M.A. Art History and Film Studies

The two-year master's program in Art History and Film Studies aims at subject-specific knowledge-building, reflection capabilities and the skills required for working in the field of art and film studies, as well as a qualification for relevant fields of work in scientific and cultural institutions of the arts and film. The combination of the two disciplines of  Art and Film Studies opens up mutually complementary perspectives on the subjects of visual art, film, (audio-) visual culture and a differentiated reassessment of their exchange processes since the so-called dispositive dispute (R. Bellour).

The central feature of the study program is the combination of academic qualification and application-oriented research and project work in cooperation with archives, collections and cultural institutions. Study content is a systematic and exemplary elaboration of theoretical, aesthetic, historical and practical knowledge in the dialectical contexts of art, film and society. The basis is the analysis of the specific qualities of the subjects of visual arts, film, (audio-) visual culture and architecture, as well as processes of their production and reception. The examination of works, their aesthetics and production contexts includes forms and dispositives of their participation in social discourse formation and social action cultures.

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Specialization Art History/Art Studies

The cultural eye: media and orders of visibility in art and visual culture

Discourses and practices of the aesthetic are exemplarily elaborated on the basis of analyzes of contemporary and historical productions and receptions of images, materials and spaces. Thematic focal points are the presentation and mediation of artists, the conceptualization of exhibitions, transcultural pictorial practices of contemporary art as well as aesthetic and social arrangements of visual and spatial displays. Another point of reference are studies on the relationship between media, orders of visual perception and knowledge production, which are performed in relation to international exhibitions on contemporary art, in front of original artworks as well as in conversation with their artistic or curatorial protagonists (exhibition institutions in Bremen and excursions, including the Berlin Biennale). Fundamental here are the oriented relations to discourses of a late modern culturalization complex as well as the analysis and critique of patterns of art historiography and institutional action in the field of art, visual culture and consumer culture. The cooperation with the Mariann Steegmann Institute. Art & Gender is a concrete and practice-oriented possibility of cooperation with a research institution.

 

 

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Specialization Film Studies

Film Studies at the University of Bremen is characterized by an interdisciplinary work on transitions. Research and teaching focus on interfaces such as art and cinema or analog and digital audio vision. Hollywood cinema and author's film, video installation and Youtube clip are different expressions of cinematic production and reception, which are always associated with history and society. The master's program combines aesthetics, theory and history of film with cultural and media discourses and fields of action. Film experience as an experience of difference is central to the relationship between art and society. It shapes and models the foundations of our thinking and acting. More about the focal points of Film Studies at: /film/

Cooperation partners

The Master's program works with a number of arts, film and cultural institutions, such as the Museum Weserburg Museum of Modern Art Bremen, the Society for Contemporary Art, K¨¹nstlerhaus Bremen, Kunsthalle Bremen, local galleries, the City46 / Kommunalkino Bremen, the Landesfilmarchiv Bremen, the Arsenal - Institute for Film and Video Art Berlin and the Austrian Film Museum in Vienna. To the cooperation partners and institutions.

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Study goals

  • Development of critical thinking and reflection on art, film and society;
  • Getting to know key disciplines and fields of action as well as the techniques and tactics of contemporary aesthetic production and reception;
  • Acquisition of subject-specific knowledge and skills in the field of aesthetics, theory and history of fine arts, film and (audio) visual culture;
  • Qualification for scientific research in the fields of art and film studies, career path promotion;
  • Qualification for a professional work in a wide range of cultural institutions such as festivals, exhibition halls, collections and archives, where art or film studies are used;
  • Acquisition of key qualifications in research practice and project work, rhetoric, design and moderation skills.
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Structure of the degree program

The study comprises 10 modules. These include 5 core modules (A) from the field of art and film science on theoretical, historical and methodological foundations, systematic and exemplary specializations, research formats and the master's thesis, 1 module from supplementary area (B) to archives, collections and exhibitions, 2 modules the field of practice (C), as well as 2 integration modules (D) on cultural and mediation theory and an accompanying self-study. The core modules systematically develop and deepen the special basics of art science and film studies and enable independent, theory-led research work. The supplementary and practical area offers space for individual emphasis of study at the interfaces of theoretical and practical fields. 

The integration modules systematically open up the contexts of cultural and mediation theory, and accompany individual focuses of the study. In the course of the study, the students become familiar with the fields of art science, film studies and project work. The modular structure of the courses offered and the structure into core, integration, practice and supplementary areas facilitate orientation and support the ability to study.

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Application and registration

The application modalities are regulated by the admission regulations.

In different download options on the right side of this page you will find:

  • Admission regulations
  • Module overview
  • Info brochure

However all downloads are in German. Although the program is taught in German a good knowledge of English is required. 

In addition to the school and university degree certificates, the application documents include a "Letter of Motivation" in which you are asked to explain on max. two pages why you want to study this Master's program, which prerequisites you need, what you would like to improve on, and which career prospects you might envisage.

Applicants who are still in the final phase of a relevant BA program must have at least 150 credit points to establish the average grade.

The application process starts in spring on this site and ends by 15th July of the same year. There are no fees for the application process. The semester starts in October.

Kosten und Wohnen

Costs and living

Students have to pay a semester fee per semester. From the 15th semester onwards and from the age of 55, an additional 500, - € tuition fees apply. Information on the semester fee is available from The Student Office and on tuition fees under the following link.

The city and state of Bremen are presented on bremen.de. Apartment offers are published here and at the Studierenden Werk. Students who move their primary residence to Bremen receive a one-time welcome fee of 150 €.

Contact

Should you have any further question about the content of studies, please do not hesitate to contact the following persons:

Prof. Dr. Winfried Pauleit with focus on film studies

Prof. Dr. Elea Zanichelli with focus on art history

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Brandes with focus on visual culture

PD Dr. Victor Kittlausz with focus on culture theory