the connections that we have with each other. Strong connections empower us to drive real, lasting change.

In this seminar you will learn how to build solid, long-term and trusting relationships with your professional
relationship network, how to "read" your conversation partners using a simple four-color system, so you win them over for your ideas and services. Last but not least, diplomatic yet crystal clear communication can minimize potential problems and conflicts, increase customer satisfaction, and build successful communities.

Dieses Modul bietet den Studierenden die Möglichkeit, die Rolle von Künstlicher Intelligenz (KI) im Radio- und Journalismusbereich zu erforschen und praktisch anzuwenden mit Produktionen von Podcasts. Mit dem Start der ersten KI-Moderatorin am Campus Radio der Universität Liechtenstein wird ein innovatives Medienkonzept umgesetzt, das weiterentwickelt und untersucht wird. Die Studierenden beschäftigen sich mit der Nutzung von KI-Tools zur Unterstützung und Gestaltung journalistischer Inhalte und lernen, wie KI in der Programmplanung, der Moderation und der Content-Produktion zum Einsatz kommen kann. Die zentrale Frage: Wie kann KI den Journalismus und das Radio bereichern und was bedeutet das für die Zukunft des Mediums?

This course is provided through Coursera and is offered by the University of California, Irvine.

This series of courses will help you build, develop and hone the essential skills needed to improve your employability and advancement in today’s dynamic workforce. The courses in this Specialization may be taken in any order. Each course can also be taken independently. The Specialization concludes with a Capstone project that will give you the opportunity to integrate and apply the skills you have gained throughout the courses to your individual and organizational needs.

Career Success

Applied Learning Project

The purpose of the Capstone Project in the Career Success Specialization is for you to apply the methods and techniques you learned in the series of courses to a personal experience, giving you a way to communicate your value to potential employers. You’ll focus your communication, management, negotiation, problem solving, business writing, time management, finance, entrepreneurship, and project management skills into a single project that demonstrates your career readiness.

Instructor: David Standen, MBA (University of California, Irvine) and others.

This FU consists of 3 courses (select any 3 of the 4 contained in this specialization, if you do all 4 courses, the best 3 count):

Course 1: Work Smarter, Not Harder: Time Management for Personal & Professional Productivity
Course 2: Effective Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
Course 3: Communication in the 21st Century Workplace
Course 4: High-Impact Business Writing

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.

This course is provided through Coursera and is offered by the Imperial College London.

This Creative Thinking specialisation consists of three courses, designed to enhance learners' creativity skills by employing diverse brainstorming techniques, systematic creativity tools, and advanced creative thinking strategies. Throughout the specialisation, participants will gain expertise in using approaches such as the creativity diamond framework, biomimicry, analogy, metaphor, and AI-enabled platforms in order to generate innovative ideas and effectively address challenges or opportunities in their projects or activities.

Creative Thinking Tools for Success and Leadership

Applied Learning Project

Throughout the three courses within this specialisation, you will have the opportunity to undertake a series of assessments where you will apply what you have learned about different aspects of creative thinking, at an Introductory, Systematic, and Advanced level.

Instructor: Peter Childs (Head of the Dyson School of Design Engineering at Imperial College London)

This FU consists of 3 courses:

Course 1: Introduction to Creative Thinking: Tools for Success
Course 2: Systematic Creative Thinking: Tools for Success
Course 3: Advanced Creative Thinking and AI: Tools for Success

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.

Practise communicative and cultural skills and competences in German on level A1 - A2 (cf. CEFR descriptors).

Practise communicative and cultural skills and competences in German on level A2 (cf. CEFR descriptors).

This is a suggested schedule but, if practicable, changes can be made in accordance with the wishes of the participants.

Information about the placement test is provided on the website of the cross-faculty elective subjects > language courses and by the International Office

Practise communicative and cultural skills and competences in German on level B1 - B2 (cf. CEFR descriptors)

This module supports the development of communicative competence in Spanish on level A1/A2 (cf. CEFR descriptors).

This course is provided through Coursera and is offered by the University of Toronto.

Learn to Program: The Fundamentals

Behind every mouse click and touch-screen tap, there is a computer program that makes things happen. This course introduces the fundamental building blocks of programming and teaches you how to write fun and useful programs using the Python language.

Instructors: Jennifer Campbell and Paul Gries, University of Toronto

This module consists of 7 modules.

