Why this programme?

Modern Political Culture: Ideas and Discourses in Context

In this programme, you will critically analyse present-day phenomena of political culture by going beyond their surface appearance and reaching into the past to explain their prominence today.

What you will learn

In the Modern Political Culture specialisation we seek to address fundamental questions: what are the origins of the most pressing political problems of our time? What drives social and political change, and what inhibits it? Why do our political cultures operate in the ways they do? Who defines which topics are politicised, and why? How have societies dealt with problems around political identity, organisation, mobilisation, conflict and violence, and what can we learn from them?

To explore these questions, we zoom in on a range of topical themes of present-day political culture: democracy, national identity, political violence, decolonisation, and inequality. We analyse these subjects in an interdisciplinary manner by drawing on contributions from the fields of history, political philosophy, literature and the arts, as well as the social sciences.

As a student in our highly international classroom, you will become part of a closely-knit community of academics and students united by their passion for exploring the complexities of modern political culture. The programme first introduces you to several key academic concepts and themes that will allow you to analyse political culture in a rigorous manner. In a second step, you will learn how to put your conceptual toolbox into practice by studying scholarly approaches and methodologies used in the field of political culture. For that purpose, our intellectually diverse teaching staff will introduce you to key methodologies such as conceptual analysis, discourse analysis, archival and historical research, and ethnographic field work. Subsequently, you will have the option of picking between thematic electives that will allow you to delve deeper into specific expressions of modern political culture, such as national identity, political violence, and decolonisation.

Alongside the thematic exploration of political culture, you will receive training in advanced academic research and writing within our dedicated skills training trajectory. You will be trained in identifying, locating, and reviewing relevant literature; addressing ethical problems around research; articulating a convincing research question, and developing and executing your own independent research project. These are skills that are not only key for academic work, but that are strongly looked after amongst graduates by employers. If you are interested in acquiring practical work experience, then our internship module will allow you to spend a longer period working within an institution in the world of politics, the media, cultural institutions, publishing, research, and education.

As the culmination of your hard learning and studying, you will produce an independent MA thesis on a problem and case study of your own choice, guided by an experienced scholar.

At the end of the programme, you will therefore have become a critical analyst and reflective researcher: someone who can tackle independently and with the necessary intellectual maturity the exploration of any subject of modern political culture.

Programme highlights

an interdisciplinary exploration of modern political culture that is unique in the Netherlands and in Europe, using a combination of approaches from the humanities and social sciences to explore the interaction between culture and politics
a focus on topical contemporary challenges and debates that help you become a critical analyst and independent researcher
small-group learning within a closely-knit community of students and academics
choice between a range of elective courses that allow you to follow your own academic interests
a truly international classroom: 12 students in the 2022/2023 cohort with 9 different nationalities
a wide range of internship opportunities that help you gain key professional insights and allow you to kickstart your career

Interview with Dr. Darian Meacham Associate Professor of Philosophy, about the content of the programme.

Read the whole interview here

An interdisciplinary approach

In the specialisation Modern Political Culture, we take as our point of departure approaches that are predominant in the humanities and concentrate on an analysis of political culture that is centred around exploring the forms of politics, that is, the way politics is performed and cultivated. In doing so, you will study political culture as embedded within the attitudes and expectations that are current within societies; you will explore how specific political discourses and practices both shape and are shaped by the norms, values, and ideas held by members of different groups. You will therefore study political culture as a reflection and outcome of ever-changing historical and spatial contexts that lend meaning to political discourses and processes.

Drawing on the fields of history, philosophy, literature and the arts, as well as the social sciences, you will first develop an understanding of key approaches and terms that will allow you to analyse political culture in a rigorous manner. In a second step, you will learn how to put your conceptual toolbox into practice by studying suitable scholarly methodologies that can be deployed productively for the exploration of political culture. Subsequently, you will have the option of picking between electives that allow you to delve deeper into specific expressions of modern political culture.

In this programme you will:

obtain a deep understanding of the intersection between culture and politics;
critically engage with pressing societal issues;
learn how to do independent scholarly research;
gain insight into the professional fields open to you, e.g. in the media, consultancy, politics

Student testimonials

I feel like this year finalized a form of intellectual background that I can apply in many ways in the future. With the PBL teaching method, you learn how to actively listen to others and communicate in an efficient way.

Enéa Dessard

Studying MPC further helped me to develop myself regarding other skills like working independently but also exchanging my ideas within a group. It was a great experience due to the diverse topics that we dealt with in an interdisciplinary way.

