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European Urban Cultures (POLIS) – (M.A.)
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
Faculty of Economic, Political and Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
| Application Deadline: | EEA: 1 June, non-EEA: 1 March | ||
| Annual Tuition Fee: | ≈ € 1,131 | ||
| Location: | Brussels / Belgium / View location on map ▾ Hide location on map ▴ | ||
| Duration: | 12 months | Start Date: | September |
| Educational Form: |
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| Credits (ECTS): | 70 | ||
| Languages: | English | ||
Location of Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
The M.A. European Urban Cultures (Polis) is a full time, postgraduate degree jointly developed by four European universities; the Tilburg University (Netherlands), the Flemish Free University of Brussels (Belgium), Estonian Academy of Arts (Tallinn, Estonia) and the Manchester Metropolitan University (UK). Students start in Brussels in the beginning of September, move to Tilburg at the end of October, to Manchester in January and continue in Tallinn from April until June. The course ends with a graduation seminar in Brussels in September.
Polis offers a specialist programme aimed at graduate students from Europe and elsewhere with undergraduate degrees in subject areas such as the social sciences; cultural and leisure studies; art, design and architecture; urban theory and planning; cultural marketing and management. The course is also targeted at professionals and administrators eager for the latest experiences, ideas and insights in urban cultural policy.
Culture for urban development
More than ever, cities are challenged to use cultural resources to re-position themselves in a culturally and economically diversified European space. In order to make full use of the innovative and supportive role of culture in European urban development it is necessary to create a new interdisciplinary approach (combining arts and design, culture and leisure theory, urban and spatial planning, marketing and management ...) within a transnational European perspective.
Interuniversitary programme throughout Europe
The programme offers the opportunity to study urban cultures on location and live in four European cities with a group of international students. It allows students to experience crossnational diversity of urban development projects and academic contexts.
Main topics
* European cultural policies
* popular cultures
* theory and practice of urbanism
* urban regeneration
* cultural consumption
* cultural management
* creative industries
* cultural and leisure theory
* globalisation and the city
* reading the city
The Master of Arts in European Urban Cultures (POLIS) aims to create a new kind of urban professional: socially and culturally aware and able to cross the boundaries between arts, design, urban and spatial planning, public policy and the market, artistic creativity and cultural management.
Potential job fields:
* cultural sector
* urban / cultural policy
* urban planning
* research
* media
Contents
During this Master year the students study at all four universities. The programme starts at the end of august in Brussels at the department of Social Geography (research unit COSMOPOLIS - City, Culture & Society). Eight weeks later the students move to Tilburg where they stay for eight weeks at the department of Leisure Studies. At the beginning of January the programme continues in Manchester at the department of Sociology. Twelve weeks later the students move for the final module to Tallinn for another twelve weeks at the department of spatial and interior design. The summer is left for finishing the thesis which is presented in Tilburg in September. After successful completion of the programme students receive the master degree.
In every city the programme consists of a number of courses combined with project work (field work), excursions to other cities and visits within the city itself. In Brussels the focus is on European urban studies, urban social geography and neighbourhood analyses. Tilburg deals with topics as globalisation, culture and the city, cultural identity, cultural management, cultural consumption and cultural clusters.
In Manchester participants study popular culture, urban regeneration and creative industries. The angle changes in urban interventions, urban design, urbanism and architecture and scenario planning in Tallinn. Generally, in each module there are excursions to other cities, cultural projects or organisations and where possible one tries to attend seminars and debates on the topic organised outside this particular curriculum.
POLIS is set up in a thematic way; it is not a discipline in itself. The topic European urban cultures is examined from four different points of view. Students experience a multidisciplinary approach on European urban cultures, while experiencing these cultures themselves.
There were no major changes made to the curriculum. Some units have been updated. This largely reflected the broad satisfaction with the portfolio of units at that time and the expertise of the staff in the department.
It will be shown below that the POLIS programme has been a great success in terms of quality of student experience, retention and progression, strength of alumni network and impact of the course in leading to relevant employment. A great strength lies in the fact that POLIS provides a strong example of a positive and healthy collaborative partnership.
Course Credits
* European Urban Studies
* Urban Social Geography
* Polis Thesis Seminars
* Leisure & Space in the Informational Society
* Marketing & Management in the Leisure Economy
* Leisure, Consumption and Identity
* Culture, Conflict and the City
* Popular Urban Cultures
* Urban Interventions
* Thesis
The Master in European Urban Cultures (POLIS) offers a specialist programme aimed at graduate students from Europe and elsewhere with undergraduate degrees in subject areas such as the social sciences; cultural and leisure studies; art, design and architecture; urban theory and planning; cultural marketing and management. The course is also targeted at professionals and administrators eager for the latest experiences, ideas and insights in urban cultural policy, practices and urban theories.
A number of features make the learning experience distinctive on this course:
* a joint curriculum developed by the four universities allowing each to offer courses and project work associated with staff expertise and research interests
* a multidisciplinary approach drawing on disciplines such as urban theory and planning, geography, sociology, cultural and leisure studies, cultural management, architecture and design
* an explicit European and transnational comparative perspective
* an opportunity for students to travel in Europe and spend time studying and living in four European cities in an international student group
* an opportunity to experience a cross-national diversity of academic contexts and a cross- national diversity of urban development projects.
IELTS
You are normally required to take an English Proficiency Test.
Most European Universities recognise the IELTS test.
Take testRequirements
Masters in social sciences, in cultural and leisure studies, in art, in design and architecture, in urban theory and planning, in cultural marketing or in management, or professionals, eager for the latest experiences, ideas and insights in urban cultural policy.
The minimum requirements for entry are related undergraduate diploma or degree, together with good proficiency in English.
Accreditation
All degree programs are accredited by NVAO.
Ask a Question
You can contact Eefje Vloeberghs to ask a question about European Urban Cultures (POLIS) at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB).
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