Course 1: Python, Variables and Functions
Course 2: Strings and Designing Functions
Course 3: >b>Booleans, Import, Namespaces, and if Statements
Course 4: For Loops and Fancy String Manipulation
Course 5: While Loops, Lists, and Mutability
Course 6:For Loops over Indices, Parallel and Nested Lists and Strings, and Files
Course 7: Tuples and Dictionaries

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.

The MILSA mentoring program provides students with the opportunity to develop their intercultural awareness and intercultural learning as students and future professionals. The program is offered twice yearly with a duration of approx. twelve months. It starts in April respectively in October.
The mentoring program provides an immersive intercultural learning experience in an international location. Students' learning is supported by pre-departure and post-sojourn workshops, and by Skype interviews and guided blog writing during the study abroad. The mentor is lecturer of the University of Liechtenstein.
The pre-departure workshop introduces students to explore aspects of intercultural learning and helps them prepare for their experience in a different society and culture.
During the stay abroad, students will talk to the mentor via Skype and write guided blog contributions about their intercultural learning. They stay in contact and complete group task together. Upon their return, students meet with the mentor in a post-sojourn workshop to discuss and reflect upon their experiences and the importance of their intercultural learning for their future professional lives.
The subject includes content on notions of culture, interculturality, intercultural learning,
stereotypes, identities, cultural practices, and reflection and reflective writing.
The First Steps in Intercultural Learning Workshop is held before students depart. This workshop provides essential content, discussion and activities to prepare students for their intercultural learning, international experience and to guide their completion of assessment tasks.
The Coming Home Workshop takes place after students return from their stay abroad and allows them to reflect on their experience, particularly their intercultural learning and its
application to their future professional lives. Students also present their group assignment.

The MILSA mentoring program provides guest students with the opportunity to develop their intercultural awareness and intercultural learning as students and future professionals. The program is offered twice yearly with a duration of one semester. It starts during the Introduction Week.
The mentoring program provides an immersive intercultural learning experience in an international location. Students' learning is supported by arrival and departure workshops, and by interviews and guided blog writing during their stay at the University of Liechtenstein. The mentor is a lecturer of the University of Liechtenstein.
The pre-departure workshop introduces students to explore aspects of intercultural learning and helps them prepare for their experience in a different society and culture.
During the semester, students will talk to the mentor during a personal interview and write guided blog contributions about their intercultural learning. They stay in contact and complete group task together. Shortly before their return home, students meet with the mentor in a departure workshop to discuss and reflect upon their experiences and the importance of their intercultural learning for their future professional lives.
The subject includes content on notions of culture, interculturality, intercultural learning,
stereotypes, identities, cultural practices, and reflection and reflective writing.
The First Steps in Intercultural Learning Workshop is held during the Introduction Week. This workshop provides essential content, discussion and activities to prepare students for their intercultural learning, international experience and to guide their completion of assessment tasks.
The Departure Workshop takes place at the end of the semester and allows the students to reflect on their experience, particularly their intercultural learning and its
application to their future professional lives. Students also present their group assignment.

"Mindfulness means paying attention to what's happening in the present moment in the mind, body and external environment, with an attitude of curiosity and kindness." (The Mindfulness Initiative)

Dieses Modul basiert sehr stark auf erfahrungsbasiertem Lernen. Es setzt bei den Studierenden eine hohe intrinsische Motivation und die Bereitschaft sich mit sich selbst und den anderen Modulteilnehmenden aktiv auseinander zu setzten und auch regelmässig sich in Mindfulness zu üben voraus. Dieses Modul kann unabhängig der eigenen Weltanschaudung besucht werden. Wichtiger Bestandteil der Unterrichtseinheiten werden unterschiedliche Mindfulness-Praktiken sein wie Sitz- (z.B. Gegenstandslose Meditation, Open Monitoring, diverse Atemübungen, Compassion Meditation, Body Scan) und Bewegungsmeditationsformen (z.B. Yoga). Aber auch innovative Ansätze aus dem Improvisationstheater, Coaching und Leadership kommen zur Anwendung. "Mindfulness is a skill", welches somit erlernbar ist und mit Hilfe von regelmässiger Übung wie ein Muskel im Rahmen eines Krafttrainings gestärkt wird.

