A Languages Degree: „I enjoy the bilingual orientation”
Franziska Hinz (23) is studying Language, Literature and Cultural Studies with the main subjects of German and English/American Studies at the Technical University in Dresden. In October, she will be spending half a year at the University of Warwick in the UK.
A deficiency leads to creativity: When Franziska Hinz was still at school, “The Vampire Diaries” was one of her favourite series. Unfortunately, the latest season of the American series was initially only available in English. She therefore watched the English version with German subtitles. “I have always found learning foreign languages, especially English, to be pretty straightforward. From one episode to the next, I was able to follow the English better and better. In the end, I understood most of the dialogue without the subtitles,” explains the 23-year-old from Dresden. The series was one of the reasons why, after completing high school, Franziska decided to study for a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies with the main subjects of German and English/American Studies at TU Dresden.
She is now in her sixth and final semester. “The orientation of the degree programme appealed to me because it is special: The combination of the three mainstays of language, literature and culture is only available at a limited number of universities. The bilingual approach with two languages means that it is possible to approach topics from different perspectives. I’ve found that to be a lot of fun,” she explains.
I could certainly imagine working as an editor in a publishing house. I would be happy to deal with books in English.
Franziska Hinz
Language theory and practice
The bachelor’s degree programme is divided into several basic modules. In the field of German studies, the students attend classes in historic German literature, modern German literature, applied linguistics, German linguistics and German as a second or foreign language. In the field of English/American Studies, Franziska Hinz has studied English linguistics on a synchronous basis, where the present is taken into account, and English linguistics on a diachronic basis, where the past is taken into account.
In addition to this are classes in English and American literature and cultural studies, as well as language teaching seminars. “The language teaching seminars are popular with most students because they genuinely address the practice of language,” says Franziska Hinz. At the initial level, you start with “Vocabulary”, “Grammar” and “Pronunciation and Intonation” and finish in the final semesters with “Advanced Translation” and “Advanced Essay Writing”. Elective seminars such as “Error Analysis” and the Theatre Workshop are also offered.
Soon to study abroad
Franziska Hinz has not yet been able to gain much practical experience due to the pandemic. Experience with actually speaking and using a language, however, is mainly gained abroad. Franziska is therefore set to complete her compulsory stay abroad next semester. It wasn’t easy to organise, though: As she has chosen to focus on Great Britain during her studies, but most British universities have left the European Erasmus programme as a result of Brexit, she was forced to resort to other channels. Through the “Mobility Online” platform, which can be used to find out about the partner universities that her university cooperates with, she managed to find a place at the University of Warwick near Coventry.
After her stay abroad, she would like to write her bachelor’s dissertation and then study for a master’s degree, maybe at a foreign university. Franziska Hinz does not yet have any specific plans for her future career. “I could certainly imagine working as an editor in a publishing house, though. I would be happy to deal with books in English so that I would be able to put my foreign language skills to use.”
