Mediating Culture

Mediating Culture is an interdisciplinary Master’s degree programme focusing in particular on areas of cultural pedagogy outside the traditional school system. It is characterized both by a comprehensive academic-theoretical foundation and a high degree of practical orientation. The programme prepares students for the dynamic and ever-broadening range of pedagogical work at cultural and arts institutions.
Today, a myriad of cultural institutions (including cultural offices, museums, theaters, festivals, concert halls, cultural associations and social services) offer cultural mediation programmes targeting users of all ages. Intersections with related fields such as pedagogy, dramaturgy, artistic planning, cultural management, audience development and marketing require a wide range of skills with regard to those working in these areas. The degree programme prepares students for this multifaceted professional profile by establishing a solid knowledge base of cultural studies and theory, nurturing their abilities to critically reflect on current cultural manifestations, and providing comprehensive insights into specific practical fields. On the one hand, students gain first hand experience in artistic practices (depending on their fields of interest, in the domains of the visual arts, music, theater/dance/performance and/or literature/film), on the other, they explore different approaches to and methods of cultural mediation in a context sensitive manner. They are taught the nuts and bolts both of project and self management, enabling them not only to plan, carry out, and evaluate projects independently but also to develop a specific career vision and professional self-conception. When realizing their projects, they also benefit from the department’s extensive network of cultural institutions in the region and beyond.
The programme is aimed at graduates from cultural, artistic, social and educational Bachelor’s university programmes as well as graduates from art and music schools and universities of applied sciences.