Course overview

Do you want to know more about the history, politics, culture and society of this fascinating country? Do you enjoy learning German? If the answer is yes, then the German Studies degree at the University of Portsmouth is for you.

Germany has changed beyond recognition in our lifetime: its borders, economy, political identity and demography have all dramatically changed. The German Studies course at Portsmouth will give you the tools to understand these transformations and their impacts. It is a rich and diverse course, linking together disciplines including history, politics, economics and cultural and social studies. Your lecturers will be members of the University’s internationally-recognised Centre for European and International Studies Research (CEISR). They are experts in the field with a wide range of specialist knowledge.

The main focus of German studies at Portsmouth is on contemporary Germany. You will study the division of Germany after the Second World War, the problems of re-unification, and the impact of these developments both within Germany and on the rest of Europe and the wider world. German is spoken by over 120 million people and of growing importance in Central and Eastern Europe. It is at the heart of Europe, a member of the European Union, and has a fascinating culture.

If you take this course you will have an opportunity to study in either east or west Germany at one of our six partner institutions. We also have links with Salzburg in Austria.

You can also study German in combination with one of our other languages in the BA (Hons) Combined Modern Languages or within our Applied Languages, Languages and European Studies, International Relations and Languages, Languages and Film Studies, Languages and American Studies, Law and Languages and Languages and International Trade degree courses.

Portsmouth has an excellent reputation for teaching and our flexible courses mean that there is a large range of options so you can tailor the course to your own interests. You will also have the opportunity to study another foreign language as part of your course or as an elective at no extra charge.

As a well-established degree that has been running successfully for more than 25 years, it is highly regarded by schools, other universities and employers; it also has been a past winner of the partnership award for successful innovation in German language teaching. The course was also very highly rated in the last teaching quality assessment, which officially recognised the excellence of the teaching. Our teaching staff are members of the Centre for European and International Studies Research, which was rated top in the UK for research in European Studies in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise.

For many years we have pioneered a particular approach to German language teaching whereby language learning is fully integrated with the study of contemporary German society. This area studies approach provides you with the opportunity to develop both high levels of fluency in German and specialist knowledge of contemporary Germany. This combination makes Portsmouth graduates highly employable.

Placements

This course allows you to take the Learning From Experience (LiFE) option, which lets you earn credits toward your degree for work / research placements, volunteer roles or internships undertaken alongside your studies.  The option gives you the opportunity to enhance your employability skills, to reflect on the ways in which you've done so, and to learn to express this to potential employers.

One of the UK's top universities for Languages and European Studies

In 2011's National Student Survey results for European Languages and Area Studies, Portsmouth came joint top nationally. Students’ responses show that they particularly appreciate staff availability and the pastoral support provided by staff in the School of Languages and Area Studies.

For further details on all language courses offered, visit the website of the School of Languages and Area Studies (SLAS). If you are interested in this course and would like further information please contact us (details below). You can also view a virtual tour of the School.

Course content

For many years we have pioneered a particular approach to German Studies that integrates language learning with the study of contemporary German society. This 'area studies' approach provides students with the opportunity to develop both high levels of fluency in German and a specialist knowledge of contemporary Germany. It is a combination that makes Portsmouth graduates highly employable.

We teach most language classes in German, enabling students to combine the study of language with a sophisticated understanding of the German-speaking world. Our programmes offer considerable choice, although language learning will be a core component throughout your course. The main focus is on contemporary Germany. You will study the division of Germany after the Second World War, the problems of re-unification, and the impact of these developments both within Germany and on the rest of Europe and the wider world. Our degree courses offer you a unique opportunity to develop your understanding of both Germany's past as a troubled and divided nation and its democratic present as a reunited state since 1990.

Year one

Apart from units in German language, core elements of German studies in the first year are European history, Europe in the twentieth century, an introduction to German studies and other introductory courses in economics and social science.

• EITHER German General Language Grade 1 & 2
  OR German General Language Grade 3 & And Language Project
• Introduction to German Studies
• The Making of Modern Europe 1500 – 1990
• Studying at University
• Developing Research Skills

Year two

You will continue with German language, core German area studies units and follow a unit that will start your preparation for the dissertation and the placement abroad in the third year.

You will study:

• EITHER German General Language Grade 3 & 4
  OR German General Language Grade 4 & Language for Professional Communication 1
• Politics in Post-War Germany 1945 - 1990
• Options including:
  • German Unity and its Consequences
  • Text & Translation
  • Business & Markets in Global Environment
  • Nation, Language & Identity
  • Culture & Ideas in Twentieth Century Europe
  • Managing Across Cultures

You may also take a beginner's course in a third language as part of your course if you so wish: we offer Arabic, French, Italian, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and British Sign Language in this format.

