| The most important facts at a glance: | |
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| Degree: | |
| Standard period of studies: | 6 semesters |
| Start: | Winter and summer semester |
| Applicants with foreign certificates: | Language of instruction: German Required language certificate: DSH-2 Required course for the Assessment Test (Feststellungsprüfung): S/G- or G-Course. To find out if you are required to take the Assessment Test, check your Certificate of Recognition. |
| Admission restrictions: | Open admission |
| Application: | You find information on the application procedure for international students here. |
| Deadlines: | Please keep in mind that you need a certification of recognition for all foreign certificates. The recognition process takes up to six weeks and the certificate must be included in your application. Winter semester: June 1 - September 1 Summer semester: December 1 - March 1 If you combine a Two-subject Bachelor whose admission is open with one whose is restricted, the deadlines are: Winter semester: June 1 - July 15 Summer semester: December 1 - January 15 |
| Master: | |
| Homepage: | |
| Faculty:
| Faculty 05: Philosophy and Philology
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| Accreditation: | The accreditation of study programmes for Bachelor and Master Degrees constitutes as a precondition for the granting of state approval. |
Subject Matter
Comparative/European literature is an international, interdisciplinary literary studies program comprising General and Comparative Literary Studies, English Philology, German Philology, Romance Studies, and Slavic Philology. "European" is first of all to be understood as a regional and then as a cultural term. Similar to the traditional term "Western", it thus means the historical connection of European literatures, based on a common heritage. Besides the common relationship to Classical Antiquity and the Renaissance, this common feature is expressed in a repertoire of forms, genres, techniques, themes, motifs, and in numerous exchange and reception processes transcending national literatures. European literature from the Middle Ages to the present day, as defined here, is the subject matter of this Bachelor's degree program. Its aim is to create awareness of the diversity and interrelationships of European literatures.
The subject matter and the methodological structure of the program is based first of all on the fact that literature is essentially an international phenomenon. Literary texts, even if they are perceived as national literatures, are always in contact with literature in other languages to which they relate or on which they have an impact, either directly or through translation. European literature represents a paradigmatic example of the international interconnection between literary texts. As a result, the European cultural space offers the possibility to illustrate in a relatively clear domain the complex processes of the international interaction between literature. In addition, the cultural basis of the economic and political unification process that has shaped the European continent in the second half of the 20th century is transmitted through the study of European literature.
At the start of the course, the theoretical basics of interpreting literature as an international cultural phenomenon are taught. This includes an introduction to the basics of literary text analysis and the teaching of fundamental literary methods and models, as well as an introduction to theoretical literary aspects (e.g. theory of fiction, theory of literary genres). The study of fundamental concepts of the internationality of literature builds a bridge between theoretical and historical literary studies. This includes concepts of world and national literature, theories of literary translation, and problems in the construction of literary canons. The historical aspect of the program primarily comprises the study of two European literatures. The historical focus is enhanced with the study of specific relations between authors and works from different literatures (e.g. between Homer's Odyssey and Joyce's Ulysses), of productive interrelationships between individual forms of literature (e.g. the history of the tragedy from Antiquity to the 21st century, or the various interpretations of material such as Oedipus or Medea), as well as of the classification of different epochs of European literary history from the Middle Ages to the present day (e.g. European Romanticism or European symbolism).
Information
The International Office offers counselling for international students about the application process and general information.
The Academic Advisory Office offers specific information on the subject (List available in German only).
The Student representatives give information from a student perspective (List available in German only).