English Literature and Culture Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Overview

The core of the English Literature and Culture program at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz is the study of the literature and culture of Great Britain and Ireland. However, it does not stop at the limits of these traditional fields, but pays tribute to the new global perspectives by including the cultural and literary worlds of former Commonwealth countries—the so-called “New Literatures”. 

One of the fundamental goals of English Studies is to teach methods of interaction with texts, a skill that forms the basis of success in every field. These critical thinking skills include logical argument, problem-solving, informed interpretation, and independent thinking. 

Although students analyze texts using traditional context-based methods, the central focus remains on critical, philological and theoretical methods that dissect the interaction between text and reader. In order to provide the most comprehensive access to literature, students are taught multi-faceted approaches: narratology, literature and culture theory, even aspects of cognitive science and gender studies play an important role. 

Fields of Work

The English Literature and Culture program offers graduates career perspectives in the following fields: private schools in Germany and abroad, colleges and universities, adult education, job training, media, publishing, libraries, museums, press and public relations, advertising, information and communications technology, editing, and public service, as well as economics, trade, and industry. These opportunities can be significantly improved through relevant subject combinations, the acquisition of additional qualifications like IT skills, German as a foreign language, and other foreign languages, by pursuing internships both in Germany and abroad, and of course through personal flexibility.