26 September 2024

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German and History (BA) combines in-depth study of German language and culture with a multifaceted, international understanding of the study of history.

You will graduate as a highly qualified linguist, with advanced intercultural skills and a sophisticated understanding of key concepts and debates in two Arts disciplines. The specialist communication, research, critical and evaluative skills you will gain are all highly sought after by employers.

New:

German and History (BA) combines in-depth study of German language and culture with a multifaceted, international understanding of the study of history. German can be taken from Advanced or Beginner level.

You will graduate as a highly qualified linguist, with advanced intercultural skills and a sophisticated understanding of key concepts and debates in two Arts disciplines. The specialist communication, research, critical and evaluative skills you will gain are all highly sought after by employers.

Course overview

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A German and History degree will allow you to combine two specialisms. Firstly, you will be able to develop and refine your skills as a linguist through a programme of modules exploring the German language and the culture, history and politics of Germany and the German-speaking world. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in history, with core and optional modules on topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia, and the history of the non-European world.

Alongside German language, you can profit from the many synergies that exist between the two departments. You may have the opportunity to can study a range of topics relating to post-1918 German culture (the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, and German society and culture since 1945), or aspects of culture from the 18th and 19th centuries, covering the epochs of Enlightenment, Romanticism, Revolution, and tracing the rise of Empire, modernity and capitalism.

Your studies in History will additionally enable to you to explore the history of the European and non-European worlds.

You will normally spend your second or third year abroad, consolidating and enhancing your learning.

New:

German and History is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments. You will graduate from this course as both a specialist historian and a highly qualified linguist with advanced intercultural skills. You will also have a deep understanding of Germany’s past and present, and a multifaceted knowledge of the study of history.

A German and History degree will allow you to combine two specialisms. Firstly, you will be able to develop and refine your skills as a linguist through a programme of modules exploring the German language and the culture, history and politics of Germany and the German-speaking world. Alongside this, you will pursue your interests in history, with core and optional modules on topics including the history of the Renaissance, the modern history of Britain, France and Russia, and the history of the non-European world.

Alongside the German language modules, you can profit from the many synergies that exist between the two departments. You may have the opportunity to study a range of topics relating to post-1918 German culture (the Weimar Republic, National Socialism, and German society and culture since 1945), or aspects of culture from the 18th and 19th centuries, covering the epochs of Enlightenment, Romanticism, Revolution, and tracing the rise of Empire, modernity and capitalism.

Your studies in History will additionally enable to you to explore the history of the European and non-European worlds. History at Warwick asks you to look critically at the motivations, context and characters behind the events that define world history from the Renaissance to the present day. Our far-reaching approach allows you to explore historical topics in depth from around the globe. The department’s expertise spans the British Isles, continental Europe, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Latin and North America.

Your second or third year is normally spent abroad, either as a language assistant, working, or studying at one of our partner universities. This is an invaluable opportunity to immerse yourself in the linguistic and cultural contexts where German is spoken, enhance your language skills and build international connections. In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation on a topic from German or History, or one that brings together your interests in the two.

You will have access to outstanding facilities and resources. This includes flexible collaborative and individual learning spaces, as well as a vast selection of print, digital and multimedia learning materials.

You will finish your degree as a proficient, internationally mobile linguist with a deep understanding of key issues and developments in Germany’s past and present, and an advanced knowledge of global histories.

Core modules

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In your first year, you will take language classes designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of written and spoken German.

To complement your language skills, you will follow a programme focussing on contemporary German society and the origins of modern German culture in the late eighteenth century. This provides an excellent and comprehensive foundation for studying further aspects of German literary, visual and political culture in the later stages of your degree.

In History, you will take a core History module called 'Making of the Modern World', which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a worldwide scale. You will also be able to choose between optional modules in the Early Modern period or modern history.

In intermediate and final year, in addition to core and optional modules in History, you will go on to develop your language skills in more advanced language modules and your own particular interests beyond the language.

Our modules reflect the research specialism of academics in the German department and cover a broad range of subjects in German culture, society, literature, politics, business, philosophy, film, and history. You can also opt to study some of our interdisciplinary cross-School modules.

You can choose to spend your year abroad studying at a university in a German-speaking country or on a British Council Assistantship or a work placement.