"Zwischen Reiz und Reaktion gibt es einen Raum. In diesem Raum haben wir die Freiheit und die Macht, unsere Reaktion zu wählen. In unserer Reaktion liegen unser Wachstum und unsere Freiheit." (Prof. Viktor E. Frankl)

Das Interesse an und die Bedeutung von Mindfulness hat seit rund 10 Jahren sowohl in der breiten Öffentlichkeit als auch in der Wissenschaftscommunity massiv zugenommen. Dies zeigt sich z.B. dadurch, dass mittlerweile mehr als 10'000 wissenschaftliche Journal Artikel in den einschlägigen Datenbanken zu finden sind. Zahlreiche Forschungsergebnisse belegen die positiven Auswirkungen der Mindfulness-Praxis wie:
- Die Konzentrations- und Lernfähigkeit wird verbessert
- Bewussterer und konstruktiverer Umgang mit Stress wird gefördert
- Kreativität und Innovationskraft wird gestärkt
- Empathiefähigkeit nimmt zu und Entwicklung von emotionaler Intelligenz wird unterstützt
- Psychische und physische Widerstandskraft wird gestärkt (Resilienz, Immunsystem)
- Neuroplastizität: Mindfulness ist eine Fähigkeit, die dank Übung trainiert werden kann und dadurch verändert sich auch nachweislich die Gehirnstruktur (vgl. Neurowissenschaften)

Ausserdem gibt es immer mehr Unternehmen, die Mindfulness als einen wesentlichen Bestandteil in ihren Entwicklungsprogrammen für Führungskräfte integriert haben. Darunter sind nicht nur technologieaffine Unternehmen wie Google, SAP, Facebook, Intel oder LinkedIn, sondern auch traditionellere Organisationen wie Deutsche Post, Credit Suisse, Caritas, Daimler, Bosch, Axpo, Hilti oder Ikea. Aber auch an immer mehr Universitäten (z.B. University of Oxford, Harvard Law School, London School of Economics oder Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) ist Mindfulness Teil des Angebots. Inhaltich orientiert sich dieses Wahlpflichtmodul an folgenden etablierten Mindfulness-Ansätzen: MBSR (Mind-fulness Based Stress Reduction; Prof. Jon-Kabat Zinn), MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy; Prof. Zindel Segal, Prof. John Teasdale, Prof. Mark Williams), SAM (Salzburger Achtsamkeitsmodell; Mindful Leader) und SIY (Search Inside Yourself; das wohl weitverbreitetste Corporate Mindfulness Leadership Programm mit mehr als 50'000 Absolventen, das 2007 von Chad-Meng Tan bei Google entwickelt wurde).

Ein besonderes Augenmerk werden wir auf die Verbindung zwischen Mindfulness und Resilienz legen

Personal saving and investing principles in a digital and sustainable world - Learn, apply and pass on to others

This is an interactive and practical course on all kind of questions about managing personal and individual financial situations in daily life with a focus on the specific needs of young people.

We will start with 2 interactive input days at the beginning of the semester. Over these 2 days, we provide students with an overview on personal finance to help them to immerse themselves in a general understanding of the topic and on how to solve the assignments.

This is followed by 2 days, reserved for active contributions of students. We will form several groups. Each group will provide 2 short presentations, one is on a general topic related to saving and investing, one is the presentation on a combination of savings and Investment plan to develop their future wealth. Based on the discussion of the last two days, each group will deliver a written paper (academic style) on their 2 topics (the first about min. 3 pages, the second min. 6 pages) within the following 3-4 weeks.

The final goal of the module is to put the written papers together producing a guideline for young people. Students should be able to pass their beneficial new knowledge to the peer group, convincing them to start saving and investing for their own future.

24 = 6 groups, max. 4 members each
We would prefer per group if several / all study disciplines would be represented.

Effective communication requires generosity. By contrast, a "competitive" atmosphere - where ideas are shut down, and where each person attempts to block the other or seeks to raise their profile at the cost of the others - is enemy number one for successful communication. Trust can be created when people are free to assume that their ideas and opinions will be given a ready ear, will be taken seriously, and that others may pick up the ideas so that innovation may occur. The "yes, and" principle is, therefore, one key to successful communication, teamwork and innovation.
Of paramount importance for every communication and presentation is also the personality of the speaker, which can create an atmosphere of trust and real interest. Body language plays a very important part and, very often, is used only unconsciously. Usually, "Status" is connected with a certain position or power, which someone enjoys in an organization or in society. However, in everyday life, we constantly play with our personal Status, which is somewhat independent from our professional Status. Everyone prefers a certain Status. By raising your own Status, you gain more authority and assertiveness. By lowering your own Status, thereby increasing the Status of someone else, you convey empathy and sympathy. Both raising and lowering your own Status are important and useful in different situations. Students will learn their preferred status and how to change it, when appropriate.
In this course, students will improve their communication and presentation skills, working with the methods of improvisational theater to also enhance their spontaneity, creativity and ability to deal with unknown situations.

