Curriculum

The interdisciplinary Film Heritage M.A. program spans four semesters and deals with film tradition, film as a key medium and art form of the 20th century, and film as an important basis of today's digital media culture and collective cultural memory. In particular, the program focuses on curatorial, editorial, and program work in the field of historical films as well as the documentary, artistic, academic, and commercial use of archived audiovisual material. The collaboration with the university's in-house institute Filmmuseum Potsdam as well as numerous Berlin-Brandenburg-based partners ensures that practice is added to the theoretical parts of the program.

The theoretical knowledge students acquire during their first two semesters has been developed based on practical examples and encompasses the following subjects:

  • Cultural memory and cultures of remembrance
  • Theory and history of archives, (media) libraries, and museums
  • Use of archived audiovisual material 
  • Film history and communication
  • Source studies in media history
  • Media law and politics
  • Media archeology
  • Media technology
  • Digital Environments

In their third semester, students focus on a subject of their choice in their project work.

The M.A. examination encompasses the Master's thesis and its oral defense. Students who successfully complete the program have the opportunity to pursue a PhD degree.