Frequently Asked Questions

What is cultural production?

Cultural production is an innovative interdisciplinary program that integrates rigorous study in cultural theory with hands-on experience in the arts, cultural representation and social transformation. We are centrally concerned with analytical and practical interventions in the making of cultural form, with close attention to democratic co-participation, the pedagogy of the imagination, the social dimensions of artistic practice and the challenges of building sustainable community at home and abroad. Working closely with faculty mentors, graduate students develop original projects in visuality, museum studies, memory work and performance.

What makes the cultural production M.A. program unique?

The cultural production program is an exciting intellectual community in which dedicated faculty in the humanities, social sciences and creative arts work closely with a remarkable group of graduate students. Graduate students are able to work closely and collaboratively with important scholars while charting original pathways of intellectual and artistic inquiry across a range of academic disciplines.

Faculty and students develop productive partnerships with leading artistic and cultural organizations as well as historically excluded and vulnerable communities. Cultural production integrates rigorous theoretical training in the analysis of culture with internships and practicums in curatorship, the documentation of cultural form and community cultural empowerment.

Who are the cultural production faculty?

The faculty are drawn from departments and programs across Brandeis University, including African and Afro-American studies, anthropology, English and American literature, coexistence, comparative literature, education, fine arts (art history and studio arts), history, music, Near Eastern and Judaic studies, philosophy, sociology and women’s and gender studies. All are deeply committed to interdisciplinary scholarship and to synthetic work at the intersection of theory, activism and the arts; many faculty share deep interests in cultural studies, postcolonial theory, the politics of representation, performance studies and critical public scholarship.

Why study at Brandeis?

As a relatively small research university that excels in the arts and humanities, Brandeis provides a highly supportive and stimulating environment for cultural production graduate students as they pursue coursework and develop innovative research and artistic projects. Cultural production students work in close partnership with many campus institutions and programs, including the Rose Art Museum (which houses New England’s premier contemporary art collection), the Slifka Program in Intercommunal Coexistence, the theater arts program, the studio arts program, and the Intercultural Residency (World Music) series, which brings world-class performance groups to campus each semester.

Students have access to superlative library resources as well as the Boston university consortium and a wide spectrum of outstanding artistic and cultural institutions in the Greater Boston area. Through the university’s Community Engaged Learning program, students pursue original and meaningful artistic, family literacy and cultural-enrichment projects in Waltham and the Greater Boston area, partnering with social-service agencies and  historically underserved communities, including new immigrants, children, teens and public-housing residents. A new Community Learning Center, developed in partnership with a public-housing tenants association, provides an especially exciting site for innovative cultural and artistic collaboration with low-income families.

Who are the cultural production graduate students?

The program attracts a rich mix of students with strong interests in the arts, museums, cultural theory and social activism. Students' academic and artistic backgrounds are diverse; they include comparative literature, philosophy, anthropology and art history as well as sculpture, punk rock, classical music and modern dance.

Recent student capstone projects have included:

  • Developing an indigenous cultural heritage museum exhibition in the northern Philippines
  • Reconceptualizing memorial rites for fallen soldiers in Israeli schools
  • A reanalysis of the history of modern Greek photography
  • Documenting and reinterpreting gay and lesbian weddings in the South Asian diaspora
  • Developing a digital learning program in a public housing complex
  • Critical work in postcolonial poetics
  • A series of original, fluid sculptural installations

Cultural production students present their work in a range of collaborative settings. They are currently partnering with faculty to develop an exciting new e-journal, "Making Culture: A Multimedia Journal of Theory and Practice."

What are the program requirements?

Eight courses, including the core course CP201 (Making Culture: Theory and Practice) and an internship with a museum or cultural organization. All students complete a capstone project, which can be in the form of a Master’s paper or thesis, or a work of art or performance supplemented by an artist’s interpretive statement.

How long does the program take?

Full time students can complete the program in two semesters. However, many students choose to take three or four semesters, in order to take additional courses and develop in-depth capstone, research or creative projects. Part time students, including those working full time, are most welcome.

Is financial aid available?

Yes, the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences provides need-based and merit-based scholarships. Students in the program have served as teaching assistants in a range of courses.

What kinds of internships are available?

Students are placed in a wide range of responsible and innovative internships in museums, arts and cultural agencies, and community based organizations. Recent internship sites include: the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Rose Art Museum, private contemporary art and photography galleries, regional cultural heritage museums, documentary filmmakers, and Freedom House of Dorchester, a community empowerment agency serving young people of color. Students are encouraged to develop original internships that speak to their career goals, artistic visions and research goals.

How will this M.A. help me with my career goals?

The Cultural Production program provides excellent training for those seeking to pursue careers in museums, arts organizations, education and nonprofit settings; the program also develops key skills for those interested in starting their own cultural agencies and initiating innovative community-based project.

Cultural Production also provides a strong foundation for further graduate work. Among our initial graduates, three are entering doctoral programs (in anthropology, art history and literature), one is heading an indigenous museum project and women’s development organization in Southeast Asia and one is serving as director of experiential learning at a research university. The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences' Career Services Center provides support for students in desiging curriculum vita and resumés, job-search strategies and career plans.