Study Programme

The promotional period of each cohort of doctoral candidates begins with a multi-day Best Practice Workshop. This serves as an introduction to good academic practice, as a joint discussion of gender sensitivity and a diversity training, and as a basic introduction to important contact points and central facilities of the Bauhaus-University Weimar. In addition, the workshop makes it easier for all those involved in GRAMA to get to know each other and begin working together.

Regular plenary sessions (4 hours per week in the first semester, 2 hours starting from the second semester, 1 hour starting from the fourth semester) are the foundation of the collective work at the GRAMA. In the first and second semesters, programme participants are introduced to the questions, problems, theories and methods of Media Anthropology as well as related and adjacent fields of research in order to establish a common theoretical frame. In the following semesters, the content is increasingly oriented towards the specific concerns and issues of the dissertations and post-doctoral projects pursued at GRAMA. The professors organize and lead the sessions in turn. In this way, programme participants learn various approaches to the field of Media Anthropology through the specific perspectives of the supervising professors. The plenary session is also open to experimental formats. Overall, they serve to train programme participants to reflect on what they have learned, their own research and their standpoint, to communicate and to debate in relation to other perspectives.

In the first three semesters of each doctoral cohort, GRAMA organises a lecture series with internal and external experts. This format gives programme participants an overview of current media-anthropological research and supports them in acquiring a systematic understanding of their discipline. In addition, they will have the opportunity to establish their own contacts. For in-depth discussion, selected guests also take part in the plenary session on the following day.

Media-anthropological research is characterized by a diversity of methods and their self-reflexive critique. In two intensive workshops, the doctoral candidates will collaboratively learn and examine relevant methods. The first workshop aims to convey the spectrum of methods employed in their respective research projects. The second workshop serves to deepen a comparative perspective and the reflection of their individual research, which supports the doctoral candidates in their independent development as well as in the critical reflection of their own perspective.

Doctoral candidates enter into an supervision agreement with one of the participating professors. The main supervisors regularly organize their own colloquium. The colloquium provides the opportunity for intensive discussion of drafts and chapter excerpts from the dissertation projects. The supervisors consult on issues of structure, argumentation, methods, choice of material, etc. and provide support regarding questions and problems in the writing process. In addition to the colloquium, supervisors will keep regular office hours and meet with their doctoral candidates individually.

Public events serve to allow programme participants to familiarize themselves with common formats of academic collaboration and practice their skills in presenting and defending their own research in front of an audience of experts. An average of three events per doctoral cohort are planned: One post-doctoral workshop, one doctoral workshop as well as a conference. The workshops are designed to be intensive, thematically-focussed sessions that offer programme participants the opportunity to present and discuss their research with other experts and academics. At the end of each cohort, a conference allows the public presentation and discussion of the research conducted at the GRAMA.

In addition to the plenary session, peer mentoring forms the second integral core element of the study programme. Programme participants meet without the participating professors on a weekly basis in the first and second semesters and on a biweekly basis starting from the third semester. This format allows the doctoral candidates to determine possible needs, to discuss or work on shared questions, to exchange experiences and to develop and try out experimental formats. Programme participants decide for themselves what the meetings are to be used for. In addition, doctoral candidates have the opportunity to invite external experts relevant to their field of research and consult with them about their doctoral projects. The peer mentoring meetings aim to promote not only the development of theoretical and methodological expertise, but also social competence and skills in cooperation and communication.

The post-doctoral researchers are of particular importance in this format and provide advice and assistance to the doctoral candidates. The coordinators of the GRAMA further assist with organizing certain formats or events. 

The programme participants are given adequate opportunities to consult with external experts, to engage in research trips and visit archives, and to attend international and national conferences and workshops in order to present their research. The doctoral candidates are encouraged to expand their own contacts and networks, which are fundamental aspects of the academic profession and are important in the development of a professional standing. All trips are coordinated in advance with the supervising professor and/or the supervisory committee. In the last two semesters, trips should be avoided, as the focus during this period is on completing the dissertation.

For the purpose of opening up and disseminating media-anthropological research to the general public, each cohort organises a film series at the Lichthaus Cinema in Weimar. This series spans multiple semesters, with one to two screenings per semester. Films are selected by the programme participants or participating professors and are introduced with a short lecture. The screenings are occasionally coupled with discussions between GRAMA members, students of the university and individuals affiliated with Weimar’s cultural scene. The aim is to engage in conversation with the general public about media-anthropological issues and questions.

The interdisciplinary research of GRAMA profits from an exploration of media-anthropological practice. The feedback between academic and practical knowledge is therefore an important aspect of the study programme. In order to intensify this feedback, the GRAMA cooperates with several cultural and educational institutions, who offer to host doctoral candidates for an internship of 4-6 weeks, allowing them in-depth insights into their work and processes.

The aim is to engage with museums, galleries, theatres, archives, libraries, memorial sites etc. as places of media-anthropological experience: They establish relationships between specific media (e.g. book, image, stage) and their users. As media dispositifs, they embed their audience into their own functions and spaces. At the same time, they reflect this relationship, bring it into view and make it tangible. Programme participants, if it facilitates their research, are given the opportunity to investigate the practices of specific institutions and relate them to their theoretical and methodological questions. 

Cooperating institutions include the Klassik Stiftung Weimar, the German National Theatre, the Bauhaus Museum Weimar, the Goethe and Schiller Archive, the Herzogin Anna Amalia Library, the Museum of Pre- and Ancient History Thuringia, the Buchenwald Memorial, the Lichthaus Cinema and the ACC Gallery.

The doctoral candidates and post-doctoral researchers have access to a range of coaching opportunities and other measures provided by the GRAMA in cooperation with the Bauhaus Research School. Individual consultations regarding funding opportunities and career planning are also possible. Programme participants may take advantage of this according to their own needs and may also propose future coachings, workshops, etc. The Bauhaus Research School, in close cooperation with the GRAMA, continuously develops and adapts its programme to suit the needs of the participants.

For post-doctoral researchers, coaching and mentoring opportunities are specifically geared towards their career stage (how to secure and manage third-party funding projects, application training, workshops on leadership and communication skills, training on university didactics and more).

The University Library furthermore offers research workshops tailored to the needs of programme participants as well as training in the use of reference management software and advice concerning open access publications. The research department of the Bauhaus-University Weimar also offers consultation on the preparation of funding applications and advice on the protection of intellectual property. Advanced language courses can be taken at the Language Centre. In the final phase of the doctoral degree, the advisory services offered by the Career Service can help with decision-making and planning regarding further career paths after the doctoral degree. With the Start-up Hub »neudeli«, the Bauhaus-Universität Weimar additionaly provides support for those wishing to start a business after successfully completing their doctoral degree.