| Programme details | |
|---|---|
| Degree: | Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (BA (Hons)) |
| Discipline: |
Languages
|
| Duration: | 48 months |
| Study modes: | full-time |
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German is spoken by some 100 million Europeans. Studying German at an in-depth level is excellent preparation for the world of work and is likely to make you highly employable in Ireland, the EU, and further afield.
We teach most of our language and culture modules in small groups, which is a considerable advantage when learning a language and sets us apart from most other universities in Ireland and further afield. We also offer Beginners German in first year.
Whether you are a beginner or have completed German to post-Leaving Certificate (or equivalent), with us you will acquire advanced competence and fluency, spoken and written, in the German language. You will also develop reading and communication skills alongside methods of research and analysis in literature, history, culture, film, and society of the German speaking countries.
If you are interested in exploring Germanic culture, history, and society from the late 18th century to the present, then our programme is for you. We do this by examining diverse cultural products - prose, drama, film, and material culture.
The pathways available are Single Honors, Major with Minor and Joint Honors.
Recent UK research suggests that graduates with a degree in German are the highest-paid language graduates. Small wonder: Germany is the largest national economy in Europe and the fifth largest economy in the world. It is a major export destination for Irish goods and the second most important source of Foreign Direct Investment for Ireland. Competence in German gives you a competitive advantage in the domestic job market as well as in the job markets of the German-speaking world. Employers value the language skills of German graduates, and their ‘transferable skills’: the creativity, confidence, and sensitivity which marks the advanced linguist, and the maturity and flexibility that comes from engaging with another culture, and from experience gained abroad. Recent graduates work for Google, Deutsche Bank, and Enterprise Ireland, also in telecoms, IT, education, public service, the media, law, and in universities in Ireland, Europe, and North America.
Do you enjoy…
At entry, German must be combined with one other subject. In later years, you may select additional subjects and electives and will have the option to graduate with German as a Single Honors degree, a Joint Honors degree with another subject, or a Major with a Minor.
There are approximately 10 hours of classes per week in first year. The course covers three key areas:
In addition to language classes, second year introduces you to the origins, experience, and on-going impact of National Socialism in Germany (1933-1945). This core module encompasses history, literature, film, and aspects of Memory Studies and Holocaust Studies. Accompanying seminars with a literary, filmic, cultural, or historical focus will enable you to deepen your knowledge of this era and its aftermath..
In third year, Business & German and Law & German students will study abroad. Other students of German are also encouraged to study abroad. If you stay in Dublin, alongside your language classes you will take a core module in German intellectual history, culture, and literature from the Enlightenment through the 20th century and you will choose from accompanying seminars in literary, cultural, and historical studies.
In fourth year, these specialist interests are extended through advanced options that link undergraduate study to staff research expertise.
You will be assessed by a combination of continuous assessment and exams. We use a mix of continuous assessment methods – essays, project work, presentations, and journals. Language modules are assessed by written, oral and aural examinations. Final year students also write a Capstone project.
A year or semester studying abroad is a highlight of a German student’s Trinity experience. Immersing oneself in the language and culture is one of the most valuable ways of achieving fluency when you are studying a language. Single Honors students have a compulsory third year of study abroad and other students are encouraged to spend a year or a semester abroad also. At a minimum, you will be required to spend two months in a German-speaking country prior to taking your final exams. We currently have exchange agreements with Cologne, Göttingen, Konstanz, and Vienna universities.
If you are considering studying German, but want to be sure, you are welcome to sample some lectures in the department during teaching terms. You may also discuss your options with a member of the teaching staff. Contact us by email or phone.