1-year-Research Seminars for MA Students

Especially for a subject like European Ethnology that does not offer training for a specific profession, the so-called "Lernforschungsprojekt" is the best way to prepare students for their professional life.

During this one-year course students learn to conduct a research project from beginning to end. They learn how to write a draft, abstract, research design, how to choose adequate methods, and how to analyze their material. At the end they learn how to present their results to a broader audience (via exhibitions, texts, films, websites, journals etc.). Thus they acquire not only academic skills, but also soft skills that are so important for graduates today: communication, team work, research, presentation, flexibility, and creativity.

Furthermore, there is much closer collaboration between students and teachers during Lernforschungsprojekten than in other seminars, which enables a more intense learning process but also the encouragement of individual skills. A positive side effect of the one-year project is the preparation it provides for the master thesis: whoever has successfully completed a one-year project, will not have problems finishing her/his master thesis.