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Program and courses Art and Media Studies This program is perfect for students who are interested in the effects of digitalization on contemporary cultural and artistic phenomena in the public sphere, contemporary media culture, arts, literature and aesthetic philosophy. We teach you how to analyze, understand, evaluate and communicate about artistic and cultural practices in online and offline contexts. Program structure This one-year master’s track in Art and Media Studies consists of 60 ECTS: 6 core courses (33 ECTS) 1 elective course (6 ECTS) 2 research skills courses (6 ECTS) A Master's thesis (15 ECTS) Most courses link to Diggit Magazine: papers and assignments written, commented and edited in courses will be published on this online news platform. This program starts at the end of August. Program content Core courses New Private and Public Spheres (6 ECTS) Is democracy in decline? This course provides an in-depth analysis of various participants, activities and phenomena in public spheres in the digital world. The focus will be on practices and uses of social media in the public sphere and on the potential of and threats to democracy. Intimacy, Privacy, Authenticity (6 ECTS) Do we still care for privacy in the digital world? This course gives an introduction to theories on the intersections of authenticity, intimacy, and privacy in a digital age. It teaches how to apply these to various new media phenomena and practices with regards to self-representation. Authorship & Persona: Fabricating Identity (6 ECTS) How to create a public persona? This course deals with the way authorship is constructed in the contemporary digital media culture. The main focus is on how authors and visual artists create a ‘public identity’, that is often opposed to an alleged ‘personal’ identity. Beauty and the Sublime Online: Rethinking Aesthetic Theories (6 ECTS) Many philosophers have discussed the concept of the sublime, and this course starts with re-thinking these discussions (by Burke, Kant and Lyotard). Subsequently, the ideas on and perceptions of the sublime in art will be transposed to the sublime on the internet and the exposure to unbounded data. Media Interventions: Participation, Practices & Debates (6 ECTS) A range of contemporary public debates will be analyzed. What are the crucial topics in the 21th century new public sphere? How are artistic practices used as a way to intervene in public debate in order to address and activate the public? Urgent Media Topic: Migration (3 ECTS) This course deals with questions such as: How can the humanities contribute to research on and knowledge of migration? How can the experiences of migrants be represented in artefacts and articles? Elective courses Choose 1 elective course from the following options: Ritual, Art and the Body in digital culture What are the rituals performed in a digital society? How do we cope with death and grief online? Various anthropological studies will be used to reflect on online practices and rituals. Post-humanist Stories & Science Fiction Scenarios What scenarios are developed for the future? How do we deal with ideas and perspectives on climate change, mobility or artificial intelligence? In this course you will study multidisciplinary theorists and artists that explore the big ideas and questions concerning the earth and human life. Digital industries and infrastructures In this course, we explore the infrastructure and industry of internet and mobile technologies. Expect critical examination on the political economy of the internet in the era of portal website and reflections on the cultural logic or the language of this new media. We will discuss the politics of mobility and immobility, as well as the materiality of locative media and the possible cultural impact of Internet of Things (IoTs). Intercultural Communication Online and Offline (ICC) We need an understanding of intercultural competences for the 21st digital century to navigate the complex and challenging intercultural spaces by having critical and reflective skills as global citizens. The purpose of this course is to raise your awareness, increase your critical analysis skills, and develop your competence for intercultural communication in the context of globalization. ICC is at the crossroads of various disciplines such as anthropology, social- and cross-cultural psychology, economy, sociolinguistics and so on. Contested Ritual Space and Religious Diversity Study the visibility of religion in the public domain in relation to both religious diversity and secularism. We will explore ongoing identity conflicts as well as the celebration of difference and the proliferation of ritual expression. After completing this course, you will have grown a sensitivity for the phenomena of ritual, ritual dynamics and contested ritualizations in the context of religious diversity and/or secularism. An elective from one of the other Culture Studies' tracks: Art and Media Studies Health Humanities Management of Cultural Diversity Jeugdliteratuur (taught in Dutch) Research skills courses Choose two of these 7 research skills courses: Using digital literacies The hybrid media system and online writing Ethnography and Interview Narratology and discursive analytical strategies Ethnomining Anthropology and Fieldwork Survey Design Master's thesis The main objective of the Master's thesis is to write a research paper on a particular topic related to the track Art and Media Studies. The course 'Master Thesis KCW' will prepare you for writing your thesis.

Winter semester starts in end of August, hence we suggest international students to apply for students visa in time.