Attain a high level of proficiency in German language and develop knowledge and critical understanding of the culture and society on this degree programme in the heart of London. One of only three UK institutions that teach Byzantine & Modern Greek to BA degree level.
KEY BENEFITS
German- Highest-rated department in German within London and nationally on the strength of its world-leading and internationally excellent research.
- Teaching informed and delivered by staff who carry out that research.
- Exceptionally wide range of modules covering literature, language, film, and history.
- Central location offers students access to a variety of libraries and resources, including the Goethe-Insitut and the Austrian Cultural Forum.
- Opportunity to study in a German-speaking country offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in culture and society and achieve language fluency.
Byzantine & Modern Greek- King's is one of only three UK institutions that teach Byzantine & Modern Greek to BA degree level.
- The Centre for Hellenic Studies at King's is the largest of its kind, with all staff active in research at international level, in a wide range of fields.
- Location makes collaboration possible with many Greek cultural organisations based in London.
- Students are offered the opportunity to improve their language skills during a year studying abroad.
- Graduates go into a wide range of professions, including law, government service, journalism, teaching and the financial services industries.
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UCAS code
RR29
Programme type
Joint honours
Duration
Four years
Location
Strand Campus
Year of entry 2014
Offered by
School of Arts and Humanities
Centre for Hellenic Studies
Department of German
Closing date
Please refer to the
UCAS website for application deadline dates, or contact the relevant Admissions Office for further advice
Fees & funding
For information on fees and funding for undergraduate programmes at King's go to
http://www.kcl.ac.uk/ug/funding/ CONTACTS
Address
Department of German
King's College London
Strand Campus
Strand
London WC2R 2LS
Email
Tel
020 7848 2350/2374
Fax
020 7848 7200
PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
You will have the opportunity to attain a high level of proficiency in speaking, writing and reading the German language, whilst developing your knowledge and critical understanding of German culture and society. Our exceptionally wide range of modules covers literature of all periods, German film, German history, German philosophical thought, and German political and social theory.
King's is one of only three UK institutions that teach Byzantine & Modern Greek to BA degree level, and most of our modules are taught in small groups. Language teaching is 'communicative', using a wide range of authentic materials, including video and computers, while also providing a firm grounding in writing and grammatical skills. Literature, history and linguistics classes are discussion-based.
For more information about the Departments of German and Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies, follow the department contact links.
ABOUT THE Centre for Hellenic Studies
CAREERS
Language students are always sought after, and many of our students find it very useful to have one of the less common EU languages. A qualification in Byzantine & Modern Greek Studies will often catch the eye of an employer looking for independent-minded graduates. Our students go into a wide range of professions: law, government service, the financial industries, journalism, school and university teaching etc. Many of them choose to continue to travel and to work in careers with an international aspect.
Recent graduates have found employment as:
• Academic university posts in the UK, US, Greece & Cyprus
• Political Researcher
• Trainee Chartered Accountant, Pricewaterhousecooper
• Financial Journalist
• Theatre Director
• Post Doctoral Researcher, Centre for Asia Minor studies
TEACHING STYLE
Most of our modules are taught in small groups. Language teaching is communicative, using a wide range of authentic materials, including video/DVD and computers, while also providing a firm grounding in writing and grammatical skills. Literature, history and linguistics classes are discussion-based.
STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMES & ASSESSMENT
The normal length of study is four years, of which the third is spent studying abroad. Assessment is by a mixture of coursework and examination. On your year abroad (if applicable) you will carry out assessed coursework contributing towards your degree.
LOCATION
The exceptionally rich Burrows Library of Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies is part of King's Library, now magnificently housed in the Maughan Library, Chancery Lane. Our geographical position makes it possible for us to collaborate with the many Greek cultural organisations based in London.
SPECIAL NOTES
All degree programmes include the requirement that the third year should be spent in study abroad, which may be either wholly in Greece or Cyprus or wholly in another country relevant to your programme of study, or be divided between the two. Exemptions from the year abroad are possible for some categories of students, including native speakers of Greek.