Year One

Modern German Language 1

You will develop your translation, grammatical and speaking skills in German, and in doing so broaden your vocabulary and range of idiom, expression and awareness of various stylistic registers. You will work in a pair or group on a media project under the supervision of a tutor, which will contribute to your end-of-year mark in spoken German.

Read more about Modern German Language 1Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

or

Modern German Language for Beginners

As a beginner in the acquisition of the German language, you will cover the main linguistic skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. You will focus on gaining grammatical accuracy as well and communicative fluency and competence. By the end of the year, you will be expected to be able to sustain everyday conversations in German, read authentic texts such as newspaper articles, follow the gist of TV extracts and be able to write an intermediate range of texts in German. You will also work on basic translations to and from German as a means of consolidating your knowledge.

Read more about the Modern German Language for Beginners moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Making of the Modern World

We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.

Read more about the Making of the Modern World moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Provincial - Pariah - Powerhouse: Reading German-language Culture in a Global Perspective

This module introduces landmarks in the history of modern Germany, which emerged as a nation out of a confederation of provinces and principalities in the 19th century. You will touch on the political turmoil, conflicts, and violence that at times made Imperial Germany, the Third Reich and the post-1945 Germanies pariah states in the eyes of the international community. You will also reflect on the developments that led to contemporary Germany's’emergence as a cultural, political and economic powerhouse, shaping global trends in film, literature, theatre and music. The module focuses on the media and representations through which many of us first encounter German-language culture: fairy-tales and their afterlives; performance, visual and screen culture; music and sound. In other words, students will sample the works and ideas that have put Germany and the German language on the world map.

We will engage with a number of key questions. How did German literature, film, art, and music transform the status of the German language? How did German-speaking artists shape the cultural genres that we consume today? How does engaging with these works give us a more differentiated understanding of the positive and negative aspects of Germany's’history and its global influence?

The module will help you develop skills that will be essential for the rest of your degree and your life after Warwick: critical reading; clear and concise argumentation; excellent written and oral communication skills; independent thinking and research.

Read more about Provincial - Pariah - Powerhouse: Reading German-language Culture in a Global PerspectiveLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Intermediate Year

Modern German Language 2

In this second-year module, you will increase your general and specialised vocabulary in German through translation into English and German, essay-writing in German, spoken and listening comprehension, and work on business-related materials. In pursuit of these aims, you will learn to identify and rectify grammatical errors, and gain increased sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular. You will also gain important language research skills, including correct use of dictionaries.

Read more about Modern German Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

or

Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)

You will increase the range of your general and specialised vocabulary in German, improve your speaking, listening and comprehension skills, and develop your ability to translate from German, including through a sound knowledge of grammar, register, semantic nuances and style. There will be opportunities to write in German and to work on business-related materials.

Read more about Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)

Final Year

Modern German Language 3

In this third-year module, you will use vocabulary of increasing sophistication in both general and specialised fields, and improve your skills in spoken and written German and translation. You will improve your listening and reading comprehension skills, and learn to identify and rectify grammatical errors. An important aim of the course is to cultivate sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style.

Read more about the Modern German Language 3 moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

A selection of optional modules in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (30 credits) and in History (60 credits)

New:

German and History is a joint degree, equally weighted between both disciplines and studied in both departments.

In your first year, you will take language classes designed to develop your knowledge and understanding of written and spoken German. To complement your language skills, you will follow a programme focussing on contemporary German society and the origins of modern German culture in the late eighteenth century. This provides an excellent and comprehensive foundation for studying further aspects of German literary, visual and political culture in the later stages of your degree. You will take a core History module called ‘Making of the Modern World’, which contextualises later modern history by providing a framework in which major historical processes of the later modern era are studied on a world-wide scale. Alongside this, you will be able to choose one optional module in History, focusing either on the Early Modern period or on modern history.

In intermediate and final year, in addition to core and optional modules in History, you will go on to develop your language skills in more advanced language modules and your own particular interests beyond the language. Our modules reflect the research specialism of academics in the German department and cover a broad range of subjects in German culture, society, literature, politics, business, philosophy, film, and history. You can also opt to study some of our interdisciplinary cross-School modules, including modules in translation.

