German Studies Language Culture and History

The German Studies MA offers a wide range of courses covering many aspects of German language, culture and history. This highly flexible programme allows students from a diversity of backgrounds to pursue topics in more depth, to acquire new areas of interdisciplinary expertise and to enhance their German language skills.

This MA enables further exploration of aspects of German literature, culture, history, politics, and social and political thought, within an explicitly thematic and theoretical framework. Students can specialise in particular areas of interest through the optional courses. Text-based language teaching is available for students wishing to develop their linguistic skills.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The programme offers two pathways: taught and research.

Taught: one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), and a dissertation (60 credits). Research: one core module (30 credits), two taught modules (60 credits), and a research dissertation (90 credits).

A Postgraduate Diploma, one core module (30 credits), three optional modules (90 credits), full-time nine months or part-time two years, is offered.

A Postgraduate Certificate, one core module (30 credits), one optional module (30 credits), full-time three months, part-time six months, is offered.

Core module

• Language, Culture and History. This core module permits research into two areas of major contemporary interest; for example, topics explored during the current year include the following:
• Trauma
• Memory
• Visual Culture
• Queer(y)ing Sexuality

Optional modules

Students take a choice of optional modules on topics such as the following:

• Wolfram's Parzival
• Reading Modern Novels
• Theoretical Issues in History and Literature
• Staging the Past: German Historical Drama since 1770
• Writing and Rewriting Marchen and other Fantastic Tales
• Discussion and Essay in German: Intensive Essay Writing
• Translation from and into German: Advanced Translation
• Geman Literature and Psychology

Dissertation/report

All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a 60-credit dissertation of 12,000 words, or a 90-credit dissertation of 18,000 words.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars and tutorials. Formal teaching occurs in the first two terms and the third term is devoted to revision sessions, examinations and detailed supervision of the dissertation project. Student performance is assessed through coursework essays, a dissertation, and unseen written examinations.

A minimum of an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard. A knowledge of German at least equivalent to UK A level standard is required.

Several funding options are possible for applicants including: Arts & Humanities Faculty Awards, UCL Scholarships for UK/EU & Overseas Students and the UCL German Alumni Scholarship.

For details of scholarships available to MA students in SELCS, please refer to the MA Scholarships webpage.

Scholarships relevant to this department are displayed below.

Jean Orr Scholarship

Value:

£7,000 (1 year)

Eligibility:

UK, EU, Overseas students

Criteria:

Based on academic merit