Atlantic Studies/ History, Culture and Society
(Master of Arts)

On a map lies an open blank book with a pen, glasses, a camera, polaroid pictures and a magnifying glass.

Profile

Course type

Postgraduate studies (Master)

Standard Course Duration

4 semesters

Course Start

Winter semester, Summer semester

Language of Instruction

German, English

Language Requirements

German HZB: English B2 AND another subject-related foreign language B1
International application: German B2 AND English B2 AND another subject-related foreign language B1
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Admission

Restricted admission

International

Stay abroad possible, but not obligatory.

Short Description

Course content:
The Master's programme in "Atlantic Studies" is the only programme in Germany that offers students the opportunity to decide during their studies whether to study the social, cultural, political and economic relationships in the South Atlantic from a historical or interdisciplinary perspective of the humanities and social sciences!
Against the backdrop of historical and contemporary globalization processes and migrations, the programme focuses on interconnections between the continents around the Atlantic. A possible special focus lies on relations in the South Atlantic region due to the unique teaching combination of African History (one out of five professorships in Germany) and Latin American History present in Hannover, as well as expertise on both continents in the literary/ cultural and social sciences. Particularly in the historical specialization, the programme offers the full range of time from antiquity to contemporary history.

Teaching staff:
Teaching staff comes from the History Department (African and Latin American History, Ancient, Medieval, Modern and Contemporary History), but also from the Institute of Sociology (Sociology and Cultural Anthropology), the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures (Spanish Studies, Literature and Linguistics), the English Department (English Studies and American Studies) and the Institute for the Study of Religions. The track Interdisciplinary studies is organized by the Centre for Atlantic and Global Studies (CEAGS).

Particular advantages of the course:

Integrated period abroad related to the professional field while at university (cooperative agreements with universities in countries such as Chile, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Senegal, Ghana and the USA, international internship exchange)
Acquisition of empirical research skills in the Research-Training Module, e.g. in cooperation with local institutions and international visiting lecturers
Intensive support, the possibility to specialise during the programme
In the history track, a particular regional or epochal focus can be set using different methodological approaches

Professional skills:

The Master’s degree programme in Atlantic Studies trains students to become regional and globalisation experts on the South Atlantic region between Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, as well as historians who can work in project-oriented research and communication. Graduates possess versatile language skills and intercultural skills, project management skills, and have undertaken stays abroad in unique international contexts.

Further information on the website of the programme Atlantic Studies

Course Content

Challenges of long-term social change in the Atlantic region: demographic change, migration movements, global economic asymmetries, social inequality and labour relations, cities in the Global South and Europe
Conflict dynamics and conflict resolution in the Atlantic, as well as adjacent regions: violence and conflict resolution, e.g. Central American peace processes, interculturality and legal pluralism, political participation, social and solidarity movements, global human rights, religions and ethnicity as political resources
Mediality and interculturality: Knowledge production and organization, identity formation and its cultural representation, political participation
Dealing with the colonial past and colonial heritage: memorial cultures and the colonial past, (post)colonial crisis phenomena and conflict dynamics, racism
Globalisation, Locality and Transcultural Spaces

Course Structure

Relations between Africa, the Americas (in particular Latin America and the Caribbean) globalization, locality and transcultural spaces up to the present, focusing on the South Atlantic and Europe in its global contexts in distinctly historical perspective
Interdisciplinary theoretical approaches (historical, with emphasis on global history and historical anthropology, sociological, cultural anthropological, linguistic, literatary and cultural studies or religious studies approaches), empirical research practice

Structure of the degree programme:

Compulsory modules for the interdisciplinary track: Basic Module ‘Approaches to Atlantic Studies’; Basic Module ‘Research Debates’; Research Training Module; Practical Training Module (internship in an international context at home or abroad or a semester abroad at an African, Latin American/Caribbean, Canadian or US-American, or European university with a focus on the Atlantic or a global focus), Master’s thesis
Compulsory modules for the historical track: Basic module approaches to Atlantic Studies; Theory and historiographical concepts of historical science, theories tested in practice; Practical module, Master's thesis
Compulsory elective modules: Globalisation and Transcultural Spaces; Inequality, Power, Difference; Social, Religious and Cultural Movements; Violence and Conflict Resolution; Cultural Anthropology

Sem.	Module			LP / Sem.
1.	Basic module approaches to Atlantic Studies/History, Culture and Society (10 CP)	Compulsory elective module (10 LP)	Compulsory elective module (10 LP)	30 LP
2.	Basic module research debates (10 CP) (Interdisciplinary Studies track)	Research learning module (10 CP) (Interdisciplinary Studies track)	Compulsory elective module (10 LP)	30 LP
2.	Theory and historiographical concepts of historical science (10 CP) (History track)	Theories tested in practice (10 CP) (History track)	Compulsory elective module (10 LP)	30 LP
3.	Practical module (30 LP)			30 LP
4.	Master's thesis (30 LP)			30 LP

Recommended Abilities

Openness and the willingness to look beyond European and nation state perspectives of social contexts
Ability to persevere with exploring an object of research intensively and to thoroughly read specialised texts
An interest in interdisciplinary approaches
An interest in research trips and the willingness to get involved with multicultural contexts
Depending on the study track you choose, two modern foreign languages, preferably Spanish or French (interdisciplinary track) or other languages (e.g. Latin if you are particularly interested in the Middle Ages and antiquity)

Career Opportunities

universities, colleges and non-university research institutes
management and politics of science,
international relations – political consulting, work with governmental and non-governmental institutions, especially in the field of development cooperation
Parliaments, municipalities
international business enterprises and associations
foundations with an international orientation
Print media, radio, television and “digital media”
academic publishers
cultural institutions, marketing, public relations
museums, archives, libraries, memorials
adult education
Private sector (companies, banks and their archives)

Admission requirements and application

Admission Requirements

An undergraduate degree in a related field of study, such as

For master's degree programmes with restricted admission, places shall be allocated according to the university’s own selection procedure, if there are more applicants fulfilling the admission requirements than there are places available. The exact admission requirements can be found in the admission regulations: