About the Programme

Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies is a joint programme between Estonian Academy of Arts (Institute of Art History and Visual Culture) and Tallinn University. See the programme webpage for more information.

During the studies the students will:

  • Engage in broadly interdisciplinary MA study programme of the relationship between literature, visual culture and film in contemporary and historical contexts.
  • Gain cutting-edge theoretical insights into intermedial aesthetics and into philosophy of literature, art and film.
  • Equip yourself with critical tools for cultural analysis of contemporary image and text-based media.

Students also acquire various practical skills such as analytical and problem solving skills, writing and presentation skills that enhance their employment opportunities and prepare them for different career pathways.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for students whose interests are not limited to one of the traditional discipline in the humanities, but who are interested in exploring the relationship between words, still and moving images both historically as well as in contemporary culture.

Why study with us?

  • The faculty is comprised of renowned experts in literature, art, film and visual culture.
  • Ample opportunities for acquiring practical skills. The programme collaborates with major international literary, art and film festivals in Tallinn.
  • Seminar-led courses that foster an active debating and discussing environment.
  • Individual approach to students that provides a supportive learning environment and offers the opportunity to follow personal research interests from an early stage of studies.
  • International study groups with students from all over the world. The diverse cultural backgrounds of the students contribute to the spirit of comparative study of culture.
  • Research centred programme – possibility for further studies at PhD level.
  • Open to students from all disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.

Discover more valuable information about the Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies programme!

Read more about the programme in our blog here.

Study support facilities

The university campus houses a study library, the main university library is situated within an easy reach in the city centre. The National Library of Estonia is also in the city centre. Several electronic databases are available through the libraries.
The Archive of renown semiotician, Juri Lotman is housed in Tallinn University. There are many opportunities for Erasmus exchange.

Before applying to the programme, one can learn more about Tallinn University while participating in Tallinn Summer School. It is a 3-week programme running in July, combining a wide range of courses with a rich, diverse cultural programme and attracting participants from all over the world. More information here.

Important information

  • Cost: 1900 € per semester
  • Duration: 2 years
  • Study language: English

Contact

  • Specific questions regarding the programme should be directed to the School of Humanities:
    Maris Peters
    E-mail: maris.peters@tlu.ee
  • For additional guidelines regarding admission procedure please contact the international admission specialist.
    E-mail: admissions@tlu.ee

Graduates

2023 Spring

Rahul Sharma, “Examining Diaspora Identities and Gaze in Cinematic Representations of Immigrants in The Namesake (2006) and Joy (2018)”. Supervisor Julia Kuznetski.

Mariia Ivanova, “Overcoming Alienation: The Representations of Personal and Collective Estrangement in The Orphanage”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes.

Anna Kovalenko, “The Connection of the Ukrainian Woman and the Land as Represented in the Works of Lesya Ukrainka and Sana Shahmuradova-Tanska”. Supervisor Julia Kuznetski.

Alagoz Hajieva, “Representation of Otherness in Contemporary Science Fiction Cinema in the Case of Arrival”. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa.

Kotte Pathirannehelage Geethma Sudarshani Madanayake, “The Intersections of Posthumanism and Buddhist Philosophy in The Matrix: Analyzing Dialogue Depictions”. Supervisors Julia Kuznetski and Lisa Indraccolo.

2023 Winter

Pierangelly Del Rio Martinez, “Elusive and violent memories: an analysis of memorial dynamics in contemporary Colombian literature”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes.

2022 Autumn

Marlene Suits, “Black Images Matter: A Case Study of Race Relations and Instagram Images in Contemporary America”. Supervisor Alo Paistik.

Iveta Aare, ““The Metamorphosis”: The Representation of Ambiguity in The Transformation (Превращение)”. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa.

Ellen Power, “The Time-image and Representations of Class Conflict in ‘Bait’ and ‘Parasite’”. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa.

2021 Spring

Raya Bouslah “How can films do philosophy: The case of “Westworld”, the TV series”. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa, opponent Mari Laaniste.

Mayra Lynn Assink “Theorisation of the Patriarchal Gaze and Glance Through Representation of Women in Present-Day Narrative Cinema”. Supervisor Julia Kuznetski, opponent Rebeka Põldsam.

Margherita Marchetti “Queer and Monstrous: Exploring the Possibilities of Queer Narratives”. Supervisor Julia Kuznetski, Michael Keerdo-Dawson, opponent Miriam Anne McIlfatrick-Ksenofontov.

Andreas Fecher (zoom) “Cannibalism in Film as Reflection on Society: Subversion of the Notion of Difference in ‘Week End’ and ‘Dans ma Peau'”. Supervisor Henry John Mead, opponent Daniele Monticelli.

