English Studies
Profile
The Department of English Studies has three main sections: language, literature and linguistics. All three sections are essential to the department, and all have their own staff. Students doing English Studies as a main subject (major, Hauptfach) take courses in all three areas. Students doing a subsidiary subject (minor, Nebenfach) take courses in language and literature or language and linguistics.
All three sections of the Department emphasize the interaction of language and culture and all teach both British and American studies.
About Our Course of Studies
Language courses are all taught by native speakers: they are mainly from Britain and America, but also, where possible, from other parts of the English-speaking world.
Literature courses cover a broad range of literatures in English - from Britain and North America through to the literatures of postcolonial nations and anglophone diaspora communities. British and American film, television and new media also form an additional important focus. The Centre for Canadian Studies and the Trier Center for American Studies (TCAS) allow students to specialise in north American literature and culture, and to obtain an additional certificate in Canadian Studies.
Linguistics courses give special emphasis to applied linguistics. Staff have expertise in varieties of English as a world language, language teaching, sociolinguistics and computer-assisted corpus analysis. The Department has always had a strong interest and expertise in the history of English and medieval studies.
An additional certificate can also be obtained in teaching language to adults (Fremdsprachliche Erwachsenenbildung).
Although the number of students has rapidly increased in the last few years, the staff attempt to avoid the anonymity which students complain of at other universities. Staff know many of their students by name and try to deal with students on an individual basis.
Study abroad
The department has partnerships with universities in other countries, where students can study under different agreements. These include universities in Great Britain, Ireland, USA, Canada and Australia (and also Greece, Hungary and Turkey). For initial information, go to the web pages of the International Office.
