Consultation hours Student Office
Questions about study course
Katja Overmann
Stromstr. 3b - Room 0.42
Tel.: +49 30 300 117-562
E-Mail: katja.overmann(at)ipu-berlin.de
Questions about application
Marius Digel
Stromstr. 3b - Room 0.40
Tel.: +49 30 300 117-543
E-Mail: admissions(at)ipu-berlin.de
In this Master's programme, we impart cultural studies perspectives in a psychoanalytical framework and thereby use the psychoanalytical expertise of the IPU in order to make it productive for exploring cultural phenomena and processes. Culturally heterogeneous ideas, beliefs or forms of knowledge can thus be analysed as well as material outgrowths (e.g. media products, film, exhibitions, everyday objects or spatial structures).
Since Freud, psychoanalysis has not been determined by the "material" it deals with, but by "the technology with which it works" (Freud, 1916-17) and has thus from the outset also been related to questions of cultural studies. Of course, this does not mean "putting the artist on the couch" or seeking the Oedipus conflict in every film. Rather, it is a matter of paying attention to the "unheard of". This means, for example, not to prematurely resolve the irritations and contradictions that arise in the contemplation of cultural phenomena, but to take them seriously and place them as a starting point at the beginning of reflection.
The reflective person becomes part of this process. In the individual classes, you will therefore also examine and explore your own working processes and paths of knowledge. Just as the analytical attitude can become productive for cultural studies, the latter in turn offer the possibility of a critical questioning of psychoanalytical concepts. In this way, for example, gender relations and structures of desire can be rethought.
Hence we apply a double focus: psychoanalytical approaches are as indispensable a part of cultural studies as cultural questions are constitutive for psychoanalytical thinking. The course opens up these interrelationships for you and offers a unique level of analysis.
The Master's programme in Cultural Studies is offered on a part-time basis and can only be completed part-time. Teaching takes place on four weekends and one block week per semester. The block week can be recognised as educational leave depending on the federal state.
The study programme comprises 8 semesters (120 credit points) and is divided into two consecutive study sections:
The study can begin any semester. During your studies you will be taught cultural-theoretical and psychoanalytical concepts as well as general approaches to specific subjects.
The contents of the course include reflections on
At the IPU you will study cultural sciences through various forms of teaching and learning. In addition to the classic lecture formats, you will also work in study projects and with "relocations" to Berlin’s cultural institutions (e.g. museums).
Even before enrolment, you may participate as a guest student in seminars in order to get to know the study contents. This participation can be certified. For more information, please contact us at fortbildung(at)ipu-berlin.de.
The Cultural Studies programme is aimed at cultural scientists, humanities scholars and social scientists, psychoanalysts, doctors and artists who wish to qualify in cultural studies and acquire or expand psychoanalytical expertise. They can qualify, for example, for jobs in the intercultural/transcultural field, in educational work or for clinical and consulting activities. You can also further qualify yourself scientifically. You are required to have a degree (magister, diploma, state exams, bachelor’ degree) in a cultural, humanities, social, health science/medical or artistic field. Exceptions may be possible. A personal selection interview is a prerequisite for admission.
Current application deadlines can be found here.
The IPU participates in the Deutschlandstipendium programme, a scholarship programme funded by the German government and open to applications from all students. The most important criteria for receiving this scholarship of € 300 per month are previous performance, social commitment and a possible financial need.
And most recently in 2019, the IPU has become a member of the Studentische Darlehenskasse Berlin e.V. (DAKA). This means, that as an IPU student you get a loan with some of the best conditions in the whole of Berlin.
Further information on the Deutschlandstipendium
Course of Studies | MA Cultural Studies |
| Director of the course of studies | Prof. Dr. Insa Härtel |
| Degree | Master of Arts |
| Type | Part-time course of studies |
| Credits | 120 credit points |
| Duration | 8 semesters |
| Number of students | approx. 15 |
| Teaching formats | Lecture, seminar, workshop, study projects, "relocation” |
| Teaching language | German |
| Study location | International Psychoanalytic University Berlin |
| Prerequisite | Previous degree (e.g. cultural sciences, humanities or social sciences) |
| Cost | payment semesterly € 1.800, monthly € 320 or in advance € 12.900. |
| Start of studies | Summer and winter semesters |
Study Course Flyer
Course Catalogue
Studien- und Prüfungsordnung (ab 1.4.2012)
Study and Exam. Regulations with Module descriptions from 1. Oct. 2016 (with changes from 1. Oct. 2018)
Study and Exam. Regulations with Module descriptions from 1. Apr. 2019
Study Plan
Course Syllabus Sem. 1 Winter Term 2021/22
Antrag zur Anmeldung der Master-Thesis
Modalitäten zur Masterarbeit
Eidesstattliche Versicherung