MA in Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies

Heritage has emerged as a key category shaping the ways in which individuals, communities and regional as well as state-level actors relate to the past and imagine the future while making and remaking themselves in the present. As more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the need grows for specialists capable of analysing cultural heritage and using it responsibly as a social and economic resource. Of vital importance for developing such competencies are folkloristic theories of tradition, performance and expressive culture.

The programme provides students with knowledge, skills and attitudes to:

• unpack the process of heritage production and the workings of tradition in the context of cultural diversity and change;
• act as a mediator between different interest groups in the field of intangible cultural heritage;
• recognise and ethically apply cultural heritage as a resource in the public and non-governmental sectors, crafts, product design, tourism and various other areas of life.

Why study Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies at UT?

• There is a growing need for cultural heritage and policy specialists as more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
• UT hosts UNESCO Chair on Applied Studies of Intangible Cultural Heritage, one of the eight chairs in the world.
• One of the few master’s programmes in the world to offer a specialisation in the study and application of the heritage of crafts.
• International meetings, autumn and winter schools, guest lectures, internships, exhibitions, cooperation with memory institutions and enterprises allow you to gain practical experience. You will get individual mentoring to develop your academic and professional career.

The Folkloristics and Applied Heritage master's programme opened in 2017 with the mission of training specialists who are well versed in scholarly approaches to folk culture and cultural heritage and competent to use this expertise creatively in academia and beyond. Heritage has emerged as a key category shaping how individuals, communities and regional and state-level actors relate to the past and imagine the future while making and re-making themselves in the present. As more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the need grows for specialists capable of analysing cultural heritage and using it responsibly as a social and economic resource.

The Folkloristics and Applied Heritage Studies programme is one of the few master's programmes to offer a specialisation in the study and application of the heritage of crafts.

The programme consists of six modules, and students collaborate with the faculty to tailor much of its content towards their chosen career path. The programme offers two specialisations to choose from:

• Analysis of folklore and cultural heritage
• Study and application of the heritage of craft

Students also choose to complete their studies with a master’s thesis or a more practically oriented master’s project and design modules to support their individual professional goals. Built into the curriculum are internships and other opportunities for students to combine theory with practice.

Examples of courses:

• Heritage and Cultural Policies
• Handicraft Didactics
• Inherited Technology and Design
• Methods of Data Collection and Analysis
• Theoretical Conceptualisations of Folklore and Cultural Heritage
• Vernacular Expressions and Analytic Categories
• Applied Crafts Research and Heritage of Crafts

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Students develop a solid basis in the study of folklore and critical heritage studies as well as many transferable skills, which enables them to:

• unpack the workings of tradition and the process of heritage production in the context of cultural diversity and change
• act as a mediator between different interest groups in the field of intangible cultural heritage
• recognise and ethically apply cultural heritage as a resource in the public and non-governmental sectors, crafts, product design, tourism, and other areas of life.

Upon completing the programme, students have acquired valuable analytical, writing and communication skills and multifaceted practical experiences that they can apply in many areas in the public and non-governmental sectors and business. This programme trains experts in folk culture who are knowledgeable about the functions and application opportunities of tangible and intangible cultural heritage and familiar with cultural policy processes.

Graduates are capable of guiding the development of the field and acting as mediators between communities, officials, enterprises, memory institutions and other participants in the process of heritage production. They can plan and carry out research and business projects on cultural heritage. As more states worldwide join the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, the need grows for specialists capable of analysing cultural heritage and using it responsibly as a social and economic resource. Graduates also are qualified to continue their studies at the doctoral level.