Study contents

In this program you will study German language and literature from its beginnings to the present. This means both with different medial forms as well as with current developments in cultural studies. For the teacher training program, the didactic courses are of particular importance. Thus, knowledge and skills are acquired in this area that can later be used in school, whereby you should then also be able to reflect on your skills , use them independently and, of course, successfully.

That's certainly what many people think when they hear this term for the first time. But even if it is simply a combination of the terms "science" and "language" and some people will roll their eyes because they think "What is there to research anyway?" or "Nobody needs that because people don't really communicate anymore anyway!  -  Especially in the current age of online media, language plays an essential role. Perhaps even more than ever. Because even the messages you exchange with your friends via WhatsApp harbor a form of linguistic communication. Written language is as much a part of linguistic research as face-to-face communication. 

If you are confronted with linguistics for the first time during your studies in German language and literature, you can't really imagine the wide range of research possibilities that fall under it. But let tell you : Linguistics is in many ways not dry at all, and the subfields of the science of language, incidentally also called linguistics, are diverse. 

Of course, if you decide to study linguistics, you should have a soft spot for language and language development, that's quite clear. But you can also discover it for yourself first. If you look beyond your own nose and don't let yourself be put off and totally confused by the dry theory (because it does exist, there's no denying that), you can discover that researching language can be a lot of fun - and you get to know language from a perspective that you wouldn't have even considered without studying linguistics. Even at the University of Kassel, there have certainly been a few enthusiastic linguists born who previously vehemently shouted "Get away from me with linguistics!" only to become fully absorbed in their analyses of Instagram posts. 

You see, linguistics also takes a close look at modern aspects of language. And as a language professional, which you (hopefully) are after your studies, you have as many perspectives professionally as there are communication models: Editor, translator, media professions - these are just a few of the possibilities for which a linguist is suited. Because in today's knowledge and information society, you definitely have an ace up your sleeve if you know your way around language and how to use it. So let someone claim that there is nothing to be done with linguistics!

Well, first of all we have system-oriented linguistics, which deals with questions about the structure-shaping role of orality and writtenness. This means, among other things, that an attempt is made here to analyze the extent to which the two are interrelated. But linguistic-historical aspects are also examined more closely. German language history deals with the different phases of language development, within the German studies especially (who would have thought it) with the development of the German language. In addition, language didactics is also a research focus - something that is particularly interesting for those who choose to study for a teaching degree - as it deals with the teaching and learning of language, e.g. within school institutions. For this, language didactics sometimes refers to pedagogy and psychology. 

As a rule, you will take the introductory lecture to the world of linguistics in your first semester, in the winter semester. Here you will be given an overview of many aspects. Among other things, general questions about the subject of linguistics are clarified: how is the term linguistics defined? What do we mean by it and what is the difference between metalanguage and object language? But you will also be introduced to the functions and structure of language, and will deal with language systems. Of course, since this is an introductory lecture, it's all still very new and you'll encounter a lot of terminology that you'll have to remember and not be confused by . However, there is an obligatory tutorial accompanying this introductory lecture for this reason, in which you can clarify any unanswered questions in smaller student groups (usually the size of a seminar) and generally repeat the course material to consolidate it. This can also be very helpful for the exam that you write at the end of the linguistics lecture. Therefore, it is recommended to really attend the tutorials and to use them in case any uncertainties have remained. 

You will certainly receive literature recommendations from time to time from lecturers at , be it during the introductory lecture. You don't have to read anything in advance, because especially in the introductory lecture you will slowly get to know the whole field of research anyway. From sign theory to language history, there is a lot you could find and read in terms of literature on the topic of linguistics, but it is not a prerequisite to start studying. If you are motivated to get a first insight into , we recommend for example "Grundzüge der Allgemeinen Sprachwissenschaft" by André Martinet, which can and should be used as an accompanying reading for the introductory lecture in linguistics. At the latest, this literature will be required reading for the exam. If you are regularly present during the lecture   and keep your mind on the topic, you will certainly have no problems following the thread . It may sound like a lot at first, and you will probably feel a bit overwhelmed by all the terms, definitions, and research approaches that you should not only memorize in a short time, but at best understand - but it is unnecessary to drive yourself crazy in advance and to wade through the endless expanses of literature on linguistics. After all, the introductory lecture is there to prepare you for more advanced linguistic seminars, by giving you the basic fundamental knowledge .

Literary Studies is one of the fields of German Studies at the University of Kassel. This field can be subdivided into older German literary studies (medieval studies), newer German literary studies, didactics of literature, the work and impact of the brothers Grimm, and media studies.

