- UCAS course code
- R210
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA German Studies
Develop intercultural awareness and advanced communications skills through the study of German, Austrian and Swiss language and culture.
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: R210 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Study with a language
- Typical A-level offer: ABB
- Typical contextual A-level offer: BBC
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: BBC
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 34 points overall with 6,5,5 at HL
Course unit details:
German Study Project
| Unit code | GERM10340 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 1 |
| Teaching period(s) | Full year |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
Running parallel with the Level-1 course units Revolution and Reaction in German Culture and Introduction to German Linguistics, this course will enable students to deepen their appreciation and understanding of German literature and develop their reading skills in German. Through small-group tutorials, individual meetings, and private study, students will acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to write commentaries and essays on a wide variety of texts (e.g., short stories, poems, novels and films). The tutorials will focus on a range of tutor-led and student-led activities designed to develop understanding of German literature and methods of analysing and discussing it.
Pre/co-requisites
Available to students studying Single Honors/Major in German.
Aims
To develop critical thinking, conceptual reasoning and analytical skills
To develop the ability to read and analyse literary texts
To develop the ability to place literary texts in social and political context
To develop a better understanding of the historical and social realities of the German-speaking world
To develop a better understanding of literary texts in German
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of this course students will be able to:
demonstrate knowledge and understanding of canonical German literary texts
write commentaries and essays discussing and analysing German literary texts
place the texts in their historical context
Intellectual skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
conceive their own commentary and essay topics
demonstrate understanding of German literary language
discuss and analyse German literary texts
Practical skills
By the end of this course students will be able to:
use the library, electronic and online resources.
use reporting skills during student-led in-class activities
write commentaries and essays on German literary texts
Transferable skills and personal qualities
On successful completion of course units in German Studies students will have developed their ability to:
manage time, and work to deadlines;
use information and communication technology (ICT);
undertake independent learning and reflect upon their achievements;
assess the relevance and importance of the ideas of others;
demonstrate powers of analysis;
display good literacy skills in English and German;
show an awareness of and a responsiveness to the nature and extent of intercultural diversity
Employability skills
- Analytical skills
- Students taking this unit will be able to analyse and evaluate both existing literature on the texts studied and the primary set materials themselves. Above all, committed students will emerge from this course unit with a capacity to think critically, i.e. knowledgeably, rigorously, confidently and independently.
- Innovation/creativity
- On this unit students are encouraged to respond imaginatively and independently to the questions and ideas raised by existing literature on the topic and the primary corpus of texts studied.
- Project management
- Students taking this unit will be able to work towards deadlines and to manage their time effectively.
- Research
- Students on this unit will be required to digest, summarise and present large amounts of information. They are encouraged to enrich their responses and arguments with a wide range of further reading.
- Written communication
- Students on this unit will develop their ability to write in a way that is lucid, precise and compelling.
Assessment methods
Assessment task | Formative or Summative | Weighting within unit (if summative) |
Commentary plan
| Formative
| 0% |
Commentary
| Summative | 40%
|
Essay plan and bibliography
| Formative | 0% |
Essay
| Summative | 60% |
Resit Assessment
Assessment task |
Essay |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
| Formative |
| Summative |
| Formative |
| Summative |
Recommended reading
Set Texts:
Semester 1: A selection of short stories, poems and films will be made available on Canvas
Semester 2: Students will be guided in selecting a suitable text and formulating a research question for discussion in their essay. Relevant materials will be available via the University of Manchester library and in affordable pocket editions.
Suggested further readings
Belsey, Catherine, Critical Practice, London: Routledge, 2002 (2nd ed.)
Chambers, Ellie, and Andrew Northledge, The Arts Good Study Guide (Milton Keynes: Oxford University Press, 1997)
Cuddon, J. A., The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory (any edition)
Jacobs, Richard, A Beginner’s Guide to Critical Reading: Reading for Students, London: Routledge, 2001 NetLib ebook
Montgomery, Martin et al, Ways of Reading: Advanced Reading Skills for Students of English Literature, London: Routledge, 2000
Reardon, Denis, Doing Your Undergraduate Project (London: SAGE, 2004) Bal, Mieke, Narratology: Introduction to the Theory of Narrative, London/Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1985
Rimmon-Kenan, Shlomith, Narrative Fiction, London/NY: Methuen, 2002 (2nd edn.)
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Project supervision | 4 |
| Seminars | 5 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 166 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Matthew Jefferies | Unit coordinator |