Welcome to the German Section

The German Section is part of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures (SMLC). There are currently six full-time academic members of staff and three native language assistants who are dedicated to teaching and researching German culture in all its aspects, with a particular emphasis on language and literature. Colleagues also make a substantial contribution to the Centre for Intercultural Studies.

All courses are designed to enable students to develop full proficiency in speaking, understanding, reading, writing and appreciating German language and culture. Given that many of the world's greatest thinkers, writers, composers, and scientists were German-speaking (Luther, Bach, Goethe, Schiller, Kant, Hegel, Beethoven, Brahms, Wagner, Nietzsche, Freud, Jung and Einstein) and given that over a hundred million people speak German in Austria and Germany, as well as parts of Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland, the German language was, and is, one of the most important in the world today. At the heart of modern Europe, Germany is one of the world's leading economic and political powers, and an awareness and appreciation of German life and culture are essential for understanding the world of today and tomorrow.