European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies

European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies is located in Bayreuth, Germany on Wölfelstraße 2 Institute of African Studies. European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies is rated 3 out of 5 in the category higher education in Germany. Building on their outstanding and internationally recognised strengths in African Studies, the University of Bayreuth (UBT), Germany, the University of Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM), France, and the University of Porto (UP), Portugal, have developed a Joint Master Programme in the framework of Erasmus Mundus. The “European Interdisciplinary Master African Studies” (EIMAS) will spearhead innovative approaches in teaching African Studies. The framing concept of EIMAS is “Global Africa”. This Global Africa Appoach will take Africa and Africans as global players and enhance previous concepts by adding this perspective. EIMAS provides an integrated approach, focusing on the nexus between Identity, Territory and Sustainability, designed to transcend the limitations of both conventional area studies and global studies, while acknowledging alternative narratives and encouraging active involvement cooperation in and with Africa. On the structural level, EIMAS will offer students a four-step mobility scheme from the UP (1st semester) to the UBT (2nd semester) and the UBM (3rd semester) before they carry out an Africa-based or Africa-related fieldwork or internship, which will result in the writing of a thesis at the university of their choice. In the first semester, the UP will provide a comprehensive introduction to interdisciplinary African Studies. During the second semester, the UBT will widen the students’ perspectives towards development and cultural dynamics, whereas the UBM will introduce analytical approaches and provide tools for a practical involvement in contemporary political, ecological and economic challenges in the third semester. Through its innovative training programme, EIMAS will enable the students to acquire a wide range of practice-oriented knowledge of Global Africa, to enhance their analytical and communication skills and to strengthen their ability to work independently, which will significantly increase their employability.