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Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst

German Academic Exchange Service

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International Programmes in Germany 2015

Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies Universitt Heidelberg Heidelberg
Degree
Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies
Course language(s)
English
The general language of the programme is English,
optional courses may be held in German. The Master's
thesis can be submitted in either English or German.
Admission semester

CONTACT
Universitt Heidelberg
Karl Jaspers Centre for Transcultural Studies
Jule Nowoitnick
Vossstrae 2, Gebude 4400
69115 Heidelberg
Tel. +49 (0) 62 21-54 40 09
Fax. +49 (0) 62 21-54 40 12

Winter semester only

Beginning
Winter semester - October
Programme duration
Four semesters (two years)
Application deadline
Non-German applicants: 15 June through the
International Relations Office of Heidelberg University
German applicants: within the regular enrolment
deadlines of Universitt Heidelberg for the winter
semester
Course content
The MA Transcultural Studies at Universitt Heidelberg
has an interdisciplinary and transregional focus. It is
informed by the perspective that cultures are not
contained within ethnically closed, linguistically
homogeneous and territorially bounded spheres, but
that they are constituted through transformations and
entanglements that follow from extended contacts and
relationships. Forms of mobility and connectedness
have been characteristic of cultures over centuries
pre-dating the advent of modern communication
technologies and global capital.
The courses of this programme address these issues
by focusing on the changes which circulatory practices
have undergone from past to present. Studying the
dynamics of transcultural exchanges involves
analysing the agency of participants in these
developments and shifts over longer as well as shorter
time spans. The regional focus lies on Asia and

E-mail
[mailto:nowoitnick@asia-

europe.uni-heidelberg.de]
Course website
[http://www.transcultural.unihd.de]

Submit application to
Ruprecht-Karls-Universitt Heidelberg
Akademisches Auslandsamt
Seminarstrae 2
69117 Heidelberg
Germany

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Europe. The programme is designed to provide

substantive knowledge and the methodological tools for
this study. Particular attention will be paid to introducing
students to the integrated study of different types of
records - objects, texts of different genres, visual,
audio or digital media - with a view to fleshing out the
ways in which people in specific regional contexts
experience, contest and represent these shifts.
Within the wide range of courses offered in the MA
Transcultural Studies, students are guided to follow one
of the three study foci throughout the programme.
Each study focus cuts across disciplines and is not
confined to one region. The three study foci are:
- Society, Economy and Governance (SEG)
- Knowledge, Belief and Religion (KBR)
- Visual, Media and Material Culture (VMC)
The core courses are taught by the chairs of Buddhist
Studies, Cultural Economic History, Global Art History,
Intellectual History, and Visual and Media Anthropology.
For more details on the study foci please refer to our
homepage.
Educational
organisation
Courses in the MA Transcultural Studies are mainly
seminars with a high demand for participation by the
students (i.e. reading, presentation, etc.). In each
semester, one course can be imported from related,
specialised disciplines, including language courses.
While in the first semester the theoretical foundation is
laid, the second and third semesters are intended for
extending and applying this foundation to one study
focus and a certain region. The last semester is spent
entirely on the writing of the Master's thesis.
Below is a rough study plan:
First Semester - Basic Orientation
- Module "Transcultural Studies": one introductory
course and one additional course in one study focus
(14 ECTS)
- Module "Orientation": one introductory course in one
study focus and one course of free choice (14 ECTS)
Second Semester - Study Focus
- Module "Focus I": two courses in the selected study
focus (14 ECTS)
- Module "Focus II": one course in the selected study
focus and one course of free choice (14 ECTS)
Third Semester - Expanding Horizon
- Module "Advanced Transcultural Studies I": one
advanced course in the selected study focus and one
course of free choice (14 ECTS)
- Module "Advanced Transcultural Studies II": at least
two courses of free choice (16 ECTS)
NOTE: We encourage students to use this term as a
mobility term, spending time abroad for project work,

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study exchange etc.