You will spend either the second or third year of your course in a German-speaking country, consolidating your language learning. After the Year Abroad, you will continue your study of the German language and will be able to choose from a wide variety of options in both departments, including a dissertation module.

Year One

Modern German Language 1

You will develop your translation, grammatical and speaking skills in German, and in doing so broaden your vocabulary and range of idiom, expression and awareness of various stylistic registers. You will work in a pair or group on a media project under the supervision of a tutor, which will contribute to your end-of-year mark in spoken German.

Read more about Modern German Language 1Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

or

Modern German Language for Beginners

As a beginner in the acquisition of the German language, you will cover the main linguistic skills in speaking, listening, writing and reading. You will focus on gaining grammatical accuracy as well and communicative fluency and competence. By the end of the year, you will be expected to be able to sustain everyday conversations in German, read authentic texts such as newspaper articles, follow the gist of TV extracts and be able to write an intermediate range of texts in German. You will also work on basic translations to and from German as a means of consolidating your knowledge.

Read more about the Modern German Language for Beginners moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Making of the Modern World

We live in the here and now. But what got us here? This module studies the string of major social, political, and cultural developments that established our modern world. Radical (and not so radical) ideas from the Enlightenment, the industrial revolution’s structural transformations of how we work, build and buy things, and the struggles and stumbles of imperialism, capitalism and globalisation have gone far to set terms of life in the twenty-first century. The module will also help you develop your critical voice as a historian while asking comparative questions about historical difference across the world.

Read more about the Making of the Modern World moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Provincial - Pariah - Powerhouse: Reading German-language Culture in a Global Perspective

This module introduces landmarks in the history of modern Germany, which emerged as a nation out of a confederation of provinces and principalities in the 19th century. You will touch on the political turmoil, conflicts, and violence that at times made Imperial Germany, the Third Reich and the post-1945 Germanies pariah states in the eyes of the international community. You will also reflect on the developments that led to contemporary Germany's’emergence as a cultural, political and economic powerhouse, shaping global trends in film, literature, theatre and music. The module focuses on the media and representations through which many of us first encounter German-language culture: fairy-tales and their afterlives; performance, visual and screen culture; music and sound. In other words, students will sample the works and ideas that have put Germany and the German language on the world map.

We will engage with a number of key questions. How did German literature, film, art, and music transform the status of the German language? How did German-speaking artists shape the cultural genres that we consume today? How does engaging with these works give us a more differentiated understanding of the positive and negative aspects of Germany's’history and its global influence?

The module will help you develop skills that will be essential for the rest of your degree and your life after Warwick: critical reading; clear and concise argumentation; excellent written and oral communication skills; independent thinking and research.

Read more about Provincial - Pariah - Powerhouse: Reading German-language Culture in a Global PerspectiveLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

Plus one optional module in History (30 credits)

Intermediate Year

Modern German Language 2

In this second-year module, you will increase your general and specialised vocabulary in German through translation into English and German, essay-writing in German, spoken and listening comprehension, and work on business-related materials. In pursuit of these aims, you will learn to identify and rectify grammatical errors, and gain increased sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style in particular. You will also gain important language research skills, including correct use of dictionaries.

Read more about Modern German Language 2Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

or

Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)

You will increase the range of your general and specialised vocabulary in German, improve your speaking, listening and comprehension skills, and develop your ability to translate from German, including through a sound knowledge of grammar, register, semantic nuances and style. There will be opportunities to write in German and to work on business-related materials.

Read more about Modern German Language 2 (Post-beginners)Link opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).

A selection of optional modules in German Studies and the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, including translation and cross-School thematic modules (30 credits).

Optional modules in History must include at least 30 credits of Early Modern (pre-1800) material (60 credits).

Final Year

Modern German Language 3

In this third-year module, you will use vocabulary of increasing sophistication in both general and specialised fields, and improve your skills in spoken and written German and translation. You will improve your listening and reading comprehension skills, and learn to identify and rectify grammatical errors. An important aim of the course is to cultivate sensitivity towards language in general, and an awareness of register, semantics and style.

Read more about the Modern German Language 3 moduleLink opens in a new windowLink opens in a new window, including the methods of teaching and assessment (content applies to 2024/25 year of study).