Information for Prospective Students and Partners

The English Studies Department of Leibniz University Hannover offers courses for students at undergraduate (Bachelor), graduate (Master) and postgraduate (Doctorate) level. At undergraduate level, students can take English as their major or minor discipline in the transdisciplinary Bachelor (education or non-education stream.) At graduate level, students can complete the Master of North American Studies, the Master of Atlantic Studies, the Master of German and English Linguistics, or the Master of Education qualification to become teachers in grammar schools or vocational schools in Germany,

The English Studies Department is divided into five sub-sections: British Literature and Culture, American Literature and Culture, Linguistics, Theory of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL), and Language Practice.

British and Postcolonial Studies

The Division of British and Postcolonial Studies pursues a broad cultural studies approach with a special focus on postcolonial issues. Courses are offered on British literature of all genres from the 16^th to the 21^st century, on Anglophone writing from West and South Africa, the Caribbean, India, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Ireland as well as the African and South Asian diaspora in Great Britain. The systematic instruction of students in the theories and methods of literary and cultural studies is fundamental, as is the practice of artistic shape analysis, inviting students to appreciate the innovative power of literature, visual art and film in the respective historical and social contexts.

American Studies

Teaching and research in the Division of American Studies approach US literature and culture in tight conjunction. Literary texts and cultural artefacts are situated in their historical contexts and considered in their role as elements within a larger social field. One fundamental object of the Division's research are processes of political transformation and their relevance for conceptualizations of nationhood and nation formation. This research intersects with research in the realm of gender and sexuality and feeds into the Gender Studies programme supported by the Division. A second major area of research is concerned with issues of mass and popular cultural formations, serialization, digitization, and fan cultures.

Linguistics

Teaching and research in the Division of English Linguistics focus on the structures of the English language today as well as their historical development. Additionally, a major area is the investigation and application of the English language in all its facets. A project investigating politeness in human interaction in American English, British English, German, Farsi, Brazilian Portuguese, and Serbian is currently in progress.

Theory of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL)

This Division focusses on the study of teaching and learning English language, literature, and culture, and is an important part of the English Studies Department. In classes and in school internships, the primary aim is to provide future teachers with extensive knowledge and skills to prepare them for their careers in an authentic and realistic way. The Division works closely with grammar schools and teacher training centres in Hannover Region. Teaching and research focusses on the following areas:

• Literature, film, and cultural education
• Intercultural and transcultural learning
• Methodologies of teaching with modern media, AI, and digitalisation
• English instruction for diverse learner groups
• Learning strategies, individualisation, and differentiation
• Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL)
• Multilingual education
• Video-based and online instruction
• Analysis and development of textbooks

Language Practice

English language classes are an integral part of the English Studies Department’s Bachelor degree programme. The classes aim to educate students on the usage of the English language in an academic context. They promote awareness of the language, cultural differences, and linguistic varieties, thus preparing students for future careers. The language classes are taught by an international team of L1 English speakers.

Transdisciplinary Bachelor of Arts

English Studies may be taken as a major or minor discipline and combines with many other disciplines in the Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Sciences. Students may choose whether to take the education stream (leading to a Master of Education and qualification to teach in grammar schools) or non-education stream (leading to other Master degree programmes or employment.)

Bachelor of Science (Technical Education)

Students may take English Studies as their minor discipline in combination with a major discipline from the Faculty of Technical Education. This leads to a Master of Education and qualification to teach in vocational schools.

Master of Education (grammar schools)

Students may take English Studies as their major or minor discipline to qualify to become a teacher in grammar schools.

Master of Education (vocational schools)

Students may take English Studies as their minor discipline to qualify to become a teacher in vocational schools.

Master of North American Studies

North American Studies is a consecutive degree programme offered by the American Studies Division in the English Studies Department. It is designed for students with a Bachelor’s degree in American Studies, English, and related fields of literary or cultural studies. The programme offers a broad variety of courses in North American Studies. It is concerned with the literary and cultural history of North America from the colonial period onward and with current developments in North America in a transnational context. Categories of difference and diversity (race, gender, sexuality, class, religion, and more) are considered systematically. The programme allows for a focus on media history and media theory, and it invites its students to acquaint themselves with new trends in television studies, popular culture studies, and the studies of digital cultures. 

Master of Atlantic Studies

This degree programme allows students to focus on either a historical or interdisciplinary perspective of the humanities and investigate the social, cultural, political and economic relationships in Eurasia and the Atlantic region. The degree looks at the interconnections between Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas in terms of historical and current globalization processes and migration. This is an interdisciplinary degree programme taught by English Studies as well as the Departments of History, Sociology, and Romance Languages. Classes are taught in English and German.

Master of German and English Linguistics

This is an interdisciplinary degree programme taught by English Studies and German Studies. Classes are taught in English and German and combine historical, theoretical, applied and empirical approaches within the field of linguistics. Students can gain research-oriented qualifications as well as practical skills and knowledge in areas such as media communication and language transmission.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in English Studies

Students may pursue a doctoral degree in the fields of British Literature and Culture, American Literature and Culture, Linguistics, or Theory of TEFL. The requirements are a completed Master’s degree in any of those fields as well as approval from one of the English Studies professors.

Our classes range from lectures to seminars and tutorials. Classes are taught in English, with a few exceptions taught in German. Students follow a fixed programme of sequential classes with some flexibility. Classes are each 2 hours/week, and most are worth 5 ECTS (exceptions are explained in the examination ordinance.)  The assessment tasks vary, for example: essays, short written tasks, oral presentations, creative projects, quizzes, written exams, oral exams, and term papers. Students who complete a degree programme to graduate in Hannover also write a thesis or dissertation. Students who complete a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree will also undertake internships in the relevant professional field for their studies and career aims.

The English Studies Department is partnered with a number of universities around the world through different programs. Our Erasmus partners are: Utrecht, Trondheim, Gdansk, and Wroclaw. Other partners include: Bristol, Accra, Lapai, Wollogong, Pune, Manipal, as well as several US universities. Students may also study for a semester at many other universities through faculty and university-wide partnerships and programmes.

A stay abroad is compulsory for all students who wish to graduate with the Master of Education. This is a criterion set by the Lower Saxony Ministry of Education and may involve study at a high school, university, college or language school; a teaching assistant internship; an internship in a place of professional employment related to the studies; or a job as an au pair/tutor/camp counsellor.

All of the members of the Student Council study English and serve as volunteers to improve student life. They organise academic and social events for the students of the Department as well as represent the students at faculty committees. The Student Council maintains a silent study room and a common room where students can meet for a snack, a chat, or a group study session.

Each semester, a group of students directed by a lecturer develops and puts on a play in English. These vary from classic to modern, comedy to tragedy. The students take on all the roles, create the costumes and props, and manage the performances. The emphasis lies on the training of voice, body, and movement. Staging tends to be minimalistic with regard to scenery, sound and lighting.

The English Studies Department runs numerous events during the lecture period, including guest lectures, workshops in creative reading or video essay production, film screenings, and conferences. These are announced on our homepage. We also cooperate with local institutions and organisations (cinemas, theatre festivals, centres of literature, NGOs) and co-present Leibniz University’s “Literary Salon”: a series of readings, discussions and presentations by authors and academics in the field of literary studies.