ABOUT THE Department of German
CAREERS
Studies of graduate employability repeatedly stress the career value of language degrees. Employers in UK and international business, the press and media, IT and technology, marketing and public relations, public administration, international development, law, finance, teaching and lecturing, interpreting, translating and others have been found repeatedly to value foreign language competence, not just as a specialist skill, but as a personal quality that fosters relationship-building, teamwork, and the capacity to move easily in international contexts. Studying German, you will also gain fluency in a language and knowledge of a country and its culture that is increasingly in demand, given Germany’s central role in European economic and political development, and German and Austrian membership of the EU. Recent graduates have found employment in sectors including media production and journalism, human relations, finance, business development, retail and marketing, the civil service, teaching and lecturing. A considerable number have continued to further study. Recent employers of King’s German graduates include Goldman Sachs, Astra Zeneca, the National Assembly of Wales, CNN, the American University in London, and the University of Oxford.
TEACHING STYLE
In 2011-12, the Department launched a new curriculum that reflects our commitment to innovative and research-led teaching. Staff across the Department contribute introductory and specialist modules that draw from their own research in German literature, culture and history. Modules are taught through a combination of lectures, small seminars or tutorials, and one-to-one supervision. This brings you into close contact with tutors, in a department that is regularly ranked among the top three research departments in the UK. Language classes involve in-depth work with different kinds of media, literary and academic texts. Teaching is in German and English, according to the subject area. Our teaching style is interactive; students participate informally in small group discussions in seminars or online discussion fora, and formally through seminar presentations and oral assessments.
STRUCTURE OF PROGRAMMES & ASSESSMENT
Following Year 1 foundation modules in culture, history and politics, more specialised modules in Years 2 and 4 reflect the rich research expertise of Department staff. The King’s German Department ranked joint second in the country in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, and the commitment of our staff to research excellence is matched by our enthusiasm for teaching. Our rigorous three-year language programme is tailored both to your own level of language competence, and to the internationally recognised Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Non-native speakers take core language modules covering the key skills of reading, writing, listening, spoken interaction and production, and translation. Native speakers currently take a separate module in Translation from and into German. Assessment is in a variety of forms including précis and oral presentation, work placement portfolios, longer academic essays in both English and German, and oral and written exams
LOCATION
Located in the heart of London, the department can draw on unparalleled print, audio-visual and online resources, including the King’s Maughan Library and Senate House Library, the Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies, the British Film Institute and the British Library. All are within easy walking distance of the Strand Building. The Goethe-Institut and Austrian Cultural Forum also have extensive media and library holdings, and run lively programmes of films, readings, seminars and exhibitions which complement the Department’s internal film screenings, open seminars, exhibitions, and annual departmental play. All teaching takes place at the Strand Campus.
SPECIAL NOTES
The third year of this programme is spent in Germany, Austria or German-speaking Switzerland, normally as a student at university or as a teaching assistant in a school. We have exchange links with universities in Munich, Frankfurt (Main), Heidelberg, Berlin and Vienna (under the European Union Socrates-Erasmus scheme).
Currently, students study the following core modules. If there are options available the current choices are also shown. King's reviews its optional modules on a regular basis, in order to continue to offer innovative and exciting programmes and this list is therefore subject to change. Please check here for updates, or contact the department(s) for further advice.
YEAR 1
You should take the core modules plus a choice of options in Modern Greek. Native German speakers also choose one optional German module. (This is because their German language module is worth 15 credits, rather than the 30-credit core language module taken by non-native speakers.)
YEAR 1 CORE
German
Texts and Contexts: an introduction to German literature and culture (compulsory)
AND
German Language Core Module I (non-native speakers only)
OR
Translation from and into German I (native speakers only)
Greek
Modern Greek Language
YEAR 1 OPTIONS
German options (for native German speakers only)Milestones of German History
One Hundred Years on German Cinema
Medieval Germany: Language, Literature and Society
German Politics and Society
Modern Greek
The Emergence & Development of Modern Greece
Reading modern poetry comparatively (Greek/English)
From Late Antiquity to Byzantium
Ours once more: perceptions of the past in the Greek world
YEAR 2
You should take the core modules outlined plus a choice of options in Modern Greek, and two or three options in German (depending on whether you are a non-native or native German speaker).
