German and Linguistics (4 years)

German-speaking artists, historians, musicians, philosophers and politicians have all left their mark in the history books. The countries that speak this language are some of the economic powerhouses of Europe.

We’ve been teaching German at all levels longer than most other universities in this country and have been the top-ranked research unit in linguistics in the UK for 20 years in each of the last four national Research Excellence Framework assessments. Our academic team have expertise in German sociolinguistics, philosophy, literature and culture. You’ll probably struggle to find anywhere else where conversations about linguistics are as diverse.

Past guest speakers have included famous historians, political commentators and journalists such as Neill McGregor, Timothy Garton Ash and Philip Oltermann, as well as leaders working in areas such as speech therapy, computational linguistics, child language and accent bias.

Opportunities everywhere

Cultural institutions in London, such as the Goethe Institute, British Library and the Austrian Cultural Forum provide us with materials to support our teaching. Our Centre for Anglo-German Cultural relations (https://www.qmul.ac.uk/cagcr/) also hosts German-language writers on campus who offer students experience in translating their newest works into English.

Want to really immerse yourself? You’ll have opportunities to study at German, Austrian and Swiss universities, as well as to complete placements in these countries and classrooms.

From teaching to journalism, business to law, your impressive combination of linguistic and cultural competence will make you a great fit for a range of sectors. So, decide where you want to go, and we’ll show you the way to success.

YEAR 1

Compulsory
Culture and Language
German language module (streamed according to entry level)

Choose from a range of modules including
English in Use
Introduction to English Syntax
Introduction to Phonology
Language Acquisition
Language in the UK
Languages of the World
Sounds of English

Please note that all modules are subject to change.

Assessment typically includes a combination of research diaries, poster presentations, class tests and exams. In your final year, you will do a research project, working on real data, using cutting-edge theoretical ideas, which will bring together everything you have learned.