BA History with German
BA History and German
UCAS code: RV21
Course length: 4 years
BA History with German
UCAS code: V1R2
Course length: 3 years
Summary of course aims
German can be combined with History either as a 4-year joint course including a year abroad, or as a 3-year course with no year abroad where German is the minor element. Both programmes aim to produce graduates who are competent or fluent communicators in written (and in the 4-year course also spoken) German and have a sound knowledge of a range of aspects of German culture and society. In History, students will engage with a broad chronological range but are also able to specialise in particular periods and topics of British, European and American history which provide both points of comparison and contrast with their studies of German history and culture.
Course content
(NB: this brief summary refers to both the 4-year and the 3-year programmes except where detailed and except that the 3-year course has no year abroad. Note that students with no knowledge of German are not normally admitted to the 3-year course, as the Year Abroad is vital in enabling beginners to reach an appropriate level of competence)
The first year introduces you to the two subjects. The History modules focus on historical causation and contextualisation and the use of sources in the discipline. In German you will follow an intensive language course and take a module in "Icons of Modern Germany", which focuses on key figures and aspects of the culture and society of post-1945 Germany. In terms of your knowledge of the language you may enter this programme at Advanced, Intermediate or Beginners level (beginners will normally have an A-level in another foreign language).
In Year 2 and later in the final year you will build on your language skills and choose options in those areas of German and History that interest you most. In German, students must take core language modules, together with a choice of options covering the 18th century to the present day: options in the final year, for example, include Migration and Minorities in Germany, The Cinema of the Weimar Republic, German Women's Writing, Trends in Contemporary German Language, Society and Literature in Nineteenth-century Vienna. History students at Part 2 focus upon periodisation and the development of their disciplinary skills, while the final year offers options in British, European, and American history from the Middle Ages to the present: options, for example, on the Hundred Years War, 17th century Britain and Ireland, the French revolution, the Holocaust, US foreign policy.
(NB: 4-year course only) Year 3 is spent in Germany or Austria, either at a university, or as a teaching assistant or on a work placement. Popular choices of university are Augsburg, Potsdam, Regensburg and Tübingen in Germany, or Graz and Vienna in Austria. An important aspect of the year abroad is the dissertation you will write on an aspect of German studies of your own choosing; this part of your course requires independent work and a substantial research effort.
For a full description of either degree course with the corresponding compulsory and optional modules, please download the programme specification. Please note that you are advised to check that this course is running for the next academic year.
http://www.info.reading.ac.uk/progspecs/prog-index.asp
Career prospects
Graduates in History and German are eagerly sought after by employers. The year spent abroad and the communication skills acquired in the process are seen by many employers as a major asset. Past graduates have used their degree as a springboard for various areas of employment both in Britain and abroad; jobs have included publishing, the media, the civil service and teaching, banking and commerce, and museum work.