English Literature and Linguistics

Anglophone literature, media, and culture are key influences across the globe, and English remains the dominant language of international exchange. The Bachelor's study programs in English Literature and Linguistics will appeal to students wishing to explore the variety and complexity of these cultural formations. They aim to equip students with the theoretical and methodological tools needed to analyze and engage with the language and culture of the English-speaking world from a historical perspective, as well as with a focus on contemporary issues and debates.

• Language & Literature: Students of English should be interested in how language works: as a means of everyday communication, as a medium of artistic expression, and as a tool for understanding human ideals, experience, fears, and behavior.
• Media, History & Politics: Engaging with different types of media - from medieval manuscripts to digital technologies - students must be willing to investigate how language and culture relate to issues such as social class, gender, religion, or racism.
• Reading & Writing: Prospective students should certainly like reading, but they should also enjoy working on their writing skills, be curious about the history of English across the globe, and appreciate spirited debates with their peers.
• Researching & Presenting: Students of English will become experts at presenting the outcomes of such debates, as well as the results of their own critical reflections and empirical research, in a sophisticated yet accessible manner - be it in writing, orally, or in less traditional formats (e.g. as audiovisual essays).

«What's not to like? You get to read all sorts of books: some thrilling and suspenseful, others enigmatic and perhaps even frustrating.»

«You find out that the word 'knight' is related to the word 'Knecht,' and you get to discuss the - often fraught - cross-cultural exchanges between, say, Vikings, Saxons, and Celts, or between the descendants of enslaved Africans and those of former slave-holders.»

«You learn how to compile your own linguistic data, how to do research (in libraries and archives or online), and how to craft convincing scholarly arguments.»

«At the English Department, you investigate, say, the sexist use of language in your favorite Netflix series. Or the most recent theories of second language acquisition. Or the question of whether Shakespeare's character Shylock is a critique or a reflection of anti-Semitic stereotypes. Finally, and most importantly, you get to spend time with others who enjoy all (or most) of this, too!»