Undergraduate German 2021-2022

Students will gain detailed knowledge and understanding of the fascinating political and cultural developments and historical events in 20th century Germany.

They will be introduced in weekly lectures and tutorials to a variety of texts and contemporary films.

This course is taught in English and normally taken in conjunction with GM1054 German for Beginners 1. It is specifically recommended to students with the intention to proceed with German Studies beyond level one.

No pre-requisites are required.

This module is designed for students with an SCE H in German or equivalent. The course develops receptive and productive oral and written German language skills. Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course.

Learn more about German 20th-century literature, dealing with the events that shaped German and European history. As in all good literature, we will discuss universal themes and topics covering all of the most important aspects of modern life.  

This language course provides students with a sound foundation in German (grammar and vocabulary). It enables students to understand the gist of authentic written and spoken German and to speak and write about familiar topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.

No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course is also for students which took German at school before, on any level lower than Higher or A-level.

With 3 Language Classes and 1 Language Practical per week this course encourages and supports students to develop their personal self-study strategies.

This course is intended for beginners, wishing to proceed with German Studies beyond level 1. It provides an introduction to selected German Short Stories from the 20th-century, with a particular focus on relating these to their cultural, historical and social context.

This module is designed for students with an SCE H in German or equivalent. The course develops receptive and productive oral and written German language skills. Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course. The course builds on GM1050.

This language course provides students with a sound foundation in German (grammar and vocabulary). It enables students to understand the gist of authentic written and spoken German and to speak and write about familiar topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.

No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course is also for students which took German at school before, on any level lower than Higher or A-level.

With 3 Language Classes and 1 Language Practical per week this course encourages and supports students to develop their personal self-study strategies.

Learn more about modern German history, culture and literature while also extending your skills in reading German texts.  

The course consists of language classes leading to advanced communicative competence in German and it will include the analysis of contemporary texts drawn from a variety of contexts. This course may be taken only by students who have completed the German for Beginners courses.

This level two language course will build on and extend students' fluency and written skills in German.

Learn more about modern German history and culture while also extending your skills in reading German texts. 

The intention of the course is to extend and reinforce further students' command of German grammar, vocabulary and syntactic structures, and to introduce various styles of written and spoken German. The course builds on the work done in GM2040 and  is intended only for continuing beginners. 

Building on work done in GM 2042, the course will develop further language skills.

This course consists of the study of selected aspects of German culture and involves the close analysis of German texts. 

Germanic literature is famous for its fairy tales. From the brothers Grimm to contemporary re-imaginings of traditional tales, fairy tales have undergone continual revisions, reflecting changing social norms. We examine tales from the early 19th century to the present day, with attention to the gender roles that these tales reveal or perhaps challenge. As we learn more about changing perspectives on gender in German culture, we can reflect upon the challenges that we still face today.

This junior honours language course will build on and extend students' written skills and fluency in German.

This course offers advanced German language learning at Level 3. The course runs for only the first semester.

“Don't you find it odd," she continued, "that when you're a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you're older, somehow they act offended if you even try.” (E Hawke) . What is the essence of childhood? What is 'innocence'? What shaped me to become the person that I am?  Let's take a closer look at that we have all experienced - but know so little about. 

“Everyone who lived in high-up, magical places must feel the same way. You come down into the world and you mingle, but all the while there's something calling you back.” (A. Hasan) The pain of feeling different from others is one of the most enduring themes in literature. For some this is enriching, others are destroyed by it. 

This course, which includes both fiction and documentary film, considers the strong political dimension of 21st-century German and Austrian filmmaking, as contemporary German and Austrian filmmakers not only engage with societal and historical issues in their home countries, but also turn their attention to global problems such as modern-day food production, the refugee crisis, and the global economy. The course will include films by Fatih Akin, Ruth Beckermann, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Valeska Grisebach, Carmen Losmann, Christian Petzold, and Hans Weingartner.

This course introduces students to the major literary and cultural movements known as 'Sturm und Drang' and history. Through analysing literary texts and other works of cultural importance, the course engages critically with the relationship between art and society, and explores the role of subversive art during a period of rapid social change. Romanticism, and examines the impetus for and impact of these movements in the context of modern German history.

Germanic literature is famous for its fairy tales. From the brothers Grimm to contemporary re-imaginings of traditional tales, fairy tales have undergone continual revisions, reflecting changing social norms. We examine tales from the early 19th century to the present day, with attention to the gender roles that these tales reveal or perhaps challenge. As we learn more about changing perspectives on gender in German culture, we can reflect upon the challenges that we still face today.

Students engage in their first larger project of independent research. The dissertation is to be written in German and followed by a 20 minute Viva.

Students engage in their first larger project of independent research. The dissertation is to be written in German and followed by a 20 minute Viva.

“Don't you find it odd," she continued, "that when you're a kid, everyone, all the world, encourages you to follow your dreams. But when you're older, somehow they act offended if you even try.” (E Hawke) . What is the essence of childhood? What is 'innocence'? What shaped me to become the person that I am?  Let's take a closer look at that we have all experienced - but know so little about. 

“Everyone who lived in high-up, magical places must feel the same way. You come down into the world and you mingle, but all the while there's something calling you back.” (A. Hasan) The pain of feeling different from others is one of the most enduring themes in literature. For some this is enriching, others are destroyed by it. 

Building on the skills gained during the Junior Honours language course and before, this module expands and refines German language expertise in writing, reading, speaking and listening, to an advanced level, for their final exit written and oral exam in German.

This course, which includes both fiction and documentary film, considers the strong political dimension of 21st-century German and Austrian filmmaking, as contemporary German and Austrian filmmakers not only engage with societal and historical issues in their home countries, but also turn their attention to global problems such as modern-day food production, the refugee crisis, and the global economy. The course will include films by Fatih Akin, Ruth Beckermann, Nikolaus Geyrhalter, Valeska Grisebach, Carmen Losmann, Christian Petzold, and Hans Weingartner.

Students engage in their first larger project of independent research. The dissertation is to be written in German and followed by a 20 minute Viva.

This course introduces students to the major literary and cultural movements known as 'Sturm und Drang' and history. Through analysing literary texts and other works of cultural importance, the course engages critically with the relationship between art and society, and explores the role of subversive art during a period of rapid social change. Romanticism, and examines the impetus for and impact of these movements in the context of modern German history.