Modern German Literary Studies deals with literary texts from the 15th to the 21st century. The focus is not only on the literature, but also on the authors and the respective epochs. At the University of Kassel, the current research focuses include literature and the arts, literature and philosophy from the Enlightenment to the Classical period, early modern knowledge cultures and narrative literatures, knowledge (schaft) and gender (16.-19th c.), Kassel literary history (18th-20th c.), intercultural constructions of knowledge (16th-20th c. images of Italy), and pop literature of the present. In addition to cultural studies approaches, gender, knowledge, and mentality-historical ways of thinking will also be addressed.

The older German literary studies, also called medieval studies is mainly concerned with the literature of the European Middle Ages from the early Middle Ages to the beginning of the modern era. At the University of Kassel, medieval studies still deals with texts up to the Baroque era. The focus of the current research is, among other things, receptions of the Middle Ages, the medial staging, cultural studies and spaces, but also Animal and Gender Studies.

The didactics of literature deals with the teaching of literary texts of all forms and the acquisition of literary skills. The concept of literature today includes not only adult and high literature, but also forms of children's, youth, entertainment and trivial literature (simple and easy to follow).

The subject "Work and Impact of the Brothers Grimm", which is unique in Kassel, deals with the literary works of the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm and their impact up to the present day. The brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were linguists and literary scholars and collected fairy tales, legends and sagas from all over Europe and recorded them, partly in the respective dialect, for posterity. The University of Kassel can draw from a large fund of original texts, works, first editions, notebooks, transcripts and letters of the Brothers Grimm.

In addition to the two major areas of linguistics and literary studies, the Bachelor's degree program in German Studies also includes media studies. As the name suggests, in this field you deal with various media. In doing so, you always take a humanities perspective: What are the characteristics and special features of different media? How can a particular medium tell a story? What analytical tools help me to do this? These are the questions that are answered in media studies seminars and lectures. Media Studies deals scientifically with media of all kinds, including mass media, public communication as well as the aesthetics, history and theory of media.

Media studies courses are incredibly diverse. Basically, you can look at and study anything that is not a typical literary work.

Social media is becoming more and more important in the world. As a result, many events focus on communication in the digital space. It makes sense to examine how people engage in conversation through social networks. After all, messengers and social media now make up a large part of our communication. Learn what unwritten rules these conversations follow and observe how our written language is changing there. And what functions do emojis and meme culture actually play in this?

Film analysis is another area in media studies that is popular with students. Here, you don't just look at characters and plot, but also camera perspective and movement, image composition, editing, music and the color concept of a film. In the same way, films are often examined in terms of intermediality. That is, one takes a closer look at how, for example, the material of a book is transferred into a film adaptation.

But of course, media studies is much more than just social media and movies. The possibilities are almost limitless. Game studies, for example, is a very young field of research. Video games are being studied there for the first time as an independent art form. At the University of Kassel, there are also media studies courses on comics, graphic novels and visual art. In the same way, audio books are also scrutinized.

Although media studies is not an area that you can choose as a focus as you progress through your studies, there are numerous seminars that are offered in this area. Thus, they can still make up a large part of your studies. Depending on the topic, you can take these courses either in the literary studies or the linguistics modules.

Basically, as with all other courses, all forms of examination (written, oral, term paper) are possible. However, in the area of media studies, more unconventional project work is also offered. In film seminars there might be opportunities to adapt a text as a short film, in the video game seminar you might think up your own game concept, or in another media seminar you might write an FAQ for future German Studies students.

In this respect, Media Studies is not particularly different from the other areas of German Studies. At the beginning of the semester, the lecturer usually tells you what he/she requires as a course assignment. This can simply be your regular attendance and participation, but sometimes there are also minutes of meetings, small essays or short presentations.

Media science courses are perfect for turning things you know from everyday life into research objects. They offer a lot of fun, variety and usually a lot of surprising insights.

The possibilities of topics and projects are virtually unlimited. That's why media science seminars always provide refreshing variety in your schedule; even during stressful exam periods.
Moreover, it definitely has its appeal that there is still so much unexplored terrain in this field. There simply hasn't been as much specialist literature published on WhatsApp and Minecraft as there has been on Kafka or Goethe. That's why one is often freer in one's own media studies work in the context of term papers and more often has the feeling of gaining new insights instead of reproducing what experts have been writing for years. 

Media studies is becoming more and more important due to digitization, and there is a need for new, young scholars who work and continue to research in this field.