UCI European Thought & Culture About the program
Degrees offered
The M.A. in European Thought and Culture is a rare interdisciplinary program that focuses on intellectual and cultural history across the European continent, as well as on its receptions and transformations in non-European contexts. Students emerge with a deep and broad understanding of major works and developments in the European tradition. As a one-year program it is ideal as either a final advanced degree for a variety of careers or as a bridge to further academic study.
- M.A.
Application deadline - December 1 Apply online: apply.grad.uci.edu/apply
Key opportunities The program is organized around three goals:
Advantages of UCI’s M.A. in European Thought and Culture:
1. Attentiveness to the formal structures and languages in which ideas are expressed 2. Location of ideas in larger historical contexts, be they social, economic, or political institutions, cultural developments, or in conversation with other ideas 3. Exploration of ideas and texts that are crucial for understanding the formation of modern critical theory
1. A wide selection of courses from across the disciplines 2. Completion within one year 3. Thesis or exam option to complete the program 4. Extensive one-on-one instruction with a faculty mentor 5. UCI’s long tradition as a leader in the field of critical theory
Sample course topics include: Europe and the foundations of modernity; the European Enlightenment; representing migration in contemporary film and literature; global Kafka; Hegel in the world; Negritude and modernist poetics; and what is ‘Baroque’?
An interdisciplinary opportunity “We designed this M.A. for students who as undergraduates enjoyed learning about European ideas and culture, or maybe came upon this field late in their studies, and now want to take their knowledge to the next level. Our attention to culture distinguishes our curriculum. Because our teaching faculty represents a wide range of approaches, students will be exposed to works, issues, and methodologies from many disciplines, including literature, history, philosophy, cultural studies, and art history. Just as important, the program attends to critical readings of the European tradition—or better, traditions— that have emerged out of the legacy of feminism, colonialism, and postcolonial studies.” - John H. Smith, Professor of German