University of Bamberg
open search form
You are here

European Ethnology

Bachelor minor

  1.  University of bamberg
  2. Faculties
  3. Humanities
  4. Institutes
  5. History and European Ethnology
  6. European Ethnology
  7. Studies
  8. Bachelor minor
  9. Programme Profile

Programme Profile

Celebrations, symbols, clothing
Customs, traditions, religion
Youth, health, mobility
Protest, climate, gender

You deal with a broad spectrum of topics related to everyday culture in European Ethnology.

European Ethnology as a minor subject

  • forms part of a first professionally qualifying degree.
  • teaches fundamental cultural studies knowledge, approaches and working methods within the subject of European Ethnology.
  • offers modules on the history of European Ethnology and on current disciplinary discourses, on sources and approaches, and on techniques of cultural analysis with regard to the past and the present.
  • enables further qualification in the field of cultural studies or with the master’s degree programme in European Ethnology.

As a subject with many interdisciplinary links, European Ethnology can be combined with various other programmes at the University of Bamberg. Subject combinations with Communication Studies or Education are therefore common. You can also improve your chances on the job market with combinations including Applied Computer Science, Political Science or Sociology.

>>> More information on the general structure of multi-subject bachelor’s degree programmes

Examples of

  • Analysing past culture

    • in the seminar “Be fruitful and multiply.” Cultural influences on fertility patterns
    • in the seminar The familiar and the unfamiliar

  • Analysing contemporary culture

    • in the seminar “Do we need that?” Modern approaches to European ethnological research into customs
    • in the seminar Education and communication in museums. A practical introduction to the fundamentals of museum education

Cultural analysis in European Ethnology

We interpret and examine cultural systems using regionally situated examples. That’s why we select small, specific areas of everyday culture to examine and observe, which we explore in even more detail in their temporal, spatial and social contexts. 

These so-called micro-studies are always about our own as well as foreign identities and lifestyles, the relationship between genders and the generations, the connection between tradition and modernity as well as the expression in popular aesthetics ("folk art") and popular knowledge (e.g. traditional medicine, esotericism, superstition).

>>> Further information on the programme structure and curriculum

Career prospects

Studies in European Ethnology prepare students for a wide range of potential careers. Our students learn how to familiarise themselves with new professional fields and generate knowledge, i.e. understanding, interpreting and helping convey expressions of culture. These skills have proven to be fundamental, even indispensable, for many jobs. Further qualifications such as foreign language or IT skills, relevant internship experience and studies abroad help round out students’ profiles.

Graduates of the programme in European Ethnology are well suited to work in the fields of education, cultural administration, cultural management, tourism, museums or adult education. They also have good chances in journalistic or media-related professional fields, such as in publishing, the press, radio or television. Jobs in research, policy advising and at international organisations are also an option.

>>> More on further education and career prospects