English: Language, Literatures and Cultures (BA)

The educational objective is to impart the scientific foundations of the subject. Graduates of English Philology are expected to be capable of working independently on scientific papers; of becoming competent in, as well as having expert knowledge of, the language, literature and culture of Great Britain, North America and other English-speaking countries.

Philology (Sprachwissenschaft)

• Knowledge of the structures, functions and rules of contemporary English.
• The competence to use established and appropriate methodological analysis of spoken and written English.
• Knowledge of basic terms, methods and results of synchronic and diachronic philology.
• Knowledge of the historical development of the English language including older versions of the language.
• Knowledge of the theories of foreign language acquisition.
• Profound knowledge of a particular area of philology; where there is a weighting toward medieval studies: the ability to read, scientifically analyze and to explain texts written in the older versions of the language in their literary and cultural context.

Literature and culture studies (Literatur und Kulturwissenschaft)

• Knowledge of primary specialized terminology, theories and methodology.
• Overview of the history of British and North American literature and culture (with various weighting possibilities).
• The ability to extrapolate appropriately (analysis and interpretation) from diverse literary texts (using audio-visual media) from various periods, as well as being able to classify genre and era.
• Insights into the contiguities of British and North American literature and culture with other national literatures and cultures.

Language practice (Sprachpraxis)

• Standardized and assured command of contemporary spoken and written English (including the ability to translate from German into English).
• The ability to understand English texts (including the ability to translate English texts into German).