Course offerings

Our course offerings include

• literary studies as a major or minor field of study in the BA programme
• literary studies as an MA
• literary studies as a programme in further education

At the University of Erfurt, literary studies is a transdisciplinary field that combines the study of multiple European and American literatures in relation to each other. 

Courses in literary studies aim to master the following knowledge and skills:

• becoming conversant in fields of research
• developing independent readings of texts 
• arguing for a scholarly position on the basis of one’s own knowledge and analytical skills and presenting that position in writing 
• acquiring knowledge about the poetic dimension of language 
• grasping the features of specific types of texts 
• understanding the cultural fields in which literature is embedded or against which it defines itself
• obtaining grounded insight into symbolic processes that constitute meaning 
• gaining familiarity with multiple literatures, as well as knowledge of their history and their relations to other literatures 

Courses in literary studies also examine literature from the perspective of media studies, and in dialogue with various media and artistic practices.

These courses not only provide students with an understanding of the theoretical foundations and essential research topics of literary studies, but also with crucial social and cultural skills that can serve as key qualifications for professional activities. These include, in particular, creativity, judgement, the ability to grasp structural problems, and intercultural skills and knowledge of multiple foreign languages.

Courses in literary studies conveys an ability, specific to this discipline, to productively engage with the demands of various professional fields, such as work in national and international cultural policy, cultural exchange and cultural management, adult education, and journalism or publishing.

The Erfurt Concept of Literary Studies