American Studies, full-time, second cycle programme (S2-PRK-AM)(in Polish: American Studies, stacjonarne, drugiego stopnia) | |
second cycle programme full-time, 2-year studies Language: English | Jump to: Opis ogólnyAcademic areas: humanities and social sciences Disciplines: cultural and religious studies (leading discipline) as well as political science and public administration. The leading field: cultural studies Program The American Studies Center is an interdisciplinary research and higher-education institution of the University of Warsaw. Its faculty members specialize in various fields of knowledge about the US and Western Hemisphere—culture, literature, arts, film, media, history, economy, politics, history of ideas, society, and law. The ASC has a full-time liberal arts master's program that lasts two years (or four semesters). Instruction is in English by permanent, adjunct, and visiting faculty. Professors from Poland, the United States, and Mexico are among our permanent faculty. The MA Program in American Studies, with the Western Hemispheric studies component, is unique in the Polish higher education system. The program is meant to help develop research skills (especially through the system of research proseminars) and offers courses on the United States, Latin America, and the region of the Western Hemisphere. In addition, students have opportunities to develop skills other than those needed for conducting research; they become proficient in the so-called “soft skills” which they need both in academia and outside (e.g., self-presentation, teamwork, intercultural communication, work organization, and effective time management). Students can also apply the knowledge and skills they have gained in practice, in the form of individual or group fieldwork and research or conference trips. Research grants allow our best students to travel abroad for research purposes to other American Studies libraries in Europe or the United States and to conduct empirical research there. Graduates Our graduates are awarded MA degrees in American studies. They understand social processes and cultural phenomena in both Americas, as well as the theoretical frameworks helpful in explaining them. They know how to identify, understand, describe, interpret, and explain the causes and the dynamics of cultural and social processes in both Americas. They know how to use various resources for this purpose and how to employ advanced research methods developed in the humanities and social sciences. Their English is at least at B2+ level. Thanks to our program, our graduates have the skills and competences to collect, evaluate, and classify cultural facts and to draw conclusions about them. They know how to work in a team, how to develop a research project, and how to present its results. In short, they know how to carry out work done daily by researchers, entrepreneurs, journalists, teachers of humanities and social sciences, social activists, and specialists working at various public institutions. Our graduates have the skills and knowledge to continue their studies in doctoral programs in humanities or social science with specialization in American or Western Hemisphere studies. ASC graduates find employment in business, trade, journalism, media, cultural institutions, higher education, public administration, diplomacy, international organizations, and tourism. Building We provide a comfortable environment for our students. Classes are held in a building located at Dobra 55, in Powiśle. The Main Campus of the University of Warsaw, other faculties, and the University Library are located nearby. The building is adapted to the needs of people with disabilities. The classrooms are fitted with computer equipment and Internet access. Wireless Internet (EDUROAM network) is available throughout the building. The ASC Library collection is highly valued by students, researchers, and journalists in American studies. The library holdings include materials on both the United States and Latin America, in both humanities and social sciences. MA Program Curriculum: https://www.asc.uw.edu.pl/candidates/ma-program/ |
Qualification awarded:
Access to further studies:
Learning outcomes
Legal basis:
Appendix No. 48 to SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW RESOLUTION NO 402 from April 17th, 2024 amending RESOLUTION NO 414 from May 8th, 2019 on determining learning outcomes for study programs at the University of Warsaw
Appendix No. 132 to SENATE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WARSAW RESOLUTION NO 414 from May 8th, 2019 on determining learning outcomes for study programs at the University of Warsaw
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge: The graduate knows and understands:
- in-depth the significance of cultural studies, religion studies, history, literary studies, sociology, political science and administration, their position in the scholarship system, the specificity of these fields, and their relations to other fields of study within humanities and social sciences; the paradigm of interdisciplinary research and the need to integrate perspectives and research methods in the field of American Studies
- in-depth select facts, objects, processes, creations, and cultural phenomena related to the Americas, as well as theories explaining the complex dependencies between them, which constitute advanced general knowledge from the field of cultural and religion studies; historical, social, political, and economic contexts characteristic to the cultural lives of the Americas
- in-depth the terminology, methods, tools and techniques of data gathering, select research traditions and schools, and the directions in which they are developing, crucial for studying cultural phenomena in the Americas
