Cultural Studies as a university degree programme
The degree programme of Cultural Studies accepted its first students in the academic year 1991/92. It inherited the specialization in “History and Theory of Culture”, established in 1981 by Prof. Nikolay Genchev within the Department of History to provide additional interdisciplinary education to students of various Departments. The then faculty included prominent Bulgarian intellectuals such as Prof. Atanas Natev, Prof. Dimitar Avramov, Prof. Ivan Stefanov, Prof. Ivaylo Znepolski, Prof. Alexander Fol. The faculty members of the Department today continue this tradition and combine distinguished research careers with strong media presence, and occasional participation in the government of culture at the highest level.
The Department offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degree programmes, and keeps the tradition of encouraging the students to venture into various research fields, to apply original creative approaches to theoretical and practical cases and to develop critical thinking. The main principles of the instruction are 1) organic connection with the research activities of the faculty; 2) tailored approach to the interests and needs of students; 3) promotion of social, civic and cultural awareness; 4) academic mobility and non-academic internships.
The connection between the theoretical and the practical dimensions is embedded in the structure of the curriculum. Elective courses comprise over 1/3 of all subjects in the curriculum, which enables students to be active participants in the shaping of their own professional profile. They can further pursue their themes of interest e.g. by choosing a topic for a term project. Mandatory internships offer links to the labour market; collaborations with leading European universities broaden the horizons of academic and cultural experience.
Cultural Studies as expert knowledge
Cultural Studies are characterized by reflexivity and openness to various disciplinary and thematic fields. Following this trend and constantly analyzing the scholarly production and training programmes of leading world universities, the Department covers a wide range of topics in its research and educational activities. Often times, they are also of current public interest insofar as they address trends in cultural life at national and local level, cultural policies, socialization of cultural heritage, changes in the urban environment, funding mechanisms for culture, digital cultures and online identities, political uses of religion and modern religious practices, culture of resistance and culture of care, etc.
The Department maintains a wide network of national and international contacts. Among its guests are world-renowned scientists such as Francois Furet, Paul Ricoeur, Jürgen Habermas, Jacques Derrida, Reinhard Kosellek, Umberto Eco, Charles Taylor, Aleida Assmann, Mike Featherstone and others. The research projects of the Department have been supported by reputable international foundations, EU framework programmes, the National Research Fund of Bulgaria and others.
The training in all degree programmes of the Department for Cultural Studies is connected with a truly engaging research work. The Department’s projects, field trips, summer schools and seminars give students a chance to do their own research, conduct surveys and interviews, summarize and present the results, participate in academic and practical conferences, publish articles in the open access journal of the Department “Seminar-bg” and the open access journal of Culture Centre of Sofia University “Piron”.
Cultural Studies as transnational experience
The Department for Cultural Studies participates in the current European programmes for educational mobility, which support the personal and professional development of students and faculty through the exchange of academic experience and knowledge. Under the European Lifelong Learning and Erasmus + programmes, students are given the opportunity to spend one or two semesters at EU universities, and upon their return, ECTS credits are recognized for exams taken abroad. Thus, students of all educational degrees participate in the academic life of universities throughout Europe and beyond. The Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes have welcomed internationally established scholars as guest lecturers.
Two of the Master’s programmes – “Women’s and Gender History” and “Media, Communication and Culture” – were developed in partnership with leading European universities, such as Vienna University, University Lyon 2, University of Nice, CEU, European University Viadrina. Several doctoral students have successfully completed their studies under double academic supervision.
The experiences of studying at other universities, facing the challenges of differing assessment systems, and getting immersed in a different culture , which the exchange students share with their peers and publish on social networks, illustrate how they find their way on the road and across borders.
Cultural Studies as a career itinerary
The degree programme in Cultural Studies prepares specialists with a broad professional profile, combining theoretical knowledge with analytical, interpretive, communication and practical skills. These competencies allow them to work in various cultural fields: public cultural institutions; administrative structures and non-governmental organizations at national, regional and local level; media; cultural industries; private companies and cultural tourism organizations. They are adaptable and mobile, which makes them competitive in a dynamic labor market requiring to constantly improve and expand skills.
The CVs and career paths of the graduates in Cultural Studies reveal that they have almost unlimited opportunities for realization in diverse professions and spheres of cultural and social life – from holding leadership positions in state institutions to organizing festivals and participating in artistic practices.
The internship is an important component of the BA curriculum in Cultural Studies, which prepares the students for professional realization. It is most often done by placing students at a partner organization for a period of time. The internships in external organizations introduce students to the practical problems of cultural policies and governance, cultural management, cultural market, cultural industries, advertising, PR activities, project financing, and others.
