Course content
Discussing how the arts are socially entangled, interfere? Exploring how aesthetic means can be used to criticize? Reflecting on what links historical thinking with potential futures? 

The Minor “Cultural Analysis in the Arts” focuses on precisely this: locating and sharpening artistic and/or mediating practice in the context of current critical discourses.

On the one hand, the Minor deals with various critical theories, especially with the power- and identity-critical perspectives of (visual) cultural studies, the representational critiques of gender and postcolonial studies and concepts of film, media, art and cultural studies. On the other, it asks questions about critical “agency”, the effects of artistic and/or mediating practices. In what ways do the arts themselves critique? What is the link between theory and practice? To what extent can artistic practices themselves be understood as forms of cultural analysis – in other words as theory production, phenomenon identification (analysis) and thesis advancement? The focus is on thinking about artistic projects or mediating strategies in the light of questions like these. Concepts such as performativity, agency, participation, embodiment, situatedness, diversity and relationality offer theoretical starting points here. 

The close theory-practice interconnection of the Minor programme enables critical approaches to artistic practices and their social potentials. By understanding art as cultural analysis, we ask not only what social issues the arts critically engage with, but more specifically how they do so and what they are able to make visible by that.

Structure
Depending on the emphasis, the Minor can be worth either 15 or 30 credits. “Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory” (15 credits) concentrates on theoretical discussions, conceptual work and acquiring knowledge of the relevant discourses; this Minor analyzes how artistic practices operate in the context of theoretical discourse and articulate critique.

“Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory and Practice” (30 credits) intertwines theoretical discussion with an individual artistic conceptual and project work; the Minor sharpens references to and experiments with the student's own practice. Accordingly, the programme is based on two/three connected module areas:

• Mattering concepts: The compulsory curriculum is about forming a basic conceptual and methodological understanding of the subject. Students study terms, concepts and critical methodological discourse from the field of art-related cultural analysis.

• Cultural discourses and aesthetic inquiries: The seminar part provides opportunities for in-depth subject work based on examples. In collaboration and exchange with other study programmes – in particular with shared formats such as the “Critical Thinking” T-minor ((Link ergänzen)) – it is about encounters and selected deepening, exchange and the development of transfer competences.

• Working in progress: Students taking “Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory and Practice” worth 30 credits can deepen their studies of discourse and topic fields concerning their own co-mentored, individual and research-oriented project. Whether in form of an essay film, an installation with archive material, a participatory project assignment, a performance, a piece of writing or a weblog – form finding in cultural analysis will be a common element in all projects.

Skills
Graduates are capable of:
–  Analyzing, differentiating and discussing artistic, design and/or mediating practices in a (self-)critical manner that adopts power and identity-critical perspectives;
–  Articulating their own artistic-scientific position against this backdrop in an active and differentiated manner and taking part in current debates in the field of art-related cultural studies.

Graduates of the extended “Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory and Practice” (30 credits) programme will also be capable of:
–  Expressing themselves in an experimental and argument-based manner in hybrid, artistic-scientific formats at the interfaces of theory and practice;
–  Developing a promising doctoral proposal (or another independent project) to follow the minor in the area of artistic-scientific cultural analysis. 

Admissions requirements
The Minor in “Cultural Analysis in the Arts” is designed for Master's students who wish to sharpen cultural analytic skills in the context of their own artistic and/or mediating practice.

Language skills required.
You need the following languages to take this minor:
–  German and English: to be able to follow a discussion
–  German and English: to actively participate in a verbal exchange
–  German and English: to understand a text
–  German or English: to write a text

Special features of the course
The transfer between research and teaching is of key importance for the Cultural Analysis in the Arts Minor. All lecturers are also active as researchers, usually at the research focus Cultural Analysis in the Arts. Joined events with the PhD programme Cultural Critique as Transversal Practice prepare those who are interested for the third cycle (doctoral studies in artistic research).

Time structure
The Minor “Cultural Analysis in the Arts” takes place during the Minor Weeks and on Friday afternoons.

→ More about the Minor Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory (PDF download)
→ More about the Minor Cultural Analysis in the Arts – Theory and Practice (PDF download)

At ZHdK, students choose a Major. In addition to this core subject, they can choose one or two Minors to deepen or expand their major skills and knowledge across various disciplines. This wide choice of courses is unique in Europe and enables students to develop and sharpen their individual profile.