Undergraduate courses Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations Track German
field(s) of training :
Arts, Literature, Languages
diploma level :
Bachelor's degree (three-year degree)
duration of the program :
3 years
Course overview
German is the most spoken language in Europe, as well as the official language of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Luxembourg, and one of the three official languages of the European Union. Only a few people learn German in France, however, Germany is the first commercial partner of France! Mastering German is definitely a great asset on a CV.
You wish to learn more about this language rich in history and culture? You want to open up to new linguistic and civilisational perspectives? The Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in German aims at understanding better France’s neighbour!
This three-year full-time programme is multidisciplinary and trains you to various aspects of the German language. To do so, the curriculum offers comprehensive courses in linguistics, literature and culture. Moreover, thanks to the practical and vocational courses, you will acquire know-how and transferrable skills useful to determine your future career.
Highlights
You wish to specialise in German with consistent tutoring? And what about spending time with German-speakers during a Stammtisch, well-known discussion groups from Germany? You can benefit from all these with the Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilizations specialised in German! This degree offers:
- Tutoring and support courses
- Extracurricular activities in German to discover German-speaking countries, such as online exchanges with students from the university of Würzburg from Year 1 on, a one-week travel in a German-speaking country in Year 2, movie and theatre clubs, a Stammtisch…
Application requirements
Entry requirements
To enter this master’s, you should
- Be interested in reading, studying and discovering various fields of German culture
- Be willing to take part in multicultural exchanges, including travelling abroad
- Have completed secondary education, and obtained a high school diploma equivalent to the French baccalaureate
Language proficiency requirements
Minimum French proficiency level required: B2
Minimum German proficiency level required (Year 1): B1
Minimum German proficiency level required (Year 2): B2
Specific conditions
Within the Faculty of Foreign Languages, the Applied Foreign Languages and the Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations bachelor’s degrees belong to the same department. As such, if you are registered in one of these programmes, you can change programme any time during the year to attend another bachelor’s of the same department.
Course structure
Courses
- Take place
- On site in Campus 1, within the Faculty of Foreign Languages of the university of Caen Normandy
- Online, with course resources provided in addition to the contact hours as well as some online courses (French courses and university methodology)
- Amount to 500 hours a year, around 20 hours a week
Course units
German proficiency is essential to the bachelor’s degree in Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations specialised in German. From Year 1 to Year 3, you will deepen your mastering of this language, with main courses in:
- Grammar
- Linguistics
- Translation
As well as courses related to German-speaking culture:
- Literature
- Civilisation
You will also attend a course related to French, as well as vocational courses to support your professional prospects.
In Year 1, in addition to linguistic and cultural courses, you will learn higher education methodology. You will also be able to choose an optional course to either
- Broaden your knowledge in linguistics, and study another language (a second language such as English, Islandic, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and/or a third language such as Arabic, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian)
- Benefit from additional courses in German if you need support in this language
In Year 2, you will have to choose between various options:
- Pursue a second and/or third language
- Discover translation
- Specialise in teaching, with a German didactics course and a 24-hour internship in a secondary school
Internships and placements
If you choose the Introduction to Teaching optional course in Year 3, the programme will include a compulsory internship. This internship will not be graded, however, it can be acknowledged as student commitment.
Coursework and assessment
The course lasts 3 years and is divided in 6 semesters. Courses are gathered in skills, called course units. Course units are gathered in skills units, with a disciplinary skills unit and a transferrable skills unit.
Each course is graded through coursework only, from 0 to 20, 20 being the best grade: assessments can take place either in class, during the 12 weeks of training, or at the end of these weeks, during the 2 weeks dedicated to exams, or both. There are no final exams at the end of the semester or of the year, and you cannot retake an exam.
Grade compensation is organised without eliminatory marks and on the basis of the general average obtained in every course unit:
- For the courses of a same course unit and a same skill unit
- Over each semester
- Over the 2 semesters of a same year
Years do not compensate each other.
To successfully complete a semester, you must have an average mark of at least 10 points out of 20. If you have not completed your semester, you can retake the courses units you failed; you do not have to retake the courses in which you have obtained at least 10 points out of 20.
