Welcome to the homepage of
the Cultural Studies group
at the University of Vienna

Our group was formed in 1998 by teachers and researchers from different disciplines and faculties. Our aim is to institutionalize research and teaching in Cultural Studies at the University of Vienna.
We share a scientific commitment that eschews traditional boundaries between academic disciplines. Our aim is to focus on the cultural process (i.e. the motivations, orientations, and regulations which permeate all areas of work and life), and also to analyse cultural production.
We cooperate with institutions beyond the university, not only to strengthen Cultural Studies at the university, but also to raise the profile of Vienna as a centre of Cultural Studies research. Furthermore, we seek to share research in Cultural Studies with a broader audience.

Past and present issues of our work:

Specialization in Cultural Studies
In 2002 we developed an optional Cultural Studies programme for the University of Vienna. Students could choose this as a part of their elective fields of concentration (freie Wahlfächer). Since the beginning, this programme is realized in close cooperation of teachers from several disciplines, faculties, and universities in Vienna.

Complementary curriculum in Cultural Studies (since October 2008)
Until the winter semester 2008/2009, most studies at the University of Vienna have been adapted to the requirements of the Bologna process. This has been realized by developing BA- and MA-programmes. To allow students an increased flexibility of studies following the major-minor-model, the University of Vienna offers complementary curricula as structured module groups. Our group developed a complementary curriculum in Cultural Studies; this programme ist offered for the first time in the winter semester 2008/2009.

Support of graduate students
The support of young scientists is one of our most important concerns. In recent years, we have developed and organised international conferences for postgraduates at the University of Vienna, and have published the results thereof in several volumes. These conferences are filling the gap in the training of young scientists at a doctoral level in Austria.

More details (german)