Dependency and Slavery Studies

The Master's programme in Dependency and Slavery Studies is a research-oriented degree programme offering you a broad perspective on interdisciplinary research on slavery and other forms of strong asymmetrical dependencies through time and space. It is an interdisciplinary programme covering text-based scholarship, material culture studies and social sciences. The design of the programme allows students to acquire a sound knowledge of relevant (historical) phenomena as well as the methodological and theoretical tools to pursue their own study and research interests. Other courses support students working on case studies in order to pursue their own regional, temporal research interests. Our Master's students should profit from the cutting-edge research on slavery and other forms of strong asymmetrical dependency conducted in the interdisciplinary and international environment of the Bonn Centre for Dependency and Slavery Studies (BCDSS) / the "Beyond Slavery and Freedom" Cluster of Excellence. We offer: a unique and innovative Master's degree programme in "Dependency and Slavery Studies" an interdisciplinary and intercultural research environment support and supervision by internationally renowned scholars excellent student support The study programme consists of compulsory modules and compulsory elective modules. A total of seven compulsory modules and two compulsory elective modules must be taken within the first three semesters. The first semester forms the introduction to the topic of "slavery and other forms of strong asymmetrical dependencies" as well as to the different methodological and theoretical approaches to the research field for students starting with different study backgrounds. Module 1 discusses the diverse phenomena of dependency and slavery in different cultural and historical contexts. The aim of this module is to reflect on different forms of enduring asymmetrical dependencies in different temporal and regional contexts in order to break down the dichotomous notion of "slavery versus freedom" that often still prevails. Here, it is particularly important to address research literature on other forms of dependency in addition to the established canon of slavery studies. Modules 2 and 3 offer an overview of the methods and theories from the three scientific disciplines text-based scholarship, material culture studies and social sciences, by means of which forms of strong asymmetric dependency and slavery can be studied. Building on this, semesters two and three are dedicated to case studies, on the basis of which phenomena and concepts of strong asymmetric dependency and slavery are presented and discussed (modules 4 and 7). The aim is to provide a nuanced understanding of dependency and slavery in different contexts as well as to train students' ability to work on their own case studies. Module 5 in the second semester specifically addresses the method and theory of transcultural comparison. Finally, in the third semester, current research debates in the field of Dependency and Slavery Studies will be addressed and discussed (Module 6). In addition to reflecting on current debates, students should present and discuss their own research project, which is to be completed in the form of the Master's thesis (fourth semester), to their supervisor and the broader BCDSS public in a Master's colloquium at the end of the third semester in order to receive initial feedback for their project. The two compulsory elective modules in the second and third semesters enable students to specialise further or to gain fundamental knowledge in new areas such as digital humanities. In the third semester, students also have the option of completing an internship instead of a course. In addition to the mentioned courses, practising academic writing in English and courses on doing research are part of the programme. This provides a solid foundation for the MA thesis. PDF Download