Student portrait: Laura Jung – Bonjour Culture!

2020-12-07 The 24-year-old cultural scholar is studying the part-time Master Arts and Cultural Management at the Professional School. The Erasmus scholarship holder is currently spending a semester abroad in France.

"I chose the Professional School because of the practical exchange. The programme was not offered elsewhere in this way." ©privat
"I chose the Professional School because of the practical exchange. The programme was not offered elsewhere in this way."

When Laura Jung enrolled at the University of Arles for her semester abroad, she was asked to indicate the course of study at her home university: "I couldn't find 'Arts and Cultural Management' in the list. That's when I realised that I wanted to do something very unusual," says the student. This statement is true in two respects: with the Master's programme, the Professional School and the Goethe-Institut have been offering a new type of programme in the field of cultural management since 2018, which, as an English-speaking, part-time distance learning programme, trains cultural workers from all over the world to deal with transformation processes in the cultural sector. Laura Jung is also the first student to spend a semester abroad. "I chose France to improve my language skills because I can well imagine working abroad later on," says Laura Jung. After graduating from high school, she went to Paris and did a voluntary service in a European meeting centre. Since then, she speaks French so well that she can study in the language. At the University of Arles, she also deals with cultural management, in particular project management, cultural financing and politics.

The Master Arts and Cultural Management at the Professional School is studied in English: "That way I am very well positioned internationally," says Laura Jung. The distance-learning programme at the Professional School also gives her freedom of time and place. The student worked in Event Management at the University of Leipzig until her semester abroad in France. She also completed her Bachelor's degree in Cultural Studies there. "I started studying at Leuphana after my Abitur and moved to Leipzig in the third semester for private reasons. The time at Leuphana was very inspiring, it's a modern university. That's why it was my heart's desire to study there again," says Laura Jung. In the Master Arts and Cultural Management programme, the 24-year-old student is one of the youngest: "Many people in my situation take up a programme at the Graduate School after their Bachelor's degree. But I found the proximity to professional practice at the Professional School particularly exciting. We are working there in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, for example, on case studies for a community centre in Pakistan or an art and cultural centre museum complex in Bangkok," reports the student. She particularly benefits from the exchange with the other students, who often look back on longer professional experience than Laura Jung does: "I've already been able to learn a lot with there. I chose the Professional School because of the practical exchange. The programme was not offered elsewhere in this way."

The tuition fees at the Professional School are secondary for the student: "I worked for a few months in cultural programme planning at the Goethe-Institut in Melbourne, where I organised cinema concerts, readings and exhibitions. Back then, I found out from friends how much it costs to study in other countries. At the Professional School, it's still comparatively inexpensive". Laura Jung would like to work at the Goethe-Institut again after her Master's degree. She began studying at Leuphana in autumn 2019 and at the same time planned her semester abroad in France: "The staff at the Professional School cleared the way for me. Now I've taken a semester off and will be able to resume my studies seamlessly afterwards". Laura Jung moved to the cultural city of Arles as an Erasmus scholarship holder and shares a small flat in the city centre with two French women: "I found the room on the Internet. Especially within the EU, it's easy to study abroad. For example, you don't need a new bank account or additional health insurance, as is often the case in countries outside of Europe. When I went to Melbourne for my Bachelor's programme, the preparation was a bit more complex. The Corona Pandemic made time more difficult, though: "Here in France, the lockdown was sometimes much stricter than in Germany and we were only allowed to leave the house for one hour a day". She will still be able to travel to Germany at Christmas: "I'll have to go into quarantine for two weeks, but I'll use the time to study," says Laura Jung.