Humanities Research

In the first semester, you’ll choose two out of four research seminars: on architecture, contemporary art, intermediality or design. Plus, you’ll have room to choose electives.

In the second semester, you’ll gain in-depth knowledge in one of the two core modules: Critical Issues in the Cultural Industries, or Imagining the Image.

Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental or Digital Humanities.

You’ll start your second year with the opportunity to go abroad, take an internship or choose electives. This is accompanied by another course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose either Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others inside and outside the university. In the fourth semester, you’ll take one of the two core courses: Critical Issues in the Cultural Industries, or Imagining the Image. Finally, you’ll write your Master’s thesis based on independent academic research.

Within the programme, you also have the opportunity to co-build your own curriculum and pursue research projects within the research areas of faculty members. These include: 

• Intermediality, new media, media theory, and (post) digital art
• Contemporary architecture and urbanism in relation to mobility and globalisation
• Contemporary art, between criticality and creative industries
• Design theory and criticism

In the first semester, you’ll lay the foundations for your research during three courses on key works, theory and sources. You’ll also gain in-depth knowledge in one of the two core courses: National Historiographies and Contested Heritage, or Imagining Knowledge: Crossing the Borders of Time and Space.

Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, in the second semester you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental or Digital Humanities. You’ll also have room to choose two electives. This is either in the Faculty of Humanities, like Democracy, Populism, and the state In Europe, Political Corruption and Good Governance, History of Natural Disasters, Knowing by Sensing, Objects of Knowledge in the Medical or Health Humanities, or a course in one of the other Faculties of the VU or even other Universities in the Netherlands. Alternatively you choose a tutorial on a list of literature selected by you and your tutor.

You’ll start your second year with the opportunity to study at a partner-university outside the Netherlands, take an internship or choose electives. Also you take a course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose either Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others inside and outside the university. In addition you choose one of the two core courses: National Historiographies and Contested Heritage, or Imagining Knowledge: Crossing the Borders of Time and Space. Finally, you’ll write your Master’s thesis based on independent academic research.

Within the programme, you’ll have the opportunity to co-build your own curriculum and pursue research projects within the research areas of faculty members.

In the first semester, you’ll start with a compulsory course on Place and Planet in the Anthropocene. That’s followed by two core courses: Contesting Spaces and Literature and History.

Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, in the second semester you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental Humanities or Digital Humanities.

You’ll start your second year with the opportunity to go abroad, take an internship or choose electives. This is accompanied by another course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others. You’ll also take one of the two core courses: National Historiographies and Contested Heritage, or Imagining Knowledge: Crossing the Borders of Time and Space. Finally, you’ll write your Master’s thesis based on independent academic research.

Within the programme, you have the opportunity to co-build your own curriculum and pursue research projects within the research areas of faculty members. Choose a spatially focused course from:

• The Diasporic Experience
• Gothic Spaces
• The Material Book

You can also choose another course from our regular Master’s programme, or a course offered by another department – such as Biography of Landscape, which is part of the Classics and Ancient Civilisations Research Master’s, or Migration and Mobility, which is part of the History Master’s.

Students of the Research Master’s: Literature and Contested Spaces run an online academic journal titled Digressions: Amsterdam Journal of Critical Theory, Cultural Analysis, and Creative Writing. In addition, they meet with other VU Amsterdam Master’s students in the book club, The Purloined Letter. 

Various staff members regularly organise outings to museum exhibitions, public lectures and film screenings in Amsterdam. 

In the first year, you’ll start with courses that deepen your knowledge, such as Introduction to Human Language Technology, Programming in Python and Machine Learning for NLP. Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental Humanities or Digital Humanities. At the same time, you’ll develop skills in your own field with NLP Technology and NLP Experiments.

You’ll start your second year with electives such as Subjectivity Mining, Machine Learning or Communicative Robots. This is accompanied by another course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose either Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others.

You’ll write your Master’s thesis in the last two periods based on independent academic research. This is an original scholarly piece of writing that makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of a linguistic issue. You can also combine your thesis with a relevant internship in the language industry. Every year we organise a meet and greet where institutes and companies visit us to meet our students and talk about the possibilities for internships. 

