Digital Culture Studies

Program and courses Digital Culture Studies

Following Digital Culture Studies you will review existing research frameworks and propose new conceptual and analytical tools to study the many different cultural phenomena of the 21st century.

Program structure

This one-year track MA Digital Culture Studies consists of 60 ECTS:

  • 5 core courses (30 ECTS)
  • 1 elective course (6 ECTS)
  • 2 research skills courses (6 ECTS)
  • A Master's thesis (18 ECTS)
     

This program starts at the end of August.

In the first two blocks of the program you will follow four core courses and choose two research skills courses. In block three you follow one more core course and choose one elective. In the last block you write your Master's thesis. 

Program content

Core courses
  • Discourse Analysis and Digital Media (6 ECTS)
  • Digital Media and Everyday Life (6 ECTS)
  • Digital Futures (6 ECTS)
  • Digital Culture and Urgent Social Topics (6 ECTS)
  • Digital Industries and Infrastructures (6 ECTS)
Elective courses

Choose one elective from the following options:

  • Performance: Ritual, Art, Body in Digital Culture (6 ECTS)
  • Media Provocateurs (6 ECTS)
  • Intercultural Communication On and Offline (6 ECTS)
  • Attention Economies (6 ECTS)
Research skills courses

Choose two of these research courses:

  • Using Digital Literacies (3 ECTS)
  • Interaction in Digital Culture (3 ECTS)
  • Ethnography and Interview (3 ECTS)
  • Narratology & Discursive Analytical Strategies (3 ECTS)
  • Ethnomining (3 ECTS)
  • Anthropology and Fieldwork (3 ECTS)
  • Survey Design (3 ECTS)
Master's thesis

In your Master's thesis you report on an independent research project you have carried out. For your research you choose a topic related to Digital Culture Studies. You will apply qualitative research methodology such as discourse analysis and (digital) ethnography, that can be expanded with methodologies from other disciplines, such as Big Data analysis, sociological research or quantitative methods.

Some examples of thesis topics students chose: 

  • TikTok and the image of the Young Female Body  
  • Social media and news about racism: How do social media affordances influence discourses about racism on different platforms? 
  • Saying Sorry on Instagram after Being Canceled: Celebrity Apology and Social Media Affordances 
  • Rohingyas’ Online and Offline “Genocide”: The Role of Facebook in Myanmar 

Watch a trial lecture

You will find a detailed description of the courses and required literature in our course catalog.

Go to the course descriptions


Please note: programs are subject to change. We advise you to look up the current program in OSIRIS Student at the start of the year.


Do you want to know more about this Master’s program?

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Short overview of Digital Culture Studies

  • Research concrete digital-cultural practices from within a broad interdisciplinary social-theoretical field and with an outspoken empirical emphasis.
  • Learn all about social, cultural and political transformation of contemporary societies and investigate the influence of digitalization on social life.
  • Become aware of inclusionary and exclusionary effects in contemporary digital culture, and their impact on social structure.
  • Address a wide range of topical and urgent issues and focus on what is important now at this moment and on what might become relevant in the future.  
  • Turn academic content into publications that are accessible to a wider public through Diggit Magazine, both a learning instrument and an online news platform focusing on digital culture, globalization, and arts.

Interested in the Digital Culture Studies track?

Check your eligibility and the deadlines for application.