Interdisciplinary Master in Inter-American Studies – (M.A.)

The interdisciplinary MA Program in Inter-American Studies focuses on social, cultural, historical, and political developments in the Americas, both in their specifically national characteristics and in regard to processes of transnational integration. The MA Program is characterized by a broad interdisciplinary approach to Hemispheric area studies and includes the disciplines of literary, cultural, and media studies, linguistics, sociology, political science, and transnational history. The central interest of current research falls on questions of transnationality, of interculturality, of globalisation, and of the World Society.

The Inter-American Studies Master Program is structured according to basic and optional complementary modules. There are five basic modules which should be completed during the first two semesters. They cover seminars on North and South American culture, literature, history and language. During the second year of the program, students are to complete two of the six optional complementary modules, choosing their major and specializing in literature and culture and/or linguistic and/or history and politics and/or social studies of the American continent. An additional graduation module consisting of the Master's thesis and a research colloquium is to be completed during the last semester of the program.

Basic Modules:
1. Interdisciplinary Introductory Module
2. Individual Electives
3. Transnational Area Studies
4. American Literature and the Processes of Culture
5. Latin-American Literature and Culture

Optional Complementary Modules:
6. Literature and Culture in the Americas
7. Languages in Contact
8. Transnational History in the Americas
9. Structures and Dynamics of Global Communities
10. Forms of Transnational Communities and Collectivities
11. The Politics of Global Citizenship
12. Graduation Module

The Inter-American Studies MA Program aims at educating experts in the fields of international, cultural, social and communication processes. Going abroad for a semester on a student exchange program to Latin America, the United States or Canada is an obligatory element of the MA. There are several exchange programms with partner universities abroad. This way, students are given the opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge acquired during their studies in a concrete, cultural, social and political environment of the Americas, at the same time conducting the necessary field research. The program offers the possibility to choose specific complementary modules representing the special research and educational offers of our partner universities. Most importantly, the exchange programs offer students the possibility of a double supervision (co-tutelle) while writing their Master's thesis.

Agreements have been established with the following universities:
- Universidad de Guadalajara (Mexico)
- Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar, Quito
- Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore
- Pontífica Universidade Católica, Rio de Janeiro
- Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina)