German Studies
German Studies at Newcastle is a friendly, middle-sized department, unusual in the wide choice it offers within a Modern Languages degree. You will find seven lecturers who are passionate about all aspects of German culture, literature and language from medieval to modern times, including options in Dutch.Our Modules
Teaching is at the heart of our programme and is inspired by our research: you are taught by experts in the field. Our modules are linked to themes that are important for a deeper understanding of German culture, ranging from medieval studies to contemporary German culture, literature, history, and film, as well as from historical to theoretical linguistics. Some optional modules, for example those on the history and politics of Germany, are also taught exclusively in German, and all modules actively practise German - reading German books, having seminar discussions in German, or writing German essays. You will have the opportunity to choose modules on topics such as German cinema, the cultural history of Berlin, the Holocaust as a theme in German literature, as well as doing options on medieval studies, word analysis, and Dutch. The flexibility of the German degree allows you to study German together with a wide range of other languages, including the opportunity to learn languages such as Spanish or Japanese from scratch, or to combine your language degree with Business.Year Abroad
The years you will spend at Newcastle and on your Year Abroad build on each other. The first two years will introduce you to different aspects of German Studies which forms a solid base for your exploration of German student life and work experience in a German-speaking country of your choice. You can decide whether to go abroad on a work placement in industry, as an assistant teacher through the British Council, or as an exchange student. We have Exchange links with Aachen, Augsburg, Bochum, Halle (Saale), Oldenburg, Rostock, and Tübingen, which offer numerous places for our students at German universities.Extracurricular Activities
Our Extracurricular Activities give you the opportunity to sample German language and culture outside the classroom. The DAAD Lektorin organizes a wide range of activities such as a regular Filmabend, an annual Weihnachtsfeier, or monthly get-togethers of staff and students over a beer at the German Stammtisch. In the recent past, students have even produced their own film about German-British cultural encounters in a film workshop! And, as you might expect in a town steeped in football culture, there are also football tournaments with pupils from local schools and students from other universities. Newcastle's independent Tyneside cinema frequently shows films from German-speaking countries.Postgraduate Opportunities
If you enjoy translating and interpreting, you can enroll in our Masters programme Professional Translating for European Languages, and we also have Masters degrees on linguistics and language acquisition or linguistics of European languages, as well as on film. We also offer research degrees (Mlitt, Mphil, PhD) in all areas of our expertise.
Research Interests and Expertise
Dr Elizabeth Andersen, also Director of 'Routes into Languages North East' and Head of SchoolDr Carol Fehringer
Dr Helen Ferstenberg
Prof. Henrike Lähnemann
Dr Teresa Ludden
Dr Beate Müller
Dr Simone Schroth
Franziska Schulz
Andrea Wilczynski All staff are happy to supervise postgraduates in their areas of expertise.
Research Interests
LINGUISTICS
Newcastle University has the advantage of one of the largest linguistics community in the United Kingdom and beyond. Applications are especially welcome in the research area of Carol Fehringer.
MEDIEVAL STUDIES
The German section can claim a special focus on medieval studies, and research projects that would fit into the shared interests of Elizabeth Andersen and Henrike Lähnemann are especially welcome.
MODERN GERMAN LITERATURE
Research in modern German literature is embedded in cross-School literature studies with shared interests in contemporary issues rangig from philosophy and theory to topics like the child figure. Teresa Ludden and Beate Müller are happy to supervise work in their areas of study.
Upcoming events and Seminars are listed on the School's All Welcome!
German Language Teaching at Newcastle has existed since the foundation of the first academic institutions in Newcastle in the 19th century. In 1959, the Chair of German Studies in Newcastle was instituted.
Over the years, more than 90 professors, lecturers and lektors worked in German Studies.
Chairs of German Studies
1959 Duncan Mennie (inaugural lecture; memories & stories)
1974 Alan Menhennet
1998 Colin Riordan (project on Nature and Environment)
2006 Henrike Lähnemann (inaugural lecture and powerpoint)
Take a look at the full list of lecturers 1959-2000...
and on the documentation of the 50 Years Celebrations
Further Activities
German Studies is fortunate to be the provider for the German Extension Courses in the Northeast region, funded by the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA). For German undergraduate and postgraduate students enrolled for DaF (German as a Foreign Language), German Studies or Translation and Interpreting, we offer the opportunity of work placements within the School of Modern Languages.Archives
2010-11
2009-10
2008-09
2007-08
2006-07
2005-06
2004-05
2003-04
2002-03
2001-02
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