Take a look at the complete study programme in our Study Guide. Or contact Dr. Hennie van der Vliet for more information about Human Language Technology

In the first year, you’ll start with courses that deepen your knowledge, such as Why the Law Needs Language and Linguistics, or Methods of Authorship Analysis.  You can also choose Programming in Python and Machine Learning for NLP. Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental Humanities or Digital Humanities. At the same time, you’ll develop skills in your own field with Language in the Legal System plus an elective of your choice.

You’ll start your second year with a course on the Language of Government and Business, a tutorial in Forensic Linguistics and an elective. This is accompanied by another course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose either Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others.

Finally, you’ll write your Master’s thesis based on independent academic research. This is an original scholarly piece of writing that makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of a linguistic issue.

Take a look at the complete study programme in our Study Guide. Or contact Dr. Hennie van der Vliet for more information about Human Language Technology

As a specialist in human language technology... 
Human Language Technology is a rapidly developing field of research. Solid expertise in language technology is extremely valuable for your future career in linguistic research. The industry is very keen on linguists with a technical background. Being a graduate from the Computational Lexicology and Terminology Lab will boost your chances of securing a career in linguistics or language technology. 

And as a forensic linguist...  

As an expert in Forensic Linguistics, you’ll be uniquely positioned to find employment in government, such as at the ministry of justice or a forensic institute. Commercial companies are also often in need of linguists with a technical background. Being a graduate in Forensic Linguistics with courses in language technology will increase your chances of finding a job in a related field.

In the first year, you’ll start with core courses in moral and political philosophy and in epistemology, as well as two courses on foundational texts on knowledge and ethics from the history of philosophy. You’ll also take two courses during which you’ll set up and carry out philosophical research projects.

Together with all your fellow students in the Humanities Research programme, in the second semester you’ll hone your interdisciplinary skills during two compulsory core courses: Methodologies and either Environmental or Digital Humanities. Finally, you’ll take electives offered by the Dutch Research School of Philosophy or the Research Schools on Ancient or Medieval Studies.

You’ll start your second year with the opportunity to spend a semester abroad at one of our partner institutions. Alternatively, you can select from a number of courses offered by the VU Amsterdam, the Dutch Research School of Philosophy and the Research Schools on Ancient or Medieval Studies.

This is accompanied by another course that’s common to all Humanities Research students. You can choose either Humanities Career Preparation if you wish to prepare for a PhD, Entrepreneurship if you want to start your own business, or Community Service Learning if you’re keen to apply your knowledge to solve societal issues and collaborate with others inside and outside the university. Finally, you’ll write your Master’s thesis based on independent academic research.

Digital Humanities aims to train humanities students as the data analysts of the future. The sources and objects studied in history, media, literature and linguistics are increasingly becoming available digitally. There’s a growing need for digitally trained students who are able to track news reports and social debates to understand the changing impact of ideas, individuals and institutions over time.

The Digital Humanities theme offers you the opportunity to create, interpret and analyse different types of data collections using computational tools. You’ll follow an introductory course in Digital Humanities, several Human Language Technology courses offered by the internationally acclaimed Computational Lexicology & Terminology Lab, and courses offered by your specialisation. Through a combination of courses, internships and electives, you’ll be trained to redesign traditional hermeneutic and empirical humanities methods into computational techniques, and to evaluate the differences between the methods used in (digital) research projects. You’ll investigate and apply forms of data analysis that look critically at big data from multiple sources and perspectives.

Globally, one of the most pressing concerns is the environmental crisis. The threat of major climate change has made us aware that we live in a connected world: in relation to our natural surroundings, to our communities, and to socio-political and cultural structures. This principle of interconnectedness is the focal point of the Environmental Humanities theme.

Relations between humans and their environment have long been central to various disciplinary courses and research projects within the Faculty of Humanities at VU Amsterdam, especially in the departments of History, Art and Culture, and Literature. Environmental Humanities brings these disciplinary interests together to create new connections both within and outside the humanities.

You’re encouraged to connect questions, issues and methodologies to probe pressing environmental concerns from the basis of your disciplinary track. You’ll not only apply your own methodologies and perspectives to environmental issues, but you’ll also make creative connections to other humanities disciplines. Moreover, you’ll understand the value of the humanities in exploring urgent environmental concerns.