- in-depth the characteristics of humans as creators of culture in the Americas; the specificity of American cultures, their development and transformations, including the dilemmas of contemporary cultures and civilizations specific to the Americas; the system of norms and rules, cultural conditioning and resulting legal and social conditioning in a historical and contemporary context
- in-depth theoretical and methodological approaches within social sciences which are necessary for research, advanced analysis, and interpretation of how societies function in the Americas
- in-depth select issues, facts, processes, social phenomena, characteristics of social structures and the rules of how they function, including the position of an individual, the types of social bonds and structures in the Americas, the regularities, norms, and rules governing them, their evolutions as well as the causes and consequences of the changes happening within them
- in-depth main trends in literature and has an overview of the history of North and Latin American literature which are a vital element of American Studies research; theoretical and methodological basics of literary studies
- in-depth historical processes, important figures in the history of the Americas and significant events which led to the emergence and development of cultures, societies, and states in the Americas; theoretical and methodological basics of historical research
- in-depth advanced theoretical and methodological tools of political science and administration which allow them to understand and critically analyze the governing rules of the political system and political institutions of the Americas
- in-depth international relations in the Americas as well as the position and role of the United States in hemispherical relations, from a historical and contemporary perspective
- basic rules of creating and developing various forms of entrepreneurship
- economic, legal, ethical, and other determinants of professional activity related to the study program, including the principals of industrial property protection and copyright law
Skills: The graduate is able to:
- use their knowledge to formulate and creatively solve complex and unusual research tasks and problems, formulate and test related hypotheses by selecting and applying appropriate sources and information, assessing, critically analyzing, synthesizing them, and creatively interpreting in the context of interdisciplinary American Studies
- apply appropriate research methods and tools, adjust existing tools and methods as well as develop new ones for the purposes of interdisciplinary American Studies
- recognize, understand, describe, interpret, explain, and analyze in-depth the causes, consequences, and the course of processes and phenomena existing in the Americas
- correctly use normative systems characteristic for American cultures and use their knowledge of research traditions and schools from the field of cultural and religion studies in their own research
- notice and analyze manifestations of political culture in the context of events, crises, and routine activities of political systems in the Americas using appropriate theoretical and methodological tools from the field of political science and administration
- interpret works of North and Latin American literature in their various contexts (social, cultural, political) using theoretical and methodological tools from the field of literary studies
- identify and describe social phenomena and manifestations of social culture in the Americas using advanced theoretical and methodological tools from the field of social sciences; formulate and solve research problems in this area
- interpret source texts on the Americas from various time periods, taking into consideration their historical, social, and cultural context, using advanced tools from the field of history
- communicate with diverse audiences and conduct debate on specialized topics related to American Studies in reference to the Americas, using specialized terminology in English (possibly Spanish)
- communicate in English at a level of at least B2+ according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, including specialized terminology
- communicate in Spanish at a level of at least A2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (in the case of choosing Spanish as a language class)
- prepare and give a presentation using advanced information and communication techniques in English / Spanish, on topics related to American Studies, as well as write papers in English / Spanish
- propose and participate in preparing practical and research projects (individually and in a team) in the area of hemispherical American Studies
- exhibit entrepreneurship in organizing individual and team work as well as in getting funding for projects, research, and their implementation
- coordinate a group or a team, cooperate with others in teamwork, make decisions, assign priorities to tasks when working on a project
- further expand and add to the acquired knowledge of the Americas through an independently planned and implemented lifelong learning process
Social competences: The graduate is ready to:
- critically assess their own knowledge and the content they consume on the Americas
- use the interdisciplinary knowledge they gained in the field of American Studies in order to formulate their own opinions
- accept the significance of knowledge in solving cognitive and practical problems and to seek out expert opinions when they are unable to solve them on their own
- get engaged and use their knowledge from the field of American Studies in the interest of their social environment, to initiate actions for the public good
- act and think in an entrepreneurial fashion
- responsibly fulfill professional roles, taking into account changing social needs; act in accordance with professional ethics and expect it from others
- develop professionally, continue learning and engage in the development of American Studies