The German Section
Background - about the German Section
The German Section has a proud history of more than half a century at the University of Melbourne. The section has strong links with universities in German-speaking countries and provides students with the opportunity to complete part of their studies overseas through scholarships and exchange programs. Options and interdisciplinary electives are available at all levels to encourage students to pursue their particular interests and develop prospective career pathways.
The section provides an intimate study environment with excellent access to talented and enthusiastic teaching staff with wide ranging interests in German language and culture. The section has a strong reputation in both teaching and research and has an impressive publishing record over a broad range of topics.
In addition to three entry levels of language tuition and three separate streams of language tuition, the German section offers background study options on a broad range of linguistic, literature, film and cultural topics.
German is a major world language. It is the national language of Germany and Austria, one of the national languages of Switzerland and is used extensively throughout Europe as a language of business and commerce. German is the third most popular foreign language world-wide and is the language of a major trading partner of Australia . A knowledge of German also opens up the rich culture of German-speaking Europe and its history.
German thinkers have for centuries been pre-eminent in fields as diverse as philosophy, literature, medicine, chemistry and engineering. A number of German and Austrian writers and thinkers have been honoured with the Nobel Prize, most recently Günter Grass in 1999 and Elfriede Jelinek in 2004.
German Undergraduate Study Options