MA

MA Caucasus Studies Major

The MA Caucasus Studies major is a multidisciplinary program focusing on the Caucasus region. It provides you with an in-depth understanding of the social, cultural, political and economic developments in the Caucasus and offers languages courses in Georgian, Russian, Turkish and - through our partner universities - Armenian and Azerbaijani. It also enables you to develop your critical and analytical powers in relation to current events in the region, as well as your ability to approach contemporary Caucasian issues from interdisciplinary standpoints.

Exemplary MA courses offered by us:

  • Languages of the North Caucasus (Diana Forker)
  • Languages of the South Caucasus (Diana Forker)
  • Language, culture and identity in the Caucasus and beyond (Diana Forker)
  • Language policy in the Caucasus and beyond (Diana Forker)
  • Contemporary literature from the Caucasus (Diana Forker)
  • Interethnic and interreligious cooperation in the Caucasus and Southern Europe (Christoph Giesel)
  • Nation-building and nationalism in the Caucasus (Christoph Giesel)
  • Shia Islam and the role of Iran in the Caucasus (Christoph Giesel)
  • Informal practices in the Caucasus (Joseph Sparsbrod & Tamar Khutsishvili)
  • Identity groups in the Caucasus (Joseph Sparsbrod & Tamar Khutsishvili)
  • Georgian language courses (levels I-IV) (Natia Reineck)

Courses are complemented by guest lectures, expeditions and field work courses in the Caucasus, colloquia, and film series. In addition, we help you to spend one or two semesters at one of our partner universities in the Caucasus (Tbilisi, Kutaisi, Yerevan, Baku, Nalchik and Krasnodar) or at our partner institutes in Germany (Armenian Studies at the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg or History of Azerbaijan at the Humboldt University of Berlin).

Tracks of specialization

The MA Caucasus Studies major is offered as a full program (1-Fach-Master) with 120ECTS or as a Master with specialization in a discipline of choice (90 ECTS + 30 ECTS). Currently you can choose between five tracks of specialization:

  • Political Science
  • Cultural Anthropology & Cultural History
  • Indo-European Studies
  • Southeastern European Studies
  • Slavic Studies

Our faculty and stuff guide and monitor your studies and provide high quality supervision. For the MA thesis every graduate student is guided by at least two suitably qualified supervisors who are actively engaged in their area of research.

Admission Requirements

Students interested in the program are encouraged to consult with Prof. Diana Forker.

The FSU Jena welcomes international students onto our campus. Find out more about general admission requirements and studying as an international student.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of the Caucasus Studies program go on to a variety of careers, including but not limited to government and public service, international institutions, NGOs, teaching, journalism, business and academic research:

  • Foreign Affairs and Trade Officer
  • Interpreter
  • Media Presenter
  • Media Producer

You may also decide to undertake a PhD by coursework in a specialist area.