Ethnology

Deadline for submitting applications: January 1 - April 30

Who the programme is intended for: The programme is intended for graduates of any Bachelor’s degree programme.

Subject matter of the entrance examination: field examination. In this examination, the applicants’ knowledge of the given field of study is checked. This is done in the form of a motivation letter and an oral interview. Parameters of the motivation letter: length approx. 1 standard page (1800 characters including spaces). Upload the motivation letter into your electronic applications (rubric “Documents”) by 30 April. Applicants are required to include their full name and application number on the motivation letter.

The oral interview consists of two parts:

• a) a discussion over the motivation letter (reasons of the applicant for choosing the degree programme of ethnology, personal experience with the issues dealt with by ethnology and with the results of ethnological research in the form of publications, exhibitions, or other professional activities)
• b) basic orientation of the applicant in the field of methodology, historiography, and basic topics of ethnological research.

  Waiver of the entrance examination: The entrance examination can be waived for applicants who have passed the Bachelor’s examination in the field/programme of Ethnology at the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University with an excellent (A), very good (B), or good (C) result. Applicants can ask for a waiver for the entrance examination via the e-application form, section "Application for waiver of the entrance examination".

  Web Department of European Ethnology.

  General information on the course of the admission procedure to the follow-up Master’s degree programmes at FA MU can be found here. Documents for the current admission procedure are kept in Materials for Applicants.

Pass/fail line of the entrance examination: 50 points (out of 100).

The objective of the Master’s degree programme in ethnology is to deepen the knowledge acquired in the course of the Bachelor’s degree programme. At theme-based lectures, ethnology is presented as a branch of science with specific methods. The teaching of scientific work is based on the improvement of formal skills, as well as on the development of students’ creativity, their problem-solving and assessment abilities and decision-making.

After successfully completing his/her studies the graduate is able to:

• The graduates are able to identify basic facts regarding traditional Czech culture in its historical development.
• The graduates are able to have basic knowledge about the ethnogenesis of European, especially Slavic, nations.
• The graduates are able to  conduct research.
• The graduates are able to  assess and propose research methods.
• The graduates are able to write specialist articles.
• The graduates are able to identify and analyze matters of culture with emphasis on social context in historical development.

They are also able to work both in basic and applied research and can employ the acquired knowledge in purely scientific, popular and presentation areas. Their body of knowledge and methodological training provides them with a sufficient base for joining academic and museum institutions, participating in scientific and pedagogical activities at universities, for work in education including the leading and development of free-time activities, in non-profit organisations working with ethnic minorities including international level (e.g. humanitarian organisations etc.), as well as with the ability to assess and propose research methods.

The diploma thesis proceeds from the carried-out research which is based on own fieldwork or on treatment of suitable historical and documentation collections. The standard volume of a diploma thesis is minimally 140 000 characters including footnotes, a title page, a table of content, a bibliography, sources, respondents and other sources. The students can work with already published texts, editions and data accessible for a secondary analysis. The theme of a diploma thesis is based on a project, worked-out by the student, the content orientation and quality of which are assessed and commented on by an advisor nominated by the Institut's management; the advisor also approves the final form of the thesis. In his/her diploma thesis, the student is to demonstrates his/her ability to define a thematically compact research target, to choose corresponding methods to fulfil it, to carry out his/her own field research, to work critically with expert texts and - when working with respondents - to formulate replies to research questions phrased in the diploma thesis project. The instructions for final state examinations and elaboration of diploma theses are regulated by Directive 6/2017 on Final State Examinations at the Faculty of Arts, ordered by the Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Masaryk University, (see https://is.muni.cz/auth/do/phil/uredni_deska/predpisyFFMU/smernice/smernice_dekana_2017-6.pdf?vysl=80672).

After completion of the Master’s degree study the graduet can continute in doctoral studies of ethnology or in doctoral studies related disciplines.