African Verbal and Visual Arts: Languages, Literatures, Media and Art

The Bachelor of Arts programme African Verbal and Visual Arts (AVVA) offers insights into the scholarly fields of African languages, African literature, African arts, and media in Africa. The curriculum provides students with a multifaceted knowledge of African cultural matters, which at the same time, are also global matters. It also responds to the developments in the global job market by providing its graduates with unique intercultural expertise. Africa is a continent with a thousand and one facets. We offer this innovative, multidisciplinary, and market-oriented bachelor’s programme as a solid starting point toward understanding the dynamics of the African continent and building expertise in African studies. Our curriculum enables students to acquire knowledge in four key branches of African studies: Languages; literature (in African languages as well as Anglophone and Francophone African literature); Media; and Arts (both modern and contemporary). We equip our students with theoretical, methodological, and practical tools for study, thereby preparing them for critical engagement with the full diversity of African cultural milieus, ideas, and forms of expression.

The structure of the Bachelor’s programme; program is organised into modules reflecting the multiplicity of African cultural affairs. Compulsory course modules introduce methods of art studies, media studies, literary studies, and linguistics. A practice-oriented project, an overview of the linguistic landscape in Africa, and an interdisciplinary module provide students with both academic and practical skills. Elective compulsory course modules cover different fields of specialization and advanced seminars. The students will choose one of the disciplines in which they envisage writing their BA thesis. In addition, they will have to take at least one advanced seminar in one of the other disciplines. Why study B.A. AVVA at the University of Bayreuth?The Iwalewahaus: An internationally unique institution dedicated to modern and contemporary African art. The only university in Germany with a professorship in Literature in African Languages has an international and multilingual staff teaching the AVVA curriculum. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research and curricula in African studies.

Research on Africa is based on the principle of “research on Africa only with African partners.” An international campus with students and scholars from all corners of the globe, especially from Africa. One of Germany’s best libraries for African studies. Over 40 years of world-renowned expertise in African studies. Our campus is both eco-friendly and family-friendly, and the town offers a high quality of life.

Career prospects. Whilst the AVVA programme fosters early interdisciplinary awareness, intellectual independence and personal development, it also enhances the student’s ability to utilise the relevant theoretical and methodological tools as practical assets. Graduates of AVVA are prepared for a career in exciting fields such as cultural and intercultural work, international cooperation, intercultural communication, intercultural mass media, creative entrepreneurship and international consulting in African affairs. The focus on teaching in the English medium advances our internationalization strategy and enables fruitful links between the research hub in African Studies at the University of Bayreuth and institutions situated elsewhere.