We believe there are at least ten good reasons to study literature and culture (in the context of either our MA Cultural Studies or our MA Literary Studies) in Giessen:

1)    Cutting-Edge Research:

You can participate in innovative research projects run by our faculty on:

Early Modern Studies: Prof. Ingo Berensmeyer, Prof. Greta Olson

Law and Culture: Prof. Greta Olson

Eco-Criticism and Media Ecology: Prof. Ingo Berensmeyer

Melancholy Studies: Prof. Ulrich Horstmann

Cultural Memory Studies: Prof. Ansgar Nünning, Prof. Ingo Berensmeyer

Narrative Theory and Trans-Medial Narratology: Prof. Ansgar Nünning, Prof. Greta Olson

Political Approaches to Culture: Prof. Greta Olson

Literary, Cultural, and Media Theory: Prof. Ingo Berensmeyer, Prof. Ansgar Nünning, Prof. Ulrich Horstmann, Prof. Greta Olson

2)    Top Rankings:

Study at one of Germany's top-ranking English departments, which is regularly rated as among the very best research institutes in "Anglistik" in Germany. According to the CHE Research Ranking of 2009 and 2010, Giessen is exceptional in terms of its doctoral and post-doctoral research, its research funding, and the number of scholarly publications it produces.

3)    Study with Your Advisor:

At Giessen courses in the MA program are taught by senior faculty members. This means that you can get to know potential advisors and their working methods before you decide on who should mentor your final project. Studying with senior faculty members will also help you to be integrated into their current research projects.

4)    Wide Research Scope:

Because Giessen does not differentiate between American, British, and other types of literary and cultural studies, you can participate in and develop new research on transnational Anglophone literary and cultural phenomena. This comparative and interdisciplinary approach also serves as the basis for much work going on at Giessen’s highly acclaimed International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture.

5)    Combine Academic Interests:

At the University of Giessen you can combine your interest in literary and cultural studies with other fields of study. This means that you can combine your degree in literary and cultural studies with, for instance:

Computer Linguistics

Other disciplines in the humanities, such as Romance Languages, Classics, Eastern European Studies, History, and Art History

Didactics

Economics

 6)    Center for Media and Interactivity:

At the University of Giessen you will profit from the resources of the Center for Media and Interactivity. This center pursues practical research on media and explores the effects of digitalization on society, politics, economics, culture, and science. The ZMI offers workshops for students, public presentations on, for instance, performing science; it pursues research projects on topics such as cultural techniques and their medialization.

7)    Close Supervision:

During the course of your MA studies, you will receive substantial feedback on your coursework and final project. This can take the form of:

Colloquia on Methods in Literary and Cultural Studies

Work partnerships in which you collaborate closely with another MA student in order to:

Develop your MA thesis or final project by asking:

        What is the thesis’s central argument or question?

        What precisely is the object that is to be analyzed?

What is the structure and methodology behind the project?

8)    GCSC:

As an MA student at Giessen you will enjoy the benefits of the intellectual environment of the International Graduate Centre for the Study of Culture. This includes student-faculty reading groups and internationally renowned guest scholars who hold workshops and public lectures. At the GCSC, researchers are working with PhD students on the following research areas:

Culture and Identities

Culture and Narration

Culture and Performativity

Culture, Language and New Media

Memory Cultures

Political and Transnational Cultures

Visual Culture

Cultures of Knowledge, Research and Education

9)    Have Fun!

The English Department puts on regular events such as the Battle of the Books, Doing Poetry, and a panel discussion on “What are literary and cultural studies for?” Such events enable students and faculty to interact on an informal basis, drink a glass of wine together, and to celebrate working on Anglophone culture and literature. 

10) An MA with Perspective:

Working on an MA at Giessen will help you to prepare to have a job in a world that uses English as its lingua franca. You will learn to prepare and deliver presentations in English, to analyze Anglophone research and to apply it in practical ways, and to hone your analytical skills. The presence of the GCSC also enables Giessen students to conduct their MA studies with the perspective of continuing on to do a doctorate under optimal conditions at the top-ranked graduate center in Germany. Currently, the GCSC is in the process of expanding its career services to include Giessen’s Masters Degree students. Whether in preparation for work in teaching, journalism, business, or academia, Giessen is a sure bet.

For more information on the MA in Literary Studies

For more information about the MA in Cultural Studies

General information on our MA programmes