German Studies

German Language Intermediate

This course builds on the skills and knowledge acquired in the German Language for Beginners module. You will learn how to construct more sophisticated sentences in German, will be able to communicate in different registers and we will discuss a range of new topics relevant to German-speaking countries. At intermediate level we aim to reach a level of language proficiency that is equivalent to CEFR B1/B2.

Deutsche Politik und Medien (for intermediate German)

We explore German politics and the German media landscape since 1945, with particular emphasis on the present. Through German- as well as English-language reading and visual material (e.g., film clips), this course provides you with a detailed understanding of the public world of post-war and contemporary Germany, while also developing your linguistic capabilities. Together with the Intermediate language course and Deutsche Kultur, this module is compulsory for German Intermediate students taking 40 credits (or more) of German in their Second Year.

Deutsche Kultur (for intermediate German)

This course looks at modern German literary texts, newspaper and magazine articles, and pictorial material. It enables you to develop the tools needed to interpret and analyze contemporary German literary, artistic and popular culture, while also enhancing your German language skills. Together with the Intermediate language course and Deutsche Politik und Medien, this module is compulsory for German Intermediate students taking 40 credits (or more) German in their Second Year.

Analysing Evil: National Socialism as Ideology and Brand

National Socialism was not just an evil ideology – it was an evil ideology that had to be “sold” to the German people. The course seeks to answer two key questions: what are the central elements of this belief system, and how were they promoted, advertised, and enforced? We will look at such issues as the social, political, and economic contexts from which the Nazis sought to benefit; Hitler’s personality and politico-rhetorical strategies; and the “branding” of National Socialism.

Germanic Languages in Social Context

In this module, students obtain an overview of the status and function of the German language in relation to its speakers and to speakers of other languages. It provides students with the opportunity to analyse linguistic representations as well as language-related debates in officially monolingual (Germany, Austria) and multilingual (Switzerland, Luxembourg) countries.

German Culture and Ideas from the Enlightenment to the Present Day

The course traces the development of German culture from the Enlightenment onwards: from an age of Absolutist princes and obsessive artists to social critics, the Germans who desired discipline, and those who encourage expressive dissent; through to the media scandals, comics, and performance poets of today. In this survey course, you will study the most influential periods and people who have shaped modern German literature, in its broadest sense, after which you can your deepen your knowledge further in more specialist thematic modules.

German Language Higher Intermediate

The Higher Intermediate Language module is focused on preparing you to spend time in a German-speaking country, so that you have the confidence to tackle CV writing, work presentations or academic essays in German. Alongside this skills-based work is an additional class devoted to advanced grammar, in which you explore and practise more complex syntactic structures, testing these as you translate into and out of German. (CEFR Level B2.2 / C1).

Analysing Evil: National Socialism as Ideology and Brand

National Socialism was not just an evil ideology – it was an evil ideology that had to be “sold” to the German people. The course seeks to answer two key questions: what are the central elements of this belief system, and how were they promoted, advertised, and enforced? We will look at such issues as the social, political, and economic contexts from which the Nazis sought to benefit; Hitler’s personality and politico-rhetorical strategies; and the “branding” of National Socialism.

Deutschland und Österreich heute

Taught in German, this course provides an overview of present-day Germany and Austria, examining three core areas in particular: politics; culture; and mass and social media. On the basis of selected texts and video clips as well as a variety of Internet sources, the course explores such issues as the rise of populist / right-wing extremist parties like the AfD; immigration policy; and national identity.

German Languages in Social Context

This module offers an overview of the status and function of the German language in relation to its speakers and to speakers of other languages. It provides students with the opportunity to analyse linguistic representations as well as language-related debates in officially monolingual (Germany, Austria) and multilingual (Switzerland, Luxembourg) countries.

German Culture and Ideas from the Enlightenment to the Present Day

The course traces the development of German culture from the Enlightenment onwards: from an age of Absolutist princes and obsessive artists to social critics, the Germans who desired discipline, and those who encourage expressive dissent; through to the media scandals, comics, and performance poets of today. In this survey course, you will study the most influential periods and people who have shaped modern German literature, in its broadest sense, after which you can your deepen your knowledge further in more specialist thematic modules.

German Language Advanced

This advanced language module has two strands:

1) a core strand which enables you to produce fluent and accurate written and spoken German (CEFR level C1 / C2) using complex structures and appropriate vocabulary in multiple registers und employing a variety of rhetorical strategies;

2) a language specialism strand in which you choose from either Advanced Translation or Presenting and Debating. In Advanced Translation you work mostly from German into English, dealing with syntactic and lexical problems on the basis of a range of journalistic and literary texts. Presenting and Debating will provide techniques and practice to equip you with the confidence not only to present your own views, but also to analyse and counter views those of others within a formal debate.  

German for Enterprise

This project module brings students together with local and regional businesses wishing to expand into Germany and Austria. Students will offer research, translation and text-writing services, as well as helping UK partners become aware of the expectations and practices which determine the German-speaking market.

Modern German Thought

We focus on famous German thinkers like Marx and Freud, and how they can help us understand the world of today. On the basis of selected philosophical texts, we explore such issues as: the benefits and dangers of consumerism; the relation between democracy and capitalism; the social importance of literature and the arts; and the role of (social) media.

Twentieth Century Fiction and Drama

The course provides a survey of major works of literature from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland over the duration of the long twentieth century. The texts studied will enable students to trace literary- and intellectual-historical developments over the period, but will also reinforce understanding of the political and social background.

The Birth of Consumerism & Creativity: Germany & Britain

In the industrial revolution, “consumerism” was seen as a British idea. But it made its way to German-speaking territories, influencing a tradition of the arts known for intellectualism. Germany’s most famous poets and philosophers sought to carve out their own creative and conceptual space away from everyday stuff — only to then be imported to Britain in order to give Victorian liberal capitalism intellectual credibility! Working on your own research project, you'll examine an international circulation of ideas and texts during the birth of our modern economic and social system (that’s still in place today), questioning what it meant to be an “artist” and — or? — “consumer”.