Comparative Literature and Culture and German

Comparative literature and culture combined with German over five years is an exceptionally rich and demanding programme that develops both the broad perspective of comparative literary study and the specific depth of German language and cultural knowledge. Comparative literature and culture takes a global approach to texts and cultural production, reading across national boundaries, historical periods, and genres to examine how storytelling, representation, and cultural expression work differently in different contexts and what we learn from those comparisons. German gives access to one of the great literary and philosophical traditions of modern Europe, from Goethe and Schiller through Kafka and Brecht to contemporary German literature and thought.

At the University of Aberdeen, this five-year, full-time degree develops your ability to study literature from across the world and explore cultures and societies in and beyond the English-speaking world. You will work with texts in translation across a broad range of traditions while developing German language competence to a high level of proficiency, engaging with German and German-speaking literary and cultural contexts in both their original language and their comparative dimensions. A year abroad is embedded in the programme, giving you sustained immersion in a German-speaking environment as part of your studies.

The typical entry tariff of 184 points reflects strong academic expectations for a demanding multilingual programme.

Graduates of comparative literature and German work in publishing, education, translation and interpreting, broadcasting, cultural institutions, journalism, the civil service, international business, and academic research. The global literary perspective combined with German language competence is particularly valued in roles with European or German-speaking organisations, in the cultural sector, and in academic careers in comparative literature, German studies, or translation studies, for which postgraduate study is typically required.