- UCAS course code
- QR32
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA English Language and German
Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: QR32 / 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 6,6,5 at HL
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £26,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Course unit details:
German Language 4
| Unit code | GERM51040 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 2 |
| Teaching period(s) | Full year |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
This core language course unit fosters essential language skills and is delivered in three sessions per week: Grammar and Translation, Sprachpraktische Übung, and Landeskunde II or Wirtschaftswissenschaften (see below for details). All of these sessions are taught in German.
Classes are complemented by an independent language learning programme, involving reading, writing, speaking and listening activities, as well as vocabulary work and CALL grammar exercises. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own learning and to improve their language learning skills with the help and support provided by their tutors. There is also an extensive Blackboard site associated with this course unit and students should make a point of accessing this on a regular basis.
1) GRAMMAR AND TRANSLATION (seminar: one hour per week)
This part of the course unit further develops competence in written German (writing and reading skills) by enhancing the translation skills (English-German and German-English) introduced in the first year and consolidating command of grammatical structures in written German.
2) SPRACHPRAKTISCHE ÜBUNG (tutorial: one hour per week)
This element of the course unit builds on the oral and written skills developed during the first year.
3) LANDESKUNDE II OR WIRTSCHAFTSWISSENSCHAFTEN (seminar: one hour per week)
Students can choose EITHER:
a) LANDESKUNDE II
This element of the course unit is designed to build on and deepen the knowledge acquired in Landeskunde I during the first year of study. Using newspaper articles and video clips, issues relating to politics, the arts and everyday life in German-speaking countries are discussed. As far as possible, matters of topical interest are also included.
OR:
b) WIRTSCHAFTSWISSENSCHAFTEN
This part of the course unit will focus on business/management issues and is designed particularly for students of a Modern Language and Business and Management, although it is open to all second year students.
Pre/co-requisites
| Unit title | Unit code | Requirement type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| German Language 3 | GERM51030 | Pre-Requisite | Compulsory |
Aims
German Language Skills 4 is aimed to improve students’ deeper understanding and command of the German Language, in all key disciplines. Special focus will be set upon speaking, writing, listening, and reading skills. Grammatical knowledge will be improved by a close reading of texts and a deep analysis by means of translation.
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of this course students will be able to:
Demonstrate mastery of the grammar topics covered (word order, conjunctions, use and formation of the tenses, the passive and alternatives to its use, word formation, and Konjunktiv I)
Demonstrate a good level of competence in translating from German into English, with an understanding of stylistic considerations
Demonstrate competence in translating from English into German, with some understanding of stylistic considerations
Practical skills
Understand extended speech, TV news and current affairs programmes as well as films
Read and analyse articles and reports concerned with contemporary issues
Speak with a good degree of fluency and spontaneity, and take an active part in discussion covering a range of topic areas (including politics, arts, everyday life in German-speaking countries, multicultural issues, and science and technology in modern times)
Research, compose and deliver clear and well-structured oral presentations on a range of topics (see above)
Write clear text (including short essays and reports) on a range of subjects, giving reasons in support of or against a particular point of view
Assessment methods
Assessment task | Weighting within unit |
One oral exam in week 12 (in pairs) At the beginning of the exam, each pair of students is presented with a role-play scenario requiring them to discuss, spontaneously and in German, the planning of a specified event or activity related to a topic area covered in Sprachpraktische Übung during the course of the year. (No dictionaries permitted) | 25% |
One invigilated coursework assignment (no dictionaries permitted) (German essay in Wirtschaftswissenschaftendeutsch/Landeskunde,) In week 11 of semester 2 the students will receive an indication of the broad topic areas to be addressed in the summative essay exam, enabling them to prepare by researching key facts and arguments as well as relevant vocabulary. There is also a formative essay in semester 1 (deadline week 12), for which students are given feedback and a formative grade at the beginning of semester 2. | 25% |
One written examination (no dictionaries permitted) consisting of two elements One translation from English into German One translation from German into English | 25% each |
Feedback methods
| Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
| In-class comments made during discussion regarding the relevance and linguistic quality of student responses and participation. | Formative |
| Written feedback on practice translations and the essay in semester 1. | Formative |
| Face-to-face discussion of any written feedback provided (on request) | Formative |
| Face-to-face feedback on in-class presentations and supporting materials (on request) | Formative |
| Detailed written feedback on invigilated coursework essays, followed by drop-in sessions to discuss the work as well as particular issues raised in the written feedback | Formative and Summative |
| Written feedback on the exam translation and essay (on request) | Formative and Summative |
| Written feedback on the oral exam (on request), on the basis of the feedback form completed by the markers during the examination | Formative and Summative |
| On request and during tutors’ office hours (or by appointment), face-to-face feedback on a range of aspects of an individual’s language competence, with practical advice on more effective learning, translation, writing, speaking and proof-reading techniques | Formative |
Recommended reading
Set texts:
Collins German Dictionary, 9th edn. 2019. Glasgow: HarperCollins.
Durrell, Martin, Katrin Kohl, Claudia Kaiser and Gudrun Loftus. 2015. Essential German Grammar. 2nd edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
EITHER: Wahrig-Burfeind, Renate (ed.). 2012. WAHRIG Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache. 3rd edn. Munich: Deutscher Taschenbuch Verlag.
OR: Langenscheidt Großwörterbuch Deutsch als Fremdsprache, Neubearbeitung. 2015. Berlin: Langenscheidt.
Further reading:
Durrell, Martin. 2017. Hammer's German Grammar and Usage. 6th edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Durrell, Martin, Katrin Kohl and Claudia Kaiser. 2017. Practising German Grammar. 4th edn. Abingdon: Routledge.
Fernandez-Toro, Maria & Francis R. Jones. 2001. DIY techniques for language learners. London: Centre for Information on Language Teaching and Research (CILT)
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Seminars | 69 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 131 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Sebastian Truskolaski | Unit coordinator |
| Anne-Teresa Markovic | Unit coordinator |
| Dorit Fellner-Whitgreave | Unit coordinator |
Additional notes
The course unit is available only as part of a degree programme where German is taken as a named Honours subject.