Arts, Culture and Media

Studying music in Groningen in the Arts, Culture and Media Department offers students a broad spectrum of perspectives from which to situate music's role in culture and society.

Within core modules, students learn to identify the aesthetic, historical and formal qualities connected to various music genres from baroque to jazz and from musique concrète to EDM. The programme provides an overview of relevant theoretical models, drawing in particular from the disciplines of cultural studies, ethnomusicology, musicology, media studies, and theories of race, gender, sexuality, and ethnicity. Individually and in groups, students engage in research projects that expose them to local, national, and international music cultures and phenomena. Here, they investigate the changing processes guiding music's mediation and institutionalisation in the twenty first century.

Coordinator Music: k.a.mcgee rug.nl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MusicStudiesRUG

The Film Studies track offers a specialization in the study of film as an art form, a medium, and a cultural practice.

Students following this track become acquainted with a wide range of film genres and styles. They learn theoretical concepts from film and media theory to film philosophy, emotion studies, cognition and aesthetics. These perspectives enable students to examine the various shades of the film experience and to understand trends like techno aesthetics, transmedial storytelling and complex narration. Film students have full access to: devoted staff supervision and hands-on education; a national high-profile network of professional internships; a distinguished international network of associated academic partners for research and education. Groningen is a lively city with multiple (art house) cinemas. We offer great possibilities for ERASMUS exchanges to partner universities like the Freie Universität Berlin, Paris-Sorbonne, and many others. Last but not least, we regularly feature renowned guest lectures by outstanding artists, scholars and cultural critics.

Course Coordinator: Dr. Annie van den Oever, a.m.a.van.den.oever rug.nl Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groningenfilmstudies

The theater and performance track offers in-depth study of all forms of theater as historical, cultural and social practice, as well as the contemporary market and its related interdisciplinarity.

Within this specialisation, students study the rich and diverse history and theory of theater from ancient drama to dramatic, post-dramatic theater, and experimental performance, acquiring insights into a number of perspectives and research methods. Through individual research and group projects, students focus upon the creation and perception of theater; the goals and intentions of theater makers; and the public's experiences and interpretations.

During their studies, students of theater and performance remain in constant contact with the contemporary theater market by visiting a number of local and international productions and festivals, participating and organizing pre- and post-show discussions with theater makers and contributing dramaturgically to the creative process of artists. Additionally, they are also asked to create a theater project of their own and present it publicly in a theater venue in Groningen. This way they also have the opportunity to come in contact with the practical side of the artistic process.

Coordinator Theater: l.d.m.e.van.heteren rug.nl

The Arts Analysis and Criticism Framework offers students intensive study into the three fundamental facets surrounding criticism of the arts in the contemporary arts worlds:

(1) an aesthetic understanding of arts practices as inherently mediated phenomena; (2) a recognition and conceptualisation of the interdependence of the arts across disciplines and across media and finally (3) an examination of new and creative forms for evaluating the arts, motivated in particular, by digital media.

Differentiating between these various critical aesthetic debates - such as those offered in the fields of arts ethics, performance theory, film theory, and arts and emotions - is an important aspect of this framework. For this framework, students enroll in courses in order to acquire a firm grounding in those three facets of arts media theory (mediation, intermediation, digitalisation), while also developing the written and evaluative skills to undertake their own unique forms of arts criticism and analysis. In short, the arts criticism and analysis framework provides students further grounding into the important debates reflective of contemporary arts criticism practices, which cross disciplines and media, while further cultivating greater understanding of the specific debates and concepts surrounding particular art forms.

The Arts Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship Framework offers students an in-depth perspective on how the arts are organised in society.

In this track, students examine how the production and mediation of the arts are marketed in a larger societal context. Furthermore, this frame investigates how the experience of the arts becomes meaningful for arts participants, including audience members, music fans, and arts professionals while also examining how these players impact the broader culture. Thus the framework devotes particular attention to examining to what extent local authorities value (or fear) the arts and their broader impact upon culture. The seminars introduce students to various core methods for studying the arts as a social activity, drawing heavily from social science methodologies. Furthermore, the grounding concepts for arts management and arts marketing as well as more broadly conceived cultural perspectives on the value of the arts within the domain of arts education and policy are also discussed. Thus the seminars incorporate concepts and methodologies from a variety of disciplines, especially from the social sciences, management sciences, cognitive sciences and public policy theory. Coordinator Arts Policy and Cultural Entrepreneurship: Quirijn Lennert van den Hoogen (q.l.van.den.hoogen rug.nl)

The fifth semester of your studies is dedicated to your Minor: a coherent set of future-oriented course units. It prepares you for a follow-on Master's degree program or for entering the labour market. You can opt for a Career Minor, a Minor abroad, a University Minor or a Faculty Minor.