German Studies

Germanic Studies embraces the language, history, society and culture of well over 100 million people. In the 20th century, Germany has had a bigger impact on world history than any other European country. Today, it is the political and economic powerhouse at the heart of the European Union.

Year abroad in Germany.

At Sheffield we believe that language and culture are two sides of the same coin. You can only become genuinely fluent in a language if you understand the culture of that language; and you can only understand the culture if you are genuinely fluent. We also recognise that cultures are always interconnected: German culture is bound up with the other cultures of Europe and beyond.

More on the German community at Sheffield


Undergraduate degree combinations

To see how our degrees can be structured and combined, please visit the following:

BA Modern Languages & Cultures (BAMLC) - this course allows you to choose between one and three languages to study.

Dual degrees with a non-language - these options allow you to take a language (or two, in some cases) alongside a non-language subject.


Why study German at Sheffield?

We asked some of our students why they chose to study German at Sheffield:


Course

Post A-level Course

You can take German in a variety of subject combinations, and you can choose from a range of optional modules.

At the centre of all our programmes are your language modules. They form the bedrock of your education in German. Post A-level students normally take three hours of language teaching per week. In addition, we offer digital learning opportunities and a lively social and extra-curricular programme with other students and German-speakers. 

Alongside your compulsory language programme, you choose from a range of optional modules, which focus on German culture in the broadest sense (society, history, film, literature and philosophy). Our staff has extensive expertise in these areas and this is reflected in our teaching. Depending on your degree programme, you may also choose from a number of School-wide optional modules.

Beginners' German

If you are new to the German language, your programme will entail four weekly hours of intensive language teaching. This will rapidly develop your German. In addition, you will be introduced to German Studies covering German society, history, film, literature and philosophy.

In your Second Year, you will have three hours a week of language teaching, while also deepening your knowledge of German Studies by choosing one or more culture-focused optional modules. 

In your final year – which is the year after your Year Abroad – you will as a rule be able to integrate fully with your fellow students on the post-A level strand.


Modules

You will study 40 credits in language and culture at either beginner or post A-level*.

Beginner's German

Title

Credits

Core/Optional

German Language for Beginners

An intensive language course taught in small groups. By the end of the year you will be able to read German and use the language in a variety of social contexts (CEFR A1/2).

20

Core

Understanding German History and Culture*

This core German content module will introduce students to the history, society, politics, and culture of the German-speaking world. You will focus on the major historical events (such as the building of the Berlin Wall, and the importance of the Greens to contemporary Germany) and key texts and visual material. You will also acquire a theoretical toolkit that will enable you to analyse these major events and cultural forms. The module complements the core German language modules (which also cover some aspects of culture) studied at Level 1, in addition to serving as the solid foundation for more advanced study and specialisation at Level 2 and onwards.

20

Core /
Optional

Resist! The Art of Protest in Berlin and Amsterdam

Berlin and Amsterdam – two capitals at the forefront of protest and alternative lifestyles from the early twentieth century to today. This module looks at the German and Dutch cultures of resistance by exploring topics such as the radical student movement of the 1960s, the political party Alternative für Deutschland, feminism and LGBTQ+, protests against slavery as well as the more recent discussions surrounding “Zwarte Piet” and more light-hearted forms of protest such as Dadaism. 

Open to all, taught in English

20 Optional

Post A Level German

Title

Credits

Core/Optional

German Language Post A-Level

In this intensive language course you will build on your existing German language. You will encounter more sophisticated grammar and extend your reading and speaking skills. By the the end of the year you will have gained B1/2 fluency.

20 Core

Understanding German History and Culture*

This core German content module will introduce students to the history, society, politics, and culture of the German-speaking world. You will focus on the major historical events (such as the building of the Berlin Wall, and the importance of the Greens to contemporary Germany) and key texts and visual material. You will also acquire a theoretical toolkit that will enable you to analyse these major events and cultural forms. The module complements the core German language modules (which also cover some aspects of culture) studied at Level 1, in addition to serving as the solid foundation for more advanced study and specialisation at Level 2 and onwards.

