Teaching

The mentoring programme offers help with working through the reading list required for one of the finishing modules, "Linguistic and Literary Competence", for future teachers. You can find more information here.

Our course offerings stretch from the Early Modern period to the present. In this regard, we do not restrict our investigations to the literature and culture of Great Britain. Rather, we widen our focus to include texts – including literary, filmic, and texts drawn from a variety of media – from Ireland, Australia, Africa, India, and other English speaking countries.

Our courses offer students insight into the development of literatures in English, originating from a variety of cultural, social, political, and historical contexts. Aside from an enriched knowledge of literary history and theory, you will acquire the ability to distinguish between, and competently analyse and discuss, various literary genres, employing interpretive approaches and theories of socio-political relevance today. In our introduction courses, students gain an overview of the historical developments and highlights in English literatures, and likewise become familiar with the methods and means to successful close reading. In addition, our curriculum offers students the opportunity to link their course work with ongoing research projects in our department, like those devoted to Shakespearian drama, Australian Studies, and Cognitive Literary Studies. As a result, students deeply engage with the most up-to-date research trends in our field, combined with and tailored to their own individualised interests.

Here you can find an overview of the courses of study our department contributes to as well as the degrees that can be obtained.

Bachelor of Arts - Anglistik (more information)
Master of Arts -- English and American Studies / English Linguistics (more information)

The Department of English Literatures and Cultures contributes to the Bachelor of Arts course Anglistik as well as to the Master of Arts course English and American Studies / English Linguistics. The programs involve study in literary and cultural studies as well as linguistics. Master students need to choose between a profile in English literary and cultural studies and one in English linguistics. In literary studies, the focus is not only on canonical authors, like William Shakespeare, Virginia Woolf and George Orwell, but also on Postcolonial literatures, as well as contemporary Cultural Studies. An integral part of our program includes providing students with an overview of literary and cultural theory, as well as introducing various methodologies and approaches to studying literature.

Bachelor of Arts – Lehramt Englisch (more information)
Master of Education – Lehramt Englisch (more information)

Aside from a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literary and cultural studies and a Master of Arts degree, the Department of English Literatures and Cultures offers a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Education for students aspiring to become teachers. In this context, we provide a wide variety of possible subject combinations, dovetailing with a second subject or major in the humanities and natural sciences. A vital component of this degree program is our specialised courses devoted to the practical, hands-on concerns of pedagogical and educational theory.

Important note for international students: For this course of study, a second subject, aside from English, needs to be chosen, which will usually be taught in German on a C2 level.

For highly qualified M.A. graduates with an interest in further research, there is the possibility to extend their studies and obtain a doctorate (Dr.phil.) in English literary and cultural studies. For this, an independently devised doctoral thesis needs to be written, which will be supervised in our department. General information on how to become a doctoral student can be found here; further information for doctoral students of our department can be found here. Please also see this list of contacts and reference persons for doctoral students.

Additional information for international students:

The university evaluates the submitted documents during the application process. To obtain general information on the comparability and equivalence of foreign degrees and certificates beforehand, you can consult the website of the Central Office for Foreign Education. For other information, regarding, for example, visa and enrolment process for non-EU applicants, you can contact the university’s International Office.