World Literature (B.A.)

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Would you like to turn your passion for literature into your future career? Would you like to study the literature of more than just one nation, and would you be interested in exploring literature as a global phenomenon? Then you have come to the right place by choosing the Mono-Bachelor “World Literature” from the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Göttingen.

We will take you to the Old Icelandic epics and Chinese novellas, Greek tragedies and the Russian avant-garde, texts in cuneiform and postmodern Hypertext stories, parchment and to the modern globalised print and digital book market.

Programme Description

The undergraduate study programme “World Literature”, is offered collectively by the departments of the Faculty of Humanities at the University of Göttingen and organised by the Department of Slavic Studies. You will be prepared for the international book and literature market by acquiring a fundamental understanding of the unique world of literature. You will learn to appreciate literature as a global phenomenon and the techniques of literary texts. You will familiarise yourself with a repertoire of literary methods and devices as well as their changing functions, and through this you will gain a critical awareness of literary quality. That will enable you to work with the literary methods creatively.

Career Opportunities

The skills and knowledge this programme provides will enable you to pursue careers as

• authors,
• literary scholars,
• literary agents,
• publishers,
• editors,
• manages of literary and art festivals, museums, fairs and exhibitions.

Objectives

This study programme is designed for students who have a deep passion and interest for and in literature. Maybe you were inspired by your school lessons or through a fascinating text you read in your language course. Perhaps, you love literature but have been disappointed by the way it was introduced to you. In this case we can promise you that for us, it’s about getting excited about literature and finding the reasons why. You need both to make literature your profession: a passion for it and the ability to judge it objectively and convincingly. We are particularly interested in international applicants and students with a multicultural background. We know that students with diverse cultural and language experiences help us to achieve an extraordinary atmosphere, where we help each other to discover manifold worlds of literature!

Entry Requirements

You can be admitted to the study programme only in the winter semester. You have to meet the following language requirements prior to the application: good to very good level of competency in German and English (GER C1) plus basic knowledge of another language another language (GER B1). You can provide a proof of language proficiency either by enrolment or by the end of the second semester at the latest.

Programme structure and contents

Our programme is designed for six semesters. The number of credits and examples of a recommended study sequence are specified in the catalogue of courses. In regards to the contents, we aim primarily at getting you acquainted with many different world literatures. This means there are many treasures out there for you that are yet to be discovered. Secondly, we explore literary devices and functions that are accessed through the literary form. Thirdly, we want you to come with us on a journey through the depths of literary history, so you learn to appreciate literature from its beginnings until today. And ultimately, this study programme is about why literature keeps on fascinating and intriguing us in many ways.

Internships and semesters abroad

We recommend internships during your studies to prepare you for your future career. You will receive credits for this as part of your “Key Competences”. The internships can be carried out at local or international institutions in the literature industry (e.g. magazines, newspapers, blogs, publishers, radio, archives, literary museums or literary hubs). Semesters abroad are most definitely encouraged but not compulsory. An exchange programme with the University of Arizona, which offers a very similar course, is currently in the making. Our aim is to implement a double degree programme from both universities in the near future.

Upon successful completion of this course students will be awarded two Bachelor of Arts degrees: from the University of Arizona and the University of Göttingen.