American Film and Television Studies

The Certificate “American Film and Television Studies,” directed and organized by the Professorship of American Studies II (at the Department of American Studies), Research Area of American Literary and Cultural History with a Focus on (Trans-)Nationality and Space, offers an additional curriculum that complements and extends a given course of study. The curriculum is organized by the Professorship of American Studies II and supported by courses at the Department of Art History, the Departments of Fundamental Theology and Religious Studies, as well as the Center for Jewish Studies. Practice-oriented courses are provided by the Department of Corporate Leadership and Entrepreneurship. The certified focus can be taken as free electives and is accredited with a certificate from the University of Graz. The certified focus is available to all bachelor and master students at the University of Graz who wish to acquire qualifications in the field of U.S.-American film and television research. It is particularly aimed at those students who see their future careers in the U.S. or in employment sectors in Europe that cooperate with the U.S. entertainment industry.

The certified focus provides students with extensive theoretical knowledge in the field of U.S. cinema and television. In addition to theoretical film- and cultural expertise, there is a practice-oriented focus that provides concrete experience in the U.S. film and television industry (1-week Film Summer School) and emphasizes the business-related levels of project management and marketing; additionally, students need to complete an obligatory four-week internship of 40 hours per week in a media company. Through this combination, the aim of the certified focus is to provide students with the necessary theoretical and historical basic knowledge in addition to establishing links to economic processes in general and to the American film and television business in particular.

The certified focus is designed to enhance students' familiarity with basic elements of American cinema and television, but also provides a useful tool for planning and promoting film- and television-related projects. At the same time, students learn to effectively combine creativity and methodical work in a practice-oriented workshop. Students will learn skills that are helpful for the entire duration of their studies and that increase their overall career prospects, even if they decide to work outside of film and television. The focus provides insights into key aspects of the American film and television industry, and offers students the opportunity to gain a foothold in a booming professional field. In addition, it substantially increases the interdisciplinary and intercultural competence of students through its broad academic selection and the possibility of a stay abroad.

(1) The certified focus is constituted primarily of free elective courses, comprising a total of 18-24 ECTS credits. A maximum of 50% of the ECTS credits required for the certificate may come from compulsory and optional courses taken as part of the student’s regular major. Subject to availability, courses from the curricula of English/American Studies, Art History, and the Center for Jewish Studies can be utilized for this; furthermore, the Departments of Fundamental Theology and Religious Studies (Catholic Theology Department), and the Department of Corporate Leadership and Entrepreneurship (at the School of Business, Economics, and Social Sciences) offer courses that can be accredited for the certificate.

IMPORTANT: The CuKo Art History allows all thematically fitting courses to be used and accredited for the certificate, no matter their module correlation.

(2) The teaching and learning activities of the certified focus consist of lectures (VO/VU) and courses (PS, KS & SE) dealing with selected aspects of American film and television culture and their theoretical classification (modules 1-3), as well as practice-oriented elements (modules 4-5).

(3) Achievements to be completed for the “American Film and Television Studies” certificate:

(1) After successful completion of the courses, students will receive a certificate for completion of studies in the total amount of 18-24 ECTS credits.

(2) The certificate is issued by the head of the program.

The module is open to all bachelor and master students at the University of Graz.

All courses can be completed within one and a half years of study (3 semesters).

(1) The direction, organization, and content coordination of the certified focus is carried out by the Professorship of American Studies II (at the Department of American Studies), Research Area of American Literary and Cultural History with a Focus on (Trans-)Nationality and Space.

(2) The annual program of the certified focus is published on the homepage (download area).

A: No, you do not have to register for the certificate. You simply hand in a list of the completed courses (Accreditation Form), your transcript of records, and the proof of your internship. A list of courses offered in the academic year 2023/24 which are relevant for the certificate can be found here. We do recommend, however, to become part of our email distributor, since you will then be informed about latest developments and current events. To receive our newsletter, please send an email to our office manager: ​​​​​​​georg.gruber(at)uni-graz.at

A: Please look at the curriculum of the certificate.

A: Yes, you can! All bachelor and master students at the University of Graz can take the certificate.

A: Basically, yes, as long as this course corresponds to one of the modules of the certificate. For example, if it is possible to accredit this course as a proseminar “Topics in Anglophone Cultural Studies,” then it can also be used for the certificate (module 1.1). You can apply for getting a course taken at another university or college accredited via anerkennung-gewi(at)uni-graz.at.

A: No problem. That also counts.

A: Fill in the form (you can find it here) and hand it in with the Dean’s Office (Faculty of Humanities): anerkennung-gewi(at)uni-graz.at
This page explains the three-step process of applying for an internship, getting it confirmed by the company/organization you worked for, and getting it accredited at university. N.B. These documents are only available in German.

A: We recommend that you contact the media company, television/radio station of your choice and apply for an internship. Since these internships are usually unpaid (but look great in your CV), employers tend to be very open to this opportunity.

A: No. On principle, internships have to be completed and accredited for programs of study. You need to file for approval of the internship as free electives of your main subject prior to the training (see here).

A: Yes, as long as you have not gotten this internship accredited for other purposes. Whether this internship, previously approved by the Dean of Studies, can be used for the Certificate will be decided by the Head of the Certificate (Professorship Amerikanistik II).

A: Unfortunately, this is not possible. If you have used these courses for another certificate already, you cannot use them again.

A: First, please go over the documents again to ensure completeness. You need to hand in:

1) the list of completed courses (Accreditation Form),

2) your Transcript of Records, and

3) the approved Application for Internship, including the Confirmation of Placement.

Next, please turn these documents into 1 PDF file and email it to Georg Gruber (georg.gruber@uni-graz.at), in CC Prof. Stefan Brandt (stefan.brandt@uni-graz.at).