Media Ecologies

The Master's degree programme in Media Ecologies , which is taught in English, is a subject- and theory-oriented academic course. On the one hand, it opens up the possibility of understanding media in the sense of ecologies, i.e. not only as individual media (radio, television, computers, etc.) but also in terms of media networks and milieus. On the other hand, it explores the fact that ecological knowledge, ecological awareness and ecological perception are always based on media-related and mediatised matters, i.e. it demonstrates that it is “the” media that make the problem of the environment recognisable as such in the first place – from photographs of the Blue Planet, by way of maps, graphs and curves, to computer models of climate development. The course therefore shows not only media as ecology, but also the important, if not decisive, role that the media play in ecology. The thematic focus is thus on issues not only of climate change, but also of digitalisation, updating the past and anticipating the future, always within the framework of the interests of students and teachers. The teaching of the Master’s degree programme in Media Ecologies is dominated by a culture of open-minded thinking and characterised by original and unconventional approaches and methods in which group work, film essays, excursions, e-learning and a lively, international culture of debate and discussion all play a vital part. The aim is to develop in-depth academic knowledge and skills in dealing with media ecologies as well as with social and cultural problems and issues. These skills may be analytical-critical, historical, theoretical, organisational or practical in nature and are essential for the development and acquisition of academic knowledge.