Studying and Teaching

Winter term 2023/24 we are starting a new Master program

Geographies of Global Inequalities

How to explain the COVID-19 equity gap? Why is poverty persisting in many regions of the world? How do communities fight, address and live with rapid global warming and changing environments? How do border regimes produce a global inequality in access and exclusion to nation states? What does it mean to live in a society with different legal status? How to explain gender inequalities in societies worldwide? How can environmental politics be thought of beyond modern binaries of Nature and Culture? What does decolonial thinking, practice and politics entail? How is it that in crises and disasters not all people are equally likely to come to harm?

The English-language Master of Science "Geographies of Global Inequalities" is concerned with these kinds of questions. Our geographical perspective on inequalities is relational in that it focuses on the connections between global dependencies and ruptures. The regional focus of the program is both on people and places in the so-called Global South and North. It takes into account that economic and societal privilege or disadvantage in a globalized world is not captured by binary divisions, but much more complex: spatially fragmented, relational and unevenly distributed while existing in close spatial proximity. The Master’s program chooses its theoretical focus in postcolonial, feminist, political-economic and socio-ecological theories and concepts. These are complemented by different "lenses", such as intersectionality, or science and technology studies. The theoretical perspectives allow a social science-informed view of relevant topics in the subject of geography, such as health, mobility, racism, urban research, poverty and inequality, work and labor markets, multispecies relations, livelihood research, global governance, socio-ecological transformation and gender. The methodological training focuses on qualitative methods of empirical social research. Particular importance is attached to ethnographic methods. Questions of research ethics, data management and the use of software tools are integral to our methods courses.

At the core of the Master’s program is a taught empirical research module with an empirical student project, where students have the opportunity to apply the theoretical and methodological knowledge, gain crucial experience in practical research and lay a solid foundation for their Master thesis research. Climate-friendly alternatives for compulsory research trips are offered. Examination consists of essays and reports, or alternative formats such as websites or blog posts, videos and podcasts. The degree program offers family-friendly study options. The program is aimed at international BA and BSc graduates in geography, cultural and social sciences and related subjects.

Students are trained for positions in non-governmental organizations, political foundations, political and administrative organizations, in journalism or in international development cooperation. In addition, it introduces students to academia as a labor market through research-based learning. Access to the labor market is ensured through cooperation with employers in the above-mentioned fields. In addition, a compulsory internship lays an important foundation for entering the labor market. A period of study abroad is possible in the third semester of the program.