Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies

The Master of Arts in Transcultural Studies at Heidelberg University is a research-oriented and interdisciplinary programme focusing on the regions of Asia (mainly South Asia and East Asia) and Europe. It is informed by the perspective that cultures are not contained within ethnically closed, linguistically homogeneous, and territorially bounded spheres, but that they are constituted through transformations and entanglements. The courses of this programme address these issues by focusing on the changes which circulatory practices have undergone from past to present. Studying the dynamics of transcultural exchanges involves analysing the agency of participants in these developments and shifts over longer and shorter time spans. The programme is designed to provide substantive knowledge and methodological tools. Particular attention will be paid to introducing students to the integrated study of different types of records - objects, texts of different genres, visual, audio or digital media - with a view to fleshing out the ways in which people in specific regional contexts experience, contest, and represent these shifts. Within the wide range of courses offered in the MA Transcultural Studies, students choose one of the three study foci within the programme. Each study focus cuts across disciplines and is not confined to one region. The three study foci are: Society, Economy, and Governance (SEG) Knowledge, Belief, and Religion (KBR) Visual, Media, and Material Culture (VMC) The core courses are taught by the chairs of the Heidelberg Centre for Transcultural Studies. For more details on the study foci and the programme's academic staff, please refer to our website at https://www.hcts.uni-heidelberg.de/en/studies/masters-program-mats .