This course is provided through Coursera and is offered by the University of California, Davis.

This Specialization is intended for working professionals early in their career and for organizations who look to improve interpersonal relationship skills among their employees, clients, and customers.

Through four courses, you will explore the use of emotional and social intelligence, practice a formula for problem solving, cultivate a growth mindset, and build skills related to adaptability and resilience in an ever-changing environment. These skills show up in business relationships and communication and ultimately impact professional effectiveness. You will be able to demonstrate sound judgment by engaging in critical thinking to reach decisions and solve problems independently. You will be able to develop a competitive advantage by learning, adapting, and harnessing insights from past endeavors. You will assess your own expectations in your current or anticipated work roles and settings, and how those may align with or differ from what is required by employers and other stakeholders now and in the future.

Professional Skills for the Workplace

Applied Learning Project

Learners will be required to take a look at themselves and decide who they want to be as a professional . They will practice new skills through activities, personal assessments, reflection and quizzes. These skills can be applied immediately to help them to grow and change within an organization.

Instructor: Lisa Montanaro (University of California, Davis) and others.

This FU consists of 4 courses:

Course 1: Emotional and Social Intelligence
Course 2: Critical Thinking Skills for the Professional
Course 3: The Growth Mindset
Course 4: Adaptability and Resiliency

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.

This specialization is provided through Coursera and is offered by the University of California, Irvine.

Project management has been proven to be the most effective method of delivering products within cost, schedule, and resource constraints. This intensive and hands-on series of courses gives you the skills to ensure your projects are completed on time and on budget while giving the user the product they expect. You will gain a strong working knowledge of the basics of project management and be able to immediately use that knowledge to effectively manage work projects. At the end of the series you will be able to identify and manage the product scope, build a work breakdown structure, create a project plan, create the project budget, define and allocate resources, manage the project development, identify and manage risks, and understand the project procurement process.

Instructor: Margaret Meloni, MBA, PMP (University of California, Irvine)

Project Management Principles and Practices

This specialization is a precursor to the Applied Project Management Certificate also offered by the University of California, Irvine and originally consists of four courses, three of which are relevant for this FU.

This FU consists of 3 courses:
Course 1: Initiating and Planning Projects
Course 2: Budgeting and Scheduling Projects
Course 3: Managing Project Risks and Changes

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.

Während in der westlichen Welt Informations- und Freiheitsrechte als selbstverständlich betrachtet werden, sind Journalistinnen und Journalisten an bestimmten Orten Bedrohungen, Gefährdungen und Gefahren ausgesetzt. Sie werden ausgewiesen, bei der Arbeit behindert, eingeschüchtert, für bestimmte Meinungen bezahlt - oder gelobt. Die Einschränkungen der Pressefreiheit sind international sehr vielfältig. Lange Zeit konnten klassische Medien reguliert und gelenkt werden, doch das Aufkommen von sozialen Medien hat für disruptive Veränderungen gesorgt. Mit genau diesem Spannungsfeld befasst sich das fakultätsübergreifende Wahlfach "Social Media und Pressefreiheit". Wir schauen uns den Zustand der Pressefreiheit von Ländern in Europa (und darüber hinaus) an und analysieren Social-Media-Aktivitäten. Welche Möglichkeiten gibt es, Öffentlichkeit dort herzustellen, wo sie behindert wird?

This course is provided through Coursera and is offered by the University of Virginia.

The Economics of AI

The course introduces you to cutting-edge research in the economics of AI and the implications for economic growth and labor markets. We start by analyzing the nature of intelligence and information theory. Then we connect our analysis to modeling production and technological change in economics, and how these processes are affected by AI. Next we turn to how technological change drives aggregate economic growth, covering a range of scenarios including a potential growth singularity. We also study the impact of AI-driven technological change on labor markets and workers, evaluating to what extent fears about technological unemployment are well-founded. We continue with an analysis of economic policies to deal with advanced AI. Finally, we evaluate the potential for transformative progress in AI to lead to significant disruptions and study the problem of how humans can control highly intelligent AI algorithms.

Instructor: Anton Korinek, University of Virginia

This module consists of 6 courses.

Course 1: What is Intelligence?
Course 2: Modeling Technological Progress
Course 3: AI and Economic Growth
Course 4: Labor Markets and Inequality
Course 5: Economic Policy in the Age of AI
Courses 6: The Economics of Transformative AI

The course starts on 10th of February 2025.
The course must be completed by 23rd of May 2025.

All parts of this course are free of charge.