Culture, Arts and Media
Building on a long tradition of successful cultural sciences education in Lüneburg, the new master's program in Culture, Arts and Media initiates an interdisciplinary dialogue between various human and social science disciplines. Students have the opportunity to explore the full complexity of a research question, to understand its historical context, and to provide new answers and problem-solving approaches by integrating different perspectives. Early on, the degree program offers students the opportunity to set their own priorities in their field of study and to pursue projects on their own.
Content and Idea
Cultural sciences take place where problems are so complex or fundamental that they cannot be adequately grasped from a single perspective, but instead require a change in perspective. They focus on cultural artefacts, forms of practice, institutions and media as well as on areas of cultural production. At the same time, cultural sciences are concerned with both high culture and art as well as with popular and everyday culture. In analyzing society and providing historical explanations, special consideration is given to cultural factors including phenomena such as symbolic power and rule. Students enrolled in the master's program of Culture, Arts and Media can deepen and complement their previous studies by a cultural sciences perspective with special focus on either art and visual culture or on media culture and communication.
Program structure
The interdisciplinary program of study is composed of different areas:
The Integrative Cultural Analysis area serves as a common foundation for all students. It contains a total of six modules: the Theory of Culture and Cultural History module provides an introduction to modes of thinking toward which the major approaches within these two fundamental traditions of cultural sciences orient themselves. Problem-focused, interdisciplinary elective modules address dominant perspectives and topics of contemporary cultural sciences. They offer students the opportunity to broaden their academic horizon: for example, by gaining an insight into the perspectives of history and literature, cultural geography and sociology as well as philosophy.
Students select one out of two areas of in-depth study, within which they complete another six modules. The modules offered in the area of Media Culture and Communication investigate changes in media communication and their impact on everyday life, culture and society by reference to cultural media studies. Within the area of Art and Visual Culture, students reconstruct the theoretical, historical, and institutional contours of artistic forms of knowledge and practice. In addition, students are offered projects in the field of “artistic research.” Within the framework of the Art Room of Leuphana University, students work together with internationally renowned artists and curators.
The master's program curriculum is complemented by a cross-disciplinary Complementary Studies program, where students study general academic foundations reflecting on science, as well as by the area of Master’s Forum & Research Perspectives. In the latter, students acquire special competencies necessary to carry out independent research on cultural issues. Based on this intensive preparation phase, students complete their master’s studies in the fourth semester by writing their master's thesis.
Prospects
The consecutive master's program in Culture, Arts and Media is well-suited for students who wish to pursue an academic career as well as for those who want to take on responsibilities in the cultural and creative industries, in the field of art, in the media, or in the public art sector or in foundations.
Aspirants
The program is targeted at graduates with a bachelor's or any equivalent degree in a program of study focusing on cultural, human or social sciences, who either wish to further sharpen their profile in cultural studies or who want to complement their bachelor’s degree with courses in cultural studies. All graduates from related cultural studies disciplines are welcome to the master’s program. General requirements for admission include, among others, an above average transcript of the previous degree and sufficient English language proficiency.