Romance Studies

The degree program in Romance Studies is concerned with the languages that evolved from Latin, their special characteristics, literatures and diverse cultures. Taken as a major, students study two of the three possible Romance philologies, French, Spanish or Italian, one as their first, other as their second language, which also involves different focus areas. When Romance Studies is taken as a major, students must always chose a minor.

In this degree program, students deepen their practical knowledge of the language and also encounter content from the fields of linguistics, literary criticism and cultural studies.

The field of linguistics examines the emergence, development and current state of the respective Romance language (phonology, word formation, syntax, etc. ) Students also receive an overview of other subfields of linguistics as well as their theories and methods.

Literary studies provide insights into the literary history of the respective language area from the Middle Ages to the present (periods, genres, authors, works, etc.). Literary studies also include theories, methodologies and models with regard to Romance language literature.

Cultural studies address theories, methods and models with a view to different cultures but also include country-specific orientational knowledge. This includes the examination of current and historical political, economic and social structures, media landscapes and educational systems.

This subject must be combined with a second subject. 

Possible lines of work:

Research management, education (e.g. adult education at universities, language courses at adult education centers, educational/vocational institutes (Bildungswerke), etc.), book industry (publishing/ libraries/ translating/editing), culture (cultural institutions, cultural management, embassies, Goethe Institutes, cultural institutes, regional cultural work, exhibitions, etc.), media/journalism (press, radio, television, online media, public relations), administration (international relations, e.g. diplomatic service, EU institutions, international organizations), teaching in the German public school system, academia (research management, teaching/research at universities, research institutions, etc.)