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Arts and Culture (Research)

Master

The Research Master Arts and Culture is a two-year programme, in four semesters, that teaches Art History and its interconnectedness with media studies, literature and literary theory, within a shared theoretical and methodological framework.

Students can focus on different domains within Art History:

  • Art of the Contemporary World and World Art Studies

  • Art and Architecture before 1800

  • Design, Culture and Society

  • Museums and Collections

  • Film and Photographic Studies

For more information on the structure of the programme please see More Info.
Contact: Els Munter (Coordinator of Studies).

First Year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory Courses
LUCAS seminar: Cultural Theory for the 21st Century 5
Research School Courses (Arts and Culture & Literary Studies) 5
Methodological Concepts in Art and Literature 10

Period Electives

Students take two Period Electives in the first year and one in the second year.
Heavenly and Earthly Love in the Art and Literature of the Middle Ages from 1100 to 1500 10
Literature and the Questions of Doing Justice or Making Law 10
Interculturality 1: Key Concepts 10
Interculturality 2: The Global Imagination 10
Medieval and Early Modern Studies: Paris c. 1750, the Birth of the Modern Art World 10
Medieval and Early Modern Studies: From Manuscript to Print: Media Change in the Low Countries 10

Specialisation Electives

Students take two Specialisation Electives in the first year and one in the second year. They can also choose Interculturality 1 or 2.
Specialisation Electives (Arts and Culture) 30

Second Year

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

Compulsory Courses
Thesis Seminar and Colloquium 10
Research School Courses (Arts and Culture & Literary Studies) 5
MA Thesis Arts and Culture (Research) 25

Period Electives

Students take one Period Elective in the second year.
Heavenly and Earthly Love in the Art and Literature of the Middle Ages from 1100 to 1500 10
Literature and the Questions of Doing Justice or Making Law 10
Interculturality 1: Key Concepts 10
Interculturality 2: The Global Imagination 10
Medieval and Early Modern Studies: Paris c. 1750, the Birth of the Modern Art World 10
Medieval and Early Modern Studies: From Manuscript to Print: Media Change in the Low Countries 10

Specialisation Electives

Students take one Specialisation Elective in the second year. They can also choose Interculturality 1 or 2.
Specialisation Electives (Arts and Culture) 30

Specialisation Electives

Vak EC Semester 1 Semester 2

First Semester (Fall Semester)
Travelling Architects 10
The Epistemological Force of Art 10
The Sculptor at Work: Sculpture, Techniques and Meanings 10
The Visual and Material Culture of Food and Drink in Asia and Europe, 1500-1800 10
Design as Art / Art as Design 10
Cultures of Collecting: Early Modern Cultures of Collecting 10
Museum Matters I: Politics and Ethics of Museum Collecting 10
Topical Debates on Photography in Historical Perspective 10
Media, Art, Theory 10
Curating Film and Video 10

Second Semester (Spring Semester)
Sustainable and Ecological Architecture in the 21st Century and its Roots 10
Art and Life Sciences 10
Global Visions in Contemporary Art 10
Secession Vienna - Art Nouveau 10
The Model House. Proposals for Ideal Living 10
Looted Art and Restitution: History, Theory and Policy 10
Museum Matters II: Curating Collections 10
Contemporary Theories of Film 10
Debates on documentary strategies 10

More info

Objectives

The Research Master Arts and Culture is closely connected to the Research Master Literary Studies and has three main objectives:

  • It seeks to provide students with a shared methodological and theoretical basis and to broaden their scope by adding a comparative study. These objectives will be accomplished in the compulsory team-taught common courses in the program;

  • The program will also allow students to acquire sophisticated knowledge and technical expertise on Art History in the chosen domain. This objective will be accomplished in those parts of the programme that are track-specific;

  • The programme wants to train the students as independent researchers, in particulair in the thesis seminar and the thesis writing.

The aim of the programme is:
1. to broaden and deepen the students’ knowledge, understanding and skills, and train them in the use of scientific methods in the field of Arts and Culture and;
2. to enable students to develop the following academic and professional skills:
the ability to solve academic problems independently, critically and creatively;
the ability to analyse complex problems;
the ability to clearly report academic results, both in writing and orally;
Furthermore the programme aims:
3. to prepare students for an academic career at a university for postgraduate programmes and for;
4. to prepare students for a non-academic career in the public or private sector for which advanced research skills and practical research experience are a prerequisite.

The achievement levels can be found in the Course and Exam regulations

Programme

Students can focus on different domains within Art History:

  • Art of the Contemporary World and World Art Studies

  • Art and Architecture before 1800

  • Design, Culture and Society

  • Museums and Collections

  • Film and Photographic Studies

First semester

Students take the obligatory course ‘LUCAS Seminar: Cultural Theory for the 21st Century’ (5 EC) and one course within the programmes of one of the National Research Schools (5 EC).

Students may also take the course in ‘Practices and Debates in Art History’, which addresses current methodological issues in art history.

In addition, students take two elective courses:

  • one elective course is an interdisciplinary Research Master course from their period of specialisation (Medieval/Early Modern Studies or Modern/Contemporary Studies) (10 EC);

  • one elective course (research seminar) from the chosen domain (10 EC);

  • it is also possible to change one of the elective courses for the Research Master course ‘Interculturality I’.

Second semester

In the second semester students take the course ‘Methodological Concepts in Art and Literature’ (10 EC) and two elective courses:

  • one elective course is an interdisciplinary Research Master course from their period of specialisation (Medieval/Early Modern Studies or Modern/Contemporary Studies) (10 EC);

  • one elective course (research seminar) from the chosen domain (10 EC);

  • it is also possible to change one of the elective courses for the Research Master course ‘Interculturality II’.

Third semester

The second year starts with preparation for the thesis in the ‘Thesis Seminar and Colloquium’ course (10 EC). Students take two elective courses (see Semester 1 and 2).

Forth semester

Students complete their Research Master programme by writing a thesis (25 EC) under the supervision of an academic member of staff. They also take a course within the programmes of one of the National Research Schools (5 EC).

Master thesis and requirements for graduation

The Research Master Arts and Culture is concluded by a thesis. This is a written report of research which the student carries out under supervision by an academic member of staff but with a high degree of independence. In principle, the thesis must be of sufficient quality to be published in an academic journal in the relevant field. The thesis counts a maximum of 25,000 words including notes, bibliography and appendices.

Requirements for graduation are:

  • Successful completion of all courses: 95 EC

  • Successful completion of MA Thesis: 25 EC

Please note that you are also asked to fulfill certain administrative procedures, as can be found on the website of Arts and Culture.