YEAR 2 CORE
German
German Core Language Module II (non-native speakers)
OR
Translation from and into German II (native speakers)
YEAR 2 OPTIONS
German
The German Reformation
Women in the early modern period: representations and responses
German Realist fiction in the nineteenth century
History into literature
Modernism and the Avant-garde
A year in the life of German-language film
Politics and popular culture in Germany after 1870
Germany since 1945: politics, society, economics
18th-century German thought: the education of humanity
Language and mind
Modern GreekModern Greek Language
The novels of Nikos Kazantzakis
Modernity and the nation in Greek fiction since 1922
Greek society and politics, 1922-1950
Language varieties and sociolinguistics
Byzantine saints
History of the Byzantine Empire I (641-867): From Survival to Revival
History of the Byzantine Empire II (867-1055): The Apogee
History of the Byzantine Empire III (1055-1261): Challenge and renewal
History of the Byzantine Empire IV (1261-1453): Fragmentation and Fall
YEAR 3
Normally spent abroad.
YEAR 4
You should take the core modules plus up to three optional modules in German and a choice of options in Modern Greek, which could include a dissertation.
YEAR 4 CORE
German
German Language Core Module III (non-native speakers)
OR
Translation from and into German III (native speakers)
YEAR 4 OPTIONS
GermanTranslation from and into German III
Structure and usage of contemporary German
The Nibelungenlied: from the twelfth to the twentieth century
Religion, sex and politics: German literature of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries
Goethe's Faust
Goethe: from Sturm und Drang to Classicism
Heinrich Heine
Kafka
Aspects of post-1945 German fiction
The Third Reich in the post-war German novel
Modern German poetry
Brechtian cinema and political modernism
Power and everyday life in the GDR
German reunification: culture and politics
Politics and everyday life in twentieth-century Germany
Government politics and public policy in Germany
German gender politics
Constructing Europe — identities and a European demos
Extended essay (This option is worth 30 credits, and therefore counts as a double module.)
Modern GreekModern Greek Language
Dissertation
War in Greek poetry 1897-1981
Modernity and tradition in Greece (19th-20th centuries)
Text and discourse analysis
Constantine and his Historians
Describing Constantinople
Medicine and society in the ancient world
Medicine and society in the medieval world
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
Australia
Tertiary Entrance Ranking
96+ ATAR, or an OP of band 3 for Queensland including high marks in German
Austria
Reifezeugnis (Matura)
Reifezeugnis with 1 including 1 German
Belgium
Certificat D
Certificat D’Enseignement Secondaire Superieur/Diploma van Secundair Onderwijs with 8/10 or 17/20 including 8 or 17 in German
Brazil
Brazil
High School Leaving Certificate (Certificado de Ensino Médio) with 8 OR B OR Muito Bom PLUS at least one year of Bacharel/Licenciado at a Brazilian University with a GPA of at least 8.0 OR the King’s College London International Foundation Programme OR 3 A-levels with grades of AAB including B in German
Bulgaria
School Leaving Certificate
Diploma za Sredno Obrazovanie with the majority of subject marks of 5.5 including 5.5 in German
Canada
Secondary School Certificate/Diploma
High School Certificate/Diploma with 85% OR Ontario University Preparatory Course with 85% at five grade 12 4U subjects. The sixth subject may be at 4U or 4U/C level. OR the Quebec CEGEP Cote R with an overall R score of 31. (All require high marks in German.)
Chile
Chile
Licencia de Educación Media with 6 PLUS at least one year of the Licenciatura at a Chilean university with a mark of 5 OR the Kings College London International Foundation Programme OR 3 A-levels with grades of AAB including B in German
China
Gao Kao (University Entrance Examination)
University Entrance Examination with high marks in German, plus at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Chinese university with at least 80%.