Language
French
German
Study abroad
How can one grasp the “world” described in German-speaking literary works if one has never experienced a change of scenery themselves? “The greatest sight there is is the world – look at it.” (Kurt Tucholsky)
You wish to improve your German mastery in full-immersion? Perfect your academic training and study abroad in an English-speaking country, in Europe or all around the world:
In addition to the compulsory internship in Year 3, the Department of Applied Foreign Languages offers to travel all around the world as part of:
- Erasmus+ European exchange programme: Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Otto-Friedrich-Universität Bamberg, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität Bonn, Universität Bremen, Universität Freiburg, Universität zu Köln, Universität Innsbruck (Autriche), Uniwersytet Lódzki (Pologne)
- A joint bachelor’s degree with the university of Würzburg, which will allow you to graduate from a joint degree specialised both in German and in Franco-German Studies: Language, Culture and Digital Skills.
- University exchanges through networks and programmes such as the Quebec student exchange programme (BCI), the ISEP and Asia Exchange, allowing you to travel in various destinations: Africa, South America, Asia, Australia, Canada, United States of America, Europe, United Kingdom (including Warwick and Birmingham). You can’t speak Thai, Korean or Norwegian? Don’t worry: many universities offer courses in English.
Is going abroad expensive? It may be, depending on the destinations. You can go abroad for less than 500 euros, and you can benefit from cumulative financial supports (including scholarships).
When can I go abroad? Most students go abroad in Year 3, for a year or for the second semester. However, you can also study abroad in Year 2 with the exchange programme with the University of Ruhr-Bochum. In both cases, you need to apply for an exchange during the previous year.
You want to learn more about financial supports or discover other ways to go abroad? Read more (all in resources are in French) on the dedicated page of the Faculty of Foreign Languages and or that of the Service for the international mobility programmes, which co-organises study exchanges and international internships. You will also discover the experiences of other students who took these opportunities!
Learning outcome
By the end of this course, you will acquire knowledge and skills in German culture and language, notably in:
- Linguistics (grammar, written and oral expression, phonetics, translation)
- Literature (literary works, genres, methodology, writing techniques)
- Civilisation (economic, politic and social history, analysis methodology, cultural media study: press, cinema, movie…)
As such, you will be able to:
- Understand, speak, exchange and discuss in German
- Study texts with an analytic and synthetic approach on language, literature or civilisation
- Analyse and present any type of documents
- Use informatics, digital, audio-visual supports
- Master research and documentation tools
- Master written and oral skills
- Listen, understand and interact with English speakers and content
- Work in autonomy and in group
- Plan and manage a personal project
- Develop critical thinking
Further study
Once you’ve obtained your bachelor’s degree, you can pursue studies in literature, civilisation, linguistics, translation and multicultural exchanges. The University of Caen Normandy offers the following master’s degrees:
- Foreign and Regional Languages, Literature and Civilisations
- Cultural Studies: Literature and Civilisation
- Multilingual Linguistics
- Teaching, Educating and Training
- Secondary Education: German as a Foreign Language
- Primary Education
- Training Practices & Engineering: Educational Mobility and Tourism
- Linguistics
- French as a Foreign Language
- Linguistics and Data Processing
- Translation and Interpretation
- Book and Publishing Professions
- Publishing
- Library science
- Applied Foreign Languages
- European Projects Manager
- Sustainable development: Consultation and Communication Strategies
- Start of a Business Abroad
You can also take public service examinations (teaching examinations) or examinations for national schools in journalism, cultural heritage, political studies…
Careers
The bachelor’s degree is the first step to pursue careers related to German language. According to our last surveys, 8 out of 10 students went further on their studies after graduating from their bachelor’s degree. Hence your career will depend on your specialisation and the diploma you pursue after your bachelor’s.
Once you have specialised in English language and culture, you can work in the following fields:
- Culture
- Teaching
- Communication
- Administration
- Cultural mediation
- Translation
- Publishing, documentation, library
- International public services
- Research, after completing a PhD
You will find work in both private and public sectors, and will be able to take the public service examinations.
Address
Université de Caen Normandie
UFR LVE · Langues vivantes étrangères
MLI · Maison des langues et de l’international
Esplanade de la Paix · CS 14032 · 14032 CAEN cedex 5
France
Course leader
formation : Hildegard Haberl · hildegard.haberl@unicaen.fr