Master's Degree Programme in Social Exclusion

In the midst of today’s rapidly evolving societies, the number of people suffering from a combination of poverty, deprivation of legal rights, and cultural as well as social isolation is proving to be a growing global issue. This phenomenon, known as ‘social exclusion’, is a complex condition that extends beyond economic disadvantage and poverty. It is a multifaceted process through which people lose political, legal, and social agency, resulting in stigmatisation or discrimination.

Against this global background, students on this programme learn the principles of coexistence and explore tools for analysing social exclusion from a multidisciplinary and global perspective. They also evaluate strategies that promote better social awareness and inclusion. At the same time, the programme looks in-depth at the conditions that lead to social exclusion, its negative effects on society and to what degree different cultures are affected.

Students who engage fully with this programme will be able to critically reflect on social and cultural states from a wider perspective based in the humanities, anchored in subjects such as Global History, Theological Ethics and Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy, Gender Studies, Study of Religions and Minority Studies. Belief systems, trends, values, ideologies, power and social practices within society will also be given particular focus throughout the duration of this programme, allowing students to closely examine the factors that contribute to societal problems and how it might be possible to overcome these shortcomings.

Upon successful completion of the programme, graduates will be awarded with either a Master of Theology or a Master of Arts, depending on their previous studies and the area of specialisation chosen upon commencement of the programme.

Advanced Studies in Social Exclusion

Introduction to Advanced Studies in Social Exclusion

• Social Exclusion: Key Approaches(in English)
• Introduction to Intercultural Communication(in English)
• Communication, Media Activism and Social Change(in English)
• Diversity, Equality, Inclusion(in English)

Social Exclusion: A Multidisciplinary Perspective

• Social Exclusion in a Historical Perspective(in English)
• Social Exclusion in a Philosophical Perspective(in English)
• Social Exclusion, Religion and Life Views: Main Perspectives(in English)
• Social Exclusion: Oppression and Resistance in the Theological Imaginary of the Latin West(in English)

Social Exclusion Research and Work Life

• Seminar I: English Language and Academic Skills for Studies of Social Exclusion(in English)
• Seminar II: Methods for Studies of Social Exclusion(in English)
• Race, Racism and Antiracism(in English)
• Social Exclusion and Work Life(in English)

Advanced Perspectives on Social Exclusion (Chosen Specialization)

Advanced Perspectives on Social Exclusion (Study of Religions)

• Social Exclusion, Religion and Lifeviews: Advanced Perspectives I(in English)
• Social Exclusion, Religion and Lifeviews: Advanced Perspectives II(in English)
• Methods and Research in Religion(in English)
• Advanced Specialization in the Study of Religions(in English)

Advanced Perspectives on Social Exclusion (History)

• Global History (Advanced Level) VI: Optional Specialization 2(in English)
• Global History (Advanced Level) IV: Thematic Perspectives(in English)
• Nation, Ethnicity and Minority(in English)
• Optional Advanced Course(in English)

Advanced Perspectives on Social Exclusion (Philosophy)

• Doing Research in the Human Sciences(in English)
• Participation in the Philosophical Research Seminar(in English)
• Truth, Power and Justice(in English)

Optional Courses

• Philosophies of Inclusion: Moral and Political Transformation(in English)
• Ethical and Globally Sustainable Leadership(in English)

Advanced Perspectives on Social Exclusion (Gender Studies)

• Advanced Feminist Theory 1(in English)
• Optional Theme Gender Studies 2(in English)
• Thesis Writing with a Gender Studies Specialization(in English)
• Feminist Methodology(in English)

Master's Thesis in Social Exclusion

• Master's Thesis in Social Exclusion(in English)
• Master's Thesis in English Language Checked

Optional Studies

• Digital Tools, Activism and Social Exclusion(in English)
• Internship(in English)
• The Geography of Social Exclusion(in English)
• Diversity and Inclusion in Work Life - from Theory to Practice(in English)
• Minorities, Mobility and Migration(in English)
• Religious Diversity, Minorities and the Law(in English)
• Fundamentals of Antiracism(in English)
• Social Exclusion: Different Contexts, New Approaches(in English)
• Freedom of Religion and Belief in the Educational Space(in English)
• The Conceptual History of Multiculturalism(in English)
• Intercultural Communication - Critical Perspectives(in English)
• Human Rights and the Environment(in English)
• Rethinking Actors of the International Legal System(in English)
• Visuality and Visualization of Information(in English)
• Comics - Interdisciplinary and Cultural Perspectives(in English)
• Civil resistance(in English)
• Special Protection in Human Rights Law(in English)
• Refugee Law(in English)
• Truth, Power and Justice(in English)
• Ethical and Globally Sustainable Leadership(in English)
• White Women & White Feminism(in English)
• Medieval Cosmologies and the Art of Sustainability for the Future(in English)
• Theological Ethics between Theory and Praxis(in English)
• Life View Theories and Theological Perspectives on Social Exclusion(in English)

The Master’s degree programme in Social Exclusion is especially suited to those looking to pursue careers in areas such as research, politics, equal opportunities policy and human rights institutions or organisations. As this course equips students with the skills needed to work in both national and international settings, graduates are able to find employment in a diverse range of opportunities in either the private or public sector, as well as in non-governmental organizations and civil society. Additionally, skills developed within this programme are highly relevant in arts, writing, and media careers.