FACTSHEET MASTER’S PROGRAMME
C U L TU R A L H IS TO R Y O F MO DER N EUR O P E The Cultural History group of the Department of History and Art History is delighted to welcome you as a Master’s student! You will encounter a group of lecturers who are eager to share their knowledge of modern cultural history with you and to provide you with the skills and knowledge to become a cultural historian who has something to offer to the labour market. This programme book gives you an overview of the Master’s programme aims, modules and lecturers. You will find extensive information on internships and the Master’s thesis.
DR. PIETER HUISTRA
We will do our utmost to make your year in Utrecht as worthwhile as possible by offering excellent teaching and by providing a number of extra-curricular events, such as excursions to museums and guest lectures from cultural historians working outside of academia. You are also welcome to join our Seminar in Cultural History, with (international) speakers who present their research. We hope you will have a fabulous year in Utrecht!
Dr. Pieter Huistra and dr. Marijke Huisman Coordinators of the MA Cultural History of Modern Europe
DR. MARIJKE HUISMAN
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DO YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE? The Curriculum Committee consists of students and staff members who jointly discuss and assess the quality of the education in the Master’s programme. Every year, the committee is looking for new student members. If you are interested in becoming a member, or if you want to contact the committee about the standard of education, please contact the president of the committee, dr. Marloes Beers: m.c.beers@uu.nl. The MA Cultural History also has its own Instagram page, where you can find more information on the (research) activities of the staff and students.
T H E T E A M O F L E C T U R E R S A N D T H E SI S S U P E R V I S O R S
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DR. PIETER HUISTRA
D R. MARI J KE H U I SM AN
DR.
Coordinator MA Cultural History. History of science and humanities; historiography; theory of history
Public history; memory; life writing; egodocuments; race; gender
Digital text analysis; history of science; history of ideas; conceptual history
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DR.
DR.
DR.
RACHEL GILLETT
GERTJAN PLETS
PI M HU I J NE N
JOCHEN HUNG
France and Empire; race in France; pop culture; Black Atlantic; Gender studies
Heritage ethics; cultural landscapes; memory politics; Soviet and Russian history
History of media and publishing; consumer culture; visual culture; transatlantic relations; interwar history; modern German history
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DR.
DR.
DR.
WILLEMIJN RUBERG
History of the body, gender, emotion, sexuality, medicine, psychiatry; cultural theory
BRITTA SCHILLING
Memory; comparative colonialisms; postcolonialism and material culture; British Empire; Germany and Africa
JAAP VERHEUL
Transatlantic and transnational history; reference cultures in Europe; digital humanities
STUDY ADVISORS Facing issues with your studies? The study advisors are there to help and support you to successfully complete your degree. They can act as confidential counsellors, advise on issues regarding illness and special circumstances and, together with you, look at the possibility to cope with the studies while dealing with disabilities or chronic illnesses. They can also help with specific arrangements and procedures, such as complaints, objections and appeals. You can find more information on the university website, at: students.uu.nl/en/hum/cultural-history-of-modern-europe/practical-information/advising-and-counselling
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EVE LIE N H AZE WINKE L
ALISON JENKINS
STEFAN VUURENS
H E IN AUGUSTIJN
THIS PROGRAMME The MA Cultural History of Modern Europe is designed to train you as professionals in cultural history. When you have finished this programme you will be both an expert of culture in the past and the uses of history in the present. You will learn about the cutting edge of cultural theory, public history and critical heritage studies in the present, and will put them to practical use in historical case studies and at the workplace in cultural institutions. This one-year programme will be a ride that may take you from current debates on historical museums, to nineteenth-century histories of sexuality, back to the impact of newspapers on democracy in the twentieth century. You may write a thesis on the dealings with colonial heritage after you have landed an internship at a leading heritage institution in the Netherlands (or abroad). But these are just some examples of what our students over the past few years have done. What we can guarantee is that as a graduate of our programme you will be at the frontier of both the theory and practice of cultural history, heritage and public history.
EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY During this programme, you are handed the analytical instruments to actively gauge developments in the modern world and shape your own future on the labour market. Throughout the programme, you are given an understanding of historical methodologies ranging from visual analysis and material culture to the new tools offered by digital humanities, including big data research based on print, image and social media. This MA translates theoretical insights into practical research, fusing academic excellence with social relevance and professional experience. On the student website you will find more information about your programme, ranging from an overview of courses to policies and procedures.
THIS MASTER’S PROGRAMME AND SOCIETY Our teaching and research deal with the past, but we are firmly committed to the needs of the present. The topics we study – the advent of mass media, colonialism and its legacies, the development of knowledge societies, or the uses and abuses of heritage – connect to the needs and concerns of present societies. It is our ambition to bring our academic expertise on these topics into classroom discussions. Students put theory into practice in their internships. Some choose internships at leading cultural history institutions while others select research-based internships working on cutting-edge projects with Utrecht researchers. Whichever option you choose, you will experience the challenges of being a historian in a changing society. Read more about career development. Students emerge from the programme with skills in history, in analysis and writing, and with professional work experience. Our attention to public history and heritage has helped many graduates find jobs in these fields. Other students put our training to good use in a variety of fields from foreign policy and diplomatic work to journalism. This programme offers an English track and a Dutch track. The modules offered in these tracks are the same – only the language of instruction differs.
COURSE PLANNER: You will find more information on this programme’s courses in the Course Planner: https://cursusplanner.scien ce.uu.nl/english/study/GECHME-21
LEARNING OBJECTIVES After completing this programme: ✓ You understand how Europe and European residents are involved in and produced by global processes ✓ You will have the skills and knowledge to analyse and understand culture and cultural history ✓ You will be equipped with the tools to analyse the relationship between history, memory, and heritage ✓ You will be prepared for careers that require an ability to process and synthesize knowledge fast, and that demand good analytic and communication skills ✓ You will have profound knowledge about presenting, preserving and communicating history and heritage to a broad public
THE PROGRAMME’S STRUCTURE The improvements to our programme we announced during the information days have been officially approved. This means that from the academic year 22-23 onwards, our Master has a new programme. In the first block you will learn about the theory, methodology and practice of cultural and public history. In block 2 you will put this knowledge to use in the tutorials: in small groups you will work on a topic within the research expertise of the supervising teacher. You choose three tutorials out of nine options. Semester 1 Block 1
Semester 2 Block 2
Block 3
Block 4
Tutorials (choose 3 out of 9) Understanding Culture in the Modern World
1. Unmasterable past: dealing with difficult heritage 2. Heritage in the 21st Century
You select one of the following options: 1. Internship 2. International exchange
3. Digital History of Concepts 4. Popular Culture and the Crafting of Citizens 5. Postcolonial Memory and Heritage Public History, Memory and Global Heritage
6. History of Sexuality 7. Popular Historical Culture in the Nineteenth Century
Thesis (15 EC)
8. Environmental History 9. Comparing Global Archives Sources and Methods (5EC) Cultural Career Seminar Cultural History and Society (career orientation)
Internship Representing a perfect chance to put academic theory into working practice, the cultural history internship not only serves as a vital link between academic study and the labour market, it is also the perfect opportunity to better come to grips with your talents, skills and abilities and to explore the practical value of your university education. The focus lies on ensuring better employment prospect by gaining practical professional experience, building a strong CV and develop a professional network. Students do an internship related to the field of cultural history, such as a museum, (heritage) institution or an educational institute. They learn to apply knowledge, theories, and methodology of cultural history they learnt during the master's programme. The MA coordinator will assist you in finding and internship opportunities will be regularly shared. During the cultural career seminar networking and job interview skills will be trained. The UU also offers grants to
students that wish to do their internship abroad (within the European Union). For more information about the administrative context of the internship please consult the student website.
Pilot: public history internship + thesis In the academic year 22-23 we will start a pilot with a combined internship and thesis programme. We have found five preferred partners such as the Royal Library in The Hague, the University Museum in Utrecht and the In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres, Belgium, to serve as the hosts for students who will combine their internship and thesis. They will not produce a regular MA Thesis, but will instead work on a product of public history decided by the host institution, such as a podcast, an exhibition or a documentary. Candidates will be asked to apply during the first block – there will be only five spots available.
