Contemporary Germany: Politics, Society and Culture - MA Study Regulations

 

International MA Program in Contemporary Germany: Politics, Society and Culture

Study Regulations

Academic Head of the study program: Prof. Noam Shoval
Program Coordinator: Ms. Elisheva Moatti
Adviser: Dr. Oded Steinberg

Offices: European Forum at the Hebrew University
Faculty of Humanities Building, Rooms 42603-4
Email: mseuro@mail.huji.ac.il
Website: www.ef.huji.ac.il
Tel.: +972-2-5883286; Fax: +972-2-5881079

Program Staff

Prof. Noam Shoval
Prof. Tobias Ebbrecht-Hartmann
Prof. Gisela Dachs
Dr. Oded Steinberg
Dr. Katya Assaf
Dr. Tristan Klingelhöfer
Dr. Daniel Wajner
Dr. Inna Kube

Admission requirements

This M.A. program is open to students of Israeli universities and colleges recognized by the Council for Higher Education who have completed a B.A. degree in one of the relevant disciplines in the faculties of the Social Sciences, Law or Humanities (or, through special admission, who have completed a different Bachelor degree), with a grade point average of 80. First-year studies are conducted in the non-research track.

About the program

The teaching program is affiliated to the three Faculties: Social Sciences, Law and Humanities. The teaching language is English.

In addition to compulsory courses, the program offers five specialization tracks over a period of two years:

  • Politics and Economy 
  • Law and International Relations 
  • Geography and Urban Studies 
  • History and Sociology 
  • Literature, Philosophy, Culture, and the Arts 

Knowledge of the German language is not a prerequisite for admission into the program. However, it is compulsory for all students in order to graduate to complete level B1 according to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference).

Students, who during the M.A. program must take German classes in order to demonstrate knowledge of the German language at an advanced level, can get credit for up to 8 credit points for German advanced language courses offered by the Language Center of the Hebrew University. In addition, the Center for German Studies offers its students German language summer courses.

M.A. Regulations

The M.A. program offers the following two study tracks:

 

M.A. research track (36 credit points) 

This track is a requirement for future Ph.D. studies.

All 1st-year students register for the course (non-research) track. Please see below the conditions for transferring to a research track.

Students are required to choose two out of the five specialization tracks. It is highly recommended that at least one specialization track be connected to the specialization field of the B.A. studies. The program of studies will be set up in consultation with the M.A. program adviser at the Center, taking into account:

  • the student's field(s) of specialization during their undergraduate studies
  • the elected specialization tracks

Basic courses (8 credit points)

Courses to be chosen from the list of basic courses of the teaching program, from tracks not chosen as specialization tracks.

Compulsory courses (16 credit points):

  • Colloquium for European Forum Students A & B (2 credit points) – course 54677 & 54777
  • Methodological course in 1st year (2credit points) – course 54699
  • Methodological course in 2nd year (2 credit points) 
  • 2 Simulation courses (2 credit points)
  • Advanced German language courses (up to 8 credit points)*

* Students who study less than 8 credit points of German language courses are required to study the remaining credit points in courses offered by the program (including elective courses offered in the non-research track)

Elective compulsory courses (12 credit points):

  • Courses from the list of elective-compulsory courses in two specialization tracks (8 credit points)
  • Seminar paper in one of the seminar courses (in addition to the final course paper) in the first year (4 credit points)

The M.A. Thesis (35% of the final grade) is written under the supervision of a faculty member of the Faculties of Social Sciences, Law, or Humanities. The thesis is graded by the student’s supervisor and an additional reviewer.

 

M.A. course track (38 credit points) 

Students are required to choose three out of the five specialization tracks. It is highly recommended that at least one specialization track be connected to the specialization field of the B.A. studies. The program of studies will be set up in consultation with the M.A. program adviser at the Center, taking into account:

  • the student's field(s) of specialization during their undergraduate studies
  • the elected specialization tracks

Basic courses (8 credit points)

The courses have to be chosen from the list of basic courses of the teaching program, from tracks not chosen as specialization tracks.

Compulsory courses (14 credit points)

  • Colloquium for European Forum Students A & B (2 credit points) – course 54677 & 54777
  • Methodological course in the 1st year (2 credit points) – course 54699
  • 2 simulation workshops (2 credit points)
  • Advanced German language courses (up to 8 credit points)*

* Students who study less than 8 credit points of German language courses are required to study the remaining credit points in courses offered by the program.

Elective compulsory courses (10 credit points)

  • Courses from the list of elective-compulsory courses in three specialization tracks (6 credit points)
  • Seminar paper in one of the seminar courses (in addition to the final course paper) in the first year (4 credit points)

Elective courses (6 credit points)

  • Courses from the list of elective-compulsory or elective courses (2 credit points)
  • Seminar paper in one of the seminar courses (4 credit points, in addition to the final course paper)

Transfer to the research track

Students can transfer to the research track at the end of the first year of studies. Conditions for transition to the research track:

  • The student completed at least half of the courses required for graduation with an average score of at least 90;
  • The student submitted a seminar paper in an elective compulsory course, and it was graded at least 90;
  • A senior Hebrew University faculty member officially approved that she/he will supervise the thesis;
  • The supervisor approved the thesis topic;
  • The student has been registered for an advanced methodological course approved by the supervisor. The methodological course will be selected from the list of courses of other departments in the humanities, social sciences and law faculties, according to the thesis topic or methodology.

Deadline for the transfer is the end of course registration for the fall term in the second year.