M.A. in Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies – Research Track (Thesis-Based)

עברית

Ever Wondered What a Text Is and Who Has the Authority to Interpret It?

How do we know whether language describes reality?
What is encoded in a visual image?
When does intellectual critique become political critique?

At our program, culture is not just the series we watch or the music we love, but rather the entire spectrum of human activity expressed through language, visual imagery, texts, and everyday behaviors.

We are the only program in Israel that combines Cultural Studies and Hermeneutics, leading our students toward diverse, creative, and interdisciplinary research at the highest academic level.

 

M.A. in Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies – Research Track (Thesis-Based)

The research track is designed for outstanding candidates who have completed their undergraduate studies with excellence and who demonstrate a strong interest and ability in interdisciplinary studies across multiple disciplines.

The program provides students with a deep understanding of interpretative and cultural studies, guiding them through the process of writing a high-level academic thesis.

Thesis Submission Guidelines: Click [here] to find instructions and submission guidelines for the M.A. thesis, available on the Graduate School website.
Journal Publication Option: Students may opt to submit an article for a peer-reviewed journal, in consultation with their advisor and the department’s M.A. committee chair.
Pathway to Ph.D.: Exceptional students in this track may continue to the Integrated Ph.D. program.

What Do We Research in the Program?

cultural phenomenon, integrating multiple perspectives. Thanks to the program’s broad theoretical and methodological scope, students enjoy exceptional freedom in choosing research topics and approaches.

Examples of Research Topics in the Program:

  • From Post-Fashion to Global Civic Space: The Case of Jeans in Israel
  • The Meanings of Nudity in Israeli Culture
  • Law, Language, Emotion: The Role of Emotion in Israeli Judicial Practice
  • Sensory Processing Disorder – A Philosophical, Psychoanalytic, and Musical Inquiry

 

The Student Experience in the Program

To enable a broad and in-depth analysis of diverse cultural phenomena, students engage in extensive reading of canonical texts and contemporary theory.

At our program, students don’t just read texts—they learn to ask questions about reality, analyze it, and understand it better. That’s why our classes are conducted in a discussion-based format.

✔ Courses include assignments that sharpen students’ analytical and writing skills, paving the way for independent research.
✔ Beyond academic coursework, students can participate in intellectual activities, including:

  • The Israeli Phenomenology Forum
  • Conferences
  • Book launches
  • Meetings with authors
  • Research groups and reading groups

Our students come from diverse professional backgrounds, and to accommodate them, classes take place on two fixed days (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), allowing students to attend university once a week.

🔹 Interested in the program? We invite you to attend one of our colloquium meetings!
[Click here for the 2024/25 Colloquium Schedule]

Student Testimonials

"The tools I gained in the program help me understand the ideas behind today’s social tensions and struggles, making me a better lawyer."
— Adv. Sarit Sulami, Lawyer and M.A. Student

"The program’s courses are incredibly diverse, covering key traditions of thought in the humanities. After these courses, every human phenomenon is seen with greater clarity."
— Roee Joseph, Playwright and Ph.D. Student

"I chose to study in the Hermeneutics and Cultural Studies Program because I was looking for a path that integrates multiple fields of knowledge."
— Nimrod Mishori, Psychologist and Ph.D. Student

Career Opportunities

In our program, you will delve into the depths of human perception and learn to interpret texts—from literary and philosophical classics to yesterday’s newspaper and tomorrow’s viral post.

Students come from a wide range of disciplines, including architecture, psychology, the arts, law, and more.

Where Do Our Graduates Work?

✔ Artistic direction and curation
✔ Cultural program development
✔ Critical writing and thought
✔ Research at academic institutions and think tanks

Many of our graduates publish their doctoral dissertations as books, pursue postdoctoral studies, and later integrate into teaching and academic research at leading institutions.

Admission Requirements

✔ Minimum GPA of 85 in a bachelor's degree
✔ Admission interview

Application Process:
The admission process follows the model of graduate schools in the U.S., requiring:

  • A short statement of intent (very brief)
  • Reading an academic text (of the type studied in the program)
  • A critical discussion of the text in the interview
  • A free discussion with faculty members about the program

No application fee is required to attend the interview.

Curriculum

Core Courses

Students must take five out of the six following required courses:
 Hermeneutics
 Discourse Interpretation
 Introduction to Critical Theories
 Theory and Critique: From Psychoanalysis to Posthumanism
 Theories of Culture: Sociological and Anthropological Perspectives
 Key Issues in the Philosophy of Psychoanalysis

Elective Courses and Seminars (2024/25)

The Psychoanalytic Case Study as a Literary Genre
Against the Current: Resistance, Technology, and Neoliberalism
Digital Theories
From Everyday Language to Poetic Language – Communication, Ethics, and Aesthetics
Algorithms and Humans
The Ontological Turn and Human-Animal-Plant-Matter Relations
Voices, Machines, and Subjects
Everyday Life
Israeli Culture: Between the Local and the Global
Arts and Critical Discourse
Interpretative-Cultural Methodology in the Humanities
Looking Ahead: Technology Theories, Cinema, and the Unknown

Special Workshops:

Life After the Ph.D.
Scientific Article Writing Workshop

Program Requirements

Core Courses: 5 required courses (20 credits)

Elective Courses: 1 elective course (4 credits)

Seminar: 1 seminar (4 credits)

Colloquium: Mandatory attendance in the program’s general colloquium throughout the degree. Includes a short written response to one lecture per year. (Students may also attend Ph.D. colloquia in the Hermeneutics and Psychoanalysis specialization.)

 

Thesis Code: 8 credits – required from the second year until degree completion.
Supervision: Students must find a faculty advisor from Bar-Ilan University by the start of the second academic year, in consultation with faculty and/or the program head.
Research Proposal: Must be submitted by the end of the first semester of the second academic year.

Additional Requirements

Language Proficiency: English proficiency required for M.A. students (exemptions may be granted by faculty members).
Additional Language: Advisors may require students to study another foreign language if necessary for research.
Jewish Studies Requirement: Students must complete basic Jewish Studies courses, per Bar-Ilan University’s regulations. (Online courses available.)