2021 Winter

Mariam Meparishvili “In Search of Identity: Georgian Art Scene in the 1990s”. Supervisor Francisco Martinez and Kädi Talvoja, opponent Ingrid Ruudi.

Chirag Surendra Singh, “Existentialist Philosophy Portrayed through the Character of BoJackHorseman in the Animated Sitcom “BoJack Horseman””. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa, opponent Matthias Jost.

2020 Spring

Sally Anne Hanson, “Prosthetic Memory and Cultural Phenomena on Screen: How Reconstructed Disasters Provoke Emotive Response in the TV Series Chernobyl”. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa, opponent Linda Kaljundi.

Maria del Mar Sanchez Bernal,”Cinematic Landscapes as Constructors and Disruptors of Societal Norms and Values: Case Studies of Roma (2018) and Güeros (2014)”. Supervisor Gregor Taul, opponent Raili Nugin.

Monireh Sadat Razavi Ganji,”Toward a “Cultural Turn” in Adaptation Studies: A Methodological Framework for Studying Adaptation with a Focus on the Case of Dariush Mehrjui’s Pari”. Supervisor Daniele Monticelli, opponent Teet Teinemaa.

Jonna Marika Karvinen, “Creativity, Garfield and AI: Using AI to Enhance Our Understanding of Comics”. Supervisor Mari Laaniste, opponent Raivo Kelomees.

Kevin Loigu, “Re(-)presentation of Time, Memory, and Urban Space in Synecdoche, New York and The Truman Show as Critique of Mediatisation and Virtual Space in the Digital Age”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes, opponent Henry John Mead.

Eva Johanna Mallene, “Elusive Eastern Europeans or Exotic Fools? The Portrayals of Estonians in Fictional Anglophone Film and TV Shows”. Supervisor Daniele Monticelli, opponent Anneli Niinre.

Bernadette Ščasná, “”It’s a-Me, Another Bad Review!”: Assessing the Perceived Failure of the Video Game Adaptations Based on the Cinematic Adaptations of Super Mario Bros. and Max Payne”. Supervisor lektor Teet Teinemaa, opponent Oliver Laas.

Raimond Merila, “One Piece Manga Fandom as a Participatory Culture: Reddit and YouTube Practices”. Supervisor Katrin Tiidenberg, opponent Piret Viires.

2020 Winter

Elizaveta Kuznetsova, “The Orient Dimension of ANK’64 as an Example of Vnenakhodimost”. Supervisor prof Andres Kurg, opponent Mari Laaniste.

Juliana Magalhaes De Carvalho, “Fitting Flatness into Depth: Negative Dialectics in Jean-Luc Godard’s Stereoscopic Film “Adieu au Langage””. Supervisor Matthias Jost, opponent prof Daniele Monticelli.

Hayrettin Nedim Kaya, “The Collapse of Social Imagination: Questioning the Protagonist and Capitalist Realism in “The Hunger Games””. Supervisor Teet Teinemaa, opponent Piret Peiker.

Shameema Sultana Binte Rahman, “The Third Space of the Santal Identity Question: Beyond the Discourses of Civilization, Hero and Indigenous”. Supervisor Piret Peiker, opponent Maris Saagpakk.

2019 Spring

Hanna Aunin, “The Gaze in Mary Harron’s American Psycho and Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes.

Çağrı Çavaş, “Oneiric film theory in terms of cross-cultural dream understanding: A case study with the movie Gizli Yüz (aka The Secret Face) by Ömer Kavur”. Supervisor Carlo Cubero.

Michael Keerdo-Dawson, “Being (,) undone: The Romanian new wave and the limits of epistemic violence”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes.

Silvia Kurr, “Nabokov and Voices of the Renaissance: Ekphrasis as Part of Double Coding in Pnin”. Supervisor Miriam McIlfatrick-Ksenofontov.

Hazuki Okemoto, “Emotions and Colours in the Neurodivergent Person: Autoethnographic Analyses Inspired by Disney Pixar’s Inside Out”. Supervisor Mari Laaniste.

Sofya Safargalieva, “Ambivalent Space in The Piano Teacher”. Supervisor Andres Kurg.

John David Antoni Winslow, “I Want to be the Machine in Your Hand: Seven Theses on the Smartphone”. Supervisor Eneken Laanes.

News and events

About the Programme

About the Programme

Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies is a joint programme between Estonian Academy of Arts (Institute of Art History and Visual Culture) and Tallinn University. See the programme webpage for more information. During the studies the students will: Engage in broadly interdisciplinary MA study programme of the relationship between literature, visual culture and film in contemporary and ...

Contacts

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Mari Laaniste

Researcher, Head of the Curricula Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies

mari.laaniste@artun.ee