20 Core /
Optional

Resist! The Art of Protest in Berlin and Amsterdam

Berlin and Amsterdam – two capitals at the forefront of protest and alternative lifestyles from the early twentieth century to today. This module looks at the German and Dutch cultures of resistance by exploring topics such as the radical student movement of the 1960s, the political party Alternative für Deutschland, feminism and LGBTQ+, protests against slavery as well as the more recent discussions surrounding “Zwarte Piet” and more light-hearted forms of protest such as Dadaism. 

Open to all, taught in English

20 Optional

Optional school-wide modules

Title Credits Core/Optional

Intersections: Text, Image, Thought in the French-speaking world

This module will focus on two important French texts per semester (with 'text' taken in its largest sense of book, film, art work, piece of music, cultural product, etc.). Each text will form the basis for a close reading, followed by analyses using French cultural, historical, literary and critical theory approaches as well as adaptations into other media (such as film, art and music) where appropriate. The module will be taught and assessed in English, but the materials will be made available in both French and English, with French students required to use and cite the French materials. The aim of the module is to introduce students to significant French texts and to illustrate and explore a range of possible critical approaches to them, including cross-media or intermedial reinterpretations.

20 Optional

An Introduction to the Social and Political History of Iberia & Latin America 

This module examines the historical trajectory of Spain, its emergence as a state in the Iberian Peninsula, its imperial expansion overseas into Latin America, the eventual independence of the colonies and their development and consolidation into the various modern-day states we know today. The module will explore the social, political, linguistic and cultural characteristics of these states and its peoples and highlight the importance of understanding their complex history in the formation of their identities, their languages and their cultural and political values. The module has a particular emphasis on the importance of myths and how, regardless of their historical veracity, they can condition behaviours, mould identities and shape future history.

20 Optional

Comparative Visual Cultures

Visual literacy is a key skill and visual culture remains one of the most accessible and important modes through which we represent, understand and critique our world. This module provides an introduction to some of the major trends within visual cultures in European languages, and the development of visual media. Students will work on a selection of visual texts across national frameworks and historical periods to examine their conditions of production, distribution and reception and to explore how meaning is constructed and critiqued in visual culture. In seminars we will engage with detailed analysis of core texts and with critical materials. Students will be encouraged to consider country-specific, transnational and comparative trends through a critical lens. 

20 Optional

Understanding Spanish and Latin American Culture

Why has the gypsy culture of Andalucía been so crucial to ideas about Spanish identity and how and why has this changed? How did gender politics and the role of women change after the Franco dictatorship in Spain? How and why was modernity experienced as a crisis in Latin America? How does class struggle shape Latin America? What does Revolution really mean in the context of Latin America? These are just some of the questions that will be explored in this module. This course examines the literature and culture of modern Spain and modern Spanish-speaking Latin America. In each semester, three cultural products from one of these two areas are studied, and may include poetry, theatre, narrative fiction or film. We will build up a picture of the cultural history of Spain and Latin America, as well as looking at key themes to emerge from selected literary, dramatic and/or cinematic outputs. By focussing on different genres in each semester, students will be able to explore different types of cultural product and to develop analytical skills gradually by moving from shorter pieces to a larger body of writing.Students taking post-A Level or equivalent will study primary texts in their original Spanish version. Beginners will study primary texts in English translation. This module is strongly recommended as a foundational core course for further study in Spanish and Latin American Studies.

20 Optional

The Soviet Union 1917-1991

Overview of the formation, development and collapse of the USSR, beginning from c.1900. Covers historiographic problems in analysing primary materials, ideological problems in dealing with the revolutionary movement and subsequent developments, debates over the nature and trajectory of the USSR and its place in the wider world.

  Optional (Autumn Semester only)

* For language classes, you will be placed in an appropriate group for your level.

The content of our courses is reviewed annually to make sure it is up-to-date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. This is in response to discoveries through our world-leading research, funding changes, professional accreditation requirements, student or employer feedback, outcomes of reviews, and variations in staff or student numbers. In the event of any change we'll consult and inform students in good time and take reasonable steps to minimise disruption.

Information last updated:


Four students laughing while sat at a bench, outside the Students' Union

International Merit Scholarships

We offer a generous package of financial support for international students including 75 undergraduate scholarships worth £10,000 towards the annual tuition fee and 125 postgraduate taught scholarships worth £5,000 towards the tuition fee. Applications are now open for existing offer holders.