Theory and History

It is the aim of the teaching and research in this institute to provide the students in each specialized area – and above all in an interdisciplinary context – with a solid basis for the treatment of academic and theoretical themes and problems, and to guide their interests in projects which delve deeper into these matters with regard to academic research and that which embraces both theoretical and performing aspects.

A study of the fundamentals of the subject, a general survey of important aspects and a changing variety of current special themes are offered to all students of the university in the form of a wide range of compulsory and optional courses. This variety enables the students to go deeper into subjects of particular interest to them and to intensify connections to many other fields of study. In addition, insights into the cultural history of Europe provide a historical context to the works of art and the academic themes which accompany them.

Students are introduced to a variety of theoretical methods and research aids and their applications during the teaching sessions and the intensive supervision of diploma dissertations in both Bachelor and Master studies. With a view to the ever-increasing demands of the artistic profession the institute places great emphasis on equipping the students with historical knowledge and academic and analytical skills in conjunction with performing practice. Students are supported and motivated by promoting outstanding diploma dissertations, and in this way the academic potential of the Bruckner University reaches a wider public.

There is another special field within the institute alongside historical and theoretical themes in the realms of music, dance and drama: “Applied Psychology”. The research activities in this field are concerned primarily with concrete problems arising in the course of performing and teaching practice. With the support of instrument-based methods – including a virtual laboratory for online research – physiological and psychological data are collected experimentally for the purpose of discovering regularities and laws, offering individual assistance and, beyond this, engaging in co-operations with non-university organisations in the fields of science, research and economics.

The students should be able to apply what they have learnt to their own work as performers and teachers, and to pass on these insights to others.