British and American Cultures: Texts and Media

The Master's programme in British and American Cultures: Texts and Media deals with the cultural productions of Great Britain and the United States of America in all their forms and variations. In addition to the research-oriented examination of English and American literature from their beginnings to the present day, the programme also focuses on contemporary theoretical and critical discourses such as postcolonial studies, cultural studies, gender studies, performance studies, and media studies. From the dramas of Shakespeare to the representation of gender in American and British television, from Hamlet to the narrative forms of new media, a broad spectrum of texts will be discussed from multiple theoretical and methodological perspectives. Students will learn advanced analytical skills in dealing with fiction, poetry, drama, photography, movies, paintings, comics, and music. The course of study puts a special emphasis on innovative didactic methods of communication and on independent research work conducted by students. Examples of these approaches include the guided organisation of a conference, symposium, or publication during which the students will be showcasing their own projects or research papers. Students will attend seminars and lectures in both English and American Studies with the option to specialise in one of these disciplines in the later part of the programme. The four-semester British and American Cultures Master's programme comprises literary, cultural, and media studies components, and is divided further into required, specialised, and elective areas. Within the specialised area, students may focus on either British or American studies. The programme comprises the following modules: Module 1: Advanced Methods of Literary and Cultural Analysis Module 2: Text—Context—Media Module 3: Current Topics in American Literary and Cultural Studies Module 4: Current Topics in British Literary and Cultural Studies Composition course (in parallel to Module 3 or 4) Module 5/6: Theory and Practice of Advanced Academic Research Elective modules: Optional courses (e.g. in linguistics, politics, history, sociology) Master’s thesis and final exam PDF Download