German

This course allows you to develop professional-level language skills in German, whether you’re a beginner or have prior knowledge.

You’ll become highly fluent in German, including oral proficiency, professional communication and written language. You’ll take a compulsory year abroad, where you’ll be fully immersed in the language and rapidly develop your skills through day-to-day practice. You’ll gain a unique insight into German culture and society in the 20th and 21st century and develop skills that make you highly attractive to employers.

You’ll develop and consolidate your spoken and written German through modules taught by world-leading experts in German language teaching. You'll also choose from a range of optional modules exploring various aspects of culture, translation, history and politics. You’ll be engaged in learning the language as much of the course content, including some non-language modules that are taught and assessed in German.

German is spoken across a fascinating and influential area of Europe, from the economic powerhouse of Germany to Austria, Switzerland and beyond. German-speaking countries have exciting and diverse cultures, complex histories and booming economies. You’ll study the diversity of German-speaking cultures, with a focus on gender, race, and queer identities. Our highly flexible degree develops your personal and intellectual independence.

The course is mainly assessed through coursework, offering you a wide range of creative assessments. Your independent project in your final year will be an opportunity to conduct and present your own research.

Additional highlights
You’ll be supported to achieve an excellent degree of language fluency by the time you graduate (up to C2 in the Common European Frame of Reference), thanks to our integrated language curriculum for all levels of student.

You’ll learn from cutting-edge researchers in the fields of digital language teaching, translation, intercultural German studies, German history, German-language literature and German-language film. We are a warm community of researchers, teachers and students who take a critical approach to German studies and empower our students to follow their own interests and strengths within our degree programme.

Specialist Facilities

With a variety of specialist facilities and four libraries on campus, you’ll find plenty of space for study, group work and research.

The world-class Brotherton Library is home to a wide variety of manuscripts, archive and early printed material in its Special Collections – valuable assets for your independent research. These include rare copies of magazines and unpublished letters, with German materials in many collections such as the Liddell World War One collection. Our main library resources are also excellent, and the University Library offers a comprehensive training programme to help you make the most of them.

The Language Centre includes digital language labs, audio/video practice booths and Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). The Language Zone offers excellent learning material in more than 50 languages, including online resources and advice. The Language Exchange and the Language Groups programme provide opportunities to practise with other learners and proficient German speakers; you can also volunteer to help other learners and enhance your CV at the same time.

Our Martin Thomas Translation Labs feature state-of-the-art computing facilities for translation studies as well as Interpreter Training Suites – ideal if you are considering a career in interpreting.

Course Modules

Information on modules can be found on the University website.