Atlantic Studies in History, Culture and Society
(Master of Arts)
German HZB: English B2 AND another subject-related foreign language B1 (preferably French and/or Spanish)
International application: German B2 AND English B2 AND another subject-related foreign language B1 (preferably French and/or Spanish)
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Stay abroad possible, but not obligatory.
Short Description
Course content:
The Master's programme "Atlantic Studies" is the only programme in Germany that addresses social, cultural, political and economic relations in the South Atlantic from an interdisciplinary, historically comparative perspective in humanities and social sciences.Against the backdrop of historical and contemporary globalization processes and migrations, the programme focuses on interconnections between the three continents around the Atlantic. A 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.
Teaching staff:
members of the Centre for Atlantic and Global Studies from the History Department (African and Latin American History), 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.
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.
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. Graduates possess versatile language skills and intercultural skills, project management skills, and have undertaken stays abroad in unique international contexts.
Areas of Focus
- 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
- Conflict dynamics and conflict resolution in the Atlantic region: 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
- Relations between Africa, the Americas (in particular Latin America and the Caribbean) and Europe from the 15th century to the globalised present, focusing on the South Atlantic 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: 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 elective modules: Globalisation and Transcultural Spaces; Inequality, Power, Difference; Social, Religious and Cultural Movements; Violence and Conflict Resolution; Cultural Anthropology
| term | Interdisciplinary Theories and Methods Modules (compulsory) | Project Modules (compulsory) | Master Thesis (compulsory) | Thematic Modules (elective) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basic Module Approaches to Atlantic Studies
| Research Training Module
| 3 out of 5 thematic modules:
| |
| 2 | Basic Module Research Debates
| |||
| 3 | Practical Training Module
| |||
| 4 | Master's thesis |
- 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
- Two modern foreign languages, preferably Spanish or French
- 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
- international business enterprises and associations
- foundations with an international orientation
- media, journalism, publishing houses
- cultural institutions, marketing, public relations
- museums, archives, libraries
- adult education
Admission Requirements
An undergraduate degree in a related field of study, such as
- English Studies as subject in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Bachelor of Arts)
- History as subject in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Bachelor of Arts)
- Political Science (Bachelor of Arts)
- Politics as subject in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Bachelor of Arts)
- Social Sciences (Bachelor of Arts)
- Spanish Studies as subject in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Bachelor of Arts)
- Study of Religion / Values and Norms as subject in the Interdisciplinary Bachelor’s Degree Programme (Bachelor of Arts)
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:
Application Deadlines
First-year students (application from non-EU countries via uni-assist)
- June 1st – July 15th of the year for the winter semester
- December 1st – January 15th of the year for the summer semester
Students resuming their studies and transfer students (application in a higher semester)
- June 1st – July 15th of the year for the winter semester
- December 1st – January 15th of the year for the summer semester
Do you have questions about studying? We are happy to help!
30167 Hannover
30167 Hannover
