British and American Transcultural Studies

This research-oriented two-year MA program prvides students with the opportunity to take an in-depth look at a range of topics associated with British and American Transcultural Studies - including cultural contact, colonization and migration.
Participants will learn how such phenomena can be investigated and analysed using theoretical and methodological approaches taken from literary studies, linguistics, and cultural studies.

The program requires an excellent knowledge of English, including very good spoken and written skills. It is expected that students have a keen interest in the English language and its discourses, not to mention very good abilities to analyse texts. Moreover, students should have an intense interest in encountering other cultures and literatures, as well as a desire to read extensively and to investigate diverse linguistic and cultural forms.

Students take courses focusing on the historical and contemporary effects of expansion, colonialization and migration on the English language, English-speaking cultures and literature in English. To improve their understanding of interdisciplinary approaches, participants also take two subjectrelated courses outside the English department. In addition to course work, students are given the chance to work independently, to broaden and deepen their knowledge of transcultural processes, and to develop their research methods and professional academic skills in the Master’s Thesis and Master’s Colloquium.

The program aims not only at giving students the specialist skills and knowledge needed to work effectively in English and American Studies but also at helping them attain the English language abilities and professional competence essential to becoming researchers in these and related fields. It thus recognizes and responds to the growing importance and continued relevance of Englishspeaking cultures in a globalized world. In addition to offering indispensible skills for further academic qualifications (e.g., doctoral degree), the program provides a basis for a wide range of occupations in education, public relations, the media, culture, and related areas of work.