Society, Media, and Politics

The first year provides a comprehensive curriculum that builds upon the students' previous education and offers them a choice of 45 credit points from a variety of disciplines. Of these, 15 credit points must be from their intended major.

In case students wish to change their major, they can do so at the start of the second year, provided they have completed the relevant modules from their intended program in the first year.

SMP students take the following discipline-specific CHOICE Modules in their first year of study:

• CHOICE Module: Introduction to the Social Sciences 1: Politics and Society (7.5 CP)
• CHOICE Module: Introduction to the Social Sciences 2: Media and Society (7.5 CP)

In these modules, students learn about key issues of society, media, and politics and receive an in-depth introduction to sociology, media studies, and political science, covering basic concepts and schools of thought in the respective disciplines.

In their second year, students continue their education with a selection of 45 credit points from discipline-specific CORE modules. These courses aim to further enhance their critical understanding of the theories, principles, and practices in their major, keeping in mind the latest developments in the field.

SMP students must complete 30 credit points from the following core modules:

• CORE Module: Systems of Social Inequality (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Comparing Mass Communication Systems (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Systems of Democratic Governance (5 CP)
• CORE Module: The Sociology of Conflict and Crisis (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Crisis, Conflict and Media (5 CP)
• CORE Module: International Resource Politics (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Consumer Culture and Society (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Media, Culture and Digitization (5 CP)
• CORE Module: Mass Beliefs and Civil Society (5 CP)

In addition to the mandatory 30 credit points, students have the option to select an additional 15 credit points from core modules to support their interests and/or to pursue a minor in a second field of study.

The courses are structured into three units: "Systems," "Conflict," and "Culture." Each unit comprises three modules, each providing a perspective from one of the disciplines. However, students can mix and match modules from different units to suit their interests.

The "Systems" unit focuses on a more systemic and theoretical perspective, delving deeper into the understanding of society, media, and politics. The sociological module addresses the issue of inequality, the media module examines the inner workings of mass media systems from an international perspective, and the political science module studies democratic governance.

The "Conflict" unit examines conflicts and crises that our societies face on a global, national, and local level. The sociological module focuses on global conflicts and their impact on society, while the political science module analyzes the conflict potential of international resource politics. The "Crisis, Conflict, and Media" module critiques the representation of these conflicts in mass media.

The "Culture" unit comprises a sociological seminar that examines consumer culture on a societal level, a research-oriented seminar on Media, Culture and Digitization that focuses on social media, and a political science module that looks at mass beliefs and civil society.

The program's third year focuses on providing students with the tools and experiences necessary for success in their post-graduation careers. To gain valuable hands-on experience and explore their interests, students are required to complete a summer internship.

This year also provides opportunities for students to broaden their perspectives through study-abroad programs in the fifth semester. Finally, in the sixth semester, students deepen their research skills by completing an extensive Bachelor's thesis project.

Throughout their year, SMP students take major-specific and related advanced specialization modules to consolidate their knowledge and deepen their understanding of cutting-edge research in their field.

SMP students can choose four of the following Specialization Modules:

• Specialization: Social Science of Happiness (5 CP)

Students will delve into the study of happiness, exploring concepts and theories in the sociology of happiness and considering the influence of different factors on well-being.

• Specialization: Applying Social Science in Research (5 CP)

This module allows students to apply their theoretical and methodological knowledge to real-world research projects with guidance from industry professionals, who encourage students to deepen projects of their interest.

• Specialization: A New Cold War? EU-Russian Relations (5 CP)

In this seminar, students will examine the complex development of Russo-European relations, exploring the historical context, military cooperation and conflict, and new geostrategic perspectives on economics, information, demographics, and society. Discussions also include an analysis of the media coverage of current issues of EU-Russian Relations.

Further specialization modules can be taken from the following closely related offerings in other majors:

• Specialization: Applying Social Science Research (5 CP)
• Specialization: China: Politics, Economy, and Society (5 CP)
• Specialization: Managing Demographic Change in Organisations (2.5 CP)
• Specialization: The Science of Happiness (2.5 CP)

Also available for SMP students that meet the pre-requisites:

• Specialization: Psychology of Food (2.5 CP)
• Specialization: Oppression, Conformity, and Resistance under Dictatorships (5 CP)

At Constructor University, students are provided with a unique opportunity to boost their employability through a mandatory two-month internship worth 15 credits. This opportunity usually takes place during the summer between the second and third year of study, providing students with the chance to gain practical experience in a professional setting. Through this internship, students can apply the knowledge and understanding they have gained from their major to real-world contexts, evaluate the significance of their major in the employment sector and society, reflect on their personal role in employment and society, and make informed career decisions. For students interested in starting their own company, an alternative to the full-time internship is offered in the form of a start-up option, which allows them to focus on developing their business plan.

The Jacobs Track, an important feature of Constructor University’s educational concept, runs parallel to the disciplinary modules across all study years and is an integral part of the study program. It reflects a university-wide commitment to in-depth training in scientific methods, fosters an interdisciplinary approach, raises awareness of global challenges and societal responsibility, enhances employability, and equips students with extra skills desirable in the general field of study. Additionally, it integrates (German) language and culture modules.

Methods and Skills modules
Methods and skills such as mathematics, statistics, programming, data handling, presentation skills, academic writing, and scientific and experimental skills are offered to all students as part of the Methods and Skills area modules. Students are required to take 20 CP in the Methods/Skills area.

SMP students take the following Methods modules:

• Methods Module: Academic Writing and Academic Skills (5 CP)
• Methods Module: Qualitative Research Methods (5 CP)
• Methods Module: Data Collection and Empirical Research Methodologies ( 5CP)

For the remaining 5 CP SMP, students can choose between the following two Methods modules:

• Methods Module: Applied Statistics with R (5 CP)
• Methods Module: Applied Statistics with SPSS (5 CP)

Big Questions modules
The modules of the Big Questions area intend to broaden the students’ horizon with applied problem-solving between and beyond the disciplines. The offerings comprise problem-solving oriented modules that tackle global challenges from the perspectives of different disciplinary backgrounds and that allow, in particular, a reflection of the acquired disciplinary knowledge in economic, societal, technological, and/or ecological contexts.
Math students take 2-4 (10 CP) modules from a big portfolio of Big Questions modules.

SMP students 2-4 courses from a big portfolio of modules.

Community Impact Project
In their 5th semester, students must take a 5 CP Community Impact Project (CIP) module. Students engage in on-campus or off-campus activities that challenge their social responsibility, i.e., they typically work on major-related projects that make a difference in the community life on campus, in its neighborhood, in Bremen, or on a cross-regional level.

Language modules
Constructor University supports its students in acquiring and improving these skills by offering a variety of language modules at all proficiency levels. Emphasis is put on fostering the German language skills of international students as they are an essential prerequisite for non-native-speaking students to learn about, explore, and eventually integrate into their host country and its professional environment.
All students take four language courses in the first and second years.

The curriculum of the study program is outlined in the schematic study plan:

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