Understanding the past and contemporary social and cultural world

Ziel des Studiums "Cultural and Social Studies" ist es, sich die aktuelle soziale und kulturelle Welt über ihre geschichtlichen Verflechtungen sowie ihre intersektional organisierte Strukturen und  Diskurse zu erschließen. Sie werden theoretische und methodische Herangehensweisen verschiedener Disziplinen (Kulturgeschichte, Literaturwissenschaft, Linguistik und Sozialwissenschaften) kennenlernen.

Nach einer grundlegenden Einführung in die einzelnen akademischen Disziplinen werden Sie in Ihrem Studium Kenntnisse in interdisziplinären und themengeleiteten Feldern vertiefen:

• EUROPE/S – History, Culture, Politics
• MEDIA − Image, Text and Language
• DIFFERENCE – Migration, Gender and Diversity

English:

The BA "Cultural and Social Studies" (CuSo) is an English- and German-language BA program. The program explicitly invites students with education from non-German speaking countries, who can gradually acquire knowledge of German. At the same time it is very attractive for students who know both German and English and want to study in an international environment. All students have to acquire or prove competence in a third language. Courses are held in English and German.

The goal of the program is to gain an understanding of the contemporary social and cultural world through its historical interconnections as well as its intersectionally organized structures and discourses. You will become acquainted with theoretical and methodological approaches of different disciplines (cultural history, literary studies, linguistics and comparative social sciences).

While offering a profound consolidation in all four academic fields, your studies will specifically deepen your knowledge of the following interdisciplinary and thematic fields:

• EUROPE/S – History, Culture, Politics
• MEDIA − Image, Text and Language
• DIFFERENCE – Migration, Gender and Diversity

Course of study

The standard period of study is 6 semesters and the scope of study is 180 ECTS credits.

Module 1: Introduction (15 ECTS-Credits)
Module 2: Consolidation (15 ECTS-Credits)

• Overview of disciplinary approaches to studying culture and society in a lecture series by professors of the faculty
• Accompanying seminar that focuses on the acquisition of basic academic writing competences in the context of cultural and social sciences
• Consolidation Module – two courses in general cultural sciences in English

Module 3: 30 ECTS-Credits / Module 4: 30 ECTS-Credits

Choose two of three modules and attend four courses in each:

• EUROPE/S – History, Culture, Politics
• MEDIA – Image, Text and Language
• DIFFERENCE – Migration, Gender and Diversity

Module 5: 12 ECTS-Credits

• Either a deepened focus on one of the topics offered in modules 3 and 4 by attending two more courses in these moduler or
• Take part in two courses in economics at the Faculty of Business Administration and Economics of Viadrina or
• Take part in two courses in Digital Societies, offered in cooperation with the European New School of Viadrina

Module 6: 12 ECTS-Credits

• The module focuses on methods in science to ensure access to academic standards as they are common in German social and cultural sciences
• Peer-writing class (ideally to be attended in the beginning)
• Attendance in a colloquium in one of the four academic disciplines (to be attended in German)
• Programme-specific interdisciplinary colloquium in which BA thesis research design is presented and an exposé is written

Module 7: 36 ECTS-Credits

For students without German backgrounds:

• German (at least B2)
• Students are strongly advised to reach C1 level if they plan to continue their studies in Germany
• Another foreign language (B1), (C1) if this is English
• Students with Anglophone backgrounds are excluded from choosing English as a foreign language

For students with German backgrounds:

• One foreign language which is not English (B2)
• One other foreign language (B1) or (C1) if this is English

Module 8: 18 ECTS-Credits

At least four weeks (6 ECTS-Credits) internship for all:

by means of a three-months internship abroad, students can fulfill the obligation of the mandatory stay abroad (earning the module's total of 18 ECTS-Credits at the same time)
students with non-German background can course a three-months internship abroad (ideally in a German-speaking environment) or in Germany to comply with the study regulations

Career perspectives

The degree gives you the ability to study and analyze complex cultural interrelationships. Through interdisciplinary insights as well as experiences abroad and in job-practice, you will also acquire important key qualifications and intercultural skills for a subsequent master's degree or direct career entry in a wide variety of industries: Culture and project management, press and public relations, journalism, education, NGOs, politics, business and human resources consulting, or marketing.

The Viadrina bachelor‘s degree in Cultural and Social Studies opens doors to appealing career opportunities and paves your way to an international working environment.

Application

Applications for advanced semesters
The application period for students, who are transferring between higher Education Institutions or courses of studies, runs from 1st June to 15th July (for the winter semester) and from 7th December to 15th January (for summer semester) online via viaCampus.

Please send the signed covering letter of your application (printed version) by 15th July (for winter semester) or 15th January (for summer semester) to the admission office (Zulassungsamt)

The application requires a covering letter including the following:

• The recognition of periods of study and/or the recognition of credits achieved at the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences University Viadrina. Here you can find all forms:
• Forms of the Faculty of Social and Cultural Sciences
• for applications by external applicant: a certified copy of  the University Entrance qualification (it is not necessary for Viadrina students),
• for applications by external applicant: a confirmation from the examination office (Prüfungsamt) of the former University, that you  did not lose the examination right,
• for applications by external applicant: certificate of study from your former University, which contains your previous study semesters.

For any further/detailed information please visit our website.