Thesis The Master’s thesis is the programme’s final exam. A thesis is 12,000-18,000 words in length (excluding footnotes/endnotes, title page, and bibliography) for 15 EC. The thesis will be the result of your own, original research but you will be guided by a personal supervisor during the process, as well as receiving feedback from other Cultural History Staff members throughout the year. You will start your Thesis already in block 2. Out of the three tutorials you will select one as your Thesis tutorial. This means that the lecturer in this tutorial will also be your thesis supervisor. Within this tutorial you will write an outline and a workplan for your Thesis, The thesis process is divided into five steps, each connected to one or more deadlines. STEPS Step 1: picking one of your tutorials as your thesis tutorail Step 2: writing an outline and a workplan for your thesis Step 3: doing your research, writing and presenting your first chapter Step 4: writing the first version of your thesis Step 5: rewriting, submitting and defending your thesis DEADLINES Late in period 2: Period 3, week 8: Period 3, week 9: Period 4, week 3: Period 4, week 5: Period 4, week 9: Period 4, week 10:
Outline + work plan Cultural History Thesis Conference Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 / Whole thesis Thesis deadline Thesis defence
A more elaborate explanation of the Thesis and the exact times and dates of the deadlines will be distributed to you during the Introduction days and will become available on Blackboard. The thesis defence is scheduled in period 4, week 10 and will be the official end of the Thesis. During the Thesis defence you will first give a short presentation on your finding to the Cultural History staff members. After that, you will be questioned by the Cultural History staff members.
Cultural Career Seminar Throughout the year we help you prepare for your future in the Cultural Career Seminar. In lectures and speed dates recent alumni and established cultural historians will share their experiences on finding a place on the labour market, their work and the different fields they work in – from museums and heritage institutions to ngo’s, policy, journalism, commercial companies and more. The Career Office offers
workshops to find your motivation and work values, transform general ambitions into practical goals, and to provide you with tools to network. Join the ‘Cultural History @ Utrecht University’ group on LinkedIn to see where alumni end up, connect with them and stay in touch for future students looking for a start of their careers.
PROGRAMME D ATES AND D EAD LINES Introduction Days: Excursion abroad: Deadline MA thesis: Formal thesis defence: Deadline Internship report:
6-7 September 2022 12-13 January 2022 (TBC – depending on COVID-19 restrictions) Monday 19 June 2022 9:00 a.m. Wednesday 28 June 2022 Wednesday 28 June 2022
I M P O R T A N T F O R H U M A N I T I E S S T UD E N T S
FACT! You can find your
New students students.uu.nl/hum-new Practical information for new students at the Humanities faculty.
timetable in the MyUU
Academic calendar students.uu.nl/hum-calendar Information about days off, course registrations and change-of-enrolment days. UU online Information about our online systems and how to log in: students.uu.nl/hum-online In need of a manual? IT manuals: https://manuals.uu.nl/en
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portal and the MyUU app: students.uu.nl/en/myuu and students.uu.nl/en/ myuu-app FACT! In the second semester, you will have to register in Osiris for courses you wish to attend. If you want to switch courses, you can do so on the change-ofenrolment days before the start of the relevant block.
course registration course schedules study results & study progress (Osiris) graduation
FACT! Deadlines are always listed in the course syllabus, which your lecturer will provide approximately 2
registration as a UU student tuition fees elite athletes disability or chronic illness
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QUESTIONS ABOUT ENTERING THE JOB MARKET Career Services students.uu.nl/hum-careerservices Advice on getting a job after graduation through workshops, CV check-up, and coaching. Your programme coordinator will inform you about programme-specific events.
aspects of your programme, e.g. internships or thesis, please see the Curriculum page on the programme website via students.uu.nl/hum.
FACT! Check students.
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© June 2022. Utrecht University, Faculty of Humanities. Every effort has been made to ensure that the information presented in this factsheet is correct and up to date. Utrecht University cannot be held liable for any false, inaccurate, or incomplete information presented herein.