MASTER OF LIBERAL ARTS

MA PROGRAMME

Admission

Will begin on
April 20, 2023

About the programme

Master of Liberal Arts is, for the University of Opole, a brand new approach to the field of study that has always been defined from the top down and divided arbitrarily. The University of Opole has prepared a programme, holistic and interdisciplinary in its nature, which combines humanities and art with elements of social and juridical sciences. Master of Liberal Arts Programme is the response to the limited specialisations of STEM type of studies where neither human and social factors nor critical approach towards technology are taken into consideration. Our programme differs from the traditional form of Master of Liberal Studies mainly due to majors that are adjusted to demands of the labour market. 

Why choose Master of Liberal Arts?

Master of Liberal Arts is a programme that provides students with the competences necessary on a rapidly evolving labour market: critical thinking, communication skills, teamwork, interpersonal competences, and above all, intellectual independence as well as the ability to learn and quickly adjust to the new tasks and challenges.

 

During this programme, you will have a chance to create your own study path.

Majors to choose from in the second semester

The main difference between the classic Anglo-Saxon MLS and our approach is that we can give you an opportunity to choose a major that will be best suited for you:

Philosophy, Culture, Politics The aim of PCP major is to provide the students with the knowledge about the main research orientations and with research methods and skills that are needed to identify and articulate ideas at the intersection of philosophy, culture and politics. In their MA, students are expected to conduct an academic project within the area of their interest that can be connected, for example, to the relations between religion and politics, the social and political implications of multiculturalism, the consequences of cultural relativism, or the role of culture criticism. The basic approaches to apply in the projects can be drawn from socio-political philosophy, political theory, feminist criticism and pragmatism.

 

Media and Visual Culture  The main objective of this major is detailing student’s knowledge of the theoretical frameworks, methodological preferences and analytic preoccupations of Visual Art, Media and Film Studies. The role of human perception, communication and cultural frames of interpretation is discussed. Specific concepts and categories to study the visual along other semiotic codes are introduced. The major is intended as an elaboration and diversification of students’ analytic skills and specific competencies related to processing visuals. It develops individual interests and independent studies of selected areas of visual culture. The central aim of the MA project is to provide students with a framework for intellectual engagements with the art-related action or research they select to research, as well as the artistic or applied projects they will engage in when working professionally.

 
Public Communication In this major students explore selected areas of mediated communication (political propagandas, promotional discourses, news genres, organizational or institutional materials) in order to identify their strategies and linguistic characteristics. Students become familiar with the organization of public spheres and culture industries, the main research orientations in discourse studies and methods of text analysis. They discuss exemplary case studies in the field of public communication. As their MA, students pursue individual research that draws on their knowledge of theories and practices of public communication. They choose a specific topic related to mediated communication and analyze a sample of freely available texts/visuals trying to answer a research question related to the properties of those materials. They  evaluate the effectiveness of communication in the context of a given theory of communication/culture. The conclusions from their projects may include practical implications.
Advantages of the programme
  • International student teams facilitate intercultural communication, comparative perspectives and dynamic co-operation;
  • General courses on philosophical, legal, historical, political and economic processes of contemporary public spheres foster reflectivity and critical stance;
  • Master’s research projects can be oriented towards assessing the properties and effectiveness of various forms of socially situated communication practices or addressing social problems through interventions.