Cyprus
Apolytirion
Apolytirion (School Leaving Certificate) with 18 including high marks in German, plus at least an additional foundation/Access year
Czech Republic
Maturita
Maturita with 1 including 1 in German
Denmark
Studentereksamen or Hjere Forberedelseseksamen
Studentereksamen or Højere Forberedelseseksamen with 10 including 10 in German
Estonia
Gmnaasiumi lputunnistus (Secondary School Leaving Certificate)
Gümnaasiumi lõputunnistus with majority marks of 5, (including grade 5 in German) and an attestation of success in the state entry examinations (Riigieksamitunnistus)
Finland
Ylioppilastutkinto/Studentexamen (National Matriculation)
Ylioppilastutkinto with 6 including 6 in German
France
Baccalaureat (including the option internationale baccalaureat)
The Baccalaureat with 13 including 13 in German
Germany
Abitur
Abitur with 1.5 overall including 1.5 in German
Ghana
School Leaving Certificate
the West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC/WASSCE) PLUS 3 international Cambridge-board A levels at AAB including B in German
Greece
Apolytirion
Apolyterion with 18 including 18 in German
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)
Three elective subjects at minimum Levels 5, 5, 5 plus Level 4 in each of the four core subjects. Applicants should demonstrate fluency in German.
Hungary
Erettsegi
Erettsegi with 5 including 5 in German
India
School Leaving Certificate
School Leaving Certificate with 85% overall OR School Leaving Certificate with 75% with at least a foundation/Access year or year of undergraduate study at an Indian university. (Both require high marks in German)
Iran
School Leaving Certificate
Pre-University Certificate (Peeshdaneshgahe) OR the National Entrance Exam (Kunkar) with 16 OR 3 Cambridge International A levels at AAB (All require high marks in German)
Ireland
Irish Leaving Certificate (Higher level unless otherwise stated)
A1 A1 A1 A2 B1 B1 with grade B in German
Italy
Esame di Stato
Esame di Stato with 90 with high marks in German
Japan
School Leaving Certificate
Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (Kotogakko Sotsugyo Shomeisho) PLUS 3 Cambridge Board International A-levels at AAB OR an Associate degree or Diploma from a Junior College (Jun-Gakushi) with a GPA of 3.3 or B+ or 4 OR a foundation year. Including high marks in German
Latvia
Atestats par visparejo videjo izglitibu (Certificate of General Secondary Education)
Atestats par visparejo videjo izglitibu with 8 with high marks in German, plus at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Latvian university
Lithuania
Brandos Atestatas (Maturity Certificate)
Brandos Atestatas with 90 with high marks in German plus at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Lithuanian university
Luxembourg
Diplome de Fin D
Diplome de Fin D’Etudes Secondaires with Tres Bien including Bien in German
Malta
Matriculation Certificate - Advanced level
Matriculation Certificate with AAB including B in German
Mexico
Mexico
The Bachillerato with a mark of 8 PLUS the King’s College London International Foundation Programme OR at least one year of the Licenciado study with an overall average mark of at least 8/10 OR A-levels with grades of AAB including B in German
Moldova
School Leaving Certificate
Diploma de Bacalaureat with 9 including 9 in German
Netherlands
Diploma Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO)
VWO with 7.5 including 7.5 in German
New Zealand
National Certificate of Educational Achievement Level 3 (NCEA)
the NCEA level 3 with E in the majority of standards/modules in four subjects,including Excellent in German
Nigeria
School Leaving Certificate
The Senior School Certificate (SSC/SSCE) OR the West African Senior School Certificate (WASSC/WASSCE) PLUS 3 Cambridge International A levels at AAB, including B in German
Norway
Vitnemal-videregaende opplaering (Upper Secondary Leaving Certificate)
Vitnemal-videregaende opplaering grade 5 including grade 5 in German
Pakistan
High School Certificate (HSSC)
High School Certificate with A with high marks in German plus at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Pakistani university
Poland
Matura
Matura with 80% in extended level subjects including high marks in German
Portugal
Diploma de Ensino Secundário