Municipal and state institutions, private and public media, non-governmental organizations, galleries, museums, community centres, tour operators, research institutes, publishing houses and others are among the partners that offer opportunities for internship. A short sample is illustrative: Nikolay Binev Youth Theater, National Culture Fund, Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with the Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgarian Music Association, Free Theater Association, Structure Gallery, Sofia City Art Gallery, Museum House of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo, DNA – a space for contemporary dance and performance at the National Palace of Culture.
In addition, students majoring in Cultural Studies are among the most active participants in the project “Student Internships” of the Ministry of Education and Science. Over 50 students have completed internships under this programme for the period 2015-2019 in 29 different organizations.
Cultural Studies as experience
Cultural Studies is not only an educational and career path for young people in Bulgaria: it is a special experience ,which generates memories, friendships, and solidarities. It is no coincidence that almost 80% of first-year students say that they were guided by their personal interests in choosing the programme and they expect it to be “fun and interesting”; many graduates say that it has been their “greatest adventure”.
Studying Cultural Studies at Sofia University is also a way of life The students have created a ‘lounge’ with makeshift benches and hammocks in the garden in front of block 1 of Campus East, and a space at the fifth floor, equipped as a tea bar, where they share lunch and socialize over tea or coffee. The Library of the Department is not only among the richest depositories of books in the field of cultural studies but a place to spend a couple of hours browsing titles and sipping a cup of coffee.
The communication between faculty and students, established at the Department of Cultural Studies, is informal, cordial, and respectful. They motivate each other in the joint academic activities, research projects, and social events. The celebration of the Student holiday, the graduation balls and the anniversaries of the department are characterized by inimitable style and good mood. At the initiative of the students, thematic costume parties have been held dedicated, for example, to the culture of 1930s and 1960s, with dress code and music from the respective period.
Like all young people, students in Cultural Studies are omnipresent on social networks. The department maintains the YouTube channel “KulturoVlogiya”, where, in addition to videos of lectures from the seminar “University for All”, you can see short videos created with a sense of humour by students in the context of otherwise serious projects:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQICBSBgjnANWnH1yPtgtPw/videos .
In the fall of 2021, an Alumni Club of Cultural Studies was established to help build community, share resources, information and communication, provide internships and shared experiences. The Club held its first annual Cultural Studies Ball , where it announced its existence and outlined prospects for new meetings, events and memorable experiences.
Cultural Studies as a university degree programme
The degree programme of Cultural Studies accepted its first students in the academic year 1991/92. It inherited the specialization in “History and Theory of Culture”, established in 1981 by Prof. Nikolay Genchev within the Department of History to provide additional interdisciplinary education to students of various Departments. The then faculty included prominent Bulgarian intellectuals such as Prof. Atanas Natev, Prof. Dimitar Avramov, Prof. Ivan Stefanov, Prof. Ivaylo Znepolski, Prof. Alexander Fol. The faculty members of the Department today continue this tradition and combine distinguished research careers with strong media presence, and occasional participation in the government of culture at the highest level.
The Department offers Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degree programmes, and keeps the tradition of encouraging the students to venture into various research fields, to apply original creative approaches to theoretical and practical cases and to develop critical thinking. The main principles of the instruction are 1) organic connection with the research activities of the faculty; 2) tailored approach to the interests and needs of students; 3) promotion of social, civic and cultural awareness; 4) academic mobility and non-academic internships.
The connection between the theoretical and the practical dimensions is embedded in the structure of the curriculum. Elective courses comprise over 1/3 of all subjects in the curriculum, which enables students to be active participants in the shaping of their own professional profile. They can further pursue their themes of interest e.g. by choosing a topic for a term project. Mandatory internships offer links to the labour market; collaborations with leading European universities broaden the horizons of academic and cultural experience.
Cultural Studies as expert knowledge
Cultural Studies are characterized by reflexivity and openness to various disciplinary and thematic fields. Following this trend and constantly analyzing the scholarly production and training programmes of leading world universities, the Department covers a wide range of topics in its research and educational activities. Often times, they are also of current public interest insofar as they address trends in cultural life at national and local level, cultural policies, socialization of cultural heritage, changes in the urban environment, funding mechanisms for culture, digital cultures and online identities, political uses of religion and modern religious practices, culture of resistance and culture of care, etc.
The Department maintains a wide network of national and international contacts. Among its guests are world-renowned scientists such as Francois Furet, Paul Ricoeur, Jürgen Habermas, Jacques Derrida, Reinhard Kosellek, Umberto Eco, Charles Taylor, Aleida Assmann, Mike Featherstone and others. The research projects of the Department have been supported by reputable international foundations, EU framework programmes, the National Research Fund of Bulgaria and others.