Year abroad

In your third year you will spend the academic year in Germany or Austria. We have extensive links with universities in Germany and if you go on a Socrates-funded university exchange, you may find yourself in Salzburg, Bremen, Marburg or Duisburg among others. You may also do a combined university study/work placement or you may prefer to work as an English assistant in a German school.

Final year

During this year you will consolidate the skills you have acquired during your placement abroad and continue with your core units while writing up your dissertation on a German subject under the guidance of your dissertation supervisor.

You will study:

• Dissertation / Major Project 
• German General Language Grade 6
• Language for Professional Communication 2
• Coming to Terms with the Nazi Past: 1945 - Today
• Options including:
  • Nazi Germany
  • Translation Theory and Practice

Teaching and assessment

We provide a varied, creative and stimulating learning environment. Our aim is to enable you to become an independent thinker equipped with skills that will continue to influence your experiences beyond your time at university.

Our staff are highly motivated and research active, ensuring that you are taught by enthusiastic specialists in their subjects. Many language teachers are native speakers. They will enthuse you about their specific fields of expertise, from Latin American Development to German History to Applied Translation Theory, provide advice and guide you to appropriate learning resources.

Blended learning means that through Moodle, your University interactive Intranet site, you will be given opportunities to develop and support your knowledge and skills acquired via traditional class contact. Classes include general lectures and seminars (i.e. interactive teaching with small groups of students). Most of our seminar teaching is undertaken in small groups so that students acquire skills and confidence in their analytical skills and are encouraged to ask questions and develop arguments and debates. Students are encouraged to work in small teams analysing primary documents and debating contemporary issues so that all students learn from a range of opinions and interpretations and increase their academic abilities in a genial environment. Emphasis is placed not just on what the student can take from the seminar but what they can bring to the experience and how they interact and learn from their peers.

Classes may also take the form of hands-on skills development sessions where you learn how to access electronic resources. Language is taught using the MELISSI multimedia digital classrooms (they are much more than language laboratories!) or via small oral practice classes with Language Assistants.

Our assessment methods are varied, with relatively few formal examinations. The emphasis is on continuous assessment, with assessments designed to measure the learning outcomes of your various units. Most assessment is done through submission of essays, reports, case studies, book reviews or other pieces of written work. Some units are assessed by means of projects, which can be particularly useful to build up your career profile. Some language-based tests are oral presentations to measure your progress in oral communication.

Career prospects

Your time at University of Portsmouth will help you to develop a wide range of skills in analysis, criticism and argument. Students on our degree programmes often have a worldview and study experience abroad, which makes them flexible and adaptable and highly employable. During your course, you will have the opportunity to develop a range of capabilities that are valued by prospective employers. You will have many opportunities to develop transferable key skills such as:

• communication
• research
• time management
• team working
• problem solving

These transferable skills are used in many careers across the private, public and voluntary sectors. Allied with intellectual and academic development, they will provide a sound preparation for the world of work or further study.

Year abroad

Students who choose to study at one of our partner universities within the EU will do so as part of the EU Erasmus ‘student mobility’ programme. This means that you will not have to pay fees (they are waived) and that you will receive a grant from the EU (covering living costs). In addition you will benefit from an intensive language course at the beginning of your stay, which is in many cases provided free of charge as part of the Erasmus programme.

The period spent abroad enhances students’ intercultural awareness, which is a quality increasingly appreciated by employers in a globalised economy. View these videos to give you an idea of what you can expect on your period abroad.

Career paths

Our German degrees are preparing you for a wide range of exciting careers in languages and related areas. At every stage of the academic programme we encourage you to develop the transferable skills which employers demand.

There are compulsory courses in Study Skills, Careers Development and Research Methods which will build up your skills profile throughout your course, but especially during your year abroad.

Graduates from this course will have advanced linguistic and analytical skills and will also have enhanced prospects for employment in Britain and the German-speaking world.

Facilities and features

The School is located in Park Building, just behind the Guildhall in the centre of the city. Park Building houses two large, modern, high-tech lecture theatres, a number of smaller but equally high-tech lecture theatres, four computer suites, multimedia digital classrooms and editing suites. The Learning Resource Centre provides facilities for independent study, including listening booths, video/DVD/CD players and satellite TV monitors.

You will also have access to the University Library. Open from 8am until midnight every day during term-time, it provides an abundance of information to help with study and research. It has also invested heavily in the purchase of electronic resources. There are thousands of electronic journals and ebooks, which can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection.

Entry requirements

View all the entry requirements for BA (Hons) German Studies for the academic year 2013/14 (opens in new window).