Slavery Studies University of Bonn

Courses are held in English (100%).

Our Master's programme is a one-year, research-oriented degree programme offering you a broad perspective on interdisciplinary research on slavery and slavery-like phenomena through time and space.

It is an interdisciplinary programme covering text-based scholarship, material culture studies and social sciences.

The design of the programme allows students to study slavery and slavery-like phenomena and to develop their individual and specialised research profiles.

Our Master's students should profit from the cutting-edge research on slavery and the newly developed concept of “strong asymmetrical dependency” conducted in the interdisciplinary and international environment of the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies / the Cluster of Excellence (BCDSS) "Beyond Slavery and Freedom".

We offer:

1. a specialised and innovative Master’s degree in “Slavery Studies”
2. an interdisciplinary and intercultural research environment
3. support and supervision by internationally renowned scholars
4. excellent qualification within two semesters
5. excellent student support

15 August for the following winter semester

A total of five modules must be attended in the course of the programme, of which four are compulsory modules and one compulsory elective module.

The first semester introduces students to the topic of "slavery (and beyond that forms of strong asymmetrical dependencies)". In addition to this historical and typological classification, theoretical and methodological knowledge is also deepened in module one.

In accordance with the interdisciplinary perspective and innovative character of the programme, courses on transcultural comparison and current research debates in the field of slavery (and dependency) studies are included (module two & three).

Module four is dedicated to the preparation of the Master's thesis, which is scheduled for the end of the semester. Identifying a suitable topic and sources, developing research questions, literature search as well as the recapitulation of "doing research" are part of the module as well as the presentation and discussion of the research project in a Master's colloquium.

In addition to the mentioned courses, practising academic writing in English and courses on "doing research" are part of the programme. This provides a solid foundation for the MA thesis.

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No tuition fees

The University of Bonn is a public university, meaning that it does not charge tuition fees. However, all students must pay the so-called social contribution (semester fee) of about 330 EUR per semester. It includes a student transit pass for public transport and a statutory accident insurance, among other things.

Compared to the rest of Europe, living in Germany is not very expensive; in fact, it is only slightly above the EU average. The cost of living for students in Bonn is around 800 EUR to 1,000 EUR, with apartment rent accounting for the largest share.

A four-year BA (240 ECTS) or equivalent degree acquired in Germany or abroad in one of the following disciplines:

Archaeologies, Asian or Islamic Art History, Comparative Religious Studies, Egyptology, English Studies, German Studies, History, History of the Islamicate World, History of Law, Japanese Studies, Korean Studies, Latin American Studies, Slavic Studies, Social Sciences, South East Asian Studies, Theologies, Tibetan Studies, or a similar discipline

Minimum grade for the first higher education degree qualifying for employment: 2.5

• C1 proficiency in English (documented by, e.g. a BA programme taught entirely in English, minimum scores of TOEFL iBT 94 / IELTS 7.0)
• German language proficiency is not required.
• Proficiency in source languages is recommended according to the subjects mentioned above.

15 August for the following winter semester

No

If you are interested in applying for a student job at BCDSS or looking for other funding opportunities from external institutions, please contact Sarah Dusend (ma-program@dependency.uni-bonn.de) or check our website.

Students of the University of Bonn can apply for a room in a dormitory of the Studierendenwerk Bonn (further information: https://www.studierendenwerk-bonn.de/en/accommodation/). 

For more information on housing in Bonn, please visit our website: www.uni-bonn.de/en/university/university-life/living-in-bonn. 

International applicants who are admitted to the Master’s programme can apply for a dorm room through the programme coordinator. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all students will be allotted a room as these are in short supply.

A career advisory service is organised by the central departments of University of Bonn.