The training in all degree programmes of the Department for Cultural Studies is connected with a truly engaging research work. The Department’s projects, field trips, summer schools and seminars give students a chance to do their own research, conduct surveys and interviews, summarize and present the results, participate in academic and practical conferences, publish articles in the open access journal of the Department “Seminar-bg” and the open access journal of Culture Centre of Sofia University “Piron”.
Cultural Studies as transnational experience
The Department for Cultural Studies participates in the current European programmes for educational mobility, which support the personal and professional development of students and faculty through the exchange of academic experience and knowledge. Under the European Lifelong Learning and Erasmus + programmes, students are given the opportunity to spend one or two semesters at EU universities, and upon their return, ECTS credits are recognized for exams taken abroad. Thus, students of all educational degrees participate in the academic life of universities throughout Europe and beyond. The Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes have welcomed internationally established scholars as guest lecturers.
Two of the Master’s programmes – “Women’s and Gender History” and “Media, Communication and Culture” – were developed in partnership with leading European universities, such as Vienna University, University Lyon 2, University of Nice, CEU, European University Viadrina. Several doctoral students have successfully completed their studies under double academic supervision.
The experiences of studying at other universities, facing the challenges of differing assessment systems, and getting immersed in a different culture , which the exchange students share with their peers and publish on social networks, illustrate how they find their way on the road and across borders.
Cultural Studies as a career itinerary
The degree programme in Cultural Studies prepares specialists with a broad professional profile, combining theoretical knowledge with analytical, interpretive, communication and practical skills. These competencies allow them to work in various cultural fields: public cultural institutions; administrative structures and non-governmental organizations at national, regional and local level; media; cultural industries; private companies and cultural tourism organizations. They are adaptable and mobile, which makes them competitive in a dynamic labor market requiring to constantly improve and expand skills.
The CVs and career paths of the graduates in Cultural Studies reveal that they have almost unlimited opportunities for realization in diverse professions and spheres of cultural and social life – from holding leadership positions in state institutions to organizing festivals and participating in artistic practices.
The internship is an important component of the BA curriculum in Cultural Studies, which prepares the students for professional realization. It is most often done by placing students at a partner organization for a period of time. The internships in external organizations introduce students to the practical problems of cultural policies and governance, cultural management, cultural market, cultural industries, advertising, PR activities, project financing, and others.
Municipal and state institutions, private and public media, non-governmental organizations, galleries, museums, community centres, tour operators, research institutes, publishing houses and others are among the partners that offer opportunities for internship. A short sample is illustrative: Nikolay Binev Youth Theater, National Culture Fund, Elizabeth Kostova Foundation, Institute of Ethnology and Folklore with the Ethnographic Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgarian Music Association, Free Theater Association, Structure Gallery, Sofia City Art Gallery, Museum House of Humor and Satire in Gabrovo, DNA – a space for contemporary dance and performance at the National Palace of Culture.
In addition, students majoring in Cultural Studies are among the most active participants in the project “Student Internships” of the Ministry of Education and Science. Over 50 students have completed internships under this programme for the period 2015-2019 in 29 different organizations.
Cultural Studies as experience
Cultural Studies is not only an educational and career path for young people in Bulgaria: it is a special experience ,which generates memories, friendships, and solidarities. It is no coincidence that almost 80% of first-year students say that they were guided by their personal interests in choosing the programme and they expect it to be “fun and interesting”; many graduates say that it has been their “greatest adventure”.
Studying Cultural Studies at Sofia University is also a way of life The students have created a ‘lounge’ with makeshift benches and hammocks in the garden in front of block 1 of Campus East, and a space at the fifth floor, equipped as a tea bar, where they share lunch and socialize over tea or coffee. The Library of the Department is not only among the richest depositories of books in the field of cultural studies but a place to spend a couple of hours browsing titles and sipping a cup of coffee.
The communication between faculty and students, established at the Department of Cultural Studies, is informal, cordial, and respectful. They motivate each other in the joint academic activities, research projects, and social events. The celebration of the Student holiday, the graduation balls and the anniversaries of the department are characterized by inimitable style and good mood. At the initiative of the students, thematic costume parties have been held dedicated, for example, to the culture of 1930s and 1960s, with dress code and music from the respective period.
Like all young people, students in Cultural Studies are omnipresent on social networks. The department maintains the YouTube channel “KulturoVlogiya”, where, in addition to videos of lectures from the seminar “University for All”, you can see short videos created with a sense of humour by students in the context of otherwise serious projects:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQICBSBgjnANWnH1yPtgtPw/videos .
In the fall of 2021, an Alumni Club of Cultural Studies was established to help build community, share resources, information and communication, provide internships and shared experiences. The Club held its first annual Cultural Studies Ball , where it announced its existence and outlined prospects for new meetings, events and memorable experiences.
