Degree Programs and Course Catalogs

Program Focus

• How many languages are there in Africa, and what is the relationship between language and culture?
• What to learn about the past and present of African cultures?
• How does the program relate to contemporary African societies?

The African Languages and Cultures program introduces students to the fields of linguistic and cultural studies in African research, including Egypt and Sudan. Course content includes descriptive and comparative African linguistics, ancient studies specializing in the Nile Valley region, and cultural studies focused on Africa.

At least one African language is taught; options include Ancient Egyptian, Swahili, and Hausa. In the advanced modules, students can further specialize by selecting two of the three specializations: African Linguistics, Cultural Anthropology of Africa, and Egyptology.

The academic focus of the Cologne program “Languages and Cultures of Africa” represents an innovation in the German-speaking higher education landscape that builds on international research
by combining the methods and content of African Studies and Egyptology within a single program.

The departments within the Faculty of Arts are connected to other disciplines through subject clusters and teaching and research centers: Regular lecture series and workshops
enable you to view your field within a broader context, thereby benefiting your future professional practice.
 

Prerequisites & Additional Requirements

• High school diploma (which when it is done in Germany also certifies the German language skills)
• English proficiency at level B2 (CEFR)
• French proficiency at level A2 (CEFR) or proficiency in another modern foreign language

Further Information

• Information page on the study orientation portal for this program
• BA Module Handbook

Program Focus

The master’s program provides in-depth practical and theoretical knowledge and skills in specific areas of African Studies and Egyptology, as well as training in the methods, theories, and issues of various subfields, including:
 

• Knowledge of theories and models of African language history
• Understanding of the fundamental processes of language change and language development in Africa
• Knowledge of applied linguistics in Africa
• Ethnolinguistic issues
• Methodological and theoretical approaches in Egyptology as a historical cultural studies discipline with a text- and object-based approach
• Knowledge of the languages, scripts, and archaeology of the Lower and Middle Nile Valley, particularly in antiquity
• Knowledge of cultural studies theories on globalization and localization
• Knowledge of the ethnography of African societies and comparative cultural ethnology
• Critical reflection on the history of African studies and Egyptology
• Critical analysis of self-perceptions and external perceptions of Africa
• Ability to critically apply models of social and cultural theory to ancient Egypt

The goal is to equip students with the skills needed to conduct independent academic research or pursue a career outside the academic field. The program can be pursued as a single-major or double-major master’s degree and offers three specializations:

1. Specialization in African Studies and Linguistics
2. Specialization in African Studies and Cultural Anthropology
3. Specialization in Egyptology

Specialization (3) includes advanced Egyptian language courses. In Specialization (1), students can build on their language skills in EM1. In Specialization (3), students can take advanced language courses and Egyptology courses in Bonn.

Prerequisites

• Completion of a relevant BA program in African studies or Egyptology
• English proficiency at the B1 level (CEFR)
• Proficiency in an African language equivalent to at least 10 hours per week

If language proficiency cannot be proven at the start of the program, it must be achieved during the course of study as a requirement for enrollment.

Further information

• Information page on the study orientation portal for this program
• MA Course Catalog(Single-Major)
• MA Course Catalog (Double-Major)

The institute is also involved in this interdisciplinary, English-language master’s program, which is offered jointly by the departments of Ethnology, African Studies, Prehistory and Early History, Geography, and Egyptology.

The master’s program provides both detailed regional knowledge of various African regions and advanced methodological, theoretical, and substantive competencies in the field of human-environment research.

Due to the interdisciplinary design of the master’s program, students acquire extensive skills in various social and natural science techniques for data collection, data processing, and data analysis. Another focus of the program is the transmission of current knowledge regarding historical and recent human-environment dynamics on the African continent. A particular strength of the program lies in the integration of insights from various disciplines.

• Module Handbook

Admission to the minor program “Languages and Cultures of Africa” within the B.A. program in Geography is granted—upon application—by the Geography Office of Academic Affairs.

• Module Handbook “Minor in the B.A. in Geography”

The degree programme offers a combination of linguistic, social and cultural approaches to interculturality. Through collaboration between the disciplines of Education, Ethnology, Linguistics, Psychology and Social Sciences, it provides an interdisciplinary exploration of cultural dynamics in the following areas:

• Culture
• Education
• Language and Communication
• The Individual and Society.

The aim of the programme is to provide an academic understanding of societies around the world, which are characterised by the mutual influence of cultures as well as by the emergence of new cultural identities.

more information

The Egyptology specialisation within the Ancient Languages and Cultures (ASuK) degree programme is tailored to students with an interest in the history, languages and literature of the Mediterranean region. ASuK Egyptology has a philological focus and can be combined with a second ASuK subject or with another subject.

Overview of Egyptology in BA programmes from the winter semester 2017/18 onwards

In this practice-oriented degree programme, students learn the latest methods and techniques in archaeology and apply them to ancient Egyptian finds. In the single-subject BA programme, all specialisation modules are chosen from Egyptology (Profile A) or from Egyptology and an archaeological subject (Profile B). In the double-subject BA programme, Egyptology is combined with a subject outside the field of archaeology.

Overview of Egyptology in BA degree programmes from the winter semester 2017/18 onwards

The Egyptology specialisation within the Ancient Languages and Cultures (ASuK) degree programme is aimed at students with an interest in the history and traditions of the Mediterranean region, from which Europe emerged. It can be combined with a second ASuK subject or another subject.

Overview of Egyptology in Master’s degree programmes from the winter/spring semester 2017/18 onwards

In this practice-oriented degree programme, students combine Egyptology with an archaeological subject (single-subject MA) or with a subject outside the field of archaeology (double-subject MA). They apply current archaeological methods and theories to ancient Egyptian finds and can combine Egyptology with the field of archaeoinformatics, which is unique in Germany. In the dual-subject MA, there is no requirement to take a language module; however, to qualify for the degree, students must demonstrate knowledge of Middle Egyptian, for example from a BA degree.

Overview of Egyptology in Master’s degree programmes from the winter semester 2017/18 onwards