The research focus at the Department of Social and Cultural Anthropology of the University of Frankfurt is the comparative empirical study of non-European societies by documenting and analysing cultural commonalities and differences between different societies. Research and the teaching curriculum thus concentrate on the study and analysis of socio-cultural phenomena at the local level as well as in a comparative global context.

The M.A. programme trains students in the reflexive application of key theories and concepts in the cultural analysis that are central to the critical interpretation of the diversity of socio-cultural institutions and practices.

The M.A. in social and cultural anthropology is a 4-semester-long degree programme that is designed to follow a B.A. in anthropology or a related discipline. The focus to teach students to critically engage with the discipline’s state of the art as well as the scholarly debates that have been formative to it and to develop further research questions from such engagements. Further, students are taught to conceptualise and execute their own research projects in which they investigate independently developed research questions. Finally, students learn to reflect on their research results in the context of scholarly debates and draw relevant conclusions.... [-]

The master’s programme provides students with knowledge and understanding of how outdoor studies can enhance learning and contribute to better health, a sustainable development and an active citizenship.

The programme focuses on experiential learning based on nature, culture and society. Teaching includes outdoor field-related experiences and learning in and via natural and cultural landscapes. The advanced courses in educational science will help teachers and other educators to understand learning processes and how the society, nature and the cultural landscape can be used as resources for learning and understanding. The programme focuses on experiential learning based on nature, culture and society, using the natural and cultural landscapes in the outdoors as resources for learning and understanding.... [-]

The Energy and Environmental Change MA is an interdisciplinary degree that combines international relations, law, business and sustainability studies. As such it provides a comprehensive examination of energy security, energy markets and climate change from global, regional and local perspectives. The degree equips students with knowledge of key intellectual frameworks and critical issues. The course offers a holistic approach to the dynamics governing energy-transition to a low-carbon economy nexus. Students are required to complete five interconnected core modules and may select one option module.

The course combines expertise from:

The MFA in Art & Ecology provides an immersive education in the development of a professional practice as an ecologically oriented artist. As an MFA graduate, you will produce a final exhibition of both personal and collaborative work, which will demonstrate that you have acquired the skills necessary to survive and thrive as a practicing artist. You will demonstrate capabilities for critical inquiry through fine art, with the ability to evaluate your work through an informed grasp of the social, cultural and theoretical concerns shaping discourse on contemporary art and ecological issues. You will also propose and implement an achievable, interdisciplinary collaborative project that engages with ecological/environmental concerns in the Burren or on a global scale.... [-]

Never has there been a more important time for a new approach to engaging with the challenging situations we face from the local to the global levels. In a rapidly changing dynamic situation, solutions rarely remain optimal for very long and continuous active participation is a necessary ingredient for success. Growing resilience in individuals and communities is the way to keep going despite the continuous change around us.

Our program in Ecological Design Thinking embraces and explores this complex world of interactions with lively engagement and an optimistic approach. It offers powerful, practical and ecology-centred skills and knowledge to apply to a diverse range of practices from design, education and business to the more specific roles of leadership, management and consultancy.... [-]

Ocean Governance is a topic of increasing significance and concern in the 21st century. The 1982 UN Law of the Sea Convention and other International law instruments are useful tools that safeguard the rule of International Maritime law. Notwithstanding their valuable contribution emerging international concerns, essentially based on the escalating crisis of unsustainability, instigate an urgent need to explore new trans-disciplinary approaches to ocean governance. Evidently, a more comprehensive, legal framework is required to improve the manner in which States and their nationals maintain the rule of law in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction and in regulating anthropogenic activities affecting the ocean and its resources. Emerging issues and threats, such as global maritime security, the sustainable use of the oceans and their resources, as well as linkages between natural sciences, socio-economic requirements and the law, necessitate a multidisciplinary approach for promoting learning and research on ocean governance.... [-]

Sustainability is most commonly defined as meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. The field of Sustainability Studies explores and critiques ways to achieve it in the context of maintaining ecological and environmental health while generating economic welfare and ensuring social justice. The Sustainability Studies is an interdisciplinary program which aims at fostering students’ understanding, appreciation, and thoughtful problem-solving skills regarding the relationship and interactions between human society and the environment. The studies will provide the interdisciplinary background that is needed to understand many of the complex challenges facing our world, and will equip students with the skills needed to develop solutions to these problems.... [-]