Undergraduate German 2025-2026

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 interactive, skill-based course is designed for students with prior knowledge of German. It builds on previously acquired German communication skills to further develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in German. Additionally, the course provides a deeper understanding of various cultural aspects of German-speaking countries.

Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course.

Upon registration for this course, you are asked to complete a short online language placement to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability.

• Students who have no experience of German register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1
• Students who have studied German to National 5/GCSE level (or equivalent) typically register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1
• Students who have studied German to Higher (or equivalent) register for GM1050 German Language 1

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 interactive language course provides students with a foundation in German. It enables students to understand the gist of authentic spoken and written German and to speak and write about everyday topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.

No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course can also be taken by students who 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 provides students with ample opportunities to develop their language skills in class, as well as supporting them to refine their personal self-study strategies.

After completion of German for Beginners 1, students can continue with German for Beginners 2 in the second term of each year.

Upon registration for this course, you are asked to complete a short online language placement to ensure that you are registered for the most appropriate course for your language ability.

It is recommended (subject to individual placement results) that:
• Students who have no experience of German register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1
• Students who have studied German to National 5/ GCSE level (or equivalent) typically register for GM1054: German for Beginners 1
• Students who have studied German to Higher level (or equivalent) register for GM1050 German Language 1

The course is designed for students who successfully completed GM1050 (semester 1)
The course builds on previously acquired German communication skills to further develop students’ reading, writing, listening, and speaking abilities in German. Additionally, the course provides a deeper understanding of various cultural aspects of German-speaking countries.

Students who are considering applying for entry to German Honours must take this course

This interactive language course provides students with a sound foundation in German. It is designed for students who completed GM1054 (German for Beginners 1) during term 1.

The course enables students to understand the gist of authentic written and spoken German and to speak and write about everyday topics with a degree of accuracy and fluency.

No previous knowledge of German is required, but this course can also be taken by students who 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 provides students with ample opportunities to develop their language skills in class, as well as supporting them to refine their personal self-study strategies.

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.

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 course will look at a number of key German-language films and directors from the past seven decades to examine the changing discourse and shifts in representation of the Nazi legacy in Germany and Austria. The course will proceed chronologically, encompassing both fiction and documentary film, offering the opportunity to compare and draw connections between films from different periods and of diverse genres.

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.

This course will consider art, film, literary texts, and music from the late 19th century and early 20th century in Vienna, Austria. We will examine what made turn-of-the century Vienna such a culturally dynamic place, giving rise to ideas that continue to shape our lives to this day.

Top CEOs have cited creativity as crucial to successfully navigating today’s complex, technology-driven world. But what does it mean to be creative? This course explores concepts of creativity through German literature and culture, attending to ideas and innovations that have radically shaped modern European history. Ranging from the Enlightenment to the present day, the course develops students’ skills in cultural analysis and understanding of creativity.

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 course will look at a number of key German-language films and directors from the past seven decades to examine the changing discourse and shifts in representation of the Nazi legacy in Germany and Austria. The course will proceed chronologically, encompassing both fiction and documentary film, offering the opportunity to compare and draw connections between films from different periods and of diverse genres.

This level 4 course is specifically aimed at students who want to improve their German Language skills, but who are not taking German as  part of a single or joint Honours programme in German Studies. It consists of a German language class, a composition class and an oral class.

Students engage in their first larger project of independent research.

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 will consider art, film, literary texts, and music from the late 19th century and early 20th century in Vienna, Austria. We will examine what made turn-of-the century Vienna such a culturally dynamic place, giving rise to ideas that continue to shape our lives to this day.

Top CEOs have cited creativity as crucial to successfully navigating today’s complex, technology-driven world. But what does it mean to be creative? This course explores concepts of creativity through German literature and culture, attending to ideas and innovations that have radically shaped modern European history. Ranging from the Enlightenment to the present day, the course develops students’ skills in cultural analysis and understanding of creativity.

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.