Fourth Semester - Master's Thesis
- Module "Oral Examination": one colloquium
accompanying the writing of the Master's thesis (4
ECTS)
- Module "Master's Thesis" (30 ECTS)
Study abroad unit(s)
The third semester contains a "mobility window", i.e.
the option for interested students to study or conduct
research abroad. Universitt Heidelberg has
established a number of exchange agreements
specifically with partner institutions in Asia.
Internships
Internships related to the studies or to the research
ultimately leading to the Master's thesis are supported
during the third semester, but are not compulsory.
Forms of assessment
Most courses require intensive participation by
students in the form of oral and written presentations
amounting to approx. four ECTS. The final examination
of a module usually consists of a longer essay. Other
forms of presenting research results, i.e. films or other
visual presentations, are encouraged.
ECTS credits
120
Diploma supplement
Yes
Course-related English
language courses
Yes
Course objectives
Students are trained in the programme to critically
evaluate research tools and methodologies from
different disciplines in order to arrive at a set of
methods and theories, framed according to the
specific research question and material. While they
continue to acquire expertise in the disciplines from
which they have entered the programme, they are
taught to adopt a distinctly interdisciplinary,
transregional perspective in their studies, involving a
high level of self-reflexivity. Linguistic competence is
essential for transcultural studies, which involve a
constant process of translating and negotiating
concepts from one context to another, and writing
about such diverse aspects in one language.
Upon completion of the programme, students will be
able to independently conceptualise a research
question, identify relevant theories and methods from a
number of disciplines, apply them to selected material

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and present their results according to academic

standards.
Tuition fees
No tuition fees
Enrolment fees
134 EUR per semester
Costs of living
Approx. 900 EUR per month to cover personal
expenses.
Job opportunities
Students wishing to work during their studies have
numerous options within Universitt Heidelberg and
outside. They can find jobs as student assistants in the
university, working between 20-60 hours per month.
Other popular student jobs include working in
gastronomy or as language tutors or in various
companies in the region. Factories also like to hire
students during vacation time.
Language requirements
Applicants need to prove very good proficiency (at
least C1) in English by means of any one of the
following:
- a minimum score of 90 in the internet-based, 230 in
the computer-based, or 575 in the paper-based
TOEFL
- a minimum score of 6.5 in the IELTS
- a minimum score of 730 in the TOIEC
- a CAE
- a certificate of the language centre of Universitt
Heidelberg (University) with "good" (2.0) or better
Furthermore, good knowledge (at least B1) of two
more languages, including the respective mother
tongue, is mandatory. Applicants have to prove their
knowledge by documents indicating a degree in those
languages or by language certificates accepted at
Universitt Heidelberg.

Academic requirements
Applicants must hold a BA or equivalent (minimum
three years of study) in a discipline of the humanities,
cultural or social sciences with an above-average
grade.
See "language requirements".
Where to apply
Ruprecht-Karls-Universitt Heidelberg
Akademisches Auslandsamt
Seminarstrae 2

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69117 Heidelberg
Germany
Arrival support
Please refer to the Student Services at Universitt
Heidelberg:
http://www.studentenwerk.uni-heidelberg.de/index.jsp [
http://www.studentenwerk.uni-heidelberg
.de/index.jsp]
Services and support
for international
students
Please refer to the Student Services at Universitt
Heidelberg:
http://www.studentenwerk.uni-heidelberg.de/index.jsp [
http://www.studentenwerk.uni-heidelberg
.de/index.jsp]
Accommodation
Accommodation is available through the Student
Services or on the private market. Rent for a single
room in a student residence is approx. 280-350 EUR.
Course website
www.transcultural.uni-hd.de [http://www.transcu
ltural.uni-hd.de]
About the university
Founded in 1386, Universitt Heidelberg is Germany's
oldest university and one of the most researchintensive higher education institutions in Europe.
Total number of
students
30,000
Total percentage of
international students
20 %
About the city
Heidelberg is regarded as one of the most beautiful
cities in Germany. Every year millions of tourists are
drawn to visit its castle and the Old Town along the
Neckar. Heidelberg was included in the preliminary
German list for registration as a UNESCO World
Heritage site.
The city looks back on over 800 years of history.
Modern Heidelberg attracts people with its forwardlooking science and research activities; it is a rapidly
growing business location and the lively centre of the
Rhine-Neckar Triangle.

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