General Information

Under the Freie Universität Berlin’s modular system, the bachelor’s program in General and Comparative Literature can be studied as a 90-credit major subject (“Kernfach”) or as a 30- or 60-credit minor subject (“Modulangebot”).

The standard program duration is six semesters. Enrollment is annual, with courses starting at the beginning of the winter semester. Like all B.A. programs, it is modular in nature. Each module consists of a combination of two classes (seminars, lectures, etc.) and generally involves a graded final assessment (written exam, term paper, etc.).

For further information on the program and the admissions process, please consult the study and examination regulations (direct download, PDF file in German) as well as the institute’s “Online-Studienfachwahl-Assistent ” (OSA, in German only), which features an interactive chart (available in English) that is designed to help you with planning possible subject combinations for your course of study.

 

Program Description and Objectives

The bachelor’s program in General and Comparative Literature focuses on the history and poetics of European literatures (including their origins in antiquity) from the early modern period onwards. Based on theoretical principles and general theories of aesthetics, students learn how to examine literary texts for their individual forms of expression and their relationships with other arts and epistemic systems.

Upon completion of the program, students will have obtained a solid foundation in literary history and theory, aesthetics, and applied literary studies. Graduates will also have acquired core competencies in analytical reading and writing, as well as in the organization and structuring of complex fields of knowledge.

The knowledge, skills, and proficiencies taught in the program prepare students for consecutive courses of study and qualify them for a professional career in publishing, in media, and in public and private cultural institutions.

 

 

 

Admission and Language Requirements

Applicants are required to supply proof of their Higher Education Entrance Qualification (“Hochschulzugangsberechtigung,” HZB) or equivalent documentation showing that they are legally eligible to study at a German university. Passive language proficiency in English commensurate with level B2 (CEFR) is mandatory and must be demonstrated upon enrollment through the appropriate documentation.

Apart from sufficiently advanced English and German language skills , proficiency in another modern European language is no longer a strict requirement for B.A. students. However, it is strongly recommended that students improve their foreign language competency while enrolled in the program.

 

Application Process

General information on the undergraduate degree programs offered at the Freie Universität Berlin and details regarding the application process, including all required documents, are available via the FU website.

To find out which grades were required for admission to the bachelor’s program in General and Comparative Literature in the previous semester, please contact the Student Services Center (SSC).