Prospective undergraduates
Our Honours courses in Germanic Studies aim to produce students who can understand, speak and write a very high standard of German in a variety of styles. Language classes, and Options taught in the language, thus play a central role. But at Sheffield we also recognise that 'learning German' means much more than simply learning the language. Even if your main interest is in applying your linguistic skills to professional problems, you will find that language can only be understood in the context of culture. The degree programmes in our Department therefore combine language study with a full range of courses on the contexts of modern German society, culture and history.
Most of the courses you take, besides the core language classes, will be chosen from a list of free options. This system of options is crucial, as it allows students, supported by their tutors, to determine their own focus of study. After your First Year, which provides an introduction to all the fields of study available in the Department, some students construct for themselves programmes entirely without traditional literary-studies options, whilst others choose exclusively options in literature and culture, and others prefer a mixture: it is up to each student individually.
The staff of the Department have a variety of expertise and special interests. Our nine permanent lecturing staff and three native-speaking lectors offer a very wide assortment of expertly taught courses: practical language classes in German, Dutch and - unique to Sheffield - Luxembourgish; modules in the historical developments and regional variations of the Germanic languages; modules in applied linguistics; modules in German literature from the middle ages to the present day, with an emphasis on the modern period; modules in German philosophy and thought; and modules on aspects of German society and political culture from the mid-eighteenth to the twenty-first century. Most classes in the Department are small and staff-student relationships are friendly and informal. In the most recent Evaluation of Teaching exercise, we were rated excellent, and our positive, enthusiastic atmosphere and well-conceived courses were highly commended.
All undergraduate applications are made through UCAS.
More about applying
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