When I moved to Tallinn for work-related reasons, I wanted to advance my higher education by pursuing a Master’s degree. Having completed a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing, I was interested in a programme related to the literary field. Tallinn University’s Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies MA programme was one of the very few English-language options I found.
As I had always been a moviegoer with a general interest in the visual arts, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to learn formally about these areas while deepening my knowledge of literature—my greatest passion.
What I remember most vividly from the programme was the Seminar on Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies by Professor Eneken Laanes, which made a huge impression on me. In this seminar, I learnt about the representation of the Eastern European past in literature, film, and public space from the perspective of Cultural Memory studies. I feel this helped me gain a better understanding of Estonia, my new home, and its rich culture and history.
I also remember Daniele Monticelli’s fascinating seminar on representations of illness in film, literary narratives, and art. As part of this class, we saw “La Traviata” at the Estonian National Opera, which was my first experience encountering this art form.
In addition, the Academic Writing course by Dr Miriam Anne McIlfatrick-Ksenofontov was extremely useful. Here, I was introduced to advanced methods for composing an academic paragraph and articulating my ideas in a structured way. At the time of this course, I held a full-time position as a content writer and editor at a Tallinn-based tech company. Even though the Academic Writing course was intended to help us succeed in the academic sphere, it gave me transferable skills that I was able to apply at work.
While the first semesters were rather challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic,—classes were mostly online, and there wasn’t much opportunity to socialise—my classmates and I were able to pull through. I had the great joy of forming friendships and connections that I still hold to this day.
After graduating, the Literature, Visual Culture and Film Studies programme proved most useful for my PhD research. I now work at Tallinn University as a Junior Researcher, writing a thesis on postcolonial environmental memoirs. However, it also made me a more skilled researcher outside academia, as I am also currently working actively in online marketing—a profession I intend to pursue full-time after my PhD. I would definitely recommend this programme to anyone who wishes to learn more about art and culture from an academic perspective and is considering pursuing a PhD in the future.
Read more about the programme here