Program Overview
The M.A. in Liberal Studies from Anglo-American University in Prague offers an interdisciplinary education combining humanities and social sciences. Through small, interactive seminars, students develop critical thinking, communication skills, and global perspectives for careers in diverse fields such as arts curation, education, and cultural diplomacy. The program culminates in a thesis and an oral exam.
Program Outline
in Liberal Studies - Anglo-American University in Prague
Degree Overview:
The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies is a two-year internationally accredited program offering a modern interdisciplinary liberal arts education. Graduates can earn both European and American globally recognized M.A. degrees. The program aims to nurture well-rounded, informed, independent thinkers and articulate communicators who can apply their learning in a wide variety of fields throughout their lives. It fosters intellectual curiosity, flexibility, and a breadth of understanding of diverse perspectives and areas. The program serves to counterbalance increasingly specialized and fragmented trends in modern education and nurtures versatile, thoughtful, and engaged citizens capable of making meaningful decisions for their own lives and valuable contributions to society. The M.A. in Liberal Studies offers a balance of theoretical, applied, and multidisciplinary investigation into the humanities and social sciences. Students can immerse themselves in first-hand investigation of significant historical and cultural sites and centers of intellectual, artistic, and social change in Prague.
Outline:
The M.A. in Liberal Studies is a two-year study program. Students have to accumulate 60 US credits (120 ECTS credits) by completing 20 courses.
Semester 1:
- HUM 600 Theoretical Paradigms and Critical Theory
- PHI 600 Advanced Seminar in Philosophy
- LIT 600 Advanced Seminar in Literature and Literary Theory
- HSS 600 Advanced Seminar in Interdisciplinary
- Elective Course
Semester 2:
- HIS 600 Advanced Seminar in History and Historiography
- Required Optional Course in the Area – Philosophy
- Required Optional Course in the Area – Literature
- Required Optional Course in the Area – Interdisciplinary Studies
- Elective Course
Semester 3:
- HUM 695 Scholarly Writing and Research Methods
- HUM 680 Multidisciplinary Colloquium
- Required Optional Course in the Area – History
- Required Optional Course in the Area – Human Sciences
- Elective Course
Semester 4:
- HUM 699 Thesis
- Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
- Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
- Required Optional Course in the Foundation Area
Graduation Examination:
- Oral State Exam based on Foundation Courses
- Thesis Defense
Required-Optional Courses:
Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Philosophy:
- PHI 585 Philosophy and Society
- PHI 660 Advanced Seminar in Aesthetics
- PHI 581 Philosophical Ethics
- PHI 522 Anglo-American Philosophy
- PHI 555 Conceptions of Evil
- PHI 605 Populism Ancient and Modern
Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Literature:
- LIT601 Bodies of Modernism
- LIT 660 The Romantic Imagination: Goethe to Mary Shelley
- LIT 661 Modernisms and Postmodernisms
- HUM 510 Folklore and Mythology
- LIT 520 Shakespeare
- LIT 506 Václav Havel: Theater, Politics and Dissent
- LIT 521 Recent Trends in Anglophone Drama
Required-Optional Courses in the Area – History:
- ART535 From Gothic to Modern: Art in Bohemia
- ART515 History of Architecture
- HIS 537 Central European History
- HIS 589 Advanced Seminar in Race, Progress and Civilization in Anglo American Thought
- IRS 506 Conflict Studies
- IRS 508 Diplomatic History
- HIS 530 Elizabeth I of England: Her Reign, Her Kingdom, Her World
- HIS 529 Empire: British Imperialism and Colonialism
- HSS 528 The Story of Language: Empires, Languages and Global English
Required-Optional Courses in the Area – Human Sciences:
- PSY 585 Decision Making
- PSY 525 Psychology of Human Cooperation
- PSY 503 Language Learning and Bilingualism
- PSY 560 Developmental Psychology
- COM 580 Language and Power
- SOC 500 Twentieth Century Social Theory
- REL 501 Religion as a Social Force Students have the option to pursue a broad interdisciplinary master’s degree or to specialize in one of the following areas of study:
- History (including art history)
- Literature
- Human sciences
- Philosophy The program culminates in a colloquium at which students present their work alongside faculty and invited speakers in a professional forum. In addition, the curriculum offers numerous elective courses in which students can explore their interests.
Assessment:
The program culminates in a graduation examination consisting of an oral state exam based on foundation courses and a thesis defense.
Teaching:
Classes are small, interactive, and culturally diverse. Courses are taught in a seminar format to encourage scholarly investigation, critical thinking, and thought-provoking discussion. Graduate students cultivate research, writing, and presentation skills in preparation for Ph.D. studies and/or a wide range of employment possibilities.
Careers:
AAU graduates thrive in multinational environments and are able to communicate professionally in English to international audiences. As a graduate of this degree program, you will be well-equipped to continue your studies or pursue a global career in areas such as:
- Curation of the arts
- Cultural diplomacy and institutions
- Publishing in art history and critique
- Tourism
- Education in the human sciences You will interact with diverse students and faculty from far afield and reflect upon your own life and the culture that shaped it, learning of its failures and unconscious assumptions, while perhaps appreciating its strengths and insights.
- You’ll be book-wise and world-wise. You’ll be more mature and confident. You’ll certainly be all the richer for it and none the poorer.
- AAU’s Career Center also connects students with professional opportunities and internships in the Czech Republic.
Tuition EU: 456 680 CZK Tuition NON-EU: 528 680 CZK