Michael Nickenig

I had an amazing time with my fellow students with their colorful blend of academic and personal backgrounds in this beautiful city and learned a lot, both content-related but also sharpening my critical thinking, analytical and writing skills.

Melissa Schnitzer

Skills training

Integrated into the curriculum, you will follow skills trainings on academic writing at advanced level, finding relevant literature, theoretical reflection, and research methods in the humanities and qualitative social sciences.

Internship

During the second semester, you have the choice of doing an internship, either in the Netherlands or abroad, supervised by teaching staff from Maastricht University. This is a unique opportunity to apply your knowledge and gain practical insights into the professional field, helping you to kickstart your career after the completion of your MA studies. The internship is a full part of the programme curriculum and will be included in your final MA transcript.

The Modern Political Culture specialisation opens the route to a rich field of internships within the political sphere. In the past, our students have done internships in think tanks, NGOs, municipal councils, political parties, ministries and government offices as well as in embassies around the world. Some have worked as advisors or project officers in organisations that are involved in cultural policy or that labour for social and political change. Others have gained work experience in museums, the media, publishing houses, and in research institutions. Our dedicated internship coordinators will help you in the process of finding a suitable institution and making the formal arrangements to start your internship.

Problem-Based Learning

Modern Political Culture is taught using Maastricht University’s famous Problem-Based Learning (PBL) teaching philosophy. In small tutorial groups of up to 15 students, you will be confronted with concrete questions and problems of modern political culture and will have to find answers collectively as a group. In doing so, you will be guided by your tutor, who is a distinguished expert in the field and an active researcher on the subject that you will be exploring. But, uniquely, you and your fellow students will share responsibility for the learning process. You will have to cooperate to make sense of the main questions and work together through the literature. In-class presentations, small group projects, and debate sessions will provide you with opportunities to work on your presentational and team-working skills. As a result, you will develop the independence, intellectual maturity, and problem-solving qualities that are treasured by employers around the world.

Diverse teaching methods

The Modern Political Culture specialisation draws on a combination of different learning environments:

Tutorial groups: This is the working centre of PBL. The groups are small and guided by an experienced tutor, but students take it in turn to chair and lead the discussion themselves. To prepare for class, you conduct research independently or in teams. You then present your results to one another, actively analysing the problem through discussion and debate.
Lectures: Interactive lectures provide a birds-eye overview on a subject while also allowing you to zoom in on specific topics presented by an expert in the field. They are delivered by our own teaching staff, as well as by guest lecturers from other Universities and speakers from outside institutions. In doing so, they bring you in contact with professionals and academics in the field.
Field trips: In some courses, you will take part in field trips to organisations such as museums, heritage sites, cultural institutions, research centres, and archives. This will allow you to explore in-depth the topics explored in the course on site, while meeting professionals who will introduce you to their own work and the mission of their institutions.
Mentoring: During the first two teaching periods, you will be assigned a mentor, who is an experienced academic with much teaching experience. This mentor will be ready to reflect with you on your study progress in the programme and to confront any challenges together with you.
Thesis supervision: You will start to develop a thesis project from the moment you arrive in Maastricht. In the second semester, you will be assigned a supervisor who will help you specify your research plans, develop your research design, and execute your research project. Regular, one-on-one thesis supervision meetings are an integral part of this thesis trajectory, with your supervisor providing feedback on drafts of your work-in-progress.

International classroom

From your first day as a student in this programme, you will be challenged with differing viewpoints and experiences as you interact with staff and students from all over the world. 77% of our students and 42% of our staff come from abroad. This creates a genuinely international atmosphere that is strengthened by the international orientation of the programme in terms of its subject matter, with case studies drawn from different geographical areas. Your worldview and intercultural skills will be enhanced by this international interaction in the classroom, allowing you to embrace the programme’s goal of reflecting on how your own perspectives and attitudes are conditioned by specific historical, social, and cultural contexts.

Teaching staff

PREMIUM honours programme

PREMIUM is our Honours programme for high-performing master’s students. If selected, you will work in an interdisciplinary team on a project for a real client from the public or private sector (e.g. Cisco, DHL, EcoAct). Along with guidance from a project mentor, you will receive individual coaching focused on your personal and professional development. You will also attend several workshops and events designed to cultivate valuable knowledge and skills, as well as build a network that provides you with the best preparation possible for the job market.

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