Kunst- & cultuurwetenschappen

This track studies the role of the arts in culture from a multi-disciplinary perspective, drawing on cognitive sciences, hermeneutics, narrative & critical theory, discourse analysis & arts sociology.

Culture can be understood as a complex cognitive process through which humans articulate and negotiate their individual and collective consciousness, identities, values and understanding of the world. The arts have always played an important part in this process.

The interdisciplinary Arts, Cognition and Criticism track focuses on how culture is transmitted, innovated and critiqued through the arts, with course topics such as: the arts and reflective imagination; value-negotiation through storytelling; or social and political functions of the arts. Students are trained in methods from the cognitive sciences, hermeneutics, narrative and critical theory, discourse analysis and art sociology. They develop a keen theory-based insight into the role of the arts in cultural dynamics, and hands-on capacities for critical analysis and interpretation of art-works, debates and developments in the arts, in connection to their social background.

Our enthusiastic staff has an international research reputation and excellent connections to arts and culture institutions. This makes this an attractive track for students who want to work or pursue their research in the arts and culture field.

Art is inherently public. In this programme, you will study and reflect upon how public arts policy, arts management, arts marketing and education affect the realisation of artistic values in society.

Traditionally, the arts have been regarded as a means for representing individual and collective identities, and for the reflection on, and critical assessment of, society. Increasingly, however, the arts are regarded as entertainment (e.g. based on notions such as the 'experience economy'), or as a means for the creative development of local economies ('creative and culture industries' and 'creative class'), or as a form of social engineering.

The Arts, Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship track focuses on the organizing of art and the public role of art in today's societies. Using methods from critical sociology, public policy studies, management studies, and cognitive perspectives on the arts you will learn to critically reflect upon the values that influence local and global art practices. On the basis of theory and empirical work, you will learn to analyze, criticize, and reflect upon the existing practices for art's sustenance, organization, and dissemination. You will learn to devise strategies on how the arts should be managed, marketed, and addressed by public policy agents in order to strengthen their role in society.

From the canonical to the cutting-edge, the profound to the playful: the current film world is as diverse and critically engaging as ever. So is our Film and Contemporary Audiovisual Media MA track.It equips you to join high-level conversations about timely and fascinating issues. There will always be a “next big thing” in the world of cinema, and we welcome our inspired students to discover it with us.In this one-year Master’s track, you will work closely with our international faculty, whose collective expertise includes phenomenological and cognitive film theory, digital film forensics, queer film studies, post-colonial and settler colonial studies, film festival research, screen acting studies, media anthropology, and more. Our graduates are ready to leave their mark on the next chapters of film history, both inside and outside of academia.Our track is unique in its combination of research-driven seminars, the research resources of a worldwide Top 100 university, and the extensive networks of internship opportunities in major film and media institutions. The Master offers a relevant (inter)national internship network. This track will therefore be attractive to students who want to deepen their knowledge of film, swiftly transition into the professional world, and pursue a career in the arts and media sector.Please visit our Facebook and Twitter pages for more information o