Diploma de Ensino Secundário with 18 including high marks in German
Romania
School Leaving Certificate
Diploma de Bacalaureat with 8 including 8 in German
Russia
Attest o (Polnom) Srednem Obrazovanii (Certificate of Secondary Education)
Attest o (Polnom) Srednem Obshchem Obrazovanii with an average of 4.5 including 5 in German, plus at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Russian university
Saudi Arabia
School Leaving Certificate
College of Technology Diploma OR Higher Technical Institute Diploma OR Junior Health College Diploma OR Undergraduate Diploma with 85% OR 3 Cambridge International A levels at AAB with B in German
Singapore
Singapore A Level
AAB in three content-based H2 subjects (including Grade B German). Knowledge and Inquiry is not considered as part of the offer
Slovakia
Vysvedcenie Maturitnej Skuska/Maturita
Maturita with 2 overall including 2 in German
Slovenia
Maturitetno Spricevalo (Secondary School Leaving Certificate)
Maturitetno Spricevalo with 5 including 5 in German
South Africa
South African Senior Certificate/National Senior Certificate with Matriculation endorsement
The National Senior Certificate with Matriculation endorsement with AAABB Grade including B in German
Spain
Titulo de Bachiller
Titulo de Bachiller with 8 overall including 8 in German
Sweden
Fullständigt Slutbetyg (School Leaving Certificate)
Fullstandigt Slutbeytg with MVG including MVG in German
Switzerland
Federal Maturity Certificate
Federal Maturity Certificate with an overall mark of 5 including 5 in German
Turkey
Lise Diplomasi (High School Diploma)
Lise Diplomasi with an overall mark of 4 including high marks in German, with at least a foundation/Access year or one year of undergraduate study at a Turkish university
United Kingdom
A levels
AAB
Compulsory subjects
Grade B at A-level German
12 unit A level in vocational subjects
Considered on an individual basis
General Studies and Critical Thinking - College policy
Please note that AS/A level General Studies and Critical Thinking are not accepted by King's as one of your A or AS levels. However, if offered the grade achieved may be taken into account when considering whether or not to accept a candidate who has just fallen short of the conditions of their offer
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities (or similar) Diploma including study of German at Level 3 with 33 Level 3 credits from units awarded at Distinction, with the remaining credits at Merit. Supplementary information and achievement e.g marks for certain credits/subjects may be required depending on course content.
Cambridge Pre-U
3 Pre-U Principal Subjects with grades of D3 D3 M2 including M2 in German
BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma
Considered on an individual basis
Scottish Highers & Advanced Highers
AAABB at Higher and AB at Advanced Higher with grade B in German
International Baccalaureate
35 points and HL 665 including HL5 in German
European Baccalaureate
80% overall including 8 in German
USA
Advanced Placement Tests and/or SAT/ACT (SAT/ACT acceptable only where stipulated)
Three AP subjects with 554 including 4 in German. Or SAT with a total score of 1800 with at least 600 in each section or the ACT with a score of 27 plus 3 SAT-S with a score of 600 in each plus an AP in German with 4 or evidence of fluency
OTHER REQUIREMENTS
Aptitude testing
No test required
If you are interested in coming to King’s, you should apply through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) and apply online via the UCAS website (click on 'apply'). If you are applying through a school or college, you will need to obtain a 'buzzword' from the centre you are applying through. Alternatively, you can apply as an individual, independent of a school or college. Please see the UCAS website for instructions. The UCAS institution code name for King’s is KCL, and the institution code is K60.
There are a few programmes which require direct application to King's, this will be stated above
Most applicants are considered between November and March. Admission requirements are flexible, but evidence of study in German to an appropriate level is always required. A detailed list of the additional credentials and musical skills required for the BA German & Music can be found on the web page of the Department of Music.