Philosophy, Literary and Linguistic Studies B.A.

 

Whether a poem, novel, newspaper article, instructions, or a political speech – every text has an intention, a particular style, and a cultural, political, and biographical background. Philology's task is to systematically investigate these interrelationships – in particular in terms of content and form.

Literary studies regards a text as a form of communication and art and critically examines its genre, style, era, reception, impact, and author. Questions addressed include, for example: What influence did the text have on the discourse of its time - and vice versa? How does it affect us today? Why are some narrators convincing, while others are not?

Linguists primarily focuses on the elements of language: the sounds, word and sentence structures, and the meaning of linguistic units. It also investigates, using, for example, empirical methods, how language is acquired and adapted for certain purposes, addressing questions such as: What is language? How do we acquire language, and what happens in our brain when we actively use it?

Philosophy, especially as philosophy of the cultural world, explores all kinds of artifacts. It complements philological research with logic; onthology; ethics; theories of science, cognition, and argumentation; rounded out by cultural studies perspectives that illuminate, for example, what zeitgeist a text reflects.

Because philology's scientific approach concerns all languages equally, at RWTH, two philologies and philosophy are combined into one interdisciplinary course of study.

Students develop their individual skill profile by choosing two of three components offered:

• English and American Studies
• German and General Literary Studies
• Philosophy

The core curriculum is concerned with the basics of philosophy and gives students an intensive look at two languages and their literature. Linguistics is dealt with exclusively in the context of English Studies. In the specialization, one of the two selected components is studied in greater depth.

A special feature of the curriculum is its connection to learning units from other disciplines. This offers students the opportunity to experience the wide range of diverse perspectives available at RWTH Aachen University.

 

Degree Content

Semester	Course Content
1st to 4rd semester	Components A Core Curriculum	Components B Core Curriculum	Interdisciplinary Section One or Two Perspectives From the Range of Interdisciplinary Subjects	Supplementary Section One of the Four Modules From the Supplementary Section Mandatory Internship 6-week Study Abroad
5th to 6th semester	Components A Specialization Section
	Bachelor's Thesis

Interdisciplinary Studies

RWTH's typical combination of theory and practice is evident in the course of study's orientation towards application. Starting in the first semester both Components A and B are supplemented with interdisciplinary studies. This makes it possible for students to more confidently and methodologically work in certain areas of language use and language research later on. One or two so-called perspectives are selected from the following neighboring disiciplines:

• Computer Science
• Political Science
• Social Sciences
• History
• Theology

Language Skills and Stay Abroad

At the end of their third semester students must provide documentation of language skills at a C1 level for the English Studies component. An at least six-week long stay abroad gives students important language experiences immersed in local everyday life as well as intercultural skills.

A pre-planned mobility window during the fourth semester helps students to avoid delays in their study progress. It is also possible to get credit for a suitable stay abroad before their studies begins, for example volunteer work, internship, attendance at a foreign university, or employment.

Internship

A mandatory internship (240 hours) allows students to develop professional prospects during their studies. The Faculty of Arts and Humanities has a special Career and Practice Service to support and accompanying students during their internship and in finding a career.

Programs Abroad

The Faculty of Arts and Humanities collaborates with many institutions to offers studies and internships worldwide. Students can complete both the mandatory six-week stay abroad as well as additional internships, studies, and research. By spending time abroad they improve their language skills immersed in local life and simultaneously acquire other technical qualifications. Active language use in various fields of application is essential for study success and a later career.

RWTH students profit not only from the Faculty's exchange programs but also from the University's strategic partnerships with international universities. They can, for example, complete short stays at one of the IDEA League universities while completing a term paper. The UROP Abroad program, the only one of its kind in Germay, offers the possibility to participate in research projects at international universities during Bachelor studies. These stays abroad are partially funded by RWTH-specific funding.

All of RWTH's collaborative programs are listed on the webpages about studying abroad.

 

Prerequisites

Personal Prerequisites

Those who choose the Philosophy, Literary and Linguistic Studies course of study should enjoy intensive reading, working with language, and literary research. Independent literary research is sometimes true "detective work!" Students will need persistance when learning a foreign language. Due to the interdisciplinary components, students should be interested in interdisciplinary thinking and research.

Language Prerequisites

Solid knowledge of the studied language(s) is a prerequisite. Students with foreign languages will be grouped together in language courses with the help of a placement test that takes their varying skills into consideration. In order to participate in the advanced components students must have documentation of sufficient English skills. In addition to the RWTH test, the following tests are accepted:

• Cambridge-Certificate, CAE
• IELTS test, at least 6.5
• TOEFL test – at least 110

Enrollment Prerequisite

When enrolling, students must submit proof that they took the self assessment below. This is not required at the time of application.
RWTH Subject Self Assessment Humanities, Linguistics, and Communication Studies

 

Decision Aids

The Philosphy, Literary and Linguistic Studies course of study at RWTH Aachen is not purely linguistic. It combines philosophy and different languages together and links them to other academic disciplines. This way our students can create a comprehensive scope of knowledge and methods and ensure broad career prospects. If you would like to completely focus on one language and its literature, you should consider the teacher training program or courses of study at other universities and make your decision based on your primary interests.

 

Media Library

Do you want another glance and other impressions? Use our diverse information sources! You can find our recommendations in the media library.

 

Career Prospects

From journalism to language technology this course of study qualifies students for all fields, in which the comprehension and composition of texts is required.

Literary scholars are well versed in analyzing complext relationships, illustrated them in various media, and discussing them appropriately based on the target group. These skills are sought in information processing, documentation, and research at many companies.

Thanks to their interdisciplinary studies graduates of RWTH are well trained in flexible, project-oriented changes between content. They work in publishing houses and journalism as facilitators and designers as well as in the cultural sector, information sciences, tourism, industry, and the management of international authorities and associations.

Thanks to its foreign language orientation, the course of study also prepares students for jobs in which a particularly in-depth knowledge of English is required.

A overview of the skills,that our graduates possess can be found under Employer Information from the Faculty's Career and Practice Center.

 

Master's Degree Prospects

Building on the Bachelor's degree in philosophy, literature and linguistics, various paths are available for the student to deepen their studies. The interdisciplinary English-language Master's program Cognitive, Digital and Empirical English Studies introduces students to current research in the humanities, cognitive and technical sciences. The Master's program in German and General Literary Studies is also characterized by a broad interdisciplinary orientation as a research-oriented program in literary and cultural studies.

Instead of advancing their studies in this subject, students can also switch to an interdisciplinary Master's course of study or continue to teacher training studies. Appropriate orientation in the interdisciplinary field may make admission to related Master's degree programs easier. We recommend seeking advice early on.

 

Module Handbook and Examination Regulations

The module handbook provides a description of all modules of a degree program and offers a comprehensive insight into the program contents.

The examination regulations are comprised of legally binding provisions on learning objectives, prerequisites for study, the course structure and processes, and examination procedures.

Regulations that generally apply to all Bachelor's and Master's degree programs, including information on language proficiency requirements, can be found in RWTH's General Examination Regulations. These general regulations are further specified and complemented by the subject-specific examination regulations.

If two examination regulations are valid for a degree program during a transition phase, the most current version shall apply to students enrolling in the program for the first time.

Please note that only the German examination regulations are legally binding.

Module Handbook
Subject-Specific Examination Regulations
RWTH's General Examination Regulations

 

Faculty

The course of study is offered by the "Literary Studies, Linguistics, Philosophy" department in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. The department represents the linguistic and cultural diversity of the present with its disciplines. All individual subjects are linked together through work with languages and cultures and their literary and non-literary forms of expression.