BA German Studies
Germany is a leading economic and political force within the EU and internationally and has historically played a central role in shaping European culture. A degree in German Studies at Reading will provide you with a high degree of expertise in the German language together with an in-depth knowledge of social, cultural, and political issues relating to the Germanspeaking world. Through the study of a wide range of topics in history, film, literature, and linguistics you will gain a deep understanding amongst other things of the profound impact of the unification of East and West Germany in 1989, which led to the development of the new Germany.
Through this course, we aim to develop your command of the German language to the point where
you can write with confidence and feel at ease in professional and social exchanges with native speakers. You will also gain an in-depth understanding of key aspects of the culture of German-speaking Europe. An integral part of your studies is the year abroad which will give you first-hand knowledge of contemporary German or Austrian society and culture and require you to submit a dissertation on a topic of your choosing.
What will you study?
Year 1
Either
German language advanced level (for students with A level German)
or
Intermediate (for students with GCSE A* German)
or
Beginners (for students with no experience in German)
Icons of modern Germany
Plus a number of options including:
The Inner Life of the German Language
Interpreting Historical Documents
Literary Reflections of Historical Events
The German Nazi Past and the Present
Year 2
German language
Optional modules Including:
German for Business Purposes
Bertolt Brecht and the Drama of Revolt
Words in Action? An Introduction to linguistic pragmatics
East German Cinema
War, Hell and Family: Catastrophe in the Romantic Period
Feminism, Gender & Class in 19th century Germany
The World of Words: German Lexicology
Women and Biography in GDR Literature
Changing Media, Changing Texts
Year 3
Year abroad
The choice of one of the following:
Studying at a German or Austrian university
Working as a teaching assistant at a German or Austrian school
Going on a work placement with a German or Austrian firm
German oral
Dissertation
Final year
Translation into German and English
plus either
German Structure and Composition
or
German for Management and Business
Optional modules:
Writing the East: Literature of the GDR
Cinema of the Weimar Republic
Migration in Germany
Language in politics
19th-century Vienna