German and Philosophy

German thought has had a profound impact on philosophy, culture and science. Many of the most influential European thinkers have come from the German-speaking world, from Arendt to Hegel, Leibnitz to Wittgenstein.

German

Across all four years of our programme, including a year abroad in Year 3, your studies will give you the chance to gain professional skills in all aspects of German, including:

• reading and listening

• writing and translating

• speaking and presenting

As well as language learning, you will also explore German-language literature, film and theatre. You will study these in the context of historical and political developments, from the eighteenth century to contemporary times.

On this programme, you will take one of the following as your first language course:

• German 1A - for beginners

• German 1B - for students with more experience of learning the language

By your final year, you will have developed the linguistic, critical and analytical skills to the standard of completing a dissertation or long essay.

Philosophy

Studying philosophy will:

• allow you to think about some of the great philosophical questions in a clear, disciplined and systematic manner

• introduce you to the thinking of some of the great philosophers of the past and present

• illuminate the connections between diverse areas of human experience

• make you more aware of the assumptions that form the basis of your beliefs

Why Edinburgh

As a world-leading historic, festival and capital city, Edinburgh is the ideal place to study a modern language in its cultural context.

We have a strong historic connection to Philosophy, counting Adam Ferguson and Sir William Hamilton among our former students, and the subject has been taught at the University since its foundation in 1583.

German has been taught here since 1894, making it one of the first European languages to be offered at the University.

We are unique in Scotland in offering students a full academic year abroad within the four-year honours programme, regardless of whether you spend the year studying or working.

Graduating with a degree in German and Philosophy from Edinburgh gives you the combination of language and humanities skills, and the international perspective, valued by employers worldwide.

How long it takes to complete this degree programme

This programme is studied over 4 years, including a year abroad. This enables us to build choice and flexibility into your studies, giving you time to explore options, find what you like and build your skills.

Your first two years will be your pre-honours years. They will give you a good grounding in your subjects. In addition to your core courses, you will broaden your education and skill set by choosing option courses from a range of disciplines. This may enable you to change the focus of your programme.

Your final two years will be your honours years. You will spend Year 3 studying abroad, gaining lived experience of German-speaking culture. Year 4 will be tailored to your interests in specific topics, periods, or approaches to German and Philosophy.

Programme benefits

• Learn in a historic, capital city where German has been taught for over a century.

• Study over four years, including one abroad.

• Become fluent in a language.

• Try out different subjects in your first two years.

• Join societies related to what you are studying.

• Delve into fantastic libraries and collections.