Cultural Studies Universidade de Aveiro

Overview

The Cultural Studies programme at Universidade de Aveiro  places particular value on contextual and conjunctural analysis, using qualitative methodologies, specifically those inspired by grounded theory, cartography, and netnography.

These articulations, being necessarily permeated by power relations, give Cultural Studies a political dimension, within which the program seeks to promote gender equality, reduce inequalities of various kinds, strengthen social protection systems, and contribute to a fair society. This doctoral program places particular value on contextual and conjunctural analysis, using qualitative methodologies, specifically those inspired by grounded theory, cartography, and netnography.

The program is organized over three academic years, with the final two years dedicated to the preparation of the doctoral thesis. In the first year, content and skills are provided that offer initial training in the field, supporting students in choosing their thesis topic. The topics covered in the initial three course units include issues related to gender, class, and race, colonialism, post-colonialism and decoloniality, identities, migration and globalization, performing and non-performing arts, media, communication and argumentation, leisure and recreational studies, as well as critical digital humanities. All these topics focus on the problems of social discrimination and aim to provide critical capacities that help denaturalize...

Professional outcomes

The MTSS has not made any data available regarding this cycle of studies. However, it should be noted that at the Lisbon Summit (2000) the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the European Union committed to the goal of turning the EU into "the world’s most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy, capable of sustained economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion".

Following these assumptions, a recent European Commission report titled "The economy of culture in Europe" (2006) argues that the development of the sector of culture and creativity has a very positive impact on employment, since it "provides a huge variety of employment opportunities, often involving high-level skills." In addition, the report considers that the cultural sector currently plays a key role in boosting many areas of the European economy, and especially technological innovation.