Content and structure

Course content

Who am I as a writer? Why do I write – and for whom? What makes me a writer to be taken seriously, and what responsibilities do I bear? What does collaborative or plural authorship actually mean? And how is creative writing changing in the age of LLMs (Large Language Models) and AI? Now more than ever, there is a need for individuals who, through the practices of writing, publishing and communication, critically engage with and actively shape a dynamic cultural landscape. The Cultural Publishing Major combines three areas to this end: 
-              the development of one’s own authorial identity and critical engagement with it,
-              the development of cross-media journalistic formats, and 
-              practical work in cultural mediation.
Students write fictional and non-fictional texts, refine their linguistic skills and hone their individual profile as authors. Through working with digital, analogue, performative and hybrid formats, they simultaneously develop an independent journalistic practice – for example in collaborative publications, podcasts, event formats, curatorial concepts or performative settings. You will learn to make cultural topics accessible to diverse audiences, to initiate discourse and to create spaces for a diverse exchange – including as authors, editors, publishers, curators or presenters.

Areas of specialisation

The Cultural Publishing Major is divided into four practical areas:

Writing
Students learn key writing techniques. They hone their individual writing skills, develop stylistic confidence and try their hand at various forms of creative writing (literary, experimental, scenic and performative) as well as writing for non-fiction and documentary formats such as reportage, essays and criticism. Through practical engagement with LLMs, students explore contemporary forms of collaborative authorship and develop new writing practices at the interface between humans and AI.

Publishing
Students engage specifically with the impact of their writing and develop innovative publishing formats, ranging from traditional print publications through media-based, digital and hybrid forms to formats of performative practice. Students position themselves as authors whilst simultaneously gaining an expanded understanding of artistic authorship through collective and collaborative working methods.

Mediation
Here, the focus is on the practice of ‘translation’. Students practise the role of mediators, facilitating the transfer of ideas between cultural and artistic practitioners and either the general public or a specific community. As authors or publicists, they contextualise current debates and provide guidance; as moderators, they lead discussions with experts; as curators, they create spaces for discourse on relevant topics; and as communicators, they seek out and create new audiences.

Research
In the context of developing their own professional profile, students use their artistic and theoretical expertise to lay a solid foundation for a reflective engagement with discourses relating to content, methodology or practice.

Professional practice network

For all areas specialisation (writing, publishing, teaching and research), the specific structure of the curriculum facilitates collaboration with a variety of professional partners. From the outset, students learn to scrutinise the processes and outputs of their own work. Through interaction with relevant experts, they gain experience in their chosen professional fields and have the opportunity to make a name for themselves outside their studies (for example, through publications). Current partnerships (link to current partnerships) promote networking and are designed to help students establish lasting contacts.

Master’s theses and mentoring system

Through their Master’s thesis, students demonstrate their individual profile and make a relevant contribution to a selected, current field of discourse within the practical areas of cultural journalism (writing, publishing, communication, research). Master’s theses may be written not only individually but also collaboratively (e.g. by working groups or collectives of authors). Students also have the option of designing their Master’s thesis with a view to a PhD project.  

Examples of Master’s theses in cultural journalism include:
-              Print publications
-              Literary or artistic texts (including short stories, novel fragments, plays)
-              Non-fiction texts (including long-form reportage or essays)
-              Podcasts
-              Communication formats and strategies
-              Communication concepts
-              Research projects
-              And much more

When working on Master’s theses and individual projects, students are supported through one-to-one exchanges with mentors from the professional world. Depending on the subject matter and formal requirements, students can choose their mentors from among the teaching staff or propose and involve external experts from the professional world. This targeted, individual support enables students to refine their own profile through dialogue with experienced practitioners and to establish their own contacts within the professional world.

[External mentors include, amongst others, Lukas Bärfuss, Barbi Marković, Tine Melzer, Tabea Steiner, Julia Weber and Saskia Winkelmann]

Admissions requirements

Students of the Cultural Publishing Major see themselves as writers and/or agents who wish to play a creative role in shaping today’s cultural and media landscapes and to foster dialogue within society. Prerequisites include a nuanced understanding of text and language, keen powers of perception and observation, and a strong interest in current developments, discourses and positions in the fields of art and design, culture and society, as well as art and cultural mediation.
The formal entry requirement is a Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent qualification from a recognised or accredited higher education institution in an artistic and design, communication, media, language, art or cultural studies, educational or related field of study that provides a foundation for the practice of writing, publishing and/or mediation.