Study programme
Programme structure
The Dual Master's programme Archival and Information Studies comprises 90 ECTS credits.
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Archives and ArchivingPeriod 16
In this course, we will consider concepts, histories and theories of archives and archiving from an institutional perspective. We will look at the creation of different archival traditions and reflect on the function, roles, and authority of different institutions.
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Digital CurationPeriod 16
Recordkeeping systems are not neutral. They are/were developed to serve specific informational needs. Students will work with collections which are entitled as being colonial and/or gender biased. Based on a thorough analysis of these collections, students will develop alternative strategies for curating digitized collections.
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Preservation and AccessPeriod 26
In this course, we focus on different institutional strategies for preserving and making accessible analogue and digital collections. In class, we analyse how practical issues of different workflow models and organizational frameworks attest to fundamental (theoretical) questions and competing ideologies and traditions.
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Recordkeeping InformaticsPeriod 26
In this course, we study informatics from the perspective of recordkeeping, the discipline that deals with how a person, organization or society can access ‘fluid’ information. Texts are discussed, examples studied to help you identify and formulate meaningful research questions.
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Case Study Project Archival and Information StudiesPeriod 36
In small teams you will execute a project with an organisation that may involve aspects such as, appraisal, archival description, metadata, categorization, preservation, digitization, accessibility and/or (re)usability of archival material.
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Free-choice electivesPeriod 4Period 512
You can choose from a number of elective courses. You are free to take any elective offered by the Graduate School of Humanities, but the Archival and Information Studies programme also offers its own electives.
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Master's Thesis Archival and Information StudiesPeriod 4Period 5Period 618
You will write a Master's thesis in which you analyse and examine the major challenges of information management, recordkeeping and archiving. The thesis reports on research carried out under the supervision of an academic staff member. The topic must be relevant to the field and mutually agreed upon by the student and the academic adviser. The final text is between 17.000 and 23.000 words.
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Dual Phase Archival and Information Studies (Internship)Period 1Period 2Period 330
Algorithms play an increasingly important role in our lives. How should we deal with this? We need knowledge of cultural concepts in order to be able to correct errors in algorithms.Dr Tobias Blanke Read the interview
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Core courses
Practitioners in charge of recordkeeping and collection management – whether in government archives and agencies, corporate organisations, or libraries, and heritage institutions – are concerned with comparable issues of access, use and sustainability.
In the first year of the programme, students acquire critical knowledge of the history, concepts, theories and practices of recordkeeping, including preserving, making accessible, curating and reusing information, as well as organisational functions and structures. In parallel, they learn how data and information are transforming lives, economies, social relations, and politics.
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Internship
In the second year, students partake in an extensive internship with parallel themed weekly sessions to reflect on and gain more in-depth knowledge about specific aspects of information management and recordkeeping. The internship period is an integral component of the Dual Master’s in Archival Studies and it gives you the opportunity to apply the concepts, principles and techniques you were introduced to in the first year, while building up a network in your future professional field. In the weekly sessions you will explore, discuss and deepen your knowledge, skills and insights through intensive seminars and workshops based on the experiences in your internship. Examples of internship organisations:
the National Archives of the Netherlands, The Hague; International Institute of Social History, Amsterdam; The Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision, Hilversum; The Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Amsterdam; or national & local government agencies.Students taking a dual Master's programme may in some cases be eligible fo a reimbursement.
Archival and Information Studies in part-time mode
The programme is only available in full-time mode. However, it does offer students the possibility to study in part-time mode if they prefer to do so, in which case it takes 2,5 years. There are no evening classes. You will take classes together with full-time students. Please note that the full-time tuition fee applies.
My research focuses on the practical and ethical considerations surrounding the creation and re-use of colonial-era records. I also use the Records Continuum model to question how these records have been used during various eras by various communities.Dr Michael Karabinos Profile page Dr Michael Karabinos
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Can I do an internship abroad?
The programme provides national internships, but international internships can be proposed and followed after approval from the internship coordinator.
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How many students does this programme have?
We have between 16-20 students each year.
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What is the background of the student population?
Students come from various backgrounds, some are already working in the professional field as archivists, while others have recently graduated from their Bachelor’s. Educational backgrounds include, among others, history, art history/museum studies, information studies, mathematics, anthropology, and the humanities more generally.
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Is this an accredited Master’s programme?
Yes, it is an international accredited programme, and officially accredited in The Netherlands by the Society of Dutch Archives and in the Archives Law.