ETHNOLOGIE (B.A.)

Description of the degree programme
Ethnology is the study of the different ways of life of people as expressed in their social and cultural forms. Its range of subjects is as wide as the social life of humanity itself. This includes a comprehensive bandwidth of various aspects, e.g. social, political, and economic phenomena as well as religion, values and cultural identities. The creation, transformation and present context of these aspects will be studied.

Contents of the degree programme
The focus of this degree programme is on the Indo-pacific and African regions. You will study questions of cultural diversity, differences and identity. In this process, you will learn to use the most important ethnological methods.
The German language bachelor's degree programme equips you with the basic specialised knowledge essential for transitioning into professional practice, as well as with the ability to master the core elements of the subject and to apply basic scientific methods and insights. These competencies form the basis for research-oriented higher studies in master's and doctoral degree programmes, or for entry into various professional fields.
The main content of research and teaching focuses on:
• Social, political, economic and ecological change processes of their interwoven global relationships and local iterations
• Culturally related differences and their evaluations (e.g. with reference to ethnic identity, gender, body)
• Interweaving of religion, politics and state
• Migration, identity policies


Degree programme structure
Area of competence outside ethnology
Besides the specialised study of ethnology, a second subject outside ethnology has to be studied, for example Economics, Law, Gender Studies, or Political Science. Click here for a complete overview: (Insert link).

Practice-oriented specialization phase
The practice-oriented part of the degree programme consists of an inter-university semester. A semester abroad and an internship in one of the two focal regions are recommended.
Cooperation arrangements have been established with facilities in countries including India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Cambodia and Singapore.

Area of professionalisation
The area of professionalisation consists of the optional area and the key competencies.

Optional area
Over and above the subject-specific skills, the bachelor's degree programme provides students with competencies to successfully embark on a professional career (application-oriented profile) or for admission to a master's degree programme (science-oriented profile).

Area of key competencies
When seeking gainful employment, university graduates must live up to high professional standards. Alongside sound knowledge in their scientific or academic field, university graduates should possess cross-disciplinary qualifications relating to their chosen profession (key competencies): These key competencies form the cornerstone of a goal-oriented curriculum and lay the foundation for sustainable success in a working career.
Students can acquire key competences through internships, by taking meaningful, additionally qualifying courses adapted to their individual education profile or by directly engaging in professionally relevant coursework.
The key competencies can be selected from the catalogue of the Faculty of Social Sciences and the module handbook of the University of Göttingen.

Potential professional fields
Future job opportunities arise in various fields, including:
• In research and teaching assignments at universities and other research institutions
• For museums and exhibition organisers and in international culture promotion
• In development cooperation, in humanitarian aid projects and in legal organizations (e.g. human rights assignments)
• As inter-cultural advisors and mediators, e.g. in jobs involving emigration work and refugees, in public health, in businesses and in tourism
• In the media and in public service as well as in adult education particularly with regard to foreign cultural and global contexts

Further notes on the degree programme
Admission: Admission to the bachelor's degree programme in